– Scientists in France set a new record by sustaining a nuclear fusion reaction for six minutes, injecting over a billion joules of energy. This was done using a tokamak reactor to heat hydrogen plasma to 50 million degrees Celsius.
– The researchers used tungsten as the inner wall material of the tokamak reactor, instead of the typical graphite. Tungsten allowed the plasma to stay hotter and denser by not retaining any fuel. This created better conditions to produce more energy output than input.
– Tungsten is a rare metal that makes controlling the nuclear fusion reaction via the plasma particles inside the tokamak reactor more challenging than with graphite walls. However, it does not absorb any fuel.
– Measuring over 6 minutes, it was the longest sustained fusion reaction to date. This brings scientists closer to producing clean and limitless energy from controlled fusion reactions.
– Further studies will look at how tungsten transports from the reactor walls into the plasma core to better understand its effects on sustaining long fusion burns.
Source: TCD
