China Made An ‘Artificial Sun’ 5 Times Hotter Than The Sun
Our cosmos was formed over 14 billion years ago by a single point source, scientists refer to this as the big bang. The Big Bang Theory attempts to explain how our universe evolved. It began as a single point, then grew and stretched until it reached its current size — throughout time, various galaxies and stars formed, one of which is our sun.
The sun is an infinite supply of free and clean energy for us, but not all of the energy generated by the sun reaches the planet, and only a very small part is used by us. However, what if we were to make our own sun? Developing an “artificial sun” will meet all of our energy needs while also resolving environmental catastrophe.
This notion appears to originate from a hypothetical world, but experts are optimistic that we will reach this goal in the future. For more than 70 years, scientists have been attempting to leverage the power of nuclear fusion — the process by which stars burn.
China is currently leading the race to build the first “artificial sun,” with its Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak, or EAST, fusion reactor.
The core, or innermost layer of the sun, has a temperature of 15 million degrees celsius/27 million degrees Fahrenheit (F). This energy is generated through nuclear fusion, the process by which hydrogen is transformed into helium in the Sun’s core. Four hydrogen nuclei combine to create one helium nuclei. Since one helium nuclei have a lower mass than the four hydrogen nuclei that combine to form it, the excess mass is dissipated as light and heat.
The Chinese artificial sun generates 5 times the amount of heat as the natural sun or over 70,000,000C degrees Celsius for more than 17 minutes.
We shall cover several features of the “Artificial sun” in this article, as well as the distinctions between the Chinese Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak and the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor.
What is EAST?
EAST is a state-of-the-art nuclear fusion facility located inside the institute of plasma physics of the Chinese Academy of science. EAST is the world’s first full superconducting tokamak with a non-circular cross-section.
EAST aspires to duplicate the process of nuclear fusion that occurs in the sun. The EAST fusion reactor was one of three large Chinese tokamak reactors in service; the Hl-2A and J-TEXT fusion reactors are also in operation, and the HL-2M fusion reactor was successfully powered tested in December 2020.
Since 2006, when the EAST tokamak began operation, this reactor has achieved a number of significant milestones. In 1978 Institution of plasma physics was established in Hefei, China for useful utilization of tokamak.
The term “tokamak” originates from a Russian abbreviation for “toroidal chamber with magnetic coils.” The tokamak is used to describe a device that can capture thermonuclear fusion energy in a controlled manner. The Soviet Union developed the magnetic confinement reactor in the 1960s.
The EAST tokamak project is a part of the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) facility, which when operational in 2035 will be the world’s largest nuclear fusion reactor. The ITER Project is a 35-nation global collaboration. China, the European Union, India, Japan, South Korea, Russia, and the United States of America have pooled their resources to conquer one of science’s greatest frontiers.
At the moment, mankind generates energy using nuclear fission reactions. Nuclear fission is the process through which an atom’s heavy nuclei, such as uranium or plutonium, breaks into two or more lighter nuclei. A substantial amount of energy is produced during the fission process, radioactive products are generated, and numerous neutrons are discharged. However, the disadvantage of nuclear fission is that it generates a significant amount of radioactive waste.
Whereas no radioactive waste or greenhouse gases are produced in the fusion reaction, the fusion reaction is believed to be safer. Nuclear fusion has the potential to supply the world with an infinite supply of clean energy at a low cost.
Additionally, the South Korean K-Star Thermonuclear project made some significant scientific achievements. By 2020, this project had reached a temperature of 100 million degrees Celsius for 20 seconds. However, you might think why do we require such a high temperature?
Need of the High Temperature?
We utilise intense heat and pressure to fuse hydrogen atoms in a nuclear fusion reaction. Two hydrogen isotopes, deuterium and tritium, combine to form a helium atom. This is a highly complex process that creates a significant quantity of energy; temperatures somewhere around 100M degrees Celcius is crucial to undertake this process. If the temperature is too high, the atoms move too quickly and zip right past one another; if the temperature is too low, the atoms won’t move quickly enough; thus, the optimal temperature for fusion is around 100 million degrees Celsius.
Additionally, The artificial sun requires more heat than the natural sun, as gravitational pressure comparable to that of the sun cannot be produced.
When electrons are separated from nuclei at extremely high temperatures, a gas transforms into a plasma — an ionised state of matter comparable to gas. The race is to contain this plasma for an extended period of time; at the moment, we can contain plasma for only a brief amount of time.
Fusion operates on the fourth state of matter, plasma; traditionally, we only knew three states of matter: liquid, solid, and gas. While plasmas are uncommon on Earth, they are the most prevalent state of matter in the cosmos, accounting for 99 per cent of the observable universe.
Plasma is extremely hot matter — so hot that the electrons are ripped from the atoms, resulting in the formation of ionised gas. Plasma is generally found on stars and occasionally on earth, the phenomenon of northern lights take place due to the plasma.
Fusion reactors are constructed in one of two ways: inertial reactors or magnetic confinement reactors. Inertial reactors include the National Ignition Facility in the United States of America and France’s Laser Mégajoule.
Magnetic confinement or tokamak reactors employ magnetic fields to confine fusion fuel in the form of plasma; this approach is more feasible and is believed to be the preferable choice. ITER, or the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor, is based on the magnetic confinement reactor approach, which is currently under development in southern France.
Apart from these two ways, a third is being used; it is called Stellarator. It is a very new approach that is producing positive results. Wendelstein — 7X from Germany is a stellarator; its stability and promising results make it an attractive alternative.
Fusion is the future?
The promises of nuclear fusion appear implausible: an energy source that would be limitless, environmentally friendly, and free of nuclear waste. This was a pipe dream in earlier decades, but the situation has improved in recent years, with numerous governments and private organisations investing in renewable energy around the world.
All of these global initiatives will eventually bring humanity to an infinite supply of inexpensive, clean energy. However, fully operationalizing fission reactors will take years; some estimates indicate that nuclear fission will still account for less than 1% of overall energy use in 2060.
All of these advancements are exciting and significant, as they provide promise for a more sustainable future.
I hope this post was worthwhile of your time, and I appreciate you taking the time to read it.
