US researchers announce historic nuclear fusion breakthrough

US researchers announced a historic nuclear fusion breakthrough on Tuesday hailing a landmark achievement in the quest for a source of unlimited clean power and an end to reliance on fossil fuelsThe Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory LLNL in California said an experiment it conducted this month produced more energy from fusion than the laser energy used to drive itThe US Department of Energy described the achievement of fusion ignition as a major scientific breakthrough that will lead to advancements in national defense and the future of clean powerLLNL director Kim Budil described it as is one of the most significant scientific challenges ever tackled by humanityScientists have been working for decades to develop nuclear fusion touted by its supporters as a clean abundant and safe source of energy that could eventually allow humanity to break its dependence on the fossil fuels driving a global climate crisisThe LLNL said a team at its National Ignition Facility NIF conducted the first controlled fusion experiment in history on December 5 achieving what is known as scientific energy breakevenThis is a landmark achievement for the researchers and staff at the National Ignition Facility who have dedicated their careers to seeing fusion ignition become a reality and this milestone will undoubtedly spark even more discovery US Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm saidAlso ReadPak with nuclear weapons is one of the most dangerous nations in world BidenNuclear power plants around the world currently use fission the splitting of a heavy atoms nucleus to produce energyFusion on the other hand combines two light hydrogen atoms to form one heavier helium atom releasing a large amount of energy in the processThats the process that occurs inside stars including our sunOn Earth fusion reactions can be provoked by heating hydrogen to extreme temperatures inside specialized devicesResearchers at the LLNL use the massive National Ignition Facility 192 ultrapowerful lasers all pointed into a thimblesized cylinder filled with hydrogenLike fission fusion is carbonfree during operation but has many more advantages it poses no risk of nuclear disaster and produces much less radioactive wasteHowever there is still a long way to go before fusion is viable on an industrial scaleMany advanced science and technology developments are still needed to achieve simple affordable IFE to power homes and businesses LLNL saidOther nuclear fusion projects are also in development around the world including the major international project known as ITER which is currently under construction in FranceInstead of lasers ITER will use a technique known as magnetic confinement containing a swirling mass of fusing hydrogen plasma within a massive donutshaped chamberThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever