A new record in China for nuclear fusion
In the current context of global warming, the search for clean energy is one of the priorities. Among the various “candidates”, the nuclear fusion with its promise of almost inexhaustible energy, serves as a favorite. The basic idea is to imitate the Sun, which produces light and heat through fusion. But, its implementation on Earth is complicated, because it is necessary to control two factors: reaching a high temperature and maintaining the plasma over time. Nevertheless, on December 30, 2021, the race for nuclear fusion reached a new milestone. the advanced experimental superconductor tokamak (EAST) of Hefei in China, reached 5 times the temperature of our star for more than 17 minutes.
>> Read also: “Nuclear fusion: we are almost there!”
For Chinese researchers, this new record is a sign of the progress made. Recently, in May 2021, this installation, entitled “Artificial Sun” had already succeeded in maintaining the plasma at a temperature of 120 million degrees Celsius for 101 seconds. And even a cloud at 160 million degrees Celsius for the next 20 seconds.
How to create an “artificial Sun” on Earth?
In the sun, the atoms concerned are hydrogen. When they fuse together, they form helium, an element that is lighter than the two hydrogen atoms. The difference in mass is emitted as thermal energy, which is released by the Sun in the form of light and heat.
On Earth, scientists have tried for many years to replicate this process in facilities like the tokamak, an experimental magnetic containment device exploring the physics of plasmas. Within this donut-shaped facility, the atoms of tritium and deuterium – isotopes of hydrogen – are heated to very high temperatures, to the point where they begin to fuse and generate a helium plasma. , or about 150 million degrees Celsius. The energy that can be generated by this fusion could be titanic. The next step ? Stabilize this reaction in order to be able to produce energy autonomously, as in the Sun. Hence the importance of obtaining increasingly long reactions in order to approach this objective.
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Representation of the nuclear fusion reaction within a tokamak.
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For Chinese researchers, this new record is a sign of the progress made. Good omen pending the launch of the ITER project, the world’s largest tokamak under construction in the south of France in collaboration with 35 countries, including China. Its objective will be to demonstrate the efficiency of the device, that is to say that it is possible to obtain more energy than that expended.
ITER: INDUSTRIALIZATION IN SIGHT
It is through the method of magnetic confinement that the international Iter project aims to industrialize nuclear fusion. The world’s largest tokamak – a Russian acronym for “toroidal chamber with magnetic coils” – is under construction in the Bouches-du-Rhône. Because the more volume the plasma has to expand, the longer it can remain confined… and provide energy. “This experimental machine will make it possible to demonstrate that the continuous production of 500 MW is possible”, presents Alain Bécoulet, head of the engineering field. Or a yield of 1000%!
“All of our knowledge in magnetic confinement will be found in Iter. These are the beginnings of a new nuclear industry “, concludes Alain Bécoulet. First commissioning scheduled for 2025.
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>> Read also: “The five most advanced nuclear fusion projects”
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