![]() ![]() No materials exist that can withstand direct contact with such heat. Temperatures to produce nuclear fusion need to be extremely high - above 100 million Celsius. But it’s an important proof of the science of fusion. The power output was more than double what was achieved in similar tests in year 1997. The essential part of the test fusion reaction only lasted for 5 seconds - and only generated enough power to boil about 60 kettles of water - 11 mega-watts of power. It holds the potential for producing almost unlimited supplies of energy, forever. Using fusion to create mini-suns inside reactors like this, is one of the greatest tech challenges humanity has ever faced. It involves forcing atoms of hydrogen together - fusing them to create: helium, lots of energy, and just a tiny bit of short-lived radiation. Fission is the current technique used around the globe in nuclear power plants. Most nuclear reactors use fission - that’s when big unstable atoms like uranium are split in two, releasing lots of energy + radiation. The research team explained that the breakthrough is a landmark for this technology, and a key step toward developing practical nuclear fusion. The nuclear test happened at the world’s most powerful fusion plant - the JET Fusion facility in the UK. The record-breaking nuclear fusion reaction had a temperature of more than 150 million degrees Celsius, 10 times hotter than the heart of the sun. Nuclear fusion is called the holy grail of energy production - because it could lead to a virtually unlimited source of safe + sustainable power. It’s a big step toward solving the world power consumption crisis. Researchers have exceeded the current record for generating energy from a nuclear fusion reaction. In this photo you can see the doughnut shaped interior of the nuclear fusion reactor at the JET Fusion test lab. ![]()
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