Nuclear Feedback Loop (Fusion and Fission) What are the main factors that prevent a feedback loop

rockandriot0odjn

rockandriot0odjn

Answered question

2022-05-15

Nuclear Feedback Loop (Fusion and Fission)
What are the main factors that prevent a feedback loop being created by using a hybrid method of fission and fusion. Fusion building up to fissionable materials, and fission breaking down till fusion is possible. Ex: numbers of neutrons, cross section for interaction, the gap between elements, amount of energy needed, probability of correct species being generated.
Further, would it be possible to at least get a few occurrences of the fission/fusion cycle.

Answer & Explanation

lavintisqpsnb

lavintisqpsnb

Beginner2022-05-16Added 10 answers

There is no fission/fusion cycle. Fissionable nuclei are never created during fusion. Beyond iron, it doesn't create anything else. This is due to the way nuclear binding energy functions.

vulkanere64t6

vulkanere64t6

Beginner2022-05-17Added 2 answers

This is an outline of the cycle you want to create.

With a net energy output, more massive nuclei are created by the process of fusion, which remains exothermic until nuclei with a mass roughly equal to that of an iron nucleus are generated.
To produce even more massive nuclei there must be an input of energy (and an abundance of neutrons) and such reactions are endothermic. These kinds of processes take place in supernova explosions and stars.

After creating these larger nuclei, they can degrade through a variety of processes, including fission, which releases energy.

These are exothermic reactions.

Some of the less massive nuclei that are created are stable, which means that endothermic reactions are needed to further break them up into even less massive nuclei.
The process of splitting the massive nuclei (less in mass than iron) into less massive nuclei again requires a net input of energy ie such reactions are endothermic.
The production of nuclei whose masses move towards the mass of iron nuclei and the production of nuclei more massive than that of iron does occur naturally but the production of less massive nuclei from those nuclei which have a mass less then that of iron nuclei is very unlikely to happen.
The fission/fusion cycle that you have described is not really feasible.

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