There are three isotopes of hydrogen:
H-1
H-2 also known as deuterium (D)
H-3 AKA Tritium (T)
Reactions
This reaction is believed to provide the sun's energy:
4 1H 4He + 2 ß+ = energy
This reaction occurs at temperatures of around 50 million oC.
Another fusion reaction that involves isotopes of H:
2D + 3T 4He + 1n + energy
This reaction occurs at around 10 million deg. C
It is believed that any fusion reactor that will be built (if any such reactor is ever built at all) will use the deuterium-tritium fusion reaction -- because of the slightly lower temperature of the reaction.
Benefits of fusion
1. Virtually limitless fuel supply
2. Fewer radioactive waste products than fission
Drawbacks of fusion
1. The high temperature of the fusion reaction (millions of degrees C) have so far made it impossible to contain the reaction. That is, nobody yet knows how to make the plasma stay put in one place.
Current research is studying super-conducting electromagnets, that would create intense magnetic fields to trap the charged plasma particles.
2. The D-T fusion releases extremely high-powered neutrons which would come flying out of the reactor core at extremely high speeds. These neutrons would smash into any atoms in their path. Hence the two phenomena of neutron embrittlement and induced radioactivity of the reactor structure.
3. Tritium is radioactive and hard to contain -- as are all H atoms.
4. Any fusion reactor is likely to be very big, very complicated, and very, very expensive.
Questions? Comments??
Robert Clark