Jan 23, 2025 09:00:00

China's EAST superconducting tokamak experimental fusion energy reactor sets new world record in high confinement mode, a step closer to realizing fusion power generation

by Chinese Academy of Sciences

Nuclear fusion is expected to be the next generation energy source, and many countries are working on developing experimental fusion reactors. On January 20, 2025, it was reported that China's superconducting electric tokamak fusion energy experimental reactor ' EAST ' maintained steady-state high-confinement mode operation for 1,066 seconds, marking a step forward toward the realization of fusion power generation.

China Focus: Chinese 'artificial sun' sets new record in milestone step toward fusion power generation-Xinhua
https://english.news.cn/20250120/1d4e392ccaef48f29e8e9cdd0f9360c5/c.html

China's 'artificial sun' shatters nuclear fusion record by generating steady loop of plasma for 1,000 seconds | Live Science
https://www.livescience.com/planet-earth/nuclear-energy/chinas-artificial-sun-shatters-nuclear-fusion-record-by-generating-steady-loop-of-plasma-for-1-000-seconds

Nuclear fusion refers to the phenomenon in which light atomic nuclei such as hydrogen fuse together to form heavier atomic nuclei such as helium, and it is expected that the large amount of energy generated during this process can be used for power generation and other purposes. Because nuclear fusion also occurs in the sun, nuclear fusion power generation is also called the ' artificial sun .'

Nuclear fusion occurs in the sun due to a high temperature and pressure environment, but since it is impossible to reproduce such a high pressure environment on Earth, a fusion reactor must maintain a temperature higher than that of the sun to cause nuclear fusion. Nuclear fusion has attracted attention as a clean energy source that does not involve greenhouse gases or nuclear waste, and scientists have been working on this technology for over 70 years, but at the time of writing this article, it has not yet been put to practical use.

Developed by China, EAST is an experimental nuclear fusion reactor that uses a method called the tokamak type . In a tokamak type reactor, a strong magnetic field is generated around the plasma using electromagnets, and nuclear fusion is achieved by confining the plasma while maintaining its high temperature. In a tokamak type nuclear fusion reactor, it is important to maintain a state called 'high confinement mode' in which the applied heat exceeds a certain threshold and the energy confinement time is more than doubled, thereby maintaining the high temperature required for nuclear fusion.

This time, EAST set a new world record by maintaining steady-state high confinement mode for 1,066 seconds, a significant improvement over the previous record of 403 seconds achieved by EAST in 2023, and is considered an important step toward the realization of a fusion reactor.

by Chinese Academy of Sciences

'Fusion devices need to achieve highly efficient and stable operation for thousands of seconds to enable autonomous circulation of plasma, which is important for the continuous generation of electricity in future fusion power plants,' said Song Yuntao, director of the Institute of Isotope Physics at the Chinese Academy of Sciences. 'This is an important step towards the development of a fusion reactor.'

China is a member of the ITER project, an international effort to study the feasibility of nuclear fusion energy, and the data collected by EAST will be useful for other member countries, including the United States and Japan, in developing nuclear fusion reactors. 'We hope to expand international cooperation through EAST and bring fusion energy to the practical use of mankind,' said Song.