What happens if a nuclear fusion reactor explodes?

A fusion reactor will not explode, it uses plasma to generate heat and so can’t explode. If a hole was cut in the reactor during an ongoing confinement, the plasma would quickly cool off. Theoretically, we still haven’t built any fusion reactors yet.

What would happen if a nuclear fusion reactor failed?

If any of the systems fail (such as the confining toroidal magnetic field) or if, by accident, too much fuel is put into the plasma, the plasma will naturally terminate (what we call “disrupt”) – losing its energy very quickly and extinguishing before any sustained damage is done to the structure.

Could a fusion power plant be safe?

Fusion reactors have a significant potential for safe, environmentally benign operation. Safety aspects of fusion power plants, which have been designed on paper, cannot yet readily be compared with safety aspects of fission power reactors or other operating energy sources.

What would happen if a nuclear power plant exploded?

Of course, the explosion would almost certainly blast the reactor vessel to pieces, and the reactor walls are probably pretty radioactive. So the power station site might have some pretty noxious radioactive debris thrown around.

Why can’t nuclear fusion explode?

Now that that’s cleared up… I can say that from what we know these things can’t explode. The reason is simple: Unlike a fission reaction, a fusion reaction is not self sustaining. In a fission reactor (such as in a present day nuclear power plant), the nuclear fuel decays to release energy.

What happens in a fission reactor?

In a fission reactor (such as in a present day nuclear power plant), the nuclear fuel decays to release energy. This process is self sustaining, and all the reactor needs to do is regulate the speed of the decay to stop it from going too fast.

Can a fusion reactor explode in cataclysmic fashion?

From what we know so far, we can say that fusion reactors cannot explode in cataclysmic fashion (undergo meltdown) like regular fission reactors. But as I said, people are still studying this stuff. Now that that’s cleared up… I can say that from what we know these things can’t explode.