A record-breaking development happened in the nuclear world on Thursday when scientists successfully expanded the capacity for fusion energy production.
Engineers in England increased the amount of energy created by fusing atoms using the Joint European Torus, an experimental fusion reactor, and a machine known as the tokamak, which “confines plasma using magnetic fields in a donut shape.”
The breakthrough occurred when the tokamak created 69 megajoules of fusion energy for five seconds with only 0.2 milligrams of fuel.
Experts have studied how to develop fusion on Earth for 40 years. By generating large quantities of energy with little use of fuel, fusion would create an emissions-free source of power that does not rely on fossil fuels.
“Fusion energy scientists believe that tokamaks are the leading plasma confinement concept for future fusion power plants,” according to the Department of Energy.
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“We can reliably create fusion plasmas using the same fuel mixture to be used by commercial fusion energy power plants, showcasing the advanced expertise developed over time,” JET program manager Fernanda Rimini said in a statement on Thursday.
The new fusion discovery has inspired an additional mass nuclear project named ITER, which is being built in the south of France.
