Korean artificial sun set record after running at 100 million degrees for two seconds

South Korea’s artificial sun has set a new world record after succeeding in maintaining a 20-second high-temperature plasma with an ion temperature of more than 100 million degrees Celsius.

On November 27, the KSTAR Research Center of the Korea Institute of Fusion Energy (KFE) announced a joint research project with Seoul National University (SNU) and Columbia University in the United States.

It succeeded in continuous operation of the plasma for 20 seconds with an ion-temperature of more than 100 million degrees. Sounds hot.

This milestone has been hailed as an important step in the quest to generate electricity through nuclear fusion.

C-Woo Yoon, director of KFE’s KSTAR research center, tells PHRG: “The technologies required for the long-term operation of 100 million-plasma are the key to realizing fusion energy, and KSTAR’s success in maintaining high temperatures. Plasma will be a turning point for 20 seconds in the race to secure technologies for long high-performance plasma operations. “

Yong-su Na, a professor in the Department of Nuclear Engineering who is conducting joint research, added: “The success of KSTAR’s experiment in long, high temperature operation brings us one step closer in overcoming some of the shortcomings of ITB modes. In developing technologies for realizing nuclear fusion energy.”

Dr. Young Young-Seek Park of Columbia University, who contributed to the production of high-temperature plasma, said: ‘We are proud to be involved in such an important achievement in KSTAR.

“The 100 million-degree ion temperature achieved by enabling efficient core plasma heating for such a long period of time demonstrates the unique capability of the superconducting KSTAR device, and will be accepted as an attractive base for high-performance, stable state fusion plasma.”

KFE’s new goal is to maintain the operation for 300 seconds by 2025. It explained: “A period of 300 seconds means being able to control the instability of nuclear fusion based power generation.

“We will continue our challenge to realize the realm of nuclear fusion energy, which is the goal of the entire human race.”

KFE President Suk Ja Yu said: “I am delighted to announce the new launch of KFE as Korea’s independent research institute. KFE will continue its tradition of challenging research to achieve the goal of mankind: the realization of nuclear fusion.”