European scientists have claimed a major breakthrough in their quest to develop practical nuclear fusion – the energy process that powers the stars.
- The United Kingdom-based Joint European Torus (JET) laboratory has smashed its own world record for the amount of energy it can extract by squeezing together two forms of hydrogen.
- The ‘artificial sun’ nuclear reactor Torus in Culham (UK) released a total of 59 megajoules of energy, equating to a power output of just over 11 megawatts averaged over five seconds.
- Although it is not a huge energy output — only enough to boil about 60 kettles’ worth of water — yet it more than doubles the previous fusion record set 25 years ago. This is more than double what was achieved in similar tests back in 1997.
- If nuclear fusion can be successfully recreated on Earth it holds out the potential of virtually unlimited supplies of low-carbon, low-radiation energy.
China’s record
- In China, the country’s ‘artificial sun’ nuclear fusion reactor in Hefei also set a new world record after running at 126 million°F (70 million°C) for 1,056 seconds — more than 17 minutes.
- This record, set on December 30, 20212 marked the longest running duration for an experimental advanced superconducting tokamak (EAST) fusion energy reactor.
What is Nuclear Fusion
- Nuclear Fusion reactions power the Sun and other stars. In a fusion reaction, two light nuclei merge to form a single heavier nucleus.
- The process releases energy because the total mass of the resulting single nucleus is less than the mass of the two original nuclei.
- The leftover mass becomes energy. In order for the reaction to take place, the super-heated gas – in a plasma state – is subjected to pressure, which essentially squeezes the atoms together and forced them to react.
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