China Just Created An Artificial Sun To Produce Clean Energy -- HL-2M Tokamak

When it comes to deriving energy from atoms, there are two ways to do it. Nuclear fission, which is a destructive way, where an atom is split into two to produce energy, and then there is nuclear fusion, where two atoms are combined to produce energy.

According to a report from Global Times, China has successfully installed and activated a nuclear fusion-powered generator called HL-2M Tokamak. This power generator can produce green energy by combining two atoms. The HL-2M Tokamak is designed to work like a sun that powers our solar system.

However, the HL-2M Tokamak can reach up to 200 million degrees Celsius, making it much hotter than the sun. As per the energy generation, the Tokamak can generate more than 2.5 trillion amperes of electric current.

The report claims that China has independently designed the HL-2M Tokamak. It is now located in Chengdu of southwest China's Sichuan Province. A picture posted on the report suggests how complicated it is to design and stabilise artificial sun. China has also claimed that the HL-2M Tokamak is the biggest nuclear fusion reactor in the country.

Is It Safe?

A reactor based on nuclear fusion technology is safer than a reactor based on nuclear fission. However, both reactions do produce radioactive by-products, which have to be contained and discarded with the utmost safety. Hence, both react will have multiple layers of protection.

In both reaction types, the reactors generate a lot of heat and energy as well. Even though it is safer than nuclear fission, it is not as safe as producing using solar panels or water turbines.

Do note that, the HL-2M Tokamak is the biggest nuclear fusion reactor in China, and not the entire world. The ITER Tokamak is the biggest nuclear fusion reactor in the world, designed and developed in collaboration with 35 nations, which also includes India.

Source