1. Scientific l Unit 11: Fusion = Energy
Reasoning & Problem Solving in Comparative
World Perspective
Unit 11: Fusion = Energy
Our sun, using fusion processes, converts hydrogen into energy at a staggering rate. Discuss
whether Government
should promote research in this field so that science may duplicate these processes on earth
and create
fusion nuclear plants that do not pollute and use an element (Hydrogen) that is the most
abundant element in
the universe.
Unit Descrip?on:
Solving the world’s energy needs crisis is an on‐going exploraOon. Students are guided to
explore the
possibiliOes of mass energy producOon via thermonuclear power. They will research the pros
and the
cons as suggested by the experts and the history of nuclear energy producOon and usage.
Unit Narra?ve:
Have you ever wondered what makes the sun produce the almost infinite amount of energy
that it has
been radiaOng for the past five billion years and that it will conOnue
to do so for at least another five billion more? Have you, also wondered,
if it is at all possible to duplicate the sun’s condiOons on
earth and create a “similar” process that could produce such
amounts of energy, thus solving all our energy’s problems forever?
Well, such quesOons have been occupying the minds of many scien‐
Osts for over half a century now, and many prototypes for such devices
have been introduced in laboratories and universiOes around
the world with various degrees of success. The progress has experienced
extreme difficulOes but progress, parOcularly in the “breakeven”
(self‐sustaining) controlled fusion reacOons area, which shows
good results. The highly anOcipated InternaOonal Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER)
presently
under construcOon at the Lawrence Livermore Laboratory (www. iter.org) is expected to
provide solu‐
Oons that might lead to the design of such a reactor.
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Fusion Energy
D-T Reaction
Schedule of Classes
Day 1:
a. Introduce students to the prevailing
global energy issues and the importance

2. of developing sources that reduce to a
minimum substances that pollute the
environment.
b. Discuss energy needs of underdeveloped
naOons.
c. Discuss energy sources and ask students
to offer their understanding as to which
of those are detrimental to the environment
and why.
d. Discuss the issues of renewable energy versus fossil‐fuel energy.
e. As an assignment students should navigate the Internet and idenOfy renewable and fossil
energy
sources
f. Have students create a table that shows energy producOon for the next 10‐20 years and
projected
global needs? What inferences do they make?
Day 2:
a. Now that students are able to understand the prevailing energy issues, discuss poliOcal and
security
reasons as to why the US needs to minimize its dependency on foreign “oil” as the source of
our energy needs. Such discussions are necessary before the fusion issue is introduced since
students
must realize early in the discussion the importance of the energy issue and the efforts that
must be expended if this naOon and the world arrives at a concept that saOsfies all the energy
requirements of the world rather that of one of two super‐powers.
b. Emphasize the severe environmental issues that stem from excessive use of fossil fuels and
ask
students to discuss alternaOve measures in class.
c. Instructors can assess student’s understanding and recommend that each student
(or team of students) create an essay of their preferred energy soluOon (no more than 1000
words) and present it to class at a later date (Preferably on the 7th and 8th day).
d. As a result of this assignment, students should be encouraged to surf the internet for ideas
and
suggesOons to allow them to express thoughts about the energy soluOon they support and
why.
e. Poll the students as to how they feel in general about nuclear energy and record their
answers.
f. Now introduce the nuclear issue in some general way emphasizing the present role (both
peaceful
and war related) and the degree of availability around the world as well as the general feelings
of the public in general and menOon the poll of the students in the classroom.
67
Solar Energy Belts
Day 3:

3. a. By now, students have a well founded idea about
energy issues in general and a sketchy idea about
the role of nuclear energy.
b. Instructors should conOnue to expose students to
the nuclear energy issue by discussing the present
type of energy that is extracted from the atom (fission
process).
c. Emphasize the issues that fission involves and a historical
perspecOve may be of value to indicate to
students that “war efforts” were the catalysts of
creaOng nuclear energy.
d. Discuss nuclear environmental issues, accidents, radioac
Ovity and hazards in general.
e. Emphasize the “safety” record on fission nuclear plans and their availability around the
world.
f. Instructors should ask students about their ideas as to whether all naOons should be allowed
to
create nuclear plants for energy purposes. What are the dangers?
g. Split students in groups of two or three and have them debate the benefits, dangers, and
other
issues that such a proliferaOon of nuclear energy will bring. Is it desirable?
h. As an assignment, have students conOnue their essay by adding a secOon on the nuclear
prolifera
Oon issue.
Day 4:
a. Review the nuclear issue as students understand it today.
b. Ask students if they know how the sun creates its energy. Ask them to be specific.
c. Based on their answers, instructors should give them a short descripOon of the sun (e.g. size,
distance
from earth, etc.)?
d. Show some pictures and/or video clips on the sun surface showing coronas, flares, the
heliosphere,
etc.
e. Explain, in simple language, the processes that are undergoing inside the sun as science
understands
them today. MenOon the importance of these processes and how they relate to the produc
Oon of copious amounts of energy that the sun produces.
f. Instructors should correlate this energy producOon with the process called “fusion” and
differen
Oate this process from the process called “fission” discussed earlier.
g. As an assignment, have students add another paragraph or two on their assay to relate to
fusion
aher they have researched the subject on the Internet.
Day 5:

4. a. Review the fusion issue(s) with the students, emphasizing the enormous power generaOon
possibili
Oes, the infinite amount of hydrogen available in the universe and the clean energy genera
Oon that the sun produces.
b. Ask the students if they think whether the processes undergoing in the interior of the sun
can
be reproduced on earth? Poll the students to see how they feel about this issue. Are there any
68
“hidden” issues that need to be discussed? If so what are they? Are there internaOonal issues?
Again, what are they?
c. Instructors should give students sufficient Ome to express their views and if necessary split
students
up according to their contrasOng views and have them debate the issues.
d. Once instructors have made a note of what students feel about fusion, they should begin to
explain
where science is today as far as the fusion process is concerned, the amount of research
that is being conducted around the country as abroad as well as the preliminary results that
have been obtained as of today. ( Instructors should consult the Internet to access presently
opera
Ong experimental fusion reactors and show them to the class.)
e. It is important that students understand that fusion is sOll at the research and only research
level, and is being conducted around the world to understand the fusion processes and the
behavior
of the fusion process on the scale that will make it possible to create fusion reactor
plants that will operate using this process.
f. Again, as an assignment have students modify their essay to include the fusion process.
Day 6:
a. OK. Now, we have reached a point where the instructors will ask the students about the role
that the student understands as the policy their government should play in assisOng the naOon,
or rather taking the iniOaOve to set as a priority the construcOon of a fusion reactor. Just like
Kennedy made it a naOonal priority to put a man on the moon by the 1970s, do we need to set
a priority to have a fusion reactor plant operaOng by, say, 2030?
b. Instructors should relate the fact that large projects like landing
on the moon have always been funded by the government because
no private sector would be capable of funding such projects.
c. What are the implicaOons, naOonal, internaOonal, security issues,
etc.
d. Should Energy be internaOonalized?
e. Should there be an “InternaOonal Smart Power Network”
f. Should there be an “InternaOonal Fusion Energy Project?” Actually
there is. It is called “InternaOonal Thermonuclear Experimental
Reactor (ITER).” Students should search the Internet and become
familiar with this project and report their findings in the
next session.

5. g. Have students debate these issues and include them in their essay,
which incidentally should be close to compleOon and be ready
to be presented during the next two sessions, depending on the number of students in class.
Day 7:
a. Students should report their findings about ITER as well as their comments.
b. Depending on class size, students should begin (in alphabeOcal order) presenOng their
essays
and provide instructor with a wriIen version of their essay for grading.
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International Thermonuclear
Experimental Reactor
Day 8:
Instructors should conOnue the presentaOon of student essays and engage students in a dialog
that reflects student comments as a result of listening to the essays presented.
References
1. hIp://www.iter.org ‐ This is the internaOonal tesOng fusion facility
2. hIps://lasers.llnl.gov/ ‐ This is the Lawrence Livermore
Laboratory's NaOonal IgniOon 196 laser facility.