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Fusion reactor experiment in South Korea records record temperature of 100 million degrees Celsius in less than a minute
Scientists in South Korea have set a new record in nuclear fusion research. The Korea Superconducting Tokamak Advanced Research (KSTAR) nuclear reactor maintained a superheated plasma at 100 million degrees Celsius for 48 seconds.
The time surpasses the previous record of 31 seconds, recorded in 2021 by KSTAR itself. This advance represents a significant step in the search for a source of clean energy and practically unlimited.
The principle of nuclear fusion
Nuclear fusion is the process that occurs in the core of stars. It occurs when hydrogen atoms combine to form helium under extreme pressure and temperature.
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This process releases an abundance of energy without producing long-lasting radioactive waste or greenhouse gases. This characteristic makes nuclear fusion a promising alternative for generating electricity.
Reproducing this similar process on Earth is a huge challenge. While the Sun maintains fusion at approximately 15 million degrees Celsius, reactors need to operate at much higher temperatures, as they cannot replicate the stellar pressure.
For fusion to occur in a controlled manner, scientists need to develop systems capable of containing and sustaining superheated plasma for prolonged periods.
How a tokamak reactor works
The tokamak is the most common type of fusion reactor. It has a ring-shaped structure and uses magnetic fields to contain the plasma, preventing it from touching the walls of the nuclear reactor.
The concept was developed by Soviet scientist Natan Yavlinsky in 1958. Since then, researchers around the world have been working to increase its efficiency.
The operation of a tokamak depends on the stability of the plasma, which must be kept under control to allow the fusion of hydrogen atoms. Despite advances, no tokamak reactor has managed to generate more energy than it consumes. This is the major obstacle to nuclear fusion as a viable source of electricity.
KSTAR's Recent Advances
The new KSTAR design was achieved by changing the structure of the nuclear reactor. Scientists replaced carbon parts with tungsten, improving the efficiency of divertors, devices responsible for extracting heat and waste from the plasma.
This change allowed the nuclear reactor to maintain a temperature of 100 million degrees Celsius for 48 seconds, surpassing the previous record.
Si-Woo Yoon, director of the KSTAR Research Center, noted that using tungsten brought additional challenges, but the team was able to overcome them. The researchers' next goal is even more ambitious: to sustain the plasma at this temperature for 300 seconds by 2026.
The impact of advancement
The KSTAR achievement reinforces progress in nuclear fusion research. However, the technology’s commercialization prospects still face obstacles. Current reactors do not yet produce more energy than they consume, and the time it will take to make fusion a practical alternative is still uncertain.
Other projects around the world are also seeking advances in this area. In the United States, the National Ignition Facility (NIF) recently succeeded in producing more energy than it consumed in an experiment.
This type of result indicates that although fusion is not yet a commercial reality, the path to its application is becoming clearer.
With new technologies and increasing investment, scientists hope that nuclear fusion will become a viable source of clean and safe electricity in the future.
With information from DigitiMed.
