News: China has announced the construction of Xinghuo, the world’s first fusion-fission hybrid nuclear power plant, marking a historic leap in nuclear energy technology. World’s first fusion-fission hybrid nuclear power plant.
About World’s first fusion-fission hybrid nuclear power plant
- The project is located on Yaohu Island in Jiangxi Province of China.
- It is strategically chosen for its proximity to essential copper resources used in superconducting technologies.
- Aim: To produce a continuous power output of 100 megawatts, which, although modest in scale, will demonstrate the viability of hybrid nuclear technology.
- Objective: To achieve a Q factor greater than 30, meaning it will generate over 30 times the energy it consumes to sustain plasma—far exceeding the ITER project’s goal of Q=10 and the U.S.’s recent record of Q=1.5.
- The plant uniquely combines fusion and fission processes.
Key Features of the Hybrid Reactor
- Combines Benefits of Fusion and Fission: Fusion reactors produce many neutrons but less power, while fission reactors produce more power but fewer neutrons. The hybrid reactor uses the strengths of both.
- Lower Power Needed: It needs less fusion power than a full fusion reactor, as its main goal is to produce neutrons, not energy.
- Less Radioactive Waste: The neutrons can help convert harmful long-lived nuclear waste into safer, short-lived waste that’s easier to manage.
- Self-Sustaining Fuel Supply: It can create its own fissile fuel by converting fertile materials (like uranium-238 or thorium-232) into usable fuel (like plutonium-239 or uranium-233).
