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Eurofusion, in which researchers from DTU are participating, has pushed the limits of how much energy can be produced in one. Fusion energy Experiment Fusion is the process that takes place in the sun and stars, and this experiment brings us one small step closer to an infinite amount of green energy.
The fusion reactor Joint European Tower (JET), used for the experiment. Image credit: Eurofusion / United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority
A group of European researchers have set a new world record in fusion energy. In a fusion experiment in which DTU researchers participated, they were able to generate 69 MJ (megajoules) of energy. This is more than anyone has ever done before, and although 69 MJ is equivalent to the energy required to drive an electric car 150 km, only 0.2 mg of fuel was used to achieve it.
The experiment took place at the Joint European Tours (JET) facility in Oxford, England, the European Consortium for Fusion Research, EUROfusion, of which DTU is a part. The previous record of 59 MJ was achieved by JET researchers in 2021, but before that, it took 25 years to break the record – and now, in just two years, researchers have produced more energy than ever before.
“This shows that we are on the right track towards reliable fusion energy, as we have now been able to repeatedly show that the experiment works and produces more energy,” said Soren, senior researcher at DTU. Bang Korsolum says. Several DTU researchers have been involved in planning and analyzing the experiment at JET.
A step towards a commercial plant
JET is the world’s largest and most powerful fusion reactor, known as a tokamak, which uses powerful magnetic fields to capture plasma while heating it to 10 times the core temperature of the Sun. In the experiment, the researchers used the hydrogen isotopes deuterium and tritium as fuel, which when they fuse produce helium and large amounts of energy.
Although fusion energy still has a long way to go before it can provide unlimited amounts of clean energy, the new world record is an important step forward.
“It’s the same fuel type and technology that commercial fusion power plants are expected to use that makes this result really important,” says Soren Bang Korsolum.
Source: DTU
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