Helium-3 Power. You are in: Future Technologies : Helium-3 Power Generation Helium-3 Power Generation Helium-3 (He3) is gas that has the potential to be used as a fuel in future nuclear fusion power plants. There is very little helium-3 available on the Earth. However, there are thought to be significant supplies on the Moon. Several governments have subsequently signalled their intention to go to the Moon to mine helium-3 as a fuel supply. Such plans may come to fruition within the next two to three decades and trigger a new Space Race. In addition to the information below, you can also find out more about this topic from the Mining Helium-3 On the Moon video or in my interview on "the new space race and mining the moon for helium 3" available from my BBC Nottingham Profile Page. Helium-3 and Nuclear Fusion To provide a little background -- and without getting deeply into the science -- all nuclear power plants use a nuclear reaction to produce heat.
Mining Helium-3 on the Moon A Flower in the Darkness? Melting glaciers leave new lakes in their path. 14.09.12 - When glaciers melt, new lakes are formed. Can we take advantage of this? An EPFL student has studied the possibility of using these natural reservoirs to help boost hydroelectric power production in the canton Valais – and thus help Switzerland as it transitions into a future without nuclear power. The great glaciers of the Alps are melting. Several climate change scenarios, some of which are based on an average temperature increase of +4°C, predict their complete disappearance by the end of this century. As they retreat, the glaciers uncover cavities; these fill with meltwater, becoming lakes. The Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) is funding a research project on the risks and possibilities of these new mountain lakes.
For his Master’s thesis project, EPFL Civil Engineering student David Zumofen studied several different options for how we can take advantage of these new natural reservoirs to produce electricity. up the watershed. Melting glaciers key to greater reliance on hydroelectric power? - Physorg. Fueling nuclear power with seawater: Tests adsorbent to extract uranium from the ocean. When you take a dip in the ocean, nuclear fuel is probably the farthest thing from your mind. Uranium floats in Earth's oceans in trace amounts of just 3 parts per billion, but it adds up.
Combined, our oceans hold up to 4.5 billion tons of uranium -- enough to potentially fuel the world's nuclear power plants for 6,500 years. Countries such as Japan have examined the ocean as a uranium source since the 1960s, but previous approaches have been too expensive to extract the quantities needed for nuclear fuel. Now researchers at the Department of Energy's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and Oak Ridge National Laboratory are tweaking one of those concepts with the goal of making it more efficient and cost-competitive.
Japan developed an adsorbent that attaches the uranium-loving chemical group amidoxime to a plastic polymer. PNNL tested the adsorbent's performance at its Marine Sciences Laboratory in Sequim, Wash., DOE's only marine research facility. Oak Ridge National Laboratory - ORNL technology moves scientists closer to extracting uranium from seawater. ORNL’s John Wagner receives E.O. Lawrence Award OAK RIDGE, Tenn., April 16, 2014—Oak Ridge National Laboratory researcher John Wagner has been named a 2013 recipient of the Department of Energy’s Ernest Orlando Lawrence Award for his work in advancing computer, information and knowledge sciences. Anasys licenses ORNL nanoscale mass spectrometry imaging technology OAK RIDGE, Tenn., April 14, 2014 – Anasys Instruments Corp. has licensed a Department of Energy Oak Ridge National Laboratory technology that allows for simultaneous chemical and physical characterization and could lead to advances in materials and drug development.
ORNL study pegs fuel economy costs of common practices OAK RIDGE, Tenn., April 9, 2014 – People who pack their cars and drive like Clark Griswold in National Lampoon’s “Vacation” pay a steep penalty when it comes to fuel economy, according to a report by the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory. ORNL establishes Liane B. Will Saudi Arabia become an oil importer by 2030? One week ago the news spread that Saudi Arabia would be forced to become an importer of oil by 2030. It was an article in Bloomberg’s Businessweek ( that announced this sensational news and referred to a report titled ”Saudi Petrochemicals – The End of the Magic Porridge Pot?” That was released by Citigroup Global Markets Inc. on 4 September. I have now had an opportunity to look at this report that is 152 pages long.
First one can assert that the report is mainly an analysis of various companies in Saudi Arabia and the discussion of future oil export possibilities is used as a framework for the company analyses. First, I should note that there is nothing remarkable in the report regarding the production of oil itself. The report’s authors assume that oil production will be constant at 12.5 million barrels per day (Mb/d) which is the official Saudi line. Dumping of solar panels. Professor sees green energy in termite guts.