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A nuclear fusion reactor in the south of France, called WEST, has achieved a major milestone that brings it one step closer to clean, sustainable and nearly limitless energy.
Scientists at the Plasma Physics Laboratory in Princeton, New Jersey, who collaborated on the project, announced today that the device produced ultra-hot material called plasma that reached temperatures of 90 million degrees Fahrenheit (50 million degrees Celsius) for six continuous minutes. did.
The ultimate goal is to maintain ultra-hot plasma for hours, but six minutes is a new world record for devices like WEST. Other reactors similar to WEST produced hotter plasmas, but they didn’t last as long.
WEST is a so-called tokamak. It’s a donut-shaped fusion reactor, about the size of an 8-foot by 8-foot room with an 8-foot ceiling, that can produce the same kind of energy that powers the sun. . That’s why scientists sometimes call these machines “artificial suns.”
“What we’re trying to do is create a sun on Earth,” Luis Delgado Aparicio, PPPL’s head of advanced projects, told Business Insider. “And it’s very, very challenging,” he said, but this new record suggests they’re heading in the right direction.
The sun runs on nuclear fusion (when atomic nuclei combine and release energy), not to be confused with the fission process (when atomic nuclei split and release energy) that powers today’s nuclear reactors. .
Fusion energy is more powerful than any form of energy we have today. If we can harness that power, Produce Each kilogram of fuel has almost 4 million times more energy than fossil fuels. Plus, it’s carbon free.
Significant challenges remain before this becomes a reality, and this is where experimental reactors like WEST come into play.
WEST is not used to generate fusions. Providing electricity to homes is critical to research that lays the foundation for future commercial nuclear reactors.
WEST produces more energy and lays the foundation for ITER
WEST has much in common with ITER, a nearby nuclear reactor under construction in the south of France. Once completed, it will be the world’s largest tokamak capable of self-sustaining combustion plasma. Creating self-heating mixtures is a key step in harnessing the power of fusion for commercial purposes.
However, due to cost and technology, setback, It is unclear when ITER will be completed. Meanwhile, other facilities are conducting experiments to figure out how best to operate the giant reactors. This includes your waist.
Delgado Aparicio said the two reactors are effectively next to each other and the experiments at WEST can be directly applied to ITER.
For nuclear fusion to occur on Earth, The fuel must reach at least 50 million degrees Celsius. One of the main hurdles facing fusion power generation is the enormous amount of energy required to produce such extreme temperatures, and so far nuclear reactors have been limited to commercial use. The inability to maintain the plasma long enough to obtain excess energy. Therefore, at present, fusion reactors typically consume more energy than they produce.
WEST’s recent breakthrough was no exception. However, PPPL reported in a statement that compared to previous attempts, the energy produced from fusion has increased by 15%. Additionally, the plasma was twice as dense, which was another key factor in producing more energy.
The key to WEST record success: Tungsten
WEST is helping scientists test the best materials to build the walls inside fusion reactors, as these environments can reach temperatures more than three times hotter than the center of the sun. , this is not easy.
Originally, WEST included a carbon wall. Delgado Aparicio said carbon is easier to work with, but it also absorbs tritium, a rare hydrogen isotope that fuels fusion reactions.
“Imagine not just a wall, but a sponge-like wall that absorbs fuel.”
So in 2012, scientists decided to test another material, tungsten, on tokamak walls. This is the same material he ITER uses for some of its main components.
Delgado Aparicio believes tungsten is an ideal material for tokamak walls because of its ability to withstand heat without absorbing tritium.
However, tungsten is not perfect. One of its drawbacks is that it can melt and enter the plasma, contaminating it. This can disrupt the process, radiate a large amount of energy, and cool the plasma.
Therefore, to optimize the system, scientists need to understand exactly how tungsten behaves and interacts with the plasma. That’s what researchers are doing with her WEST.
For example, the PPPL team modified the diagnostic tool. This is what was used in this latest experiment at WEST. The tool helped the team accurately measure the temperature of the plasma and better understand how tungsten moves from the device wall into the plasma.
“We can detect and track how the plasma moves inside and study its transport inside the machine,” Delgadot Aparicio said, adding that this could eliminate impurities such as chunks of tungsten that cool the plasma. He said this could help develop future methods to protect against plasma. .
“We now understand how we need to deal with cooling,” he said, “and that experience will be exported to neighboring ITER.”
WEST and ITER are not the only nuclear reactors that use tungsten.
For example, Commonwealth Fusion Systems (CFS) uses tungsten walls in its demonstration fusion reactor, SPARC. Also, his KSTAR in South Korea has a tungsten diverter and he recently demonstrated a 100 million degree plasma for 30 seconds.
It remains to be seen whether tungsten will be the key to unlocking commercial fusion energy.
Although commercial fusion energy is likely still decades away, Delgado-Aparicio believes we are taking steps toward “this big goal of energizing humanity.”
PPPL announced that the results of the experiment will be published in a peer-reviewed journal within the next few weeks.