Posted on 03/08/2025 8:43:58 PM PST by SunkenCiv
A new record for maintaining plasma burning inside a fusion reactor has been set in France, beating China's previous benchmark by 25%.
France's WEST fusion reactor has shattered a nuclear fusion record set by China just a few weeks ago, marking yet another small but significant step on the road toward near-limitless clean energy.
The CEA's (Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives) WEST tokamak nuclear fusion reactor maintained a steady loop of burning plasma for a record 1,337 seconds, according to a Feb. 18 announcement -- beating China's previous 1,066-second benchmark, set on Jan. 20, by 25%...
Scientists have been trying to harness the power of nuclear fusion -- the process that powers the stars -- for more than 70 years. By fusing hydrogen atoms together under extremely high pressures and temperatures, stars convert matter into light and heat, generating enormous amounts of energy without producing greenhouse gases or long-lasting radioactive waste...
To reach its new milestone, the WEST reactor did just this, corralling plasma made from heavy hydrogen isotopes that was burning hotter than 50 million degrees Celsius for more than 22 minutes...
The achievement paves the way for the eventual operation of the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) fusion reactor, a project that brings together China, the European Union, India, Japan, South Korea, Russia and the United States to run the largest fusion reactor ever.
(Excerpt) Read more at livescience.com ...
Way too many people underestimate the French.
Just wait until the Muslims take over France with that capability.
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