Now, China’s ‘artificial sun’ reactor – officially called ‘Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak’ (EAST) – has set a new world record, bringing the goal of limitless clean energy ever closer.
The reactor, located in Hefei in Anhui province, generated a steady loop of plasma for 1,066 seconds at 180million°F (100million°C) – seven times hotter than the sun’s core.
If we want to rely on nuclear fusion to power the world’s homes, the first step is making reactors that can run as hot and as long as possible.
It surpasses the previous world record of 403 seconds, also set by EAST in 2023.
EAST could be a precursor to the first ever fusion power plants that supply power directly to the grid and electricity to people’s homes.
These power plants could reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the power-generation sector by diverting away from the use of fossil fuels like coal and gas.
Fusion differs from fission (the technique currently used in nuclear power plants), because the former fuses two atomic nuclei instead of splitting one (fission).
Unlike fission, fusion carries no risk of catastrophic nuclear accidents – like that seen in Fukushima in Japan in 2011 – and produces far less radioactive waste than current power plants, its exponents say.
China‘s ‘artificial sun’ is operated by the Institute of Plasma Physics (ASIPP) at Hefei Institutes of Physical Science on behalf of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
The new world record, achieved on Monday, marks a critical step toward a functional fusion reactor, according to ASIPP director Professor Song Yuntao.
‘A fusion device must achieve stable operation at high efficiency for thousands of seconds to enable the self-sustaining circulation of plasma, which is essential for the continuous power generation of future fusion plants,’ he said.
Global scientists have worked for more than 70 years on trying to achieve this feat, according to a release from State Council Information Office, central propaganda department of the ruling Chinese Communist Party.
Gong Xianzu, head of the division of EAST physics and experimental operations, said they have upgraded several EAST systems since the last round of experiments.
For example, the heating system, which previously operated at the equivalent of nearly 70,000 household microwave ovens, has now doubled its power output.
‘The ultimate goal of an artificial sun is to create nuclear fusion like the sun, providing humanity with an endless, clean energy source,’ the release says.
