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Where can deuterium fuel for fusion reactors be obtained?
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nuclear fusion
Interior of the U.S. Department of Energy's National Ignition Facility (NIF), located at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, California. The NIF target chamber uses a high-energy laser to heat fusion fuel to temperatures sufficient for thermonuclear ignition. The facility is used for basic science, fusion energy research, and nuclear weapons testing.
Deuterium, a key fuel for nuclear fusion, is abundantly available in water. It is estimated that approximately one in every 3,000 to 6,760 hydrogen atoms in natural water is a deuterium atom. Because of this high concentration, the oceans provide a practically inexhaustible supply of fuel for future fusion reactors.123
To obtain deuterium in a usable form, it must be concentrated and separated from ordinary hydrogen. Historically and industrially, this has been achieved through several methods:
- Electrolysis: When water is electrolyzed, the hydrogen gas produced at the cathode contains a lower concentration of deuterium than the remaining water, allowing deuterium to be concentrated in the residue.12
- Fractional Distillation: Because deuterium oxide (heavy water) is less volatile than ordinary water, it can be concentrated in the liquid residue during distillation.12
- Chemical Exchange Reactions: Various chemical processes, such as the Girdler sulfide process, facilitate the exchange of deuterium between substances like hydrogen sulfide and water to increase its concentration.12