Most of the methods we currently use for power generation come with significant drawbacks such as pollution or limited availability. Reliable fusion power can theoretically change it all. Using the power of the sun we can produce safer than ever before. The problem, however, is that fusion power generation is not working yet. The South Korean team just made a big breakthrough – the Korea Superconducting TalkMac Advanced Research (KSTAR) device recently lasted 20 seconds. It may not look impressive, but it will double the previous record.
The Sun and other stars produce radiation through the fusion of atoms – the process of sticking two hydrogen atoms (and later heavy atoms) together yields tremendous energy radiation, and the byproducts are completely protected, like the rest from nuclear disintegration and combustion. However, fusion only occurs at very high temperatures and pressures. It is not a self-sustaining chain reaction like dissection.
KSTAR is one of the most advanced talkmack reactors in the world. These devices use powerful magnetic fields to shape super-heated plasma into torus (ring) shapes. Currently, our ability to sustain synthetic fusion reactions in this way is extremely limited. The best experimental reactors like KSTAR can keep the super-heated plasma active for just a few seconds. However, the number of seconds is finally increasing.
KSTAR recently maintained a fusion plasma at 180 million degrees Fahrenheit for 20 seconds. The device’s previous record in 2019 was just eight seconds, and the previous world record for this experiment was just 10 seconds at 100 million degrees or more. Long plasma remains active in the reactor, molecules pass through the fusion and produce useful amounts of radiation. This is the goal, but current fusion reactors like KSTAR consume more power than their output. The record holder in that field is the Joint European Torres (JET), which can generate 16 megawatts of electricity out of 24 megawatts of input power.
The team says the operation of the improved Internal Transport Barrier (ITB) is the key to the latest improvement. ITB reduces the movement of ions inside the plasma, which improves the limitation and stability of the plasma. Thus, the KSTAR reactor was able to break the previous record.
We still have a long way to go to make fusion a viable source of energy. For now, the KSTAR team hopes to continue to improve the stability of its reactors, finally operating until 2025 for a continuous operation00 seconds.
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