South Korea's KSTAR Breaks Record with 48-Second Fusion Energy Experiment

South Korea’s “artificial light” recently achieved a groundbreaking feat in the field of fusion energy research by successfully maintaining a plasma circulation at an incredible temperature of 180 million degrees Fahrenheit (equivalent to 100 million degrees Celsius) for a period of time amazing of 48 seconds, as put forward by scientists. This remarkable achievement was made possible by the operation of the Korea Superconductor Tokamak Advanced Research (KSTAR) reactor, surpassing its own world record of 31 seconds set in 2021. developing a source of clean energy constant and almost endless, despite being just a small step in the grand scheme of things.

The scientific community has long been involved in the effort to unlock the potential of nuclear fusion, a process that is similar to the power generation device of the stars, lasting more than seven decades of research and special experimentation. The basic principle involves the fusion of hydrogen atoms to produce helium under conditions of extreme temperature and pressure, mirroring the transformation process seen in main-sequence stars that undergo emit light and heat while avoiding the production of greenhouse gases or long-lived radioactive waste. However, simulating the complex conditions that exist in stellar cores has been a major challenge for researchers.

The main design archetype for fusion reactors, called a tokamak, relies on the concept of plasma superheating – a special state of matter characterized by freely moving positive ions and negatively charged electrons – and is attached in a torus-shaped reactor vessel that uses a strong magnet. fields. The main obstacle is the difficult task of stabilizing the refractory turbulent plasma coils long enough to enable nuclear fusion reactions. The beginning of the tokamak dates back to 1958 with the original work of the Soviet scientist Natan Yavlinsky; however, the elusive goal of achieving a net energy gain remains unmet to this day.

A critical hurdle has been managing plasma at temperatures conducive to fusion reactions, requiring very high thermal parameters that exceed even the scorching heat of the sun. Fusion reactors require operating temperatures that are much higher than those found in stellar cores because of the lower pressures required compared to natural fusion conditions inside stars. For example, the core of the Sun registers a temperature of about 27 million degrees Fahrenheit (equivalent to 15 million degrees Celsius) while constant pressures are about 340 billion times higher than the atmospheric pressure at sea level on Earth. .

Cooking plasma at such extreme temperatures is a seemingly simple task, but the real challenge is to create a way to efficiently contain it in the reactor. This limitation must be achieved without allowing the plasma to burn through the walls of the reactor, while ensuring that the fusion process proceeds smoothly. The technical problems involved in this matter are very complex and require sophisticated solutions. Traditionally, this confinement is done using high-powered lasers or strong magnetic fields, each of which has its own advantages and limitations.

In order to extend the duration of the plasma burning phase beyond what was previously achieved, the researchers made a series of changes to the reactor configuration. These changes included replacing carbon components with tungsten, a change intended to improve the performance of the tokamak thrusters. These divers play a vital role in removing excess heat and by-products from the reactor, thus improving overall efficiency.

Si-Woo Yoon, director of KSTAR Research Center, emphasized the importance of testing and thorough preparation to achieve the amazing results of the test. Despite the experimental nature of using the new tungsten divers, comprehensive hardware evaluation and detailed design allowed researchers to exceed performance measurements from previous efforts made at the facility.

Looking ahead, KSTAR scientists have set ambitious goals for the reactor, aiming to maintain a temperature of 180 million degrees Fahrenheit for a period of 300 seconds by the year 2026 community to achieve advances in this field .

The recent success achieved by the KSTAR team adds to a series of outstanding achievements by several fusion reactors around the world. Notable among these achievements is the milestone reached at the US National Ignition Facility, where the reactor core briefly demonstrated an energy output greater than input – an event that drew attention and widespread praise. inside and outside the scientific community.