For the first time ever, US scientists at the National Ignition Facility at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California have successfully produced a nuclear fusion reaction that results in a net energy gain.
The result of the experiment is to unleash an endless source of clean energy that can help end the dependence on fossil fuels. in a decades-long quest It will be a big step. For decades, researchers have tried to recreate nuclear fusion – replicating the fusion that powers the sun.
U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm on Tuesday “a great scientific breakthrough” will make an announcement about it. The invention was first reported by the Financial Times.
Nuclear fusion occurs when two or more atoms fuse into a larger atom; this is a large amount of heat an energy-generating process. Unlike nuclear fission, which powers electricity all over the world, it does not produce long-lasting radioactive waste.
University of Rochester professor Riccardo BettiHe told The Associated Press that the breakthrough announced this week is just the beginning. What is achieved resembles the early days of oil refining, long before refined oil was used to start a car.
So How Does It Work?
Source “Fusion is by pressing hydrogen atoms together with such a force that turns into helium, releasing enormous amounts of energy and heat. it works out,” he said.
“If scientists and engineers can find a way to safely and efficiently create energy with nuclear fusion,” Tyson said.can transform civilization” told. Tyson, which emerged after engineers made progress in internal combustion and engines. from horses to cars He said it might be similar.
“This is what America’s leadership looks like, and we’re just getting started,” Granholm said. “If we can advance fusion energy, we can use it to generate clean electricity, transportation fuels, power, heavy industry and much more.” he added.
Why is net gain in energy important?
Never mind a power plant, we’re still a long way from having nuclear fusion power in the power grid. While the US project was groundbreaking, it only produced enough energy to boil about 2.5 gallons of water, Tony Roulstone, a fusion expert in Cambridge University’s Department of Engineering, told CNN.
This may not seem like much, but the experiment is still very important because scientists have shown that they can actually create more energy than they started. While there are many more steps before this becomes commercially viable, experts say this is a major hurdle to overcome with nuclear fusion.
Past fusion experiments, including one in the UK, produced more energy, but not nearly as big of an energy gain. For example, earlier this year, UK scientists broke records. 59 megajoules of energy produced — based in the USA about 20 times the project until. Despite this, the UK project only showed an energy gain of less than one megajoule.
There are still many years and a long way to go to make the project commercially viable. Anne White, head of MIT’s Department of Nuclear Science and Engineering, told CNN that neither the US nor the UK-based projects are “does not have the necessary equipment and steps to convert fusion neutrons into electricity.” told.
What is Nuclear Fusion?
Nuclear fusion, nuclear fusion, or fusion for short; The combination of two light elements as a result of nuclear reactions to form a heavier element. A huge amount of energy is released as a result of this reaction, also known as the nuclear reaction. The heaviest element that can be formed by this process is iron.
Fusion reactions occur naturally on the Sun at all times. The light coming from the sun is produced by the fusion of hydrogen nuclei into helium and the emergence of energy in exchange for mass loss during this transformation. The magnitude of the energy corresponding to the mass loss is calculated by Einstein’s famous formula E = mc².