China’s Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST) project, also known as the ‘artificial sun’, has set a new operating record. The reactor, which uses nuclear fusion to generate clean energy, managed to operate stably for 17 minutes and 46 seconds. EAST’s previous record was 6 minutes and 43 seconds.
Stars are furnaces that burn for billions of years thanks to nuclear fusion. In this process, two atomic nuclei, usually hydrogen, combine to generate a heavier nucleus. In stars, atoms join together to form helium and, as a result, a large amount of energy is released in the form of light and heat. Therefore, the stars shine and produce energy naturally.
The energy of stars on Earth
Recreating nuclear fusion on Earth is the holy grail of clean energy. China’s EAST project is one of the most advanced experiments in this area. Since 2017, the Institute of Plasma Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (ASIPP) in Hefei has been gradually extending the operation time of the ‘artificial sun’. The first experimental mark was 101 seconds.
The technology has been in research around the world for 70 years. Only recently was it able to surpass the 1,000 second mark. According to Song Yuntao, director of ASIPP, for the technology to be applied one day in the future, it is essential that the nuclear fusion device operates stably in high efficiency mode for thousands of seconds.
With each round of experiments, EAST scientists implement adjustments to the device in order to extend the operating time. According to the medium Xinhuaone of the most important changes was the improvement in its central heating system. In the previous test, the system operated with the power of approximately 70,000 microwave ovens. Now, the power of the system has been doubled.
The EAST uses magnetic fields generated by superconducting coils to trap ionized gas at extremely high temperatures. This gas is heated until it becomes plasma and acquires conditions similar to those of the core of a star. With this heat source, it is possible to transform it into electricity.
China’s ‘artificial sun’ is part of a broader international effort. The Asian country is participating in the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) project in France, which seeks to develop a commercial nuclear fusion power plant capable of producing clean energy from practically inexhaustible resources.
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