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Worldbuilding

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  • $\begingroup$ If you have a fusion reactor then you can simply throw it at the enemy. It will bounce couple of times and the containment will fail. $\endgroup$ Commented Sep 15, 2019 at 22:27
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    $\begingroup$ @CongenitalOptimist: Dropping a huge building on your enemy is not practical. And if the containment of a fusion plant fails, fusion simply stops, as the plasma disperses. There definitely will not be not an explosion. The main damage would be done by a building falling on your head. $\endgroup$ Commented Sep 16, 2019 at 4:28
  • $\begingroup$ That... would have to be a lot of use. Even if recoverable mined uranium were used up (and thorium), it could be recovered from seawater virtually indefinitely at a higher price. Given the economics of nuclear power, that would still be worthwhile, and would promote more efficient reactors to boot. On top of that, volatile fissiles created as waste from power generation could be used as bomb material, even if all the power generation potential had been used up. $\endgroup$ Commented Sep 16, 2019 at 18:56
  • $\begingroup$ @celtschk The reactor will be a building only in first iteration. Some generations of technology forward it will fit in a car, airplane or spacecraft. Same way as certain country has recently experimented with fission-powered rocket engine. It blew up but I bet lot was learned from it. $\endgroup$ Commented Sep 17, 2019 at 8:12
  • $\begingroup$ @CongenitalOptimist: Then this optimized power plant will do even less damage. The fact that a failing fusion plant will never explode doesn't change. The big difference between fission and fusion is that for fission bombs, you just need enough fissile material at one place. For fusion, on the other hand, you actually have to force the nuclei to fuse. That's so hard that you need a nuke to start if in the thermonuclear bomb. For power plants, fission plants basically control fission, while fusion plants force fusion. If a fusion plant fails, fusion simply stops. No explosion whatsoever. $\endgroup$ Commented Sep 17, 2019 at 10:13