China’s Artificial Sun EAST

China’s Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak, also known as EAST or China’s Artificial Sun, has accomplished a groundbreaking feat. It operated at an extraordinary temperature of 216 million degrees Fahrenheit (120 million degrees Celsius) for 101 seconds. The achievement reached its zenith with a peak temperature of (160 million degrees) for a duration of 20 seconds, outshining the Sun’s heat by more than 10 times. This accomplishment represents a remarkable stride since its successful activation in the previous year as a nuclear fusion reactor. China’s focus has now shifted to enhancing its sustainability, with the aim of establishing a long-lasting and abundant energy source for the nation.

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China’s Artificial Sun: What is it?

China achieved a significant step in its pursuit of an “Artificial Sun” through the testing of the HL-2M Tokamak reactor on December 4, 2020. This Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak reactor, situated at ASIPP, Hefei, aims to replicate solar fusion processes, signifying a major stride in scientific exploration.
The brief initial trial lasting seconds carries far-reaching implications for global science, presenting safer energy possibilities amid global challenges. By utilizing potent magnetic fields to confine plasma exceeding 150 million centigrades, the reactor generates power surpassing the sun’s core, bolstered by secure magnet-based containment.
China’s ambition for commercially viable fusion energy by 2050 gains momentum through this effort, complemented by collaboration with the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) project, uniting various nuclear-powered nations.

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Significance

Near-limitless clean energy: The machine will help harness the power of nuclear fusion, which would create unlimited clean energy by mimicking reactions that naturally occur inside the sun.
No hazardous materials: The process requires no fossil fuels and leaves behind no hazardous waste materials, unlike the nuclear fission process that powers commercial nuclear energy production.
Less Disaster: Physicists also claim that there is far less risk of an environmental disaster.

Challenges with Nuclear Fusion in Lab

Keeping the temperature over 100 million degrees.
Operating at a stable level for a long time.
Nuclear fusion remains a long way from being realised outside of a laboratory, despite decades of research into the technology.

Nuclear Fusion: Illuminating the Process

Fundamental Fusion Reaction: Uniting Atomic Nuclei
- Nuclear fusion denotes the merging of two or more atomic nuclei, yielding new atomic nuclei and subatomic particles.
- Energy is either released or absorbed in the form of energy due to the difference in mass between reactants and products.
Energy Generation and Waste Reduction: Fusion’s Edge
- The fusion process stands distinct for its capability to produce energy while minimizing the production of substantial nuclear waste.
- In contrast, fission, the opposite process involving atomic splitting, is more frequently used in nuclear weapons and power plants.
- Fission yields nuclear waste, whereas fusion, though more intricate to attain, presents a cleaner energy alternative.

In summary, nuclear fusion holds promise as a prolific energy source, amalgamating nuclei and unleashing energy with reduced waste generation—a contrast to fission’s trade-offs in waste and ease of achievement.

Working

It relies on the same Nuclear Fusion Process that occurs naturally within the Sun and other celestial bodies.
To achieve nuclear fusion, immense heat and pressure are applied to hydrogen atoms, causing them to merge. Specifically, the nuclei of deuterium and tritium, both isotopes of hydrogen, combine to form a helium nucleus, along with a neutron, all accompanied by a substantial release of energy.
The gaseous hydrogen fuel is subjected to temperatures exceeding 150 million degrees Celsius, transforming it into a high-temperature plasma, consisting of electrically charged subatomic particles.
To prevent the plasma from cooling and losing its capacity to generate substantial energy, a powerful magnetic field is employed to keep it away from the walls of the reactor. This confinement of the plasma over extended durations is essential for the fusion process to occur.

Nuclear Reactions

Description:

Nuclear reactions involve the collision of two nuclei or a nucleus with an external subatomic particle, resulting in the creation of one or more new nuclides. Fundamental to a nuclear reaction is the conversion of at least one nuclide into another.

Types:

Nuclear Fission: Dividing the Atomic Core
- Occurs when an atom’s nucleus splits into two distinct daughter nuclei.
- This can result from natural radioactive decay or replication under controlled lab conditions, which involves factors such as neutron or alpha particle bombardment.
- Typically, the resultant fragments collectively have a mass lower than that of the original nucleus, converting the missing mass into potent nuclear energy.
- Notably, contemporary commercial nuclear reactors hinge on controlled nuclear fission for power generation.
Nuclear Fusion: Merging Nuclei for Energy
- Involves the fusion of lighter nuclei to create a denser nucleus.
- This process underpins the energy release in celestial bodies like the Sun and stars.
- To facilitate fusion, immense energy input is imperative, necessitating conditions of extreme temperatures, often reaching millions of degrees, and pressures on the order of millions of pascals.
- Thermonuclear fusion forms the basis of hydrogen bombs, wherein the initial energy typically comes from a fission-based nuclear core—usually uranium or plutonium—rather than being sourced passively.

These diverse reactions, from the controlled fission in reactors to the fiery fusion powering stars, underscore the boundless potential of nuclear science in various applications.