Images of a large laser-ignited fusion research centre in the southwestern city of Mianyang, China, were captured by satellites earlier this week. This has created a lot of excitement internationally. The speciality of this reactor is that its operational statement maintained for more than 1000 seconds, the highest any reactor has gone.
A nuclear fusion reactor can increase the scope of electricity generation and nuclear power. The setup uses the technique of nuclear fusion, the same process that produces energy in the sun, or any other star.
Even though the Chinese reactor could not produce electricity at the moment, the reactor managed to maintain plasma in a steady state of confinement for a longer time than it had ever been possible.
A Fusion Reaction
Fusion reactions require extremely high temperatures, something similar to the core of the sun. At hundreds of millions of degrees Celsius, the solid matter starts to exist in the plasma state. At this stage, atoms split into positively and negatively charged particles. When surrounded by a strong magnetic field, these particles of the plasma start to flow. And this flow creates electricity.
However, the problem is that such hot plasma cannot be handled or contained in any material for a long time. That is why a duration of 17 minutes or a thousand seconds is a major scope for the future. It opens the door towards creating fusion-based electricity. The practical use of such centres can only happen when such electricity-generating reactors are able to hold plasma for hours or even days, at a stretch.
