Artificial Sun Sets New Fusion Record by Surpassing 1,000 Seconds

Scientists have just achieved a new milestone in their efforts to create an ‘artificial Sun’ on Earth. The team behind China’s Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST) successfully kept their fusion drive running for over 1,000 seconds, with a precise duration of 1,066 seconds, or nearly 18 minutes.

Launched in 2006, EAST is one of several nuclear fusion reactors being developed to generate nearly endless clean energy, mimicking the way the Sun produces power.

Simulating a miniature Sun in a lab is incredibly challenging, which is why achievements like this are so significant.

Achieving Long-Duration Plasma Stability

Maintaining stable, ultra-hot plasma for long durations is essential for EAST’s success, and the new record of 1,066 seconds breaks the previous plasma stability record of 403 seconds.

The breakthrough was accomplished by researchers at the Institute of Plasma Physics (ASIPP) and the Hefei Institutes of Physical Science (HFIPS), both under the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS).

“However, a fusion device must operate stably and efficiently for thousands of seconds to enable the self-sustaining plasma circulation, which is essential for the continuous power generation of future fusion plants,” says nuclear physicist Song Yuntao from the Institute of Plasma Physics at the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

New Power Capacity Equivalent to 140,000 Microwave Ovens Powers 1,066-Second Achievement

Although China hasn’t released many details about the conditions for the 1,066-second achievement, the researchers note that their heating system has recently doubled in power, now capable of generating the equivalent energy of 140,000 microwave ovens running simultaneously.

Since its inception, the EAST team has consistently improved the plasma temperature and stability at the core of the reactor, utilizing high-confinement plasma, a more efficient method for trapping the gas.

Tokamak reactors like EAST use plasma and magnetic fields to create the extreme conditions needed to collide hydrogen atoms at high speeds and intense pressure, releasing massive amounts of energy.

Though we’re still far from having a fully operational nuclear fusion reactor connected to power grids, each advancement in this technology is promising and adds to the growing evidence that fusion energy could one day be a viable power source.

Looking ahead, work is already progressing on the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) in southern France, set to be the largest fusion reactor to date and one that could potentially set even more records.

Read the original article on: Science Alert

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