r/fusion • u/Sun_In_A_Bottle • 14d ago

Why fusion, over everything else?

$15.2 billion in private investment over the past 5 years!

For an industry that is projected to need 1 million workers by 2040, how is the global private workforce roughly ONLY 4,000?!

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u/[deleted] 13d ago

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u/Numerous-Match-1713 13d ago

I am not talking about dirty bomb here.

You understand the issue and risk of high neutron flux? Irradiate some depleted uranium in it, what comes out, any guesses? Hint, some weapons grade stuff, and without side nasties of doing it with fission.

In this regard fusion is superior weapons factory.

This is why "no reason to really secure it" is simply fallacy.

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u/[deleted] 13d ago

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u/Numerous-Match-1713 13d ago

Fusion does not suck, the fallacy is it is somehow not nuclear power and thus not requiring regulation, when it very much is.

And controlling uranium does not help, when there is enough depleted tailings laying around already to produce millions of bombs. I mean acquiring depleted anyone can do easy.

But thing is, we already have fission and it works. Better use it or we're doomed.

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u/ItsAConspiracy 13d ago edited 13d ago

I'm a fan of fission as well, but in the US we already have a regulatory regime for fusion and it's much easier than the one for fission. Fusion is regulated like particle accelerators and medical devices.

This makes sense because good fission reactors are very safe and bad ones can cause major disasters, but bad fusion reactors just don't work at all.

(And fwiw, depleted uranium means they've taken out most of the U235, which is the part you need for bombs.)

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u/Numerous-Match-1713 13d ago

"And fwiw, depleted uranium means they've taken out most of the U235, which is the part you need for bombs."

Riddle me this, when talking about depleted uranium and high neutron flux, which key bomb material is being talked about?

Hint: Nagasagi and Trinity, not Hiroshima. Also most of the deployed arsenal of every country out there.

btw, in addition to 239 there is also 233 and bunch of other untested ones, its not like 235 is only material possible.

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u/ItsAConspiracy 13d ago

Well yes, that's true. I was thinking about deleting that addition but you were too quick for me :)

I hope it didn't make you overlook the main point of my comment.