Korea-made ‘100 Million Made Artificial Sun Shone For 20 Seconds … World Record

An employee of the Korean Institute for Fusion Energy is inspecting the inside of the vacuum container of the Korea Superconducting Fusion Research System (KSTAR). KSTAR’s inner surface made of carbon tile is also deformed and damaged while resisting the ultra-high temperature of 100 million degrees. Freelancer Kim Seong-tae

Korea’s artificial solar KSTAR once again reached the world record.

The KSTAR Research Center of the Korea Fusion Energy Research Institute announced on the 24th that it has managed to continuously operate an ultra-high temperature plasma of 100 million degrees Celsius, a key condition for nuclear fusion, for more than 20 seconds. in the KSTAR plasma experiment in 2020. This is the world’s highest record for ultra-high temperature plasma operation at 100 million degrees Celsius, and is the result of more than double the driving record of 8 seconds last year . In February this year, the fusion research institute also set a world record for operating 100 million degree ultra-high-temperature plasma for more than 8 seconds.

To create a fusion reaction in the sun on Earth, the fuel must be placed inside a fusion device like KSTAR, converted into a plasma state separated by ions and electrons, and heated and held at an ultra-high temperature of 100 million. degrees or more.

So far, nuclear fusion devices in other countries like China have managed to achieve ultra-high temperature plasma of over 100 million degrees instantly, but they haven’t held it for more than 10 seconds. KSTAR was able to maintain plasma for a long time by improving the performance of the internal transport barrier, one of the next generation plasma modes of operation.

“Long-term operation technology of 100 million degrees of ultra-high temperature plasma is a key task to realize nuclear fusion power,” said Yun Si-woo, director of the KSTAR Research Center at the Korean Institute of Energy. of fusion. Said.

The main device of the Korean artificial solar KSTAR. [한국핵융합에너지연구원]

KSTAR’s ultimate goal is to continuously operate 100 million ultra-high-temperature plasma for 300 seconds by 2025. Seok-jae Yoo, director of the Korean Institute of Fusion Energy, said, “To be able to maintain 100 million degrees of plasma during more than 300 seconds means ensuring a technology that can control instability for the generation of fusion power. ” We will continue our challenging research to achieve human goals. ”

According to the government’s basic plan for the promotion of nuclear fusion energy, the fusion energy research institute will ensure KSTAR’s high-performance operation technology by 2026 and plan to equip the conceptual design and core technology for a Experimental reactor capable of producing electricity through actual nuclear fusion. Is standing. Furthermore, the plan is to secure the design technology of nuclear fusion power plants and complete the verification of electricity production by 2041.

KSTAR’s main experimental results, including this achievement, will be revealed at the ‘IAEA Fusion Energy Conference’, an Olympic trial of fusion researchers to be held in May next year.

Reporter Park Hyung-soo [email protected]