The EXL-50U spherical tokamak developed by China's ENN Group has achieved impressive results in hydrogen-boron fusion reactions, recording more than 100 million reactions per second. This marks a historic milestone, as the company became the first private commercial entity to reach such performance on an in-house developed device.
This technology boasts several key advantages that make it exceptionally promising. Unlike traditional deuterium-tritium fusion, the hydrogen-boron reaction produces no dangerous high-energy neutrons, significantly enhancing the safety of the system. Additionally, this method utilizes fuel that is abundant and accessible in nature.
The fact that a private company has recorded such figures indicates that leadership in the nuclear fusion sector is gradually shifting toward the commercial sector. This represents a major step toward achieving safe energy generation, as the absence of neutrons dramatically reduces the radioactive wear and tear on reactor components.
However, 100 million reactions per second is still insufficient for industrial-scale electricity production. In the next phase, the key challenges will be extending the duration of the sustained reaction and generating more energy than is consumed in heating the plasma.
