We ignored this element without knowing that it produces more energy than hydrogen – teach me about science

Have you ever wondered what our planet would be like if the energy we use was cleaner, more efficient, and environmentally friendly? Well, it looks like we’re taking an important step in that direction thanks to an exciting discovery in this field atom fusion, scientists of Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL) found that liquid lithium Fusion could be the key to making energy more efficient than ever before.

First let’s talk about what fusion energy is

Nuclear fusion is like the process that powers the Sun. Instead of burning fuel, as we do in most of our power plants today, energy from Fusion Mix atoms To release huge amounts of energy. It is a powerful and clean way to generate electricity without the harmful emissions associated with fossil fuels.

Now, scientists are using tools called tokamaks To try to make nuclear fusion practical and economical. These devices use magnetic fields to maintain and control something plasma, which is basically a hot gas made up of electrically charged particles. The idea is to capture the energy released during fusion so that we can use it in a controlled manner.

This is where liquid lithium comes in handy. In this Use beta tokamak Of Lithium (LTX-BETA), scientists discovered by adding a layer of Lithium liquid to the interior walls of tokamakthey got Keep He hot plasma On the border. And keeping it warm is important for this approach to work. Liquid lithium acts as a kind of shield for the interior walls equipmentprotect from intense Heat of plasma And, surprisingto absorb 40% of ions hydrogen expelled by plasma,

Why is this so useful to know?

Well, it turns out that liquid lithium could make the whole process more efficient and cost-effective. imagine if we could make machines small and cheap to take advantage of energy Of Fusion, he can make it technology To be more accessible And Attractive For governments And Industries,

Now, these findings are not just theories. They were presented at a major physics meeting and published in the journal Nuclear Materials and Energy, Liquid lithium, which had already been studied in previous research with solid lithium coatings, proved more suitable for use in large-scale tokamaks. This is exciting because it could mean less need for repairs because it acts as a shield. against He Heat of plasma,

Now, let’s talk about why liquid lithium might be better than hydrogen

It turns out that liquid lithium helps maintain Edge warm In this plasmawhich is necessary for Approach only one of these equipment, In this process the reduced hydrogen ions are recycled, leading to cooling Edge of plasma, This means that temperature In this Edge is close to temperature At the center of the plasma, postpone issues and making the process more steady,

Liquid lithium also has another ace up its sleeve. When they injected high-energy neutral particles into the plasma to heat it, Lithium liquid allowed a significant increase in density of plasma, In contrast, only a small increase in density was observed in solid lithium. This is an important point because even bigger Plasma density means more energy we can harness,