- The Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST), commonly known as China’s “artificial sun,” has set a world record by maintaining steady-state high-confinement plasma operation for an impressive 1,066 seconds.
- This puts China in the lead when it comes to nuclear fusion technology development. Several tokamaks have been built, including the South Korea Superconducting Tomak Advanced Research facility, Joint European Torus and the Mega Amp Spherical Tokamak in the UK and the tokamak fusion test reactor at Princeton in the USA.
The news from China also comes as Commonwealth Fusion Systems recently announced that it will independently finance, build, own, and operate the grid-scale fusion power plant in Chesterfield County, Virginia, USA. It will be the first commercial venture in the world using the technology.
The duration of 1,066 seconds at the Chinese facility is a critical advancement in fusion research. This milestone, achieved by the Institute of Plasma Physics (ASIPP) at Hefei Institutes of Physical Science (HFIPS) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, far surpasses the previous world record of 403 seconds, also set by EAST in 2023.
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“A fusion device must achieve stable operation at high efficiency for thousands of seconds to enable the self-sustaining circulation of plasma, which is essential for the continuous power generation of future fusion plants,” said SONG Yuntao, ASIPP director and also vice president of HFIPS. He said that the recent record is monumental, marking a critical step toward realising a functional fusion reactor.
Gong Xianzu, the head of the EAST Physics and Experimental Operations division adds that several systems of the EAST device have been upgraded since the last round of experiments. “For example, the heating system, which previously operated at the equivalent power of nearly 70,000 household microwave ovens, has now doubled its power output while maintaining stability and continuity,” said Xianzu.
Author: Bryan Groenendaal
