China takes the global lead in fusion research
In setting new records of temperature and running time in its own tokamak fusion experiment, China now leads the U.S. in the field of developing the technology for generating practical fusion energy.
[The U.S.] ITER’s target temperature is 150 million °C (270 million °F). China’s EAST facility, which is a key contributor to the ITER project, has hit this mark already, reaching 160 million °C (288 million °F) for 20 seconds, and holding 120 million °C (216 million °F) for 101 seconds in separate experiments announced last May.
The latest experiment tested the Chinese tokamak’s capability to endure extreme temperatures over longer periods, sustaining a temperature 2.6 times hotter than the Sun’s core for some 1,056 seconds, or 17 minutes and 36 seconds. Nobody’s ever sustained a high-temperature plasma for 1,000 seconds before, so this is an important milestone.
The development of this capability continues China’s effort to lead the world in all areas of research, led I think by the many high government officials in positions of great power after cutting their teeth as managers for China’s space effort. These individuals understand how to build big technology projects at the cutting edge of science, and are likely pushing for more such research in all fields, such as the experiments in fusion energy above.
As big government projects, however, the long term future of such work is very risky. Government projects like this might start out great, which describes China’s status today, but they always end up corrupt and hidebound, as seen in the Soviet Union and at NASA in the U.S.
Nonetheless, this success highlights China’s aggressive effort to lead the world in all things. We would be foolish to ignore this.
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In setting new records of temperature and running time in its own tokamak fusion experiment, China now leads the U.S. in the field of developing the technology for generating practical fusion energy.
[The U.S.] ITER’s target temperature is 150 million °C (270 million °F). China’s EAST facility, which is a key contributor to the ITER project, has hit this mark already, reaching 160 million °C (288 million °F) for 20 seconds, and holding 120 million °C (216 million °F) for 101 seconds in separate experiments announced last May.
The latest experiment tested the Chinese tokamak’s capability to endure extreme temperatures over longer periods, sustaining a temperature 2.6 times hotter than the Sun’s core for some 1,056 seconds, or 17 minutes and 36 seconds. Nobody’s ever sustained a high-temperature plasma for 1,000 seconds before, so this is an important milestone.
The development of this capability continues China’s effort to lead the world in all areas of research, led I think by the many high government officials in positions of great power after cutting their teeth as managers for China’s space effort. These individuals understand how to build big technology projects at the cutting edge of science, and are likely pushing for more such research in all fields, such as the experiments in fusion energy above.
As big government projects, however, the long term future of such work is very risky. Government projects like this might start out great, which describes China’s status today, but they always end up corrupt and hidebound, as seen in the Soviet Union and at NASA in the U.S.
Nonetheless, this success highlights China’s aggressive effort to lead the world in all things. We would be foolish to ignore this.
Readers!
Please consider supporting my work here at Behind the Black. Your support allows me the freedom and ability to analyze objectively the ongoing renaissance in space, as well as the cultural changes -- for good or ill -- that are happening across America. Fourteen years ago I wrote that SLS and Orion were a bad ideas, a waste of money, would be years behind schedule, and better replaced by commercial private enterprise. Only now does it appear that Washington might finally recognize this reality.
In 2020 when the world panicked over COVID I wrote that the panic was unnecessary, that the virus was apparently simply a variation of the flu, that masks were not simply pointless but if worn incorrectly were a health threat, that the lockdowns were a disaster and did nothing to stop the spread of COVID. Only in the past year have some of our so-called experts in the health field have begun to recognize these facts.
Your help allows me to do this kind of intelligent analysis. I take no advertising or sponsors, so my reporting isn't influenced by donations by established space or drug companies. Instead, I rely entirely on donations and subscriptions from my readers, which gives me the freedom to write what I think, unencumbered by outside influences.
You can support me either by giving a one-time contribution or a regular subscription. There are four ways of doing so:
1. Zelle: This is the only internet method that charges no fees. All you have to do is use the Zelle link at your internet bank and give my name and email address (zimmerman at nasw dot org). What you donate is what I get.
2. Patreon: Go to my website there and pick one of five monthly subscription amounts, or by making a one-time donation.
3. A Paypal Donation or subscription:
4. Donate by check, payable to Robert Zimmerman and mailed to
Behind The Black
c/o Robert Zimmerman
P.O.Box 1262
Cortaro, AZ 85652
You can also support me by buying one of my books, as noted in the boxes interspersed throughout the webpage or shown in the menu above.
I think you are over reacting. Plasma temperature is far from the only criterion for a working nuclear fusion reactor. Recently, an experiment here in the United States was able to get more fusion energy than the laser energy incident on the target. But even that is very far from a working reactor. That would require more energy out than the energy required to produce the laser beam. Here is Sabine HossenFelder taking a sober review of the prospect of working nuclear fusion reactors.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LJ4W1g-6JiY
On the other hand, fission reactors are very practical and China, India South Korea and even Japan ae taking the lead on them because of the greens’ in the United States and Europe implacable opposition to nuclear power.
https://wattsupwiththat.com/2021/12/28/shift-to-nuclear-brightens-asian-energy-future/
Tungsten has the highest melting point of any metal, 10,000°F cannot hold 270,000,000°F furnace.
The magnetic bottle that they claim will contain the reaction is “superconducting magnets” inches away, operated at super cold temperatures…
If a small flame on your pilot light can generate enough power to keep your gas on, could you just imagine the world record amount of power which will flow in this circumstance? (thermal pile effect)
Nuclear fission is well-established technology proven by hydrogen bombs… It is very difficult to control a reaction so that it does not run away and go boom!
Meanwhile, small nuclear reactors have been advertised frequently lately as the replacement in old coal fired plants that have been decommissioned. The next big thing renewable energy that actually works.
https://www.world-nuclear.org/information-library/nuclear-fuel-cycle/nuclear-power-reactors/small-nuclear-power-reactors.aspx
One was licensed for use two years ago, and customers are lining up throughout the world ready to purchase from this company.
https://www.nuscalepower.com/
More information.
https://www.energy.gov/ne/advanced-small-modular-reactors-smrs
Any technology China needs, we will give it to them… We even released the spies that were stealing technology from universities. This administration even apologized before their unconditional release.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Technology_transfer
https://sdgs.un.org/goals
The UN agreement to share our technology…. And giveaway nearly everything our country has worked for.
Fusion might make for a good star drive. Phys.org reported a coherenu interstellar magnetic field-giving fusion magnetcraft a way to make turns perhaps?
I think there is something in a dark corner of a dark closet called The Skunk Works that might argue against any Chinese “leadership”. I am not willing at all to dismiss this effort.
https://www.lockheedmartin.com/en-us/products/compact-fusion.html
This outlines the progress so far.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lockheed_Martin_Compact_Fusion_Reactor
I have no idea if the T-5 actually went online as projected here,
https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/29074/skunk-works-exotic-fusion-reactor-program-moves-forward-with-larger-more-powerful-design
This seems to be more “up to date”. But the emphasis that it won’t fit on “a” truck is just silly. So it might take four to haul the components around. It’s still portable
Lockheed is planning a licensed production run. Before we talk about Chinese leadership. Maybe we should look a little closer to home.
Call me when it puts out a mega watt more then it takes to run.
I love the idea but the power output is what we need to get off of fossil fuels and solar power forever.
Plus this is the only form of power we could use to travel interstellar.