Chinese scientists on Thursday successfully conducted their
first test of an experimental thermonuclear fusion reactor, which
replicates the energy generating process of the sun.
The Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST) fusion
reactor, nicknamed "artificial sun", was tested at Chinese Academy
of Sciences' Institute of Plasma Physics in Hefei, capital city of
east China's Anhui Province.
During the experiment, deuterium and tritium atoms were forced
together at a temperature of 100 million degrees Celsius.
"At that temperature, the super heated plasma, which is neither
a gas, a liquid nor a solid, should begin to give off its own
energy," scientists explained.
The first tests lasted nearly three seconds, and generated an
electrical current of 200 kiloamperes, Wan Yuanxi, general manager
of EAST, told Xinhua News Agency, adding that the experiments were
continuing.
The device is planned to eventually create a plasma lasting
1,000 consecutive seconds, the longest ever fusion reactor run. Wan
said the deuterium extracted from one liter of seawater could
produce energy equivalent to that generated by burning 300 liters
of gasoline thanks to the fusion technology.
If thermonuclear fusion technology is commercialized, it may
provide energy to mankind for more than 100 million years, Wan
said.
Li Jiangang, director of the Institute of Plasma Physics, said
the results of the test met the expectations and represented a
great breakthrough in thermonuclear fusion research.
"That means we lead all our competitors by at least a decade,"
said Li. "The breakthrough will make it possible for mankind to
harness a safe, clean and endless source of energy."
The EAST is an upgrade of China's first-generation Tokamak
device and the first of its kind in the world, said Chinese
scientists. Its construction took eight years and a 200 million
yuan (US$25 million) investment from the Institute of Plasma
Physics.
The column-like device, made with special stainless steel,
towers 12 meters high and weighs 400 tons.
Compared with similar devices in other countries, EAST was the
most cost-effective, said Li.
The EAST would be the most advanced thermonuclear fusion reactor
in the world for the next ten years, said Dr. Gary Jackson from
General Atomics of the US, who participated in the research.
Unlike traditional nuclear fission reactors, splitting atoms to
create energy and produce dangerous radioactive waste, the EAST
uses nuclear fusion to compress atoms at extremely high
temperatures to generate energy that would produce very little
pollution.
Scientists theorize that a fully functional fusion reactor would
provide cheaper, safer, cleaner and endless energy and reduce the
world's dependence on fossil fuels.
The EAST is part of the International Thermonuclear Experimental
Reactor (ITER), which is the largest international program
dedicated to thermonuclear fusion experiments.
In 2003, China joined the 4.6-billion-euro ITER which was
originally initiated by the US and Russia. The first operation of
ITER might be in 2016.
Among the six partners involved in this ambitious plan, the EU
will cover 50 percent of the total budget. The remaining five, the
US, Japan, Russia, the Republic of Korea and China, will pay 10
percent each.
"The EAST is the only prototype nearest to the ITER and, thus,
it can serve ITER advanced research in terms of engineering
technology and physics," said Wan.
However, even the most optimistic estimates on ITER
commercialization view it as needing another half-century of
development.
(Xinhua News Agency September 29, 2006)
