China’s Artificial Sun | Nuclear Fusion & Fission explained | SCI & TECH
What?
China’s Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST), which mimics the energy generation process of the sun.
For 20 seconds, the “artificial sun” also achieved a peak temperature of 288 million degrees Fahrenheit, which is over ten times hotter than the sun.
Why did they develop this?
The purpose of the artificial sun is to replicate the process of nuclear fusion, which is the same reaction that powers the sun.
To unlock clean and limitless energy, with minimal waste products.
How does the ‘artificial sun’ EAST work?
The EAST Tokamak device is designed to replicate the nuclear fusion process carried out by the sun and stars.
Nuclear fusion is a process through which high levels of energy are produced without generating large quantities of waste.
Previously, energy was produced through nuclear fission — a process in which the nucleus of a heavy atom was split into two or more nuclei of lighter atoms.
While fission is an easier process to carry out, it generates far more nuclear waste.
Unlike fission, fusion also does not emit greenhouse gases and is considered a safer process with a lower risk of accidents.
Once mastered, nuclear fusion could potentially provide unlimited clean energy and very low costs.
For nuclear fusion to occur, tremendous heat and pressure are applied to hydrogen atoms so that they fuse together.
The nuclei of deuterium and tritium — both found in hydrogen — are made to fuse together to create a helium nucleus, a neutron along a whole lot of energy.
Is China the only country to have such technology?
In 2020, South Korea’s KSTAR reactor set a new record by maintaining a plasma temperature of over 100 million degrees Celsius for 20 seconds.
