China gives nod to ancient myth amid launch of nuclear fusion research centre - South China Morning Post
China launches ‘Kuafu’ nuclear fusion research facility, named after mythical giant, in quest to build ‘artificial sun’ | South China Morning Post
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China launches ‘Kuafu’ nuclear fusion research facility, named after mythical giant, in quest to build ‘artificial sun’
- It will feature doughnut-shaped vacuum chamber and massive superconducting magnet for fusion experiments, according to Xinhua report
- The complex, officially known as CRAFT, is expected to be completed by the end of 2025, and scientists are already at work there
nuclear fusion research facility – nicknamed after a mythical giant – as it continues its quest to build an
“artificial sun”.
A Xinhua report on Monday revealed for the first time the interior of the completed main building of the facility in east China’s Anhui province.
It is formally known as the Comprehensive Research Facility for Fusion Technology (CRAFT) but has been nicknamed “Kuafu” after a mythical figure who attempted to capture the sun.
fusion experiments will take place.
Also featured in the report was a 700-tonne (771-ton) superconducting magnet used for magnetic confinement fusion.
CRAFT is expected to be completed by the end of 2025, and scientists have already started working on projects at the complex, according to Xinhua.
ancient Chinese fable, the giant Kuafu attempted to chase and capture the sun to end a drought. Though he succumbed to thirst before he could catch it, he is seen as a symbol of bravery.
carbon-free energy grows, fusion could be our way of “capturing the sun”.
Fusion is powered by deuterium and tritium, two hydrogen variants commonly found in the ocean. According to Xinhua, one litre of seawater has enough deuterium to produce fusion energy equivalent to the burning of 300 litres (79 gallons) of petrol.
Fusion does not emit greenhouse gases, instead releasing helium, and the radioactive waste produced can be recycled within a century. It also does not use uranium or plutonium, and there is no risk of a meltdown at a fusion reactor.
CRAFT is part of China’s plan to replicate the power generation of the sun.
breakthroughs in the generation of fusion energy.
These breakthroughs are expected to contribute to the operation of the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) in France – the world’s largest fusion experiment.
Hu Jiansheng, the deputy director of the Institute of Plasma Physics at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, told the Global Times in 2022 that China had already achieved 80 per cent of the key technology research needed for fusion power. He added that China could have usable fusion energy in 30 to 50 years.
Chinese Fusion Engineering Test Reactor (CFETR), a proposed tokamak device for large-scale power generation expected to be completed around 2035.
Related Knowledge Center: ENERGY BASICS: nuclear
Nuclear energy provides almost 20 percent of the U.S. electricity supply. Advocates have called for an expanded role for nuclear as an emissions-free fuel source. But the economics of building new reactors are daunting. In addition, lingering safety concerns are an institutionalized part of the calculation of nuclear regulation, and highly radioactive nuclear waste remains a can that public officials have been inclined to kick down the road. The Energy Information Administration projects a sharp decline in nuclear power generation over the next decade, as new nuclear plants — two are planned — are more than offset by anticipated retirements of several operating reactors.