Most of the methods we currently use to produce power have significant drawbacks, such as pollution or limited availability. Reliable fusion power could theoretically change all that. Using the power of the sun, we were able to safely produce more power than ever before. The problem, however, is that energy generation from fusion is not yet working. A team from South Korea has just made great strides – the Korea Superconducting Tokamak Advanced Research (KSTAR) device recently ran for 20 seconds. That may not sound impressive, but it doubles the previous record.
The sun and other stars produce energy through nuclear fusion – the process of sticking two hydrogen atoms (and later heavier atoms) together produces enormous energy, and the byproducts are completely safe, unlike the remnants of nuclear fission and combustion. However, fusion only takes place at extremely high temperatures and pressures. It is not a self-perpetuating chain reaction like nuclear fission.
KSTAR is one of the most advanced Tokamak-style reactors in the world. These devices use powerful magnetic fields to form superheated plasma into a toroid (ring) shape. Currently, our ability to support artificial fusion reactions in this way is extremely limited. The best experimental reactors like KSTAR can only keep superheated plasma active for a few seconds. However, the number of seconds is finally increasing.
KSTAR recently held fusion plasma at 180 million degrees Fahrenheit for 20 seconds. This device’s previous record was only eight seconds in 2019, and the global record before this experiment was only 10 seconds at 100 million degrees or higher. The longer the plasma remains active in the reactor, the more likely the atoms will fuse and produce useful amounts of energy. That’s the goal, but current fusion reactors like KSTAR consume more power than they produce. The record holder in that arena is the Joint European Torus (JET), which can produce 16 MW power with 24 MW input power.
The team says improved Internal Transport Barrier (ITB) performance was key to this most recent improvement. An ITB reduces the movement of ions in the plasma leading to improved plasma confinement and stability. This allowed the KSTAR reactor to break the previous record.
We are still a long way from making fusion a viable energy source. For now, the KSTAR team hopes to continue to improve its reactor stability, eventually scaling up to 300 seconds of continuous operation by 2025.
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