EAST Fusion Reactor: Five Times Hotter than the Sun
The race for fusion energy is heating up. Literally. China has successfully begun experiments on its fusion reactor, the Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokomak (EAST). The results have been reaffirming to the initiative of fusion. Should they continue to see these promising results, fusion may have a viable future that is nearer than many have thought.
China switched on its nuclear fusion device that’s 5 times hotter than the Sun (yahoo.com)
Fusion involves fusing two atoms together, to release energy. It is the process that stars undergo in their cores, to generate plasma. Down here on Earth, fusion involves fusing two hydrogen atoms together into helium plasma (1), via reactors that can generate high heats and pressures. This form of energy is especially appealing, due to its lack of harmful waste, lack of risk for meltdown, and the abundance of hydrogen fuel. It has the potential to become the cleanest and most energy dense form of energy production (for a more detailed look into fusion reactor science, see here: Fusion and its Future).
The EAST has been a long and hard effort, having taken a trillion dollars and years to build. During the EAST’s recent tests, it became clear that the investment paid off. The EAST shattered previous fusion records, running for a full 17 minutes at 70 million degrees Celsius (2). For perspective, these temperatures were at five times hotter than the Sun (2). Data retrieved from this experiment and EAST’s subsequent experiments, will give key insight into future reactor designs. The hope is for scientists to develop fusion reactors that can achieve ignition and truly withstand the intense plasma conditions, over extensive periods of time.
EAST only marks the beginning of potential in fusion development. The teams that worked on EAST are also working on the ITER, in France (1). The ITER is to be the biggest and most powerful fusion reactor ever built (1). This global effort toward fusion is inspiring, on all fronts. Should the sustainable energy resource of fusion be achieved, it would be a massive gamechanger on a global scale.
Sources:
China switched on its nuclear fusion device that’s 5 times hotter than the Sun (yahoo.com)
China's $1 trillion 'artificial sun' fusion reactor just got five times hotter than the sun (msn.com)
