China’s Artificial Sun: EAST
By
Satyaki Paul
On June 4, 2021 China managed to achieve another feat by testing its Tokamak machine (named EAST) to reached 120-million-degree Celsius for 101seconds. Further, the machine reached up to 160-million-degree Celsius for 20 seconds. The latter is around ten times hotter than our Sun, and it is located at Institute of Plasma Psychics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (ASIPP) in Hefei region of China.
Source: https://www.iter-india.org/tokamaks
The Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST) is one of three major domestic tokamaks that are currently used in China. This machine was first used in 2006. And, the research conducted are in consonance with International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) which will be operational in 2035 (India is a member of ITER).
Tokamaks are experimental machines which are designed to harness energy from nuclear fusion. Inside of a tokamak, the energy generated is absorbed as heat in the walls of the machine. Similar to coal-powered power plants, the energy is used to produce steam, which is then used to rotate turbines to generate electricity. Other than EAST, the HL-2A reactor as well as J-TEXT are operational as well. In similar vein, HL-2M Tokamak, China’s largest and most advanced nuclear fusion experimental research device, was successfully powered up for the first time in December, 2020.
China is not the only country that has achieved this feat. In 2020, South Korea’s Korea Superconducting Tokamak Advanced Research (KSTAR) machine recorded 100-million-degree Celsius for around 20 seconds. The development of such forms induces green development or clean energy which will further conserve our natural resources. Our sun’s nuclear fusion technology was matter of awe since its theoretical inception and now we are close to replicating it in our planet. Such heavy power generating abilities lower the risk of environmental degradation, with better output than nuclear fission technique. Nonetheless, if we consider our green future these can be also used in for inter-planetary travels as planned by companies such as SpaceX.
India is also moving ahead in this space with its Steady State Superconducting Tokamak-1 (SST-1) located in Institute of Plasma Research, Gandhinagar, Gujarat. Another Tokamak titled SST-2 is also under consideration with improved specifications for better output to match the superiority of Chinese and South Korean ones.
The author works as a Ph.D. Research Scholar at the Department of Anthropology, University of Calcutta, and the co-author of the book Anthropology For All (2021).