France has achieved a new record in fusion energy by sustaining a plasma reaction for more than 22 minutes. This occurred at the WEST Tokamak reactor, busting through the 10-second baseline and beating China’s previous benchmark. According to CEA, “This leap forward demonstrates how our knowledge of plasmas and technological control of them over longer periods is becoming more mature, and offers hope that fusion plasmas can be stabilized for greater amounts of time.”
Reaching A New Milestone
For systems like ITER, which must maintain fusion plasmas for several minutes, hitting such milestones is considered very significant. The CEA has stated that its main goal is to try and control the unstable plasma while ensuring that any part that touches it can withstand the radiation without damaging or contaminating it. According to scientists, for nuclear fusion to succeed, hydrogen atoms must be heated to more than 100 million degrees Celsius. At such high temperatures, plasma may grow unstable and difficult to regulate. This can result in energy loss and reduce the efficiency of a potential future nuclear fusion reactor. Therefore, over the next few months, the team plans to accomplish plasma durations of up to several hours and to heat it up even more.
WEST has decades of expertise in the research of tokamak-based plasma. Scientists come from around the world to make use of the superconducting coils for their plasma studies. Alongside projects by China, Japan, South Korea, and The United Kingdom, the facility is part of a larger effort to push fusion technologies. The Director of Fundamental Research at the CEA, Anne-Isabelle Etienvre, said in a statement, “WEST has achieved a new key technological milestone by maintaining hydrogen plasma for more than twenty minutes through the injection of 2 MW of heating power. Experiments will continue with increased power. This excellent result allows both WEST and the French community to lead the way for the future use of ITER.”
The Future of Fusion Energy Production
If nuclear fusion proves successful in controlling unstable plasma, it could offer the world a very efficient source of energy that requires minimal fuel usage. It would also not produce any long-lasting radioactive waste. The most advanced technique yet produced involves magnetic confinement fusion. This technique uses a toroidal chamber to trap plasma by using very powerful magnetic fields. It uses this method to heat the plasma until the hydrogen nuclei fuse.
Both ITER and WEST are located in France, which means that it will likely be home to the prototype fusion reactor. However, many of these current goals will only be implemented many years from now. This is because fusion energy production on a large scale still faces many hurdles and challenges. It is therefore unlikely that fusion energy will significantly contribute to the 2050 net-zero carbon goals. This is due to factors such as economic viability, technological hurdles, and infrastructure demands.
The Bottom Line on Fusion Energy
France’s success in sustaining plasma for more than 22 minutes represents a significant step in the search for fusion energy. While challenges remain, this development demonstrates the increasing skill in plasma control and the possibility of longer, more stable responses. With continued progress from programs such as WEST and ITER, scientists are getting closer to making fusion energy a reality. Though commercial fusion power is still years away, ongoing research may one day unlock this clean energy source.
Read More: How a Viable Nuclear Fusion Reactor Really Could Change the World