China lights up nuclear-powered ‘artificial sun’



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Chinese scientists have been working on developing smaller versions of the nuclear fusion reactor since 2006.

Chinese scientists have been working on developing smaller versions of the nuclear fusion reactor since 2006.

  • China has successfully ignited its “artificial sun” nuclear fusion reactor.
  • It uses a powerful magnetic field to fuse hot plasma and can reach temperatures of more than 150 million degrees Celsius, which is around ten times hotter than the core of the sun.
  • Chinese scientists have been working on developing smaller versions of the nuclear fusion reactor since 2006.

China successfully ignited its “artificial sun” nuclear fusion reactor for the first time, state media reported on Friday, marking a breakthrough in the country’s nuclear energy research capabilities.

The HL-2M Tokamak reactor is China’s largest and most advanced nuclear fusion experimental research device, and scientists hope the device could potentially unlock a powerful source of clean energy.

It uses a powerful magnetic field to fuse hot plasma and can reach temperatures of more than 150 million degrees Celsius, according to the People’s Daily, about ten times hotter than the core of the sun.

Located in the southwest of Sichuan province and completed at the end of last year, the reactor is often called an “artificial sun” because of the enormous heat and energy it produces.

“The development of nuclear fusion power is not only a way to solve China’s strategic energy needs, but also has great importance for the future sustainable development of energy and China’s national economy,” the Daily said. from town.

Chinese scientists have been working on developing smaller versions of the nuclear fusion reactor since 2006.

They plan to use the device in collaboration with scientists working at the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor, the world’s largest nuclear fusion research project based in France, which is expected to be completed in 2025.

Fusion is considered the Holy Grail of energy and is what fuels our sun.

It fuses atomic nuclei to create massive amounts of energy, the opposite of the fission process used in atomic weapons and nuclear power plants, which breaks them up into fragments.

Unlike fission, fusion does not emit greenhouse gases and carries less risk of accidents or theft of atomic material.

But achieving the merger is extremely difficult and prohibitively expensive, with the total cost of ITER estimated at $ 22.5 billion.

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