Bubble fusion, or sonofusion, is a hypothesized nuclear fusion reaction occurring within gas bubbles that collapse in a liquid due to acoustic cavitation, potentially enabling hydrogen nuclei to fuse. The process generates extreme temperatures and pressures within the bubbles, creating conditions favorable for fusion, yet remains controversial with debates over experimental validity. Despite challenges in harnessing energy from fusion events, ongoing research explores various approaches to develop sonofusion and other fusion technologies as a viable clean energy source.

1. Bubble
Power
(Sonofusion)
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2. Bubble fusion- Sonofusion
• Bubble fusion, also known as Sonofusion, is the non-technical
name for a nuclear fusion reaction hypothesized to occur inside
extraordinarily large collapsing gas bubbles created in a liquid
during acoustic cavitation.
• In other words Sonofusion involves tiny bubbles imploded by
sound waves can make hydrogen nuclei fuse.

3. Apparition of
Bubble
Slow Expansion Quick and sudden
contraction
Purported fusion
event
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4. Acoustic Cavitation
• Cavitation is the formation of
vapour cavities in a liquid
– i.e. small liquid-free zones
("bubbles" or "voids") – that are the
consequence of forces acting upon
the liquid.
• It usually occurs when a liquid is
subjected to rapid changes of
pressure that cause the formation of
cavities where the pressure is
relatively low.
• When subjected to higher pressure,
the voids implode and can generate
an intense shockwave.

5. Sonoluminescence
• When a gas bubble in liquid is excited by ultrasonic acoustic waves,
it can emit short flashes of light suggestive of extreme temperatures
inside the bubble.
• These flashes of light, known as ‘sonoluminescence’, occur as the
bubble implodes, or cavitates.
• If we can get the bubbles generate enough heat, we might just be able
to make atoms in the surrounding liquid fuse together.
• A simple way ,in theory at least, of producing nuclear fusion and the
vast supply of energy promises.

6. Sonoluminescence

7. Original experiments
• The earliest documented reference to a sonofusion-type reaction is
patented by Hugh Flynn in 1978.
• In 1992, Seth Putterman of UCLA indicated that his group had
reached 100,000 C in sonoluminescence experiments, and thought
1 million C was possible.
• Another approach was developed and done by Rusi P Taleyarkhan
and colleagues of Purdue University claimed to have observed
evidence of sonofusion in 2002.

8. Taleyarkhan Approach
• Sonofusion-Technically known as Acoustic Inertial Confinement Fusion.
• In this piezoelectric crystal attached to a liquid-filled flask send pressure
waves through the fluid, exciting the motion of tiny gas bubbles.
• High temperatures and pressure speculated at the bubble core .
• This leading to conditions suitable for thermonuclear fusion.

9. Taleyarkhan Approach
• In the paper, the authors described how bubbles were created via nucleation by fast
neutrons with an initial radius of 10-100 nm.
• The bubbles grew in an acoustic field at 19.3 kHz to a maximum size of 1 mm, then
collapsed.
• The implosion creates an instantaneous pressure of 10 trillion kPa and temperature
of more than 100 million degree C, making the deuterium fuse.
• D-D fusion leads to either production of helium and 2.5 MeV neutrons or tritium and
protons.
• Taleyarkhan claimed to have observed both excess 2.5 MeV neutrons and tritium.
• The claim was quickly surrounded by controversy, including allegations ranging
from experimental error to academic fraud.

10. 1. Vacuum pump
2. Liquid scintillator
3. Neutron source
4. Acoustic wave generator
5. Test chamber with fluid
6. Microphone
7. Photomultiplier tube
8. Two deuterium atoms collide
8a. Possible fusion event creating Helium
and a neutron
8b. Possible fusion event creating Tritium
and a proton
Sonofusion device used by Rusi Taleyarkhan.

11. FUSION REACTION
• Deuterium-Deuterium fusion has two probable outputs,
helium and a 2.45-MeV neutron or tritium and a proton.
• The energy of 2.45MeV neutron can be harnessed in a
reactor to create water vapor & drive an electricity
generator.

12. Sequence of events

13. Taleyarkhan 2006 Report
• Taleyarkhan published another report in 2006 indicative
of nuclear fusion in cavitation bubbles in a mixture of
acetone and benzene.
• This time the pulsed neutron generator was replaced with
alpha-radioactive uranium salts dissolved in the mixture
to address the criticism of the original ORNL effort, which
was relying on an external pulsed neutron source to
nucleate the cavitation bubbles.

14. Energy Harnessing Challenges
• Each individual fusion reaction is very brief--it lasts only
about a picosecond--and it is confined to a very small region.
• As a result, the energy output is relatively small.
• To obtain something interesting in terms of energy, the next
step is to scale up the apparatus
• Have to make the fusion reactions self-sustaining.

15. Present Approaches
Research groups throughout the world have concentrated on two
approaches:
• Extremely Energetic Laser Beams
• Magnetic Confinement Fusion

16. Extremely Energetic Laser Beams
• Extremely energetic laser beams converge on a tiny solid pellet
of deuterium-tritium fuel.
• The result is a shock wave that propagates toward the center of
the pellet and creates an enormous increase in temperature and
density.
• One of the drawbacks of this approach is the amount of power
the lasers require.

17. Magnetic Confinement Fusion
• Magnetic confinement fusion, has been under investigation since
the 1950s.
• It uses powerful magnetic fields to create immense heat and
pressure in a hydrogen plasma contained in a large, toroidal
device known as a Tokamak.
• The fusion produces high-energy neutrons that escape the
plasma and hit a liquid-filled blanket surrounding it.
• The idea is to use the heat produced in the blanket to generate
vapor to drive a turbine and thus generate electricity.

18. Recent Developments
• Building the ITER--International Thermonuclear Experimental
Reactor : a US $5 billion, 500-megawatt reactor based on magnetic
confinement.
• A consortium of institutions from China, Japan, South Korea, the European
Union, Russia, and the United States.
• The consortium is now deciding between Cadarache, France, and
Rokkasho, Japan, as a home for the reactor.
• ITER is not expected to begin operating until 2015, and a commercially
viable version will be even further away--some say 2050, give or take a
few decades.

19. ADVANTAGES
• Fusion produces no greenhouse gases
• Safe, environmentally friendly way to produce electrical
energy.
• Unlike conventional nuclear fission reactors, it produces
no noxious radioactive wastes that last for thousands of
years.
• Low cost and Easily available raw materials.

20. Applications
• The technology might one day, in theory, lead to a new source of
energy. It may result in a new class of low cost energy.
• Compact detectors for security applications.
• To analyze molecular structure of materials.
• Machines that cheaply manufacture new synthetic materials &
efficiently produce tritium, which is used for medical imaging to
watch dials.

21. Conclusion
• With the steady growth of world population and with economic progress in
developing countries, average electricity consumption per person will
increase significantly.
• Therefore, seeking new sources of energy isn't just important, it is necessary.
• Much more research is required before it is clear whether sonofusion can
become a new energy source.
• Even it is not yet successful, the evidences already show a big future of
sonofusion which might be the new source of cheap clean energy in our life.

22. References
• http://spectrum.ieee.org/energy/nuclear/bubble-power
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bubble_fusion
• http://www.quantum-fusion.com/science.shtml
• http://pubs.acs.org/cen/topstory/8010/8010notw1.html
• http://laser.physics.sunysb.edu/~ziggy/report/reupaper.html
• http://home.fuse.net/clymer/snf/
• http://www.chm.bris.ac.uk/webprojects2004/eaimkhong/Sonofusion.htm