How much helium-3 would it take to power the US?
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How much helium-3 would it take to power the US?
Scientists estimate that 25 tons of Helium-3 could power the United States for an entire year. This much Helium-3 could be transported from the Moon to the Earth in a ship the size of the recently retired space shuttle. If the United States were able to mine the Helium-3 on the Moon, it might solve our energy problems.
Is helium-3 a stable isotope?
stable isotopes of helium are helium-3 (or 3He), with two protons and one neutron, and helium-4 (or 4He), with two protons and two neutrons. He forms the bulk of naturally occurring helium, but the lighter isotope 3He has been formed, since about 1950, in experimentally useful quantities by the decay…
How much helium-3 is needed to power the world?
At $1400 per gram, one hundred kilograms (220 pounds) of helium-3 would be worth about $140 million. One hundred kilograms constitutes more than enough fuel to potentially power a 1000 megawatt electric plant for a year when fused with deuterium, the terrestrially abundant heavy isotope of hydrogen.
How much helium-3 is on the moon?
Some estimates suggest there are at least 1.1 million metric tons of helium-3 on the lunar surface, enough to power human energy needs for up to 10,000 years.
How do you make He3?
The lithium nucleus absorbs a neutron and splits into helium-4 and tritium. Tritium decays into helium-3 with a half-life of 12.3 years, so helium-3 can be produced by simply storing the tritium until it undergoes radioactive decay.
How many stable isotopes does helium have?
Although there are eight known isotopes of helium (He) (standard atomic mass: 4.002602(2) u), only helium-3 (3He) and helium-4 (4He) are stable. All radioisotopes are short-lived, the longest-lived being 6He with a half-life of 806.7 milliseconds.
Is helium 5 stable or unstable?
List of isotopes
| Nuclide | Z | Decay mode |
|---|---|---|
| 3 He | 2 | Stable |
| 4 He | 2 | Stable |
| 5 He | 2 | n |
How can helium-3 be used for energy?
The involved nuclear reaction here when helium-3 and deuterium fuse creates normal helium and a proton, which wastes less energy and is easier to contain. Nuclear fusion reactors using helium-3 could therefore provide a highly efficient form of nuclear power with virtually no waste and no radiation.
How do you make he3?
What happens during the formation of 3he?
Helium-3 occurs as a primordial nuclide, escaping from Earth’s crust into its atmosphere and into outer space over millions of years. Unlike most nuclear fission reactions, the fusion of helium-3 atoms releases large amounts of energy without causing the surrounding material to become radioactive.