Cold Fusion: what is it, and how can we get it? 

Globally, we are continually on the hunt for a more acceptable form of nuclear power. While there have been many positive advancements in the production of the nuclear power we currently use, we still cling to the possibility, the dream, of finding a way to achieve limitless, clean, and safe energy to power our world well into the future.

Cold fusion, often described as the ‘holy grail’ of energy production, is a theoretical form of nuclear reaction that occurs at or near room temperature. Unlike conventional nuclear fission, which requires extremely high temperatures and pressures to create its albeit clean, but somewhat dangerous force – cold fusion presents a cooler, safer method of achieving the same result.

Finding it would mean a revolution in industrial and global power consumption. For those who believe it is possible, decades of scepticism and controversy have not seriously deterred the search – and perhaps we should be glad about that. It is often through perseverance that amazing breakthroughs in science take place.  

Fusion, Fission, and confusing fuss

• All nuclear power plants use nuclear fission, and most nuclear power plants use uranium atoms. During nuclear fission, a neutron collides with a uranium atom and splits it, releasing a large amount of energy in the form of heat and radiation.
• Fission splits a heavy element (with a high atomic mass number) into fragments; while fusion joins two light elements (with a low atomic mass number), forming a heavier element. In both cases, energy is freed because the mass of the remaining nucleus is smaller than the mass of the reacting nuclei.
• Nuclear fusion is not currently used for power generation as it is a difficult process to recreate and control, as well as being expensive. This is due to the temperatures required to overcome the strongly repulsive electrostatic forces between positively charged nuclei in order to allow them to collide and fuse. This is the same process that powers the sun and creates huge amounts of energy—several times greater than fission.
• While fission remains the mature technology commonly used in our reactors today, fusion augurs a promising future of more affordable energy production generating little radioactive waste. And cold fusion offers an even more convenient future.
• While traditional nuclear fusion requires temperatures exceeding millions of degrees Celsius, cold fusion is the process where the nuclei of atoms combine at relatively low temperatures, and in so doing also release  vast amounts of energy – suggesting that we may one day be able to use much milder conditions to create energy, potentially within a laboratory setting or even a tabletop experiment.

Cold Fusion – the story of a dream….

The most famous claim of cold fusion emerged in 1989 when electrochemists Martin Fleischmann and Stanley Pons announced they had observed anomalous heat generation during an experiment involving deuterium-loaded palladium electrodes. Their findings sparked intense excitement but were quickly met with scepticism after other scientists failed to replicate their results reliably.

The scientific challenges that lie ahead:  

• The apparent lack of empirical evidence that satisfies the rigorous standards of mainstream physics. 
• Many cold fusion experiments have reported excess heat, but lack consistent nuclear byproducts, such as the expected levels of neutrons, gamma radiation, or helium.
• Reproducibility still has to be confirmed: scientists must consistently repeat cold fusion reactions in controlled experiments.
• A well-defined theoretical framework must explain how cold fusion occurs at low temperatures.
• Engineering breakthroughs will be needed to scale cold fusion from laboratory experiments to commercial power plants.
• Overcoming scepticism and gaining mainstream scientific support is essential for advancing research.

Reasons why we chase the promise of cold fusion

Limitless energy: Cold fusion relies on isotopes of hydrogen, such as deuterium, which are abundant in seawater. This means humanity could have an almost inexhaustible fuel source.

Clean energy: Unlike fossil fuels, cold fusion would produce no greenhouse gases and hardly any other pollution, making it an environmentally friendly energy source.

Minimal radioactive waste: Compared to traditional nuclear fission, which generates long-lived radioactive waste, cold fusion is expected to have negligible byproducts.

Safe technology: Without the risk of runaway reactions or meltdowns, cold fusion would be inherently safer than current nuclear reactors.

Decentralised power generation: Cold fusion could enable numerous small-scale energy production in many areas, thus reducing reliance on centralised power grids and enhancing energy security worldwide.

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