Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST) Reactor
Recently, China’s Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST) set a world record by sustaining a plasma for 1,066 seconds at 100 million degrees Celsius.
- EAST plays a key role in advancing nuclear fusion research, which aims to provide a clean and sustainable energy source.
- What is EAST?
o EAST is a superconducting tokamak (donut-shaped nuclear fusion reactor) developed by China for achieving controlled nuclear fusion.
o It is the world’s only tokamak that uses both toroidal and poloidal magnetic fields for plasma confinement.
- How does EAST work?
o Magnetic Confinement: Uses superconducting electromagnets to generate strong magnetic fields for plasma stabilization.
o Plasma Heating: Plasma reaches millions of degrees Celsius to allow deuterium-tritium fusion.
o Energy Generation: The fusion reaction produces helium-4, neutrons, and 17.6 MeV of energy, which can be converted into electricity.
- Other Nuclear Fusion Approaches:
o Tokamaks (EAST, ITER): Use magnetic confinement but require external current for plasma stability.
o Stellarators: More complex but offer continuous plasma confinement without additional electric currents.
- Laser-Based Fusion (NIF - USA): Uses high-power lasers to compress and heat a deuterium-tritium pellet to fusion conditions, achieved fusion ignition in 2022, producing 3.15 MJ energy—more than the input energy
Detailed Solutions & Explanations
