Cold fusion - a theoretical framework for cold fusion mechanism

Reprinted from the EPRI Journal, July/August 1989. Nuclear fusion would appear to be an ideal source of energy for many reasons. Fuel costs are likely to be low, since one of the potential fuels, deuterium, occurs in vast amounts in the oceans. In addition, there is relatively little radioactivity associated with fusion compared with nuclear fission as an energy source. Because of the large conversion of mass to energy, fusion can produce a million times more energy per atom than a chemical reaction. Much work has been done for over three decades on high-temperature, plasma-controlled fusion, but the achievement of sustained, controlled fusion reactions in high-temperature plasmas still seems remote.