Has controlled nuclear fusion been achieved?

[anand]

Has controlled nuclear fusion been achieved?If not,is it a possibility in the foreseeable future?

 

[selfAdjoint]

No. Yes.

 

[Njorl]

Sure it has, unless there is an industry specific use of the word "controlled" that I don't know. Fusion has been used to create a plasma that has been contained. Energy "break-even" has been accomplished, but monetary "break-even" is far off.

Energy break-even - generate as much energy as needed to statr the fusion
Monetary break-even - generate enough surplus energy to pay for the process

Njorl

 

[selfAdjoint]

You're absolutely right. I was over hasty. My apologies.

 

[LURCH]

I think the most practical definition of "controlled" would probably be "sustainable and useable". By this meaning, controlled fusion (fusion that could be used to power and electrical plant) has not been achieved. However, it likely will be within the next 40 to 50 years.

Njorl, are you sure that energy breakeven has been achieved? I keep an eye on the doings at the Princeton Plasma Physics Lab, but the last I heard they had only achieved a 10.6 MW yield in a process that consumed something over 30 MW to generate. If they have achieved breakeven already, that would be very encouraging news.

 

[wolram]

i have heard that scientists in oxford england using a tokomat achieved
a sustainable reaction ,only cost stopped the experiment.
i can not find anything on the net about it sorry.