Miniature Sun Provides Endless Energy

American scientists are developing a fusion power plant, similar to the reaction that takes place on the Sun, capable of providing an endless source of energy.

Overview of the fusion reactor test facility. Photo: Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory.

According to Nature World News, physicists at the Princeton Plasma Energy Laboratory (PPPL), USA, have created a "miniature Sun" in experimental form. It has the ability to provide clean, safe and almost endless energy for humanity, ending dependence on fossil fuels.

The experimental device is a monolithic spherical tokamak. Tokamaks are devices used to create controlled fusion reactions in a plasma environment. Currently, there are only two such devices in the world, including the National Spherical Torus Experiment-Upgrade (NSTX-U) at PPPL and the Mega Ampere Spherical Tokamak (MAST) at the Culham Fusion Energy Research Center in the UK, according to Eurek Alert.

Current nuclear power plants use nuclear fission, which produces energy through the splitting of nuclei. Although highly efficient, this reaction is expensive and dangerous because it produces radioactive waste as a byproduct.

In contrast, fusion reactions generate energy by combining nuclei, which is safer and does not produce radioactive waste. However, this reaction requires temperatures hotter than the Sun. This is why spherical tokamaks are used. Tokamaks can create plasma, the fourth state of matter, at very high pressures and temperatures, which can trigger fusion reactions with relatively low magnetic fields and are inexpensive.

The device operates in three steps. First, plasma is generated usingsuper hot hydrogen gas (about 150 million degrees Celsius)in the laboratory

Next, pressure is increased to compress the plasma and force the nuclei to collide, creating a fusion reaction. Strong magnetic fields generated by superconducting coils are used in this process. Scientists hope that the heat generated by the reaction is enough to sustain itself and convert some of it into electricity.

While traditional tokamaks are bulky doughnut-shaped donuts, spherical tokamas are more compact and look like apple cores. Tokamak fusion reactors could pave the way for fusion energy.

“We are opening up new options for future power plants,” said Jonathan Menard, lead author of the study and director of the NSTX-U upgrade program at PPPL.

However, there are still many challenges, such as increased turbulence when plasma is introduced into a magnetic field, disruption of the reaction when the plasma density in the reactor is too high, or impurities due to interactions with the reactor walls. Researchers at PPPL, Culham and around the world need to find ways to address these challenges for future generations of reactors.

According to VNE