China's Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST)

[NoLifeLine]

A team of scientists from China's Institute of Plasma Physics announced this week that plasma in its Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST) would be ready to begin attempting to generate more energy than it uses, in a world first.

I am dubious about more news that comes out of chines news outlets however they do seem to have made steady progress over the last 10 years. What do you guys think about this development? Do you think China will top ITER?

You do have to give China one thing though. They have done it all on their own. No international partnerships. They have just thrown money and minds at the problem.

For more information about EAST see this https://www.nowscience.co.uk/single-post/2019/03/14/Chinas-artificial-sun-thats-six-times-hotter-than-the-real-thing-will-be-ready-this-year?fbclid=IwAR1Gc_l6kdZ0Hud1C_Y5wuUKimNUQwJyw8B3PLoUo0_PRiIr3sfMrJvlQbQ

 

[mfb]

A team of scientists from China's Institute of Plasma Physics announced this week that plasma in its Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST) would be ready to begin attempting to generate more energy than it uses, in a world first.

Where? All I can find are news reports that an upgrade, HL-2M, should finish construction later this year.

As far as I understand it is too small for Q>1. Even if achieves that: It is a nice milestone, but a power plant would need much more, something in the Q=30 range or so. ITER aims at Q=10, that would be somewhere at the edge where you can think of making electricity out of it (ITER won't as its focus is research).

 

[raining Pete]

It's definitely impressive that China has made such significant progress on their own without any international partnerships. However, it's important to remain skeptical and wait for more information and results before making any conclusions. It's also worth considering the potential impact of this development on the global energy landscape. Will it lead to more sustainable and efficient energy production? Only time will tell. As for whether China will top ITER, I think it's too early to say. Both projects have their own unique goals and challenges, and it's possible that they could both make important contributions to the field of plasma physics. Overall, it's exciting to see advancements being made in this area, and I look forward to seeing how this development progresses.