Hydrogen plasma generation succeeded in the nuclear fusion reactor "Wendelstein 7-X", practical use around 2025

In December 2015A nuclear fusion reactor "Wendelstein 7-X" which succeeded in producing helium plasmaIt is confirmed that the generation of hydrogen plasma is successful in the future. Further tests are being carried out toward practical application of fusion reactors, scientists said that they are aiming for practical use around 2025.

First plasma plasma in Wendelstein 7 - X | Max - Planck - Institut für Plasmaphysik
http://www.ipp.mpg.de/4010154/02_16


German scientists to conduct nuclear fusion experiment | Environment | The Guardian
http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/feb/03/nuclear-fusion-germany-scientists-experiment-angela-merkel


Scientists in Germany Switch on Nuclear Fusion Experiment - The New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2016/02/03/world/europe/ap-eu-nuclear-fusion.html

"Wendelstein 7-X (Siebenix)" is a nuclear fusion reactor located at the Max Planck Institute in Greifswald, Northeastern Germany, and in December 2015 to produce about 1 million degrees of plasma using helium It was successful.

This helium plasma generation is a test "whether or not plasma generation is possible" and the actual production was plasma generation using hydrogen at the end of January 2016, but on February 3, local time hydrogen plasma It was also announced that it succeeded in generating.

The duration of the plasma was a quarter of a second, but the temperature recorded about 80 million degrees, which resulted in meeting expectations. Next we aim to sustain further firepower and temperature for 10 seconds, the experiment can continue until March. Over the next four years, it is planned to extend the duration of the plasma to 30 seconds and deliver 20 megawatts of firepower. Germany has invested 1.60 billion euros (about 138 billion yen) for nuclear fusion research in the past twenty years, and its results are expected.

The physicist and John Jelonnek of Karlsruhe Institute of Technology said, "Nuclear fusion is probably the cleanest power generation method we can do, we are advancing research for children and grandchildren not for themselves I am doing it. "

Robert Wolf, principal investigator, talked about the outlook if it could be put to practical use around 2025.