South Korea's Artificial Sun Burns at 100 Million Degrees For 20 Seconds, Sets New World Record!
The Korea Institute of Fusion Energy (KFE) announced the joint research project with the Seoul National University (SNU) and Columbia University of the United States and is shooting for 300 seconds of operation by 2025.
The whole point of the exercise is to get to a place where the scientists can successfully maintain and harness nuclear fusion energy to provide electricity. To do so would pretty much solve the energy needs of humankind.
Director Si-Woo Yoon of the KSTAR Research Center at the KFE explained: ‘The technologies required for long operations of 100 million-plasma are the key to the realisation of fusion energy, and the KSTAR’s success in maintaining the high-temperature plasma for 20 seconds will be an important turning point in the race for securing the technologies for the long high-performance plasma operation, a critical component of a commercial nuclear fusion reactor in the future.
Yong-Su Na, professor at the department of Nuclear Engineering who has been jointly conducting the research, added: ‘The success of the KSTAR experiment in the long, high-temperature operation by overcoming some drawbacks of the ITB modes brings us a step closer to the development of technologies for realisation of nuclear fusion energy.
Si-Woo Yoon, Director of the KSTAR Research Center at the KFE explained that the technologies required for long operations of 100 million-plasma are the key to the realization of fusion energy and the success of KSTAR in maintaining such high-temperature plasma for 20 seconds will play an important role in the race for securing the technologies for the long high-performance plasma operation, a critical component of a commercial nuclear fusion reactor in the future.
Dr. Young-Seok Park of Columbia University, who contributed to creating the high-temperature plasma, said: “We are honored to be involved in such an important achievement made in KSTAR. The 100 million-degree ion temperature achieved by enabling efficient core plasma heating for such a long duration demonstrated the superconducting KSTAR device’s unique capability. It will be acknowledged as a compelling basis for high performance, steady-state fusion plasmas.”
Fusion power could be the answer to the world’s dependence on fossil fuels. Unfortunately, no fusion reactor has yet produced more power than it consumes. Moreover, the dangers involved in developing fusion power are pretty serious.
But they are aiming for more! The goal of the KFE is to sustain fusion ignition for 300 seconds with ion temperature of over 100 million degrees Celsius by the year 2025.
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