What is known

The KSTAR facility was completed in 2007 and the first plasma appeared in 2008. Like all other thermonuclear reactors, it is called an artificial sun because it performs nuclear fusion—the same reaction that fuels our star.

KSTAR is about a third smaller than ITER, a massive experimental reactor that has been under construction in France for many years. Both reactors are tokamas: ring-shaped devices that perform nuclear fusion using plasma or electrically charged gases brought to extremely high temperatures and pressures.

KSTAR uses a diverter located at the bottom of the installation, which controls the removal of exhaust gases and foreign materials. The diverter is a component that is in contact with the plasma, that is, it is located inside the tokamak and carries the entire load of the internal heat. So far, KSTAR has been able to run on plasma for about 30 seconds. Scientists hope this New router will allow working with plasma for periods of 300 seconds.

KSTAR originally had a carbon vent, but in 2018 scientists began working on a tungsten vent. Tungsten has a higher melting point than carbon, doubling the heat flux limit of the reactor. The prototype of the new deflector was completed in 2021, and its installation was completed last year. By the way, the same will be used in ITER.

Plasma experiments with the new tungsten deflector at KSTAR will continue through February, according to South Korea’s National Science and Technology Research Council. Scientists will ensure that the environment is stable for experiments and that it is possible to reproduce plasma with a temperature of 100 million degrees.

Where are we today?

• Unfortunately, humanity is still far from a reliable energy source with zero carbon emissions. Research on nuclear fusion is progressing slowly but not stopping.
• The first ITER plasma is expected to occur in 2025, and the first fusion is planned to occur in 2035.
• According to the International Atomic Energy Agency, more than 50 tokamaks are in operation in the world today.