Submitted by odyssey92 t3_zwkc6e in explainlikeimfive
arcosapphire t1_j1vbzxn wrote
Reply to comment by reb390 in ELI5 what would energy from nuclear fusion mean for humanity? by odyssey92
The chart shows 338 vs 86 TJ/kg for fusion vs breeder reactor. That's about 4x, not 100x. The U-235 is essential for the process but not the only source of energy in a fission chain reaction, which can convert U-238 to unstable plutonium.
However, as basically every fission reactor out there is a non-breeder reactor, I can see your point. If we count all the non-fissile parts of the fuel in the density equation (which is a debatable metric), then sure, the fuel density goes way down. But ultimately that isn't too relevant for figuring out the efficiency of the process overall.
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