核融合原理解析——未來的希望還是失敗的空想？：英語精讀講義

The fundamental currency of our universe is energy. 慣用語

宇宙的基本通用貨幣是能量。

It lights our homes,

它點亮我們的家，

grows our food,

滋養我們的食物，

powers our computers.

為我們的電腦供電。

We can get it lots of ways.

我們有很多方法來獲取它。

Burning fossil fuels,

燃燒化石燃料，

splitting atoms,

分裂原子，

or sunlight striking photovoltaics.

或者用陽光照射太陽能板。

But there's a downside to everything.

但凡事都有其缺點。

Fossil fuels are extremely toxic,

化石燃料劇毒無比，

nuclear waste is, well, nuclear waste,

核廢料嘛，就是核廢料，

and there are not enough batteries to store sunlight for cloudy days yet.

而且現在還沒有足夠的電池來儲存陽光以備陰天使用。

And yet, the sun seems to have virtually limitless free energy. 表達脈絡

然而，太陽似乎擁有近乎無限的免費能量。

Is there a way we could build a sun on Earth?

我們有沒有辦法在地球上建造一個太陽？

Can we bottle a star? 慣用語

我們能把一顆恆星裝進瓶子裡嗎？

The sun shines because of nuclear fusion.

太陽發光是因為核融合。

In a nutshell, fusion is a thermonuclear process, 慣用語

簡而言之，核融合是一個熱核過程，

meaning that the ingredients have to be incredibly hot,

這意味著原料必須極其灼熱，

so hot that the atoms are stripped of their electrons, 片語搭配

熱到原子被剝離電子，

making a plasma where nuclei and electrons bounce around freely.

形成一個原子核和電子四處自由碰撞的電漿。

Since nuclei are all positively charged, they repel each other.

由於原子核都帶正電荷，它們會相互排斥。

In order to overcome this repulsion, the particles have to be going very, very fast.

為了克服這種排斥力，粒子必須運動得非常非常快。

In this context, very fast means very hot, 表達脈絡

在這裡，非常快就意味著非常熱，

millions of degrees.

高達幾百萬度。

Stars cheat to reach these temperatures. 慣用語

恆星透過「作弊」來達到這些溫度。

They are so massive that the pressure in their cores 文法

它們太龐大了，以至於核心的壓力

generates the heat to squeeze the nuclei together until they merge and fuse,

會產生高溫，將原子核擠壓在一起，直到它們合併、融合，

creating heavier nuclei and releasing energy in the process. 片語搭配

產生更重的原子核並在此過程中釋放能量。

It is this energy release that scientists hope to harness 文法

科學家們正是希望能駕馭這種能量釋放，

in a new generation of power plant, the fusion reactor.

應用於新一代發電廠——核融合反應爐中。

On Earth, it's not feasible to use this brute force method to create fusion. 慣用語

在地球上，用這種簡單粗暴的方法來製造核融合是行不通的。

So, if we wanted to build a reactor that generates energy from fusion,

所以，如果我們想建造一個透過核融合產生能量的反應爐，

we have to get clever.

我們必須另闢蹊徑。

To date, scientists have invented two ways 表達脈絡

迄今為止，科學家們發明了兩種方法

of making plasmas hot enough to fuse. 文法

讓電漿熱到足以發生核融合。

The first type of reactor uses a magnetic field

第一類反應爐使用磁場

to squeeze a plasma in a donut-shaped chamber

將電漿擠壓在一個甜甜圈形狀的腔室裡，

where the reactions take place. 片語搭配

反應就在那裡發生。

These magnetic confinement reactors,

這些磁浮約束反應爐，

such as the ITER reactor in France,

例如法國的 ITER 反應爐，

use superconducting electromagnets cooled with liquid helium

使用被液態氦冷卻的超導電磁鐵

to within a few degrees of absolute zero, 用詞

降溫到距離絕對零度僅幾度，

meaning they host some of the biggest temperature gradients

這意味著它們擁有已知宇宙中

in the known universe.

最大的溫度梯度之一。

The second type, called inertial confinement, 用詞

第二類叫做慣性約束，

uses pulses from super powered lasers

它使用來自超高功率雷射的脈衝

to hit the surface of a pellet of fuel, imploding it,

轟擊燃料小球的表面使其內爆，

briefly making the fuel hot and dense enough to fuse.

瞬間讓燃料變得足夠熱和緻密以發生核融合。

In fact, one of the most powerful lasers in the world 文法

事實上，世界上最強大的雷射之一

is used for fusion experiments

就被用於核融合實驗，

at the National Ignition Facility in the US.

位於美國的國家點火設施（NIF）。

These experiments and others like them around the world

世界上這些以及其他類似的實驗

are today just experiments.

如今依然僅僅是實驗而已。

Scientists are still developing the technology.

科學家們仍在研發這項技術。

And although they can achieve fusion right now,

儘管他們現在就能實現核融合，

it costs more energy to do the experiments 文法

但進行實驗消耗的能量

than they produce in fusion.

比核融合產生的能量還要多。

The technology has a long way to go before it's commercially viable. 講解

這項技術距離商業化還有很長的路要走。

And maybe it never will be.

也許永遠也實現不了。

It might just be impossible to make a viable fusion reactor on Earth.

在地球上建造一個可行的核融合反應爐可能壓根行不通。

But if it gets there, 慣用語

但如果真的實現了，

it would be so efficient that a single glass of seawater

它將非常高效，只需一杯海水

could be used to produce as much energy 文法

就能產生相當於

as burning a barrel of oil with no waste to speak of. 慣用語

燃燒一桶石油的能量，而且幾乎沒有廢料。

This is because fusion reactors would use hydrogen or helium as fuel,

這是因為核融合反應爐將使用氫或氦作為燃料，

and seawater is loaded with hydrogen. 片語搭配

而海水中富含氫。

But not just any hydrogen will do. 片語搭配

但並非隨便哪種氫都可以。

Specific isotopes with extra neutrons,

需要帶有額外中子的特定同位素，

called deuterium and tritium,

即氘和氚，

are needed to make the right reactions.

才能進行合適的反應。

Deuterium is stable and can be found in abundance in seawater, 片語搭配

氘是穩定的，在海水中儲量豐富，

though tritium is a bit trickier. 語氣意圖

但氚就有點棘手了。

It's radioactive,

它具有放射性，

and there may only be 20 kg of it in the world,

全世界大概只有 20 公斤，

mostly in nuclear warheads,

且大部分在核彈頭裡，

which makes it incredibly expensive.

這讓它變得極其昂貴。

So, we may need another fusion buddy for deuterium instead of tritium. 慣用語

因此，我們可能需要另一個核融合夥伴來替代氚和氘反應。

Helium-3, an isotope of helium,

氦的同位素氦-3，

might be a great substitute.

可能是一個極好的替代品。

Unfortunately, it's also incredibly rare on Earth.

不幸的是，它在地球上也極其稀有。

But here, the moon might have the answer. 慣用語

但在這裡，月球可能給出了答案。

Over billions of years,

經過數十億年的積累，

the solar wind may have built up huge deposits 片語動詞

太陽風可能在月球上

of helium-3 on the moon.

形成了巨大的氦-3儲量。

Instead of making helium-3, we can mine it. 文法

我們不用製造氦-3，可以直接開採。

If we could sift the lunar dust for helium, 片語搭配

如果我們能從月球塵埃中篩出氦，

we'd have enough fuel to power the entire world

我們的燃料就足夠為全世界提供能源

for thousands of years.

長達數千年之久。

One more argument for establishing a moon base, 表達脈絡

如果你還沒被說服，

if you weren't convinced already.

這又多了一個建立月球基地的理由。

Okay, maybe you think building a mini sun

好吧，也許你覺得建造一個微型太陽

still sounds kind of dangerous. 語氣意圖

聽起來還是有點危險。

But they'd actually be much safer 文法

但實際上，它們會比

than most other types of power plant.

大多數其他類型的發電廠安全得多。

A fusion reactor is not like a nuclear plant,

核融合反應爐不同於核分裂電廠，

which can melt down catastrophically. 片語動詞

後者可能會發生災難性的熔毀。

If the confinement failed, 文法

如果約束失效，

then the plasma would expand and cool,

電漿就會膨脹並冷卻，

and the reaction would stop.

反應也會隨之停止。

Put simply, it's not a bomb. 表達脈絡

簡而言之，它不是個炸彈。

The release of radioactive fuel like tritium

像氚這樣的放射性燃料的洩漏

could pose a threat to the environment. 片語搭配

可能會對環境構成威脅。

Tritium could bond with oxygen, making radioactive water,

氚可以與氧結合，形成具有放射性的水，

which could be dangerous as it seeps into the environment.

滲入環境中會很危險。

Fortunately, there's no more than a few grams

幸運的是，在任何給定時間內

of tritium in use at a given time, 片語搭配

使用的氚都不超過幾克，

so a leak would be quickly diluted.

所以一點洩漏很快就會被稀釋。

So, we've just told you that there's nearly unlimited energy

總結一下，我們剛剛告訴過你，

to be had at no expense to the environment 講解

在不會以犧牲環境為代價的情況下，

in something as simple as water. 文法

像水一樣簡單的東西裡就蘊藏著幾乎無限的能量。

So, what's the catch? 慣用語

那麼，問題出在哪裡？

Cost.

成本。

We simply don't know if fusion power

我們完全不知道核融合能源

will ever be commercially viable.

是否真能實現商業化。

Even if they work, 文法

即使它們管用，

they might be too expensive to ever build. 文法

建造起來也可能太貴了。

The main drawback is that it's unproven technology. 表達脈絡

主要的缺點在於這是一項未經證實的技術。

It's a $10 billion gamble, 慣用語

這是一場耗資百億美元的賭博，

and that money might be better spent 片語搭配

這筆錢也許更應該花在

on other clean energy that's already proven itself. 片語搭配

其他已經證實可行的清潔能源上。

Maybe we should cut our losses. 慣用語

也許我們應該及時止損。

Or maybe, when the payoff is unlimited clean energy for everyone,

又或者，當回報是讓每個人都擁有無限的清潔能源時，

it might be worth the risk. 片語搭配

這個險可能值得一冒。

Videos like this one take hundreds of hours to make

像這樣的影片需要花費數百小時來製作，

and are made possible by your contributions on patreon.com.

正是因為你們在 patreon.com 上的贊助才得以實現。

If you want to learn more about global energy,

如果你想了解更多關於全球能源的知識，

here's a playlist about nuclear energy, fracking, and solar power.

這裡有一個關於核能、水力壓裂法和太陽能的播放清單。

Let us know in the comments

請在留言區告訴我們，

if there are other technologies you want us to explain.

還有哪些技術想讓我們解釋。