Jimu news reporter Li Manying
comprehensiveReuters,CNNreported on December 12, on the 13th local time, the U.S. Department of Energy will announce that scientists have recently made breakthroughs in the field of nuclear fusion. Scientists at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California have achieved a net energy gain for the first time in a fusion experiment using lasers, meaning more energy is produced than injected, sources said in advance. This means that human beings are expected to end their dependence on fossil fuels in the future, or they will have a safe, green and inexhaustible energy option.
data picture (source: Damien Jemison/LLNL)
nuclear fusion technology has achieved a major breakthrough
According to reports, according to the definition given by International Atomic Energy Agency , nuclear fusion is the principle of imitating the sun, making two lighter nuclei combine to form a heavier nucleus, releasing a lot of energy during the combination. Unlike the nuclear fission that supplies power to the whole world, it will not produce radioactive waste with a long life, and is a green, safe and sustainable energy source. Since the 1950s, scientists have been studying the energy source of the sun, and through different methods, seek to replicate and utilize fusion reaction , but so far no team has been able to obtain more energy from the reaction than the energy consumed by the experiment, that is, the input is not worth the output out, it is impossible to form a positive cycle of energy. Scientists at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory have succeeded in experiments with the US National Ignition Facility, according to people familiar with the matter. In the experiment, the scientists fired particles containing hydrogen fuel into a array of nearly 200 lasers, essentially producing a series of extremely fast repeating explosions at a rate of 50 times per second. The fusion reaction produces about 2.5 megajoules of energy, about 120 percent of the 2.1 megajoules consumed by the laser. This means that for the first time in a nuclear fusion reaction, a net energy gain has been achieved. Dr. Arthur Turrell, a nuclear fusion expert, said, "If this (the first net energy gain in a fusion reaction) is confirmed, we will witness a historic moment." If nuclear fusion is commercialized, it will Emitting little carbon dioxide when generating electricity can help fight climate change. In addition, it will not produce radioactive nuclear waste. This means that human beings are expected to end their dependence on fossil fuels in the future, or they will have a safe, green and inexhaustible energy option. Commercial applications are still some time away, but two sources with knowledge of the experiment's results said the experiment damaged some equipment due to a higher energy output than scientists expected, complicating follow-up analysis.
Also, while the net energy gain from nuclear fusion is a big deal, it's on a very small scale. "This energy is about what it takes to boil 10 pots of water," says Jeremy Chittenden, co-director of the Center for Inertial Fusion Research at Imperial College London. It's "a real breakthrough moment, very exciting," but " In order to turn it into a power station, we need to get a bigger gain in terms of energy, we need it to increase a lot.”
So far, whether you use magnets or use lasers to shoot particles, the result of nuclear fusion reactions is ultimately the same The: The heat experienced by atoms fusion process is the key to help generate energy. The biggest challenge to using fusion energy on a large scale is sustaining it long enough that it can power grids and heating systems around the world. Scientists around the world must now work to dramatically expand their fusion projects and reduce costs, which will require years of research.
"Currently, we spend a lot of time and money for each experiment." "We need to reduce the cost by more than half." Jeremy Chittenden said that there are many signs that scientists need to do more work , to enable fusion to generate electricity on a commercial scale. "So we can say it (the first net energy gain in a fusion reaction) is a scientific success, but still a long way from delivering useful energy."
Lawrence Livermore National Experiment The laboratory will release this major announcement on December 13 local time, and the US Department of Energy will also announce this major scientific breakthrough on the same day. outside forecasts, announcementThe positive implications of investing in fusion energy research will be highlighted, but its commercial application may be a long time away.
(Source: Jimu News)
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