Guest Gurgle Posted April 6, 2009 Report Share Posted April 6, 2009 That's steam coming out of a nuclear powerplant, if it's smoke you should worry. Fission works on the premise that radioactive rods heat water, create vast ammounts of steam, turn turbines, which turn magnets inside dense wire coils which generates an electrical charge. Fusion works on the premise that when two atoms combine (this is true for anything larger than iron 56), they tend to combine into a single nucleus which is smaller in mass than the combination of the original pair, the excess mass is expelled as heat energy, which is then used to heat water, turn turbines..... you get the idea. The thing about fusion is that the isotope used in most designs is a hydrogen isotope and they use lithium to pickup neutrons that fly off randomly.... Enough of the chemistry lesson, no released steam, go read a degree level chemistry book But why is there no steam? I haven't been enlightened yet . Both types of nuclear plants create steam to drive turbines, as you said. A fission plant's steam would be released through a big... ventilator-exhaust-thing. Wouldn't the same hold true for a fusion one? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Kakashi Posted April 6, 2009 Report Share Posted April 6, 2009 (edited) The steam coming from the fission reactor is from the rods' cooling system, not from the steam in the turbine cycle (if it were form the turbine cycle the soviets would have to wear radiation protection suits inside their base). Since the fusion reactor wouldn't need such a cooling system there would also be no steamclouds coming out of it. Or that's how I understood it... Edited April 6, 2009 by Kakashi Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Glaed Posted April 6, 2009 Report Share Posted April 6, 2009 (edited) Reverse the two water systems in your post Kakashi, and you have it correct. The rods' cooling system comes in contact with the core, and thus is heavily radioactive. The turbine system never comes in contact with the core (depending on the reactor) and thus is not radioactive. However, the Soviet RBMK nuclear reactor (aka the type used at Chernobyl) was different. It used only one water system. It was also one of the most commonly used reactor types during the cold war, IIRC, because it could use normal water (instead of "heavy" water) and normal Uranium like you would find in the ground, so they didn't have to enrich it. However, all this came at the cost of the reactor being a little unstable. Once the reactor started undergoing fission at a certain rate, the heat would increase the reaction, thus increasing the heat, which would increase the reaction... A situation called a Positive Void Coefficient RBMK Reactor Schematic Edited April 6, 2009 by Glaed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cfehunter Posted April 6, 2009 Report Share Posted April 6, 2009 the water used within fusion doesnt become radioactive at all, the lithium does however, but then again i dont suggest breathing in lithium either. No the point about fusion is that the heat created forms plasma which is burnt to generate the energy required. Which is where my knowledge ends, how the hell they convert the heat into electricity i really dont know, but the majority of plant designs do not use steam driven turbines (they're really really not efficient). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Kakashi Posted April 6, 2009 Report Share Posted April 6, 2009 Sorry about that, I tried so hard to not mix them up it actually happened anyways ^^'... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Glaed Posted April 6, 2009 Report Share Posted April 6, 2009 (edited) But why is there no steam? I haven't been enlightened yet . Both types of nuclear plants create steam to drive turbines, as you said. A fission plant's steam would be released through a big... ventilator-exhaust-thing. Wouldn't the same hold true for a fusion one? Neither plant would release the steam very often, if any was used. The steam moves the turbines, then is condensed back into water, where it is run to the reactor and turns back into steam (in fission generators, at least.) The only reason nuclear power plants need those large chimney stacks (IIRC) is to cool the steam, or occasionally to let excess water out of the system. Edited April 6, 2009 by Glaed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OWA Posted April 7, 2009 Author Report Share Posted April 7, 2009 This topic is making my head hurt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Gurgle Posted April 7, 2009 Report Share Posted April 7, 2009 Ah... I see. Sort of. This topic is making my head hurt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest cuddling Posted April 7, 2009 Report Share Posted April 7, 2009 When did a blog turn into a discussion of fusion power and steam driven generators? D: I like the scale Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Xiphias6 Posted April 7, 2009 Report Share Posted April 7, 2009 Right, maybe it's Geothermal and doesn't have any steam, end. The slope looks like you could drive a ranger flak track up it and get stuck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OWA Posted April 8, 2009 Author Report Share Posted April 8, 2009 The slope looks like you could drive a ranger flak track up it and get stuck Flak Tracks don't get stuck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest UberEggz Posted April 11, 2009 Report Share Posted April 11, 2009 It's Hydrogen NOT geothermal because how the hell can you prdouce geothermal on dead buildings or highways? (show a picture) its 20%fossil fuels and 70% hydrogen and 10% fusion I check messures Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Lt Albrecht Posted April 11, 2009 Report Share Posted April 11, 2009 WHAT? That makes as much sense as RA3's plot... Seriously. It's an allied power plant working by some soert of reaction involving energy and matter and glowing, the specifics of which we do not need to know. Leave it at that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Stormweaver Posted April 11, 2009 Report Share Posted April 11, 2009 (edited) You guys have it all wrong. Inside there is a prototype chronosphere that teleports energy from 30,000,000,000 years in the future when we can be sure that the sun will overlap the space in which the powerplant exists in RA2's time. It uses this inexhaustible source of heat to create steam and turn epic turbines. This energy is then used to power the mini-chronosphere and the excess powers the allied base. [/explains red glow] Edited April 11, 2009 by Stormweaver Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Lt Albrecht Posted April 11, 2009 Report Share Posted April 11, 2009 whatever, I'd say it's a spam incinerator, but meh... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest UberEggz Posted April 11, 2009 Report Share Posted April 11, 2009 You guys have it all wrong. Inside there is a prototype chronosphere that teleports energy from 30,000,000,000 years in the future when we can be sure that the sun will overlap the space in which the powerplant exists in RA2's time. It uses this inexhaustible source of heat to create steam and turn epic turbines. This energy is then used to power the mini-chronosphere and the excess powers the allied base. [/explains red glow] then it's solar n00b Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Xiphias6 Posted April 12, 2009 Report Share Posted April 12, 2009 ...biomass from ahem. Oyar, if people accidently/intentionally explode their aircraft on the PP... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Stormweaver Posted April 12, 2009 Report Share Posted April 12, 2009 then it's solar n00b In a sense, aye. Weirdest thing is, my post actually makes sense. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Pyrodaimon Posted April 12, 2009 Report Share Posted April 12, 2009 ...biomass from ahem That is Yuri's department. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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