The China National Nuclear Fusion Energy Research and Development Center (hereinafter referred to as the "China Fusion Center") successfully used the "artificial sun" trillion-level physics experimental device in its laboratory in Mianyang, Sichuan Province to push the fusion plasma current to 2.5 megaamperes, a record high for the equipment.
This achievement marks that China's fusion science and technology has achieved an unprecedented major breakthrough, and fusion energy is a step forward from the goal of commercialization and application.
The so-called fusion energy refers to the development and utilization of the energy released when people fuse light elements such as hydrogen and helium into heavy elements in a way similar to the nuclear fusion reaction inside the sun on the earth's planet. Unlike modern fossil energy, fusion energy is not only widely sourced, but also relatively environmentally friendly, producing minimal pollution. According to scientists' estimates, the potential reserves of fusion energy are rich enough to meet the electricity consumption needs of mankind for thousands of years, and it is known as one of the ultimate energy sources.
However, translating fusion energy research into practical commercial and applied technologies has always been a challenge for mankind. In order to achieve fusion nuclear fusion reactions, scientists need to create and control high-level physical conditions such as high temperature, high pressure, and high magnetic field, so that the mutual attraction between hydrogen nuclei can overcome their charge repulsion and fuse.
However, in order to achieve this physical goal, it is necessary to go beyond the basic environmental conditions provided by nature, so the current research in this field still faces considerable challenges.
However, with its strong scientific research strength and advanced insights, the China Fusion Center has made many major breakthroughs in the field of fusion energy research. Among them, the most representative is the successful launch of the "artificial sun" HL-2M device of the China Fusion Center in Kunming, Yunnan in 2018.
After nearly two months of long commissioning and optimization, the plant has achieved highly reliable operation and achieved a number of impressive research results. These achievements have great value in studying the basic science of fusion plasma, exploring the feasibility of fusion energy, and enlightening the commercialization.
On April 25 this year, the China Fusion Center brought another important breakthrough that attracted the attention of the global scientific and technological community. According to the China Fusion Center, they successfully completed a new round of operational tests in the HL-2M device, pushing the fusion plasma current to 2.5 megaamperes, breaking the device's record of 2.2 megaamperes and setting a new world record.
The achievement of this achievement marks that China's fusion science and technology has achieved an unprecedented major breakthrough, and fusion energy has taken another step forward from the goal of commercialization and application. It is reported that the 2.5 megaampere current realized in HL-2M equipment has reached about one-third of the conditions for the realization of commercial fusion reactors, which has important practical significance and scientific value, which will have a far-reaching impact on the energy field in China and even the world.
Of course, there are still many technical and economic difficulties and challenges in the commercialization of fusion energy, and how to achieve the sustainable development and large-scale commercial operation of fusion energy is still a direction that requires long-term efforts. However, researchers in the field of fusion energy, represented by China, have taken solid steps towards achieving this goal, which also paints a clearer and more promising fusion energy future for us.
With a milestone of 2.5 megaamperes, the China Fusion Center leads the cutting-edge development of fusion technology in the world. We believe that with the joint efforts of fusion scientists around the world, the commercialization and application of fusion energy will no longer be far away. Let's look forward to the energy revolution brought about by fusion energy to create a more prosperous, cleaner and sustainable future for humanity.