Transcript 1263 Club Talk

Hydrogen as an energy source
Hydrogen for use as a chemical energy
source (fuel cells, combustion, etc.) is not
a source of energy. The hydrogen
“economy” does not refer to a new source
of energy. Do not confuse the concept of
an energy source with the concept of
energy usage.
Where is the energy stored?
Here
Not here
H2O
What makes the light?
Courtesy of Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory
http://www.pppl.gov/fusion_basics/pages/fusion_energy.html
Hydrogen fuel drives the lamps of
the universe
-The universe, and the solar system, is more than
90% hydrogen
-The sun burns hydrogen: that’s why it shines
-The burning is “nuclear”: nuclei of hydrogen are fused
to form helium with a large release of energy
-By the way, this process goes on and on and
eventually builds all the elements, and that’s why we
are what we are today, but this is a different issue……
How does the lamp light?
A chain of nuclear fusion reactions:
The gas “fell” together until the temperature rose to
about 15 million degrees C, at which the nuclear
fuel began to “burn”:
Two protons fuse to make deuterium plus a
(positive) electron (plus a neutrino). This takes
several billion years on the average, but
fortunately there are lots of protons trying it at
any time.
The deuterium nuclei now fuse, in a two step
process to make helium nuclei, releasing about
20 MeV of energy.
p+p >
d + positive electron + neutrino
p+p >
d + positive electron + neutrino
Process on the average take several billion years
How does the lamp light?
A chain of nuclear fusion reactions:
The gas “fell” together until the temperature rose to
about 15 million degrees C, at which the nuclear
fuel began to “burn”:
Two protons fuse to make deuterium plus a
(positive) electron (plus a neutrino). This takes
several billion years on the average, but
fortunately there are lots of protons trying it at
any time.
The deuterium nuclei now fuse, in a two step
process to make helium nuclei, releasing about
20 MeV of energy.
Can we burn hydrogen in nuclear
furnaces on the surface of the
earth?
What is the fuel? hydrogen (deuterium) in water
The problem: to get the hydrogen nuclei close to each
other requires a very high “ignition” temperature,
millions of degrees centigrade. Furnaces melt.
The solution:
- Large “plasma” devices contain the gas in magnetic
bottles (MFE)
- Intertial confinement: make little controlled nuclear
bombs (ICF)
Deuterium/tritium fusion
deuterium fuses with tritium releasing a helium
nucleus and a neutron plus 18.3 Mev of energy
Per F. Peterson,
Professor, University of
California, Berkeley
http://www.nuc.berkeley.edu/thyd/ic
f/DT_fusion.html
Comparison to coal
Courtesy of Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory
http://www.pppl.gov/fusion_basics/pages/fusion_energy.html
Magnetic confinement today:
ITER (the way) http://www.iter.org/
$5-10 B
500 Mw of power
Run in 2013
Run for 20 years
Demonstrate that
can produce this
kind of power
No power extraction
Will use external
tritium
Will serve as basis for
serious power plant
design.
Proposed Sites
Rokkasho-mura, Japan
Cadarache, France
A few facts on politics
Idea started in 1985,US, Soviet Union,
Europe, Japan
The US withdrew, then rejoined in 2003
Last month Canada withdrew
Two sites in Japan and France are the
main candidates. Recent meeting to
choose disintegrated in accusations
(2004).
Inertial Confinement
http://www.llnl.gov/nif/libra
ry/ife.pdf
Inertial Confinement
http://www.llnl.gov/nif/libra
ry/ife.pdf
Radioactivity? but…
http://www.llnl.gov/nif
/library/ife.pdf
Economics of ICF
http://www.llnl.gov/nif/l
ibrary/ife.pdf
Inertial Confinement:
NIF
http://www.llnl.gov/nif/nif.html
Inertial Confinement:
NIF
http://www.llnl.gov/nif/nif.html
NIF objectives
To obtain fusion ignition in the laboratory
Stockpile stewardship: how to study hot
plasma
High energy density science
Where are we with NIF?
The National Nuclear Security Administration's (NNSA)
National Ignition Facility (NIF) at Lawrence Livermore
National Laboratory reached a major milestone this week
in activating the first four of its 192 laser beams. Starting
the week of Dec 9, scientists and engineers powered up
the laser beams in a series of increasing energy test
runs. At the end of this series of shots these four laser
beams generated at total of over 43 kilojoules of infrared
light in a pulse lasting five-billionths of a second. This
corresponds to a power level of over 8 thousand billion
watts (8 terawatts), which is about 10 times more power
than the entire US electrical generating capacity, but only
lasting 5-billionths of a second. The energy contained in
the 43 kilojoule pulse is equivalent to a 1 ton automobile
traveling at about 20 miles per hour.
Summary
Hydrogen is not a chemical source of energy. It
is possibly very useful as a (stop gap) medium
for storage and transfer, but does nor remove
the need for a source, such as coal, gas, oil, …
Hydrogen (deuterium) as a nuclear fuel is
plentiful and abundant. But nobody knows how
to make the furnace. Probably energy source on
century time scale. Will we make it?
Magnetic confinement today:
ITER
Inertial Confinement
http://www.llnl.gov/nif/libra
ry/ife.pdf
Whats new
by BOB PARK
(APS)
Friday, January 31, 2003
1. FREEDOM FUEL: CLIMBING MOUNT IMPROBABLE.
In his State of the Union address on Tuesday, President Bush ranked promoting "energy independence
while dramatically improving the environment" as one of his top goals. In addition to "clear skies"
legislation that would mandate a 70% cut in air pollution from power plants over 15 years, Bush proposed
$1.2B in research funding for the Freedom Car "powered by hydrogen and pollution free." But where will
the hydrogen come from? 95% of the hydrogen currently produced in the U.S. comes from steam methane
reforming, a catalytic process that also produces copious quantities of CO2. No green points there. What
about electrolysis? It's not as efficient, but the only bi-product is oxygen. Oops, 65% of our electric power
is generated by burning fossil fuel; no green points there either. Hydroelectric dams are being torn down
to save the rivers, and other renewables are not up to it. Turn to nuclear? Whoa! The public is terrified by
nuclear fission. But what about fusion?
2. ITER: SPENCER ABRAHAM DISCOVERS A HYDROGEN WELL.
In a speech yesterday at the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, Secretary of Energy Abraham officially
announced that President Bush has decided the United States will join negotiations on ITER. It's not like
we haven't been there before (WN 2 Oct 98). "Fusion power," the Secretary said, "produces no
troublesome emissions, it is safe, and has few, if any, proliferation concerns. It creates no long-term waste
problems and runs on fuel readily available to all nations. Moreover, fusion plants could produce
hydrogen...our ultimate freedom fuel...to power hundreds of millions of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles in the
U.S. and abroad." In short, it's the greenest program of them all. And better yet, fusion is nowhere near
working. Detroit can go right on making humongous gas-guzzling SUVs, while building a couple of fuelcell concept cars on government grants as a hedge, just in case we have a breakthrough in fusion.
Meanwhile, the President gets to wear green. All this for a measly $1.2B spread over five years.
Whats new
by BOB PARK
(APS)
Friday, 27 Feb 04
1. THE HYDROGEN INITIATIVE: WHAT WOULD IT TAKE TO MAKE IT WORK?
Two years ago, Secretary of Energy Spencer Abraham announced the "Freedom Car" program
http://www.aps.org/WN/WN02/wn011802.cfm .
It was supposed to stimulate development of hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles, freeing us from reliance on
foreign oil. The big auto makers pledged their support, but something was missing. A year later,
President Bush announced a $1.2B Hydrogen Initiative to produce Freedom Fuel to run the Freedom Car.
The plan calls for competitive use of hydrogen in commercial transportation by 2020.
Huge performance gaps in hydrogen engines, production and storage must be overcome for this to
happen. It is likely that the early phases of any hydrogen economy will rely on production methods that
use fossil fuels http://www.aps.org/WN/WN03/wn013103.cfm .
On Monday, a report critiquing the Hydrogen Initiative, prepared by the APS Panel on Public Affairs, will
be released.
2. ITER: NEGOTIATION DEADLOCKED ON LOCATION OF FUSION FACILITY.
What happened? Did I pick up an old newspaper? Or maybe I just regained consciousness after 20 years
in a coma, but the ITER soap opera seems awfully familiar. In 1992, when it came down to Japan,
Germany, or the USA, the Solomonic decision was to chop it into three pieces
http://www.aps.org/WN/WN92/wn073192.cfm . The baby did not survive the dismemberment. The
decision of the US to once again enter into negotiations on ITER was announced by Spencer Abraham in a
speech a year ago at the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory
http://www.aps.org/WN/WN03/wn013103.cfm . He dreamed of fusion plants producing hydrogen "to power
hundreds of millions of hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles." The deadlock in picking a site this time is between
Rokkasho, Japan and a European Union site in Cadarache, France, with the US backing Japan. Well, you
didn't expect the US to back a site in France did you? Another
gathering will be held in Vienna next month.