Elixir of Life – Quest for (nu)clear Energy

Science fiction writers foresee the inevitable, and although problems and catastrophes may be inevitable, solutions are not. – Isaac Asimov 

The modern human lifestyle and greed for comfort have led us to an environmental crisis, a disorder in the environment, called entropy. The energy production processes adopted by the modern human are gifting heat to the environment thus resulting thermal pollution. This is one of the major factors of global warming and a small change in the environmental temperature can have irreversible consequences on the metabolic processes of plants and animals. This can, in turn, lead to serious disruption of the overall ecological unit.

In order to cope up with these entropy changes nuclear technology has paved many paths. One of the fruitful efforts of this field is nuclear fission reactors which are working with high proficiency and giving eighty percent output and these are now used world-wide for power production. But, the energy production can be enhanced magnificently if nuclear fusion reactions can be controlled. It has been reported that the energy yield per nucleon is much higher in the fusion reaction as compared to fission but it is difficult to control fusion reactions as it requires immense amount of hard work to produce it on large scale as it is a herculean task to bring positively charged nuclei having electrostatic force of repulsion together.

Several methods are used to achieve this task. One of the methods to do so is thermo nuclear reaction which can induce fusion with the high velocity of particles at 10 million degree Celsius. But to attain and maintain such a high temperature for longer period of time in ordinary conditions is next to impossible. Until now nuclear fusion reaction is taking place only in hydrogen bomb which is an uncontrolled reaction and the energy released is obviously not used for the benefit of mankind.

Efforts are in full swing in this field and it is hoped that in the near future some methods may be found to control these reactions. If these reactions once get under control than nuclear fusion reactors can be constructed successfully which can save the mineral and synthesized fuel economy and fulfill the energy demands of the world for the next hundreds of years. This discovery can be a revolutionary step in the area of energy production sector as the production of energy plays a vital role in the progress of a country and this step not only reduces the economical crisis but also the environmental crisis. Nuclear fusion reactors can prove an excellent and long lasting source of energy.

This will also be helpful in decreasing the thermal and air pollution caused by the present fuel sources. Thermal pollution is also one of the major factors contributing to global warming, which is the most important issue of our time because of the weather patterns which results in excess of floods and rains. These fuels are also responsible for green house effect which is also harmful for the life on earth. The imperative form of thermodynamics is that whenever a new method or technology is introduced for the production of energy its present and possible future impacts on our environment should be taken in account to prevent the drastic degradation of life on our beautiful but fragile planet.