helium nuclei

[ant17]

hi i was wondering is it possible to produce helium from reactions in a particle accelerator

[mathematic]

Yes, but why do it?

[Sensei]

Deuterium colliding with Deuterium will create Helium-4.

 

Helium-3 can be created from spontaneous decay of Tritium.

 

T+ -> He-3 + e- + Ve

 

Two different ways for creating different Helium isotopes.

 

Bombarding Deuterium fluid by highly accelerated Deuterium nucleus.

 

or

 

Bombarding Deuterium fluid by neutrons, producing Tritium, and then waiting for spontaneous decay of it to He-3.

 

ps. Like mathematic said- it has no sense. Maybe just to prove theory. It would be the most expensive Helium in the world.

Edited November 26, 2013 by Sensei

[ant17]

what makes it so expensive and i want to be able to produce my own helium

Edited November 26, 2013 by ant17

[hypervalent_iodine]

The equipment is expensive and the process would be incredibly energy intensive, as well as requiring expert technicians to operate.

[Sensei]

1 m^3 of Helium costs 60 usd here.

Even Deuterium is more expensive.

[ant17]

here it costs 80aud for 14 cu feet is there anyone else know of a way of making helium

 

how much helium could be generated by a particle accelerator

Edited November 26, 2013 by ant17

[John Cuthber]

If you had a beam current of a microamp (which would be pretty good going, it would produce, under ideal conditions, about 10 billion atoms per second.
that's something like a million million seconds per litre.

That's something like 31 years.

 

It would be cheaper and more efficient (though still impractical) to get a big closed container and fill it with uranium ore and catch the helium that comes out of that.

[Sensei]

1 Liter of Helium has mass 0.1786 g.

1 Helium-4 particle has mass = 4.0026/6.022141e+23 = ~6.646e-24 g

0.1786 g/L / 6.6465e-24 g = 2.687e+22 atoms in liter.

 

2.687e+22 / 10e+9 = 2.687e+12 seconds each one producing 10 billion atoms

 

/ 86400 = 3.11e+7 days

/ 365.25 = 85150 years..

Edited November 26, 2013 by Sensei

[imatfaal]

1 Liter of Helium has mass 0.1786 g.

1 Helium-4 particle has mass = 4.0026/6.022141e+23 = ~6.646e-24 g

0.1786 g/L / 6.6465e-24 g = 2.687e+22 atoms in liter.

 

2.687e+22 / 10e+9 = 2.687e+12 seconds each one producing 10 billion atoms

 

/ 86400 = 3.11e+7 days

/ 365.25 = 85150 years..

 

 

Avogadro's law is a much neater way of doing things. All ideal gases (I presume He behaves enough like an ideal gas for us to use this) have the same number of atoms or molecules per litre at a given temperature and pressure. At RTP a mole of ideal gas will be 22.712 litres at Room temperature and pressure - introducing density etc just makes a rod for your own back.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avogadro%27s_law#Molar_volume

[Enthalpy]

Deuterium colliding with Deuterium will create Helium-4.

No. It creates tritium of helium-3.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_fusion#Criteria_and_candidates_for_terrestrial_reactions

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fusion_power#D-D_fuel_cycle

D-T or D-³He can produce ⁴He.

[John Cuthber]

If you had a beam current of a microamp (which would be pretty good going, it would produce, under ideal conditions, about 10 billion atoms per second.

that's something like a million million seconds per litre.

That's something like 31 years.

 

It would be cheaper and more efficient (though still impractical) to get a big closed container and fill it with uranium ore and catch the helium that comes out of that.

Oops!

I got the difficult bit right, then failed to convert a million million seconds into years correctly.

 

It's about 31000 years. (I don't think the factor of 2.687 is going to change the economics much.

[ant17]

so it would take to long generate one litre of helium is that right

[John Cuthber]

Whether 31000 years is too long depends on your point of view, but I think most people would say so.

Are you immortal?

[ant17]

would accelerating alpha particles be in the same situation

[mathematic]

would accelerating alpha particles be in the same situation

You wouldn't need to accelerate them. Just catch them and they will pick up electrons to become He4 atoms.