To achieve magnetic confinement, a device that can generate a sufficiently strong circular magnetic field is needed. This device is called a "tokamak device" - TOKAMAK, which is the Russian abbreviation composed of the initials of "circular", "vacuum", "magnetic" and "coil".
"Yes, as early as 1954, the Kurchatov Institute of Atomic Energy next door built the world's first tokamak device!" Wu Tong nodded. Tokamak is indeed the mainstream research in the world.
As Wu Tong is researching controlled nuclear fusion, he would naturally not miss any progress or information on the development of controlled nuclear fusion.
Research began in China in the 1950s, and it seemed to be going smoothly, right? Actually, it wasn't. For it to be practical, the energy input to the device must be much smaller than the energy output. This is called the energy gain factor—the Q value.
The tokamak device at that time was a very unstable device. After more than ten years of development, no energy output was obtained. It was not until 1970 that the former Soviet Union obtained actual energy output for the first time on a tokamak device that had been improved many times. However, it had to be measured with the most advanced equipment at the time, and the Q value was about one billionth.
Don't underestimate this one billionth. It gave the whole world hope. So, under this motivation, the whole world worked hard and built their own large-scale tokamak devices. Europe built the Joint Tokamak-JET, the Soviet Union built the T20...
Then gradually, there were subsequent record-breaking breakthroughs. In 1991, the European Joint Torus realized the first deuterium-tritium operation experiment in the history of nuclear fusion. Using a 6:1 deuterium-tritium mixed fuel, the controlled nuclear fusion reaction lasted for 2 seconds, achieving an output power of 1,700 kilowatts and a Q value of 0.12.
In 1993, a 1:1 fuel of deuterium and tritium was used on the TFTR across the sea. The fusion energy released in the two experiments was 3,000 kilowatts and 5,600 kilowatts respectively, and the Q value reached 0.28.
When Hong Kong celebrated its return to China in 1997, it jointly created a world record of 12,900 kilowatts with the European Ring, with a Q value of 0.60, which lasted for 2 seconds.
After only 39 days, the output power increased to 16,100 kilowatts and the Q value reached 0.65.
Three months later, Japan successfully conducted a deuterium-deuterium reaction experiment on its JT-60, and when converted to a deuterium-tritium reaction, the Q value reached 1. Later, the Q value exceeded 1.25.
Although the latter reaction is not practical, it is also a representative work of the tokamak theory, which can truly generate energy.
China has naturally not fallen behind in its progress. As early as the 1970s, it built several experimental tokamak devices - HL-1 and CT-6. Later, it built HT-6 and HT-6B, rebuilt HL1M, and built HL-2.
The core of the tokamak device is the magnetic field. To generate a magnetic field, a coil must be used and electricity must be passed through it. With a coil, there is a wire, and with a wire, there is resistance.
The closer the tokamak device is to practical use, the stronger the magnetic field is required, and the larger the current must pass through the wire. At this time, resistance appears in the wire. The resistance reduces the efficiency of the coil and at the same time limits the large current that can pass through, making it impossible to generate a sufficient magnetic field.
The tokamak appears to have reached its end.
Fortunately, the development of superconducting technology has turned the tokamak around. As long as the coil is made into a superconductor, the problems of large current and loss can be solved in theory. Thus, the tokamak device using superconducting coils was born, which is the super tokamak.
"So far, four countries in the world have their own large-scale super tokamaks: France's Tore-Supra, Russia's T-15, Japan's JT-60U, and our EAST, the Oriental Torus of the Institute of Plasma Physics at the University of Science and Technology of China!"
Having studied the information in this section, Lu Xiao is quite familiar with it.
"In China, if I remember correctly, there was a breakthrough close to world-class level in July. The Institute of Plasma Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences successfully completed the 2012 physics experiment on the Eastern Superconducting Tokamak (EAST).
They used low-noise and ion cyclotron radio frequency waves to achieve multiple modes of highly confined plasma and long-pulse highly confined discharges, setting two world records for tokamak operation: achieving a high-parameter divertor plasma at 20 million degrees Celsius for over 400 seconds, and achieving a stable, repetitive highly confined plasma discharge for over 30 seconds!
Even though Lu Xiao was working on the Canglong J-35 project, he was not oblivious to the major developments in the scientific research circle.
"Yes, these are respectively the longest high-temperature divertor plasma discharge and the longest high-confinement plasma discharge in the world, indicating that we are at the forefront of the world in the research of steady-state high-confinement plasma!" Wu Tong naturally did not miss the news of this breakthrough. In fact, China has accumulated quite a lot of experience in tokamaks.
"However, Brother Lu, although the tokamak is the mainstream research method for controlled nuclear fusion, it is not the only research method!" Since they were confirmed collaborators, and from the initial exchange of ideas, Wu Tong knew that Lu Xiao also had extensive research in this area, he spoke frankly: "However, this does not mean that this direction is necessarily correct!"
Lu Xiao did not think that Wu Tong was arrogant for denying the international mainstream approach. Scientific research should aim to break the rules and dare to think what others dare not think, so as to make breakthroughs in angles that ordinary people cannot consider.
"Until a breakthrough in controlled nuclear fusion technology is achieved, no possibility should be ignored. This is only the mainstream of current global research, not the correct mainstream. Wu Tong, do you want to pursue the direction of stellarators?"
A stellarator, as the name suggests, is an imitation of a star. Its essence is a nuclear fusion reaction research device.
Nuclear fusion reactors operate by using two types of hydrogen atoms - deuterium and tritium - and injecting these gases into a confinement chamber.
Energy is then applied to the plasma, which releases a huge amount of energy. A strong magnetic field, generated by superconducting coils wrapped around the confinement chamber and the current flowing through the plasma, prevents the plasma from approaching the chamber walls.
The cutting-edge concept of stellarators actually has a strong connection to Princeton University. Although Germany is currently the primary research and leader in this technology, the concept was first proposed by Princeton University physicist Professor Lyman Spitzer.
This is because, at the time, this idea was too complicated to design and faced insurmountable difficulties from the perspective of materials science and engineering. This genius idea was shelved until recent years, when it was brought up again with the advancement of materials and other technologies.
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