Scientists at a UK fusion lab claim to have hit a new milestone by reaching new records of sustained fusion energy.

Researchers from the Eurofusion consortium were able to create 59 megajoules of sustained fusion energy in five seconds, more than double the previous record set in 1997, the UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA) said.

The test was conducted using the Joint European Torus (JET), the largest operational tokamak machine in the world. The researchers used the same fuel mixture to be used by commercial fusion energy powerplants.

Nuclear fusion – the process that powers stars like our sun – brings together atoms of light elements like hydrogen at high temperatures to form helium and release tremendous energy as heat. UKAEA said fusion is inherently safe as it cannot start a run-away process. This makes it easier to control than nuclear fission, which involves the splitting of atoms.

While fission is easier to achieve and harness, fusion has the potential to release vast amounts of clean energy. The UKAEA said this success is a “major step forward” on fusion energy’s roadmap to be a low carbon way to tackle the global energy crisis

“These landmark results have taken us a huge step closer to conquering one of the biggest scientific and engineering challenges of them all,” UKAEA CEO Ian Chapman said. “It’s clear we must make significant changes to address the effects of climate change, and fusion offers so much potential.

“We’re building the knowledge and developing the new technology required to deliver a low carbon, sustainable source of baseload energy that helps protect the planet for future generations. Our world needs fusion energy,” Chapman added.

During the experiment, JET averaged a fusion power – or energy per second – of around 11 MW (Megajoules per second). The previous record test in 1997 briefly achieved 16 MW which has not been surpassed in recent experiments, as the focus has been on sustained fusion power.

The scientific data achieved from JET could be a major boost for a massive fusion project called the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER), which entered assembly phase in July 2020. This project is supported by China, the EU, India, Japan, South Korea, Russia and the US. It is set to begin its first plasma tests in 2025.

The Eurofusion consortium consists of 4,800 experts, students and staff from across Europe, co-funded by the European Commission.

Don’t miss out on the knowledge you need to succeed. Sign up for the Daily Brief, Silicon Republic’s digest of need-to-know sci-tech news.

The post UK plant achieves ‘landmark results’ in making sustained fusion energy appeared first on Silicon Republic.