Credit: EUROfusion (CC BY 4.0)
Private fusion energy company Tokamak Energy recently released an update on its progress towards unlocking power of the sun. Oxford, U.K Based Firm presented the latest test results of its ST40 Compact Spherical tokamak proto-type last month, reveals a press statement.
The results showed that ST40 achieved the required conditions for the hottest plasma temperatures ever achieved in a spherical tokamak.
Unlocking Power Of Sun
Tokamaks are reactors developed by organizations such as Tokamak Energy, as well as Bill Gates backed Commonwealth Fusion Systems & Korea Fusion of Energy Institute, which recently set a new record by running its reactor at 1 million degrees for 30 seconds.
Although other tokamaks, such as Korea institute of Fusion Energy, have reached higher temperatures than the Tokamak Energy Machine, latter company believes that the type of machine that develops will be crucial for making viable commercial fusion a reality. “Conventional” tokamaks have reached higher temperatures before, but in much larger devices, “the company said in its press release. “The key to the development of commercial fusion energy is to obtain stable plasma at these high temperatures in compact devices, such as spherical tokamak. Tokamak Energy is approaching the main milestone of 100 million degrees of plasma temperature.
‘It’s not a question of it, it’s a question of when’
In theory, nuclear fusion reactors can already produce unlimited energy. The key to making commercial fusion-viable, however, lies in producing more power than the machines need to operate in the first place. Nuclear fusion is the reaction that the Sun & stars use to generate energy for eons. In the reaction, 2 atoms collide to form a heavier nucleus, releasing enormous amounts of energy. In a tokamak, incredibly strong magnets are needed to control & stabilize burning plasma at incredibly high temperatures.
In a video interview with BBC, Chris Kelsall, CEO of Tokamak Energy, said: “It’s not a matter of if, it’s a matter of when. The answer is here right now with Mother Nature as we speak. What we need to do is find the key & unlock the safe for this solution. It will be found. “If Tokamak Energy & other nuclear fusion companies unlock the power of the Sun, they will have produced a method that produces practically no-waste, which means they could help the world finally turn its back on fossil fuels.
