Tokamak nuclear scientists embark on fusion

A British nuclear fusion reactor has reached warmer temperatures than the center of the sun during a test that marks a key step towards clean energy without limits this past summer.

The Tokomak reactor reached 15 million ° C (59 million) at an installation in Oxfordshire as part of preparations to power the UK's fusion power distribution network by 2030, reports The Daily Mail.

A plasma ball had flashed warmer than the center of the sun, reviving the hope of a breakthrough that physicists had dreamed for over 50 years: nuclear fusion.

The difference between this project and a long history of mergers is that it was not run by the government but by a company called Tokamak Energy.

A few kilometers from his lab is a company called First Light Fusion, which plans to create the world's densest substance next year.

Both are part of a wave of start-up mergers that aim to succeed where the state has failed.

Nuclear fusion is the process that powers the sun. This implies that hydrogen atoms join to produce helium, releasing large amounts of energy but little radiation.

If melting energy can work on Earth, it will provide clean energy as abundant as the oceans. However, this has never been made economical.

The most advanced state-funded project, called Iter, in the south of France, has been facing increased costs and delays.

For many, the old joke about the merger is still topical: for 30 years, it has always lasted 30 years.

Jonathan Carling, chief executive of Tokamak Energy, said it was time that others try – and serious investors are in agreement. Tokamak is backed by Legal & General and UK hedge fund billionaire David Harding. "Because we are privately funded, we can be more agile," said Carling.

His plan is based on ideas similar to those of Iter, using superconducting magnets to hold in position a superheated plasma.

However, he stated that the devices used by his company were smaller and cheaper.

Nick Hawker, co-founder of First Light Fusion, said his company's project also demonstrated the virtues of the private sector.

He said that he was trying to create a different kind of fusion, throwing projectiles at a target to create an instant of enormous pressure and heat.

Both say that they can have demonstration devices from here 2025.

Tokamak's goal is to power the electricity grid by 2030. The private sector has at least achieved one thing: the merger has gone from 30 years to just 10 years.