Fusion reactor sets record by running for 20 seconds

Most of the methods we currently use to produce energy have substantial drawbacks, such as pollution or limited availability. Theoretically, reliable fusion energy could change all that. By harnessing the power of the sun, we could safely produce more energy than ever. However, the problem is that fusion power generation is not working yet. A team from South Korea just made a breakthrough: Korea’s Superconducting Tokamak Advanced Research (KSTAR) device recently ran for 20 seconds. It may not sound impressive, but it doubles the previous record.

The sun and other stars produce energy through nuclear fusion: the process of joining two hydrogen atoms (and then heavier atoms) produces enormous energy, and the by-products are completely safe, unlike the remnants of fission and nuclear combustion. However, fusion only takes place at extremely high temperatures and pressures. It is not a self-sustaining chain reaction like fission.

KSTAR is one of the most advanced Tokamak style reactors in the world. These devices use powerful magnetic fields to shape the superheated plasma into a torus (ring) shape. Currently, our ability to sustain artificial fusion reactions in this way is extremely limited. The best experimental reactors like KSTAR can only keep superheated plasma active for a few seconds. However, the number of seconds is finally increasing.

KSTAR recently held the fusion plasma at 180 million degrees Fahrenheit for 20 seconds. The previous record for this device was just eight seconds in 2019, and the world record before this experiment was just 10 seconds at 100 million degrees or more. The longer the plasma remains active in the reactor, the more likely the atoms are to fuse and produce usable amounts of energy. That’s the goal, but today’s fusion reactors like KSTAR consume more energy than they produce. The record holder in that field is the Joint European Torus (JET), which can produce 16MW of power from 24MW of input power.

The team says improved internal transport barrier (ITB) performance was the key to this most recent improvement. An ITB reduces the movement of ions within the plasma, which improves the confinement and stability of the plasma. Thus, the KSTAR reactor was able to break the previous record.

We are still a long way from making fusion a viable energy source. For now, the KSTAR team hopes to continue to improve the stability of its reactor, eventually escalating to 300 seconds of continuous operation by 2025.

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