Editing Fusion power (section)

=== Accident potential ===
Accident potential and effect on the environment are critical to social acceptance of nuclear fusion, also known as a [[Corporate social responsibility|social license]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Hoedl |first=Seth A. |date=2022 |title=Achieving a social license for fusion energy |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/5.0091054 |journal=Physics of Plasmas |volume=29 |issue=9 |pages=092506 |doi=10.1063/5.0091054 |bibcode=2022PhPl...29i2506H |s2cid=252454077 |issn=1070-664X}}</ref> Fusion reactors are not subject to [[Nuclear meltdown|catastrophic meltdown]].<ref name="McCrackenStott2012"/> It requires precise and controlled temperature, pressure and magnetic field parameters to produce net energy, and any damage or loss of required control would rapidly quench the reaction.<ref name=afraid>{{cite web |url=http://www.iter.org/newsline/107/1489 |title=Who is afraid of ITER? |first=Krista |last=Dulon |website=iter.org |date=2012 |access-date=August 18, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121130221734/http://www.iter.org/newsline/107/1489 |archive-date=November 30, 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Fusion reactors operate with seconds or even microseconds worth of fuel at any moment. Without active refueling, the reactions immediately quench.<ref name="McCrackenStott2012">{{cite book|last1=McCracken|first1=Garry |last2=Stott|first2=Peter |title=Fusion: The Energy of the Universe|url={{google books|plainurl=y|id=e6jEZfO2gO4C|page=198}}|access-date=August 18, 2012|date=2012|publisher=Academic Press|isbn=978-0123846563|pages=198–199}}</ref>

The same constraints prevent runaway reactions. Although the plasma is expected to have a volume of {{Convert|1000|m3|ft3|abbr=on}} or more, the plasma typically contains only a few grams of fuel.<ref name="McCrackenStott2012" /> By comparison, a fission reactor is typically loaded with enough fuel for months or years, and no additional fuel is necessary to continue the reaction. This large fuel supply is what offers the possibility of a meltdown.<ref name="n">{{cite book|last=Angelo|first=Joseph A. |title=Nuclear Technology|url={{google books|plainurl=y|id=ITfaP-xY3LsC|page=474}}|access-date=August 18, 2012|date=2004|publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group|isbn=978-1573563369|page=474}}</ref>

In magnetic containment, strong fields develop in coils that are mechanically held in place by the reactor structure. Failure of this structure could release this tension and allow the magnet to "explode" outward. The severity of this event would be similar to other industrial accidents or an [[MRI]] machine quench/explosion, and could be effectively contained within a [[containment building]] similar to those used in fission reactors.

In laser-driven inertial containment the larger size of the reaction chamber reduces the stress on materials. Although failure of the reaction chamber is possible, stopping fuel delivery prevents catastrophic failure.<ref name="economic prospects">{{Cite book |title=Safety, environmental impact, and economic prospects of nuclear fusion|date=1990|publisher=Plenum Press|editor=Brunelli, B. |editor2=Knoepfel, Heinz |isbn=978-1461306191|location=New York|oclc=555791436}}</ref>