How Fusion Reactions Work

THE NUCLEAR PHYSICS OF FUSION

Fusion of light elements releases energy, as does fission of heavy elements.
Binding Energy per Nucleon as a Function of Nuclear Mass
Full binding energy figure not loaded.

Discussion:

The relation E = mc2 states the equivalence of mass and energy. In a fusion reaction, some reactant mass energy is converted to kinetic energy of the products. Binding energy is the energy equivalent of the mass difference between a whole nucleus and its individual constituent protons and neutrons. For energy release in fusion or fission, the products need to have a higher binding energy per nucleon (proton or neutron) than the reactants. As the graph above shows, fusion only releases energy for light elements and fission only releases energy for heavy elements.

The actual fusion reaction occurs when two nuclei approach within about 1.0x10-15 m, so that the attraction, via the residual strong interaction between the nuclei, overcomes the electrical repulsion between the protons. Such close encounters only occur when nuclei collide with sufficient kinetic energy. Only at high temperatures do enough energetic particles exist for there to be many fusion reactions.

Binding Energies (Light Elements Only)
Light element binding energy figure not loaded.

Reaction Energy Ef = k (mi-mf) c2

This equation follows from Einstein's E = mc2. The change in energy Ef of the system is proportional to the mass difference (mi-mf) between the reactants and the products. In the equation above,

Useful Nuclear Masses

(The electron's mass is 0.000549 u.)

SpeciesSymbolsMass (u)*
nNeutron1.008665
p (H1) Proton1.007276
D (H2)Deuteron2.013553
T (H3)Triton3.015500
He3Helium-33.014932
He4 (alpha)Helium-44.001505

* Note: 1 u = 1 atomic mass unit = 1.66054x10-27 kg = 931.466 MeV/c2

Fusion Rate Coefficients
Rate Coefficients figure not loaded.

Plasma Fusion Reaction Rate = R n1 n2

n1,n2 = Densities of reacting species (particles/m3); R = Rate Coefficient (m3/s).
Multiply by Ef to get fusion power density.

Discussion:

To calculate the rate of reactions per unit volume, multiply the rate coefficient, R, by the particle densities of the two reacting species (divide by two if there is only one species, in order to avoid double-counting the reaction possibilities). The p + p => D reaction rate coefficient in the sun is much lower than that achievable with a deuterium-tritium fuel mix, because the p + p reaction proceeds by the weak nuclear interaction. Despite the sun's high density, the low rate coefficient means a proton in the sun will exist for an average of billions of years before it fuses. By comparison, a deuteron in a magnetic fusion power plant would only exist for ~100 seconds, and a deuteron in an imploding, fully-burned inertial confinement pellet only for 1.0x10-9 seconds.

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Page originally created by Jason Edson and Hannah Cohen.
Last Revised 10-Oct-97 by Robert F. Heeter