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Experiment In Fusion Reactor In South Korea Sets Record Temperature Of 100 Million Degrees Celsius In Under 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 superheated plasma at 100 million degrees Celsius for 48 seconds.
This time surpasses the previous mark of 31 seconds, recorded in 2021 by KSTAR itself. This breakthrough represents a significant step in the quest for a source of clean and virtually limitless energy.
The Principle Of Nuclear Fusion
Nuclear fusion is the process that occurs in the cores of stars. It happens when hydrogen atoms are combined to form helium under extreme pressure and temperature.
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This process releases abundant energy without producing long-lived radioactive waste or greenhouse gases. This characteristic makes nuclear fusion a promising alternative for electricity generation.
Reproducing this process on Earth is a significant challenge. While the Sun maintains fusion at approximately 15 million degrees Celsius, reactors need to operate at much higher temperatures as they cannot replicate stellar pressure.
For fusion to occur in a controlled manner, scientists need to develop systems capable of containing and sustaining superheated plasma for extended 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 the tokamak relies 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 for nuclear fusion as a viable source of electricity.
Recent Advances Of KSTAR
The new design of KSTAR was achieved with changes to the structure of the nuclear reactor. Scientists replaced carbon parts with tungsten, improving the efficiency of the divertors, devices responsible for extracting heat and waste from the plasma.
This alteration 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, highlighted that the use of tungsten brought additional challenges, but the team was able to overcome them. The next goal for researchers is even more ambitious: to sustain the plasma at this temperature for 300 seconds by 2026.
The Impact Of The Advancement
The achievement of KSTAR underscores progress in nuclear fusion research. However, the commercial prospective of this technology still faces hurdles. Current reactors still do not provide more energy than they consume, and the time needed to transform fusion into a practical alternative is still uncertain.
Other projects around the world are also seeking advancements 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 for its application is becoming clearer.
With new technologies and increasing investments, scientists hope that nuclear fusion will become a viable source of clean and safe electricity in the future.
With information from DigitiMed.
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