Write a comment
On Friday, Hefei Institutes of Physical Science, part of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, ran its experimental controllable nuclear fusion device and kept the plasma stable at a temperature of 120 million degrees C for 101 seconds and at 160 million C for 20 seconds.
The previous record was 20 seconds at 100 C set by the Korea Superconducting Tokamak Advanced Research (KSTAR), the Republic On Friday, Hefei Institutes of Physical Science, part of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, ran its experimental controllable nuclear fusion device and kept the plasma stable at a temperature of 120 million degrees C for 101 seconds and at 160 million C for 20 seconds.
The previous record was 20 seconds at 100 C set by the Korea Superconducting Tokamak Advanced Research (KSTAR), the Republic of Korea's superconducting fusion device, on Dec 28.
In popular reports, the Chinese device is nicknamed the "Chinese artificial sun", and its latest milestone means humankind has made further progress toward the goal of using nuclear fusion as a source of energy.
Unlike nuclear fission power plants which split atomic nuclei apart, nuclear fusion merges atomic nuclei to potentially create huge amounts of cheap and clean energy. The deuterohydrogen contained in one liter of seawater would provide energy equivalent to burning 300 liters of gasoline, without emitting any pollutants that harm the environment, since the by-products are helium and neutrons. That's why researchers are paying huge attention to this technology.
The challenge is maintaining high-enough temperatures for a long enough period of time for the technology to be viable. The device needs to raise the temperature of the plasma to above 100 million C, as well as confine it within a small space.
In order to solve this problem, there is both competition and cooperation among major researchers. On July 28, 2020, China, the European Union, India, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Russia and the United States co-launched the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor in Paris, which is a major collaborative project. Scientists in various countries are also doing separate research.
Although nuclear fusion power still remains a possibility rather than a certainty, China's efforts are helping to bring it closer.
Source: Xinhua News Agency
Related Links
Hefei Institutes of Physical Science
Powering The World in the 21st Century at Energy-Daily.com
|
| Tweet |
| Thanks for being here;
We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain. With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords. Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year. If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution. | ||
| SpaceDaily Contributor
$5 Billed Once credit card or paypal |  | SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter
$5 Billed Monthly paypal only |
On course to create a fusion power plant
Boston MA (SPX) Apr 30, 2021
"There is no lone genius who solves all the problems." Dennis Whyte, director of the Plasma Science and Fusion Center (PSFC), is reflecting on a guiding belief behind his nuclear science and engineering class 22.63 (Principles of Fusion Engineering). He has recently watched his students, working in teams, make their final presentations on how to use fusion technology to create carbon-free fuel for shipping vessels. Since taking on the course over a decade ago, Whyte has moved away from standard lectures ... read more