17 Minutes: Fusion reactor hotter than the sun

Discussion in 'Physics & Math' started by sculptor, Jan 3, 2022.

  1. sculptor Valued Senior Member

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    A nuclear fusion reactor in China has set a new record for sustained high temperatures after running five times hotter than the sun for more than 17 minutes, according to state media.

    The Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST), known as an “artificial sun”, reached temperatures of 70,000,000C during the experiments, the Xinhua News Agency reported.

    The EAST project, which has already cost China more than £700bn, will run the experiment until June.
     
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  3. Beer w/Straw Transcendental Ignorance! Valued Senior Member

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    And the Chinese like the Uyghurs and covid.
     
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  5. Michael 345 New year. PRESENT is 72 years oldl Valued Senior Member

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    Saw the 17 and thought post was about the 17 minutes of terror when America landed a Rover on Mars with the sly crane

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  7. DaveC426913 Valued Senior Member

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    Yes well that's why descriptive thread titles are important to the smooth operation of a forum. Cryptic titles benefit only the opening poster, and at the expense of others.

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  8. sculptor Valued Senior Member

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    Yeh
    OOPS
    To my mind, the 17+ minute reaction was the interesting point.
    I most likely should have included the word fusion or tokamak or...?

    oops
    sorry

    ..............
    How does one go about rewriting the thread title?
     
  9. DaveC426913 Valued Senior Member

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    Report and ask a mod should do it
     
  10. sculptor Valued Senior Member

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    ok
    done
    thanx
     
  11. geordief Valued Senior Member

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    This just made a big splash on the very top of the BBC website.

    https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-60312633


    Apparently it means that the next stage of the ITER project (a separate project) can likely proceed according to expectations.

    Anyone know what that next stage might be and when that might happen?
     
  12. exchemist Valued Senior Member

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    My understanding is ITER won't even start fusion until 2035 and after that, if all goes well, a demonstration reactor will have to be built to show that energy can be reliably got out of the thing to run it and to provide surplus power for the grid.

    So that starts to look as if it will be mid century at the earliest before fusion contributes to our energy needs.
     
  13. Sarkus Hippomonstrosesquippedalo phobe Valued Senior Member

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    Aye, they're still a long way from producing net surplus power. It's hoped ITER will be able to break even - i.e. total power consumed = total power produced - but at the moment they're only at c.10% of that, and as you say, ITER won't be up and running for another 15 years or so.
    Once ITER can (hopefully) demonstrate that breakeven is possible, and that with identified improvements can produce net surplus, that's when the real fun begins.

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    But it's such a slow-moving technology (new versions of reactors seem to take 20+ years to plan and build, with no guarantee of success) that I wouldn't expect any commercial fusion power, even if everything works as hoped, until the latter half of the century, probably the 4th quarter (2075 or beyond).
     
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