Giant Magnets for Artificial Sun Tested in China

Chinese scientists have successfully tested the world's largest superconducting magnet system, which could create a massive breakthrough in the field of thermonuclear energy. This technology is designed to contain plasma with temperatures of 100 million degrees in the future and is considered an important step toward providing humanity with infinite and clean energy. This is reported by Ixbt.com news says.

According to the Xinhua agency, specialists from the Institute of Plasma Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences have completed the design and testing of two key elements of the CRAFT (Comprehensive Research Facility for Fusion Technology) research complex: the toroidal superconducting magnet and the central solenoid. These devices are expected to form the basis of future commercial thermonuclear power plants.

Technical Specifications and Record Results

The dimensions of the newly developed toroidal magnet are impressive: its length is 21 meters, width is 12 meters, and height is 3.3 meters. Weighing 582 tons, this equipment is 1.3 times larger than a similar element in the international ITER project. Most importantly, it is nearly three times superior to global analogs in terms of stored energy capacity.

During tests, the central solenoid also demonstrated high durability. While the operating current for the project was set at 46.5 kiloamperes, the system was able to withstand loads up to 60 kiloamperes. In the future, a full-power reactor will use 16 such magnets, each designed to operate with a current of up to 100 kiloamperes.

Fully Local Technologies

Institute Director Sun Yuntao emphasized that six years were spent creating the toroidal magnet. The most notable aspect is that all components — from special steel to insulation materials and superconducting wires — were produced entirely within China. This indicates that the country is eliminating external dependence in the high-tech sector.

Thermonuclear reactors are based on replicating the processes at the center of the Sun on Earth. The plasma temperature generated in them exceeds 100 million degrees. Since no material body can withstand such heat, ultra-strong magnetic fields are required to suspend the plasma in the air. This is why China's EAST (Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak) project is called the "artificial Sun."

This achievement is of strategic importance not only for China but for global energy. If scientists gain full control over thermonuclear fusion, humanity will have an energy source that is nearly inexhaustible and does not harm the environment. Current tests show that the realization of this dream is not far off.