Wendelstein 7 - X ( W7 - X ) is tilt to be one of the game - exchange blueprint that could make commercial nuclear fusion reactors a reality . The psychometric test so far has been extremely prescribed and during the in style unit of ammunition of experimentation , it break several record .
W7 - X ’s recent running go after some authoritative registration . Since last September , the nuclear reactor has been fitted with new and snazzy home cladding made of graphite . This allowed W7 - X to hold in a hotter and denser blood plasma . inside information are put out inNature Physics .
W7 - X is a stellarator , one of the two main approaches used to construct a functional nuclear nuclear reactor . It is forge like a perverted doughnut . magnet are wrapped around the stellarator to keep the blood plasma confined . The machine was able to take the blood plasma to a temperature of 40 million degrees Celsius ( 72 million grade Fahrenheit ) . The blood plasma was observe fusing for up to 26 seconds , a important increase from the six seconds of the first run . By go along the plasma in the chamber for longer it get the worldly concern record for fusion yield using a stellarator .
“ This is an excellent time value for a gimmick of this size of it , reach , moreover , under realistic conditions , i.e. at a gamy temperature of the blood plasma ions , ” Colorado - author Professor Thomas Sunn Pedersen said in astatement . “ First experience with the new rampart element are highly confirming . This make us optimistic for our further piece of work . ”
The goal of the task is to make stellarators commercially viable . To do so , it is necessary to create a plasma that exceeds 100 million degrees Celsius ( 180 million stage Fahrenheit ) . At that temperature , the hydrogen from the plasma will convert into atomic number 2 free more vigour than is required to heat up the blood plasma .
hold back the temperature up is crucial and that ’s why the blood plasma needs to be hold aside from the cold walls . The strong magnetic fields and form of the machine are optimize to minimise interactions . W7 - X is made of 50 superconducting magnet , each around 3.5 time gamey . Despite its size of it , W7 - X will never produce more energy than it consume . It is just a proof - of - concept for a much bigger commercial variant .
The other design for optical fusion reactors is called a tokamak . A paradigm for acommercial versionof this kind is presently being build in France .
