The energy needs of countries continue to increase continuously. While many countries are working on their own fusion energy solutions, it is stated that the most concrete step in this field will come from China. It is estimated that China will reach the limit of clean energy within 6 years thanks to nuclear fusion.
According to Professor Peng Xianjue of the Chinese Academy of Engineering Physics, the construction of the pulsed power plant in Chengdu in China’s Sichuan province has been approved. Thanks to the facility, which is described as the largest power plant in its field, unlimited clean energy will be produced. However, it looks like there is a long way to go. Because there are barriers to be overcome at the point of the sustainability of the reaction.
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Currently, the best result achieved by Chinese scientists is the reaction, which takes place in around 17 minutes in a slightly cooler environment than 70 million degrees Celsius. Professor Peng, on the other hand, is a leading figure in China’s nuclear weapons sciences and has his signature on some of the country’s most advanced nuclear warheads.
Nuclear fusion may be possible in the future
Z-pinch (Zeta Pinch) machine will be used in the power plant to be established in China. Z-pinch can be explained as a kind of plasma trapping system in fusion power research. A strong magnetic field is created from the plasma, which is compressed with an electric current in the system. In fact, we would not be wrong to say that this system imitates the fusion process of the thermonuclear bomb with large electrical pulses.
The process was primarily used to create atomic-based weapons, due to disruptions that caused the plasma to collapse. Only recently has it been believed that there is a potential pathway to nuclear fusion energy. Therefore, in a full-scale nuclear fusion plant using this technique, it is thought that unlimited energy could be possible with approaches such as discontinuous axial flow to stabilize the plasma.
However, according to Professor Peng, the new facility’s fusion process will first be used to introduce particles into uranium. Then the energy obtained will feed a fission reactor and the necessary production will be realized.
Nuclear fusion energy and its challenges
Nuclear fusion is one of the most important energy sources. Because it basically aims to artificially imitate the natural process of stars like the Sun. In other words, it is aimed to convert the hydrogen atoms into helium atoms by colliding, thus obtaining a large amount of energy.
It should be noted that since no greenhouse gases are released as a result of nuclear fusion, it is basically an alternative renewable energy. However, the difficulties of using such a powerful energy are also quite high. The extremely intense and special conditions required for the fusion process to take place are very difficult to imitate on Earth. Likewise, the fuel needs to be heated at extremely high temperatures and for a long time, as in the Sun. In addition, there is a danger that the reactor chambers will deteriorate over time due to the neutrons released during the reaction. Despite all these difficulties, nuclear fusion is expected to be a part of our lives in the coming years.
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