According to the Chinese Academy of Sciences, a successful experiment was carried out at the facility of the Institute of Plasma Physics on Wednesday. The hot plasma could now be kept stable in its magnetic field for 403 seconds. The previous record for an attempt of this type was 101 seconds and was also set at EAST in 2017.
In the various facilities for fusion research, the main concern at present is to improve the stability of the plasma confinement. This is so hot that it must not come into contact with the material walls of the fusion chamber, as there is no material that would withstand such heat. It is therefore important to adjust the complex magnetic fields inside in such a way that the plasma is held in free floating.
Next stop: CFETR
However, the new record is not just limited to the pure time in which the magnetic fields could be kept stable. Since the last record in 2017, the temperature and density of the particles in the fusion chamber have also increased. At some point, these must reach certain critical values so that the atomic nuclei meet sufficiently often and a continuous fusion process really takes place, which could then supply energy for generating electricity.
However, this point will probably not be reached in EAST, which would then be the next big step in fusion research. This is intended for the new China Fusion Engineering Test Reactor (CFETR), which is currently being built. This is said to be the world’s first fusion demonstration reactor, which will then enable concrete forecasts to be made as to what the path to practical use of nuclear fusion might look like.
See also:
- Chinese researchers set new world record in stabilizing plasma confinement in EAST.
- 403 seconds held steady, previous record 2017 at 101 seconds.
- Magnetic fields inside must be adjusted to hold plasma.
- The temperature and density of the particles have increased since 2017.
- EAST will not reach the point of practical use of nuclear fusion.
- CFETR is set to become the world’s first fusion demonstration reactor.
- CFETR is intended to enable predictions about the path to practical use of nuclear fusion.
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