Chinese scientists at the Institute of Physical Science in Hefei are going to complete the construction of the HL-2M Tokamak device “artificial sun” before the end of this year.
This unbelievable structure is expected to reach about 100 million degrees Celsius (212 million degrees Fahrenheit) – six times hotter than the center of our sun.
“Artificial sun” is a nuclear reactor which will generate limitless clean energy by harnessing the power using nuclear fusion reaction. It is designed to mimic the nuclear fusion process that occurs naturally in the sun and stars.
For the nuclear fusion reaction in the device, hydrogen from sea water and readily available lithium will be heated to more than 150 million°C.
Recently Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST) reactor in Hefei has achieved ion temperatures which exceed 100 million degrees Celsius – which is as hot as the interior of the sun.
Duan Xuru, an official at the China National Nuclear Corporation, said, “The artificial sun’s plasma is mainly composed of electrons and ions and the country’s existing Tokamak devices have achieved an electron temperature of over 100 million degrees C in its core plasma, and an ion temperature of 50 million C, and it is the ion that generates energy in the device.”
If all goes as per plans, it could allow for the creation of “unlimited” clean energy.
