Korean Artificial Sun Maintains 100 Million Degrees for 30 Seconds... "World Record Broken"

Korea Institute of Fusion Energy "Achieving 300 Seconds Goal by 2026"

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Bong-su] Korea's artificial sun (KSTAR) has succeeded in maintaining an ion temperature of 100 million degrees in an ultra-high temperature plasma state for 30 seconds, setting a new record for long-duration operation of ultra-high temperature plasma.

The Korea Institute of Fusion Energy announced on the 22nd that the KSTAR research headquarters succeeded in maintaining the ultra-high temperature plasma operation at 100 million degrees, a core condition for nuclear fusion, for 30 seconds during the 2021 KSTAR plasma experiment.

Nuclear fusion energy generates energy through nuclear fusion reactions, the principle of solar energy, and is attracting attention as a clean energy source that does not produce carbon. Unlike the sun, where nuclear fusion reactions naturally occur in an ultra-high temperature and high-density environment, on Earth, fuel is inserted into a fusion device to create a plasma state where ions and electrons are separated, and then heated and maintained at ultra-high temperatures above 100 million degrees.

KSTAR is a superconducting fusion research device developed with Korean technology, conducting research since 2008 to secure technology for long-duration maintenance of ultra-high temperature plasma, which is key to realizing fusion energy. Since achieving an ion temperature of 100 million degrees in fusion plasma in 2018, the maintenance time has been extended annually, and in 2020, it succeeded in continuous operation for 20 seconds, setting the longest record among fusion devices worldwide. Furthermore, through this year's experiment, an additional extension of 10 seconds was achieved, continuing world-class research results.

This achievement is the result of improved plasma control technology through enhanced KSTAR heating performance and securing optimal magnetic field conditions, which improved the stability of the next-generation operating mode for fusion reactor operation, the Internal Transport Barrier (ITB) mode.

KSTAR plans to install a tungsten divertor to suppress the rise in inner wall temperature and improve power supply devices to extend operation time further. Through related research, including securing real-time feedback control technology to maintain higher ITB mode stability, the goal is to achieve 300 seconds of maintaining ultra-high temperature plasma at 100 million degrees by 2026.

Director Yu Seok-jae said, "Last year, as an independent research institution, we made a new start and were able to continue challenging research for realizing fusion energy in a more stable research environment," adding, "We will strive to ensure timely acquisition of core fusion technologies so that Korea can become a true energy powerhouse."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.