Chapter 420: Everything is ready, all we need is the east wind
In mid-June, Xu Chuan personally came to Luyang Science Island.
At present, the controllable nuclear fusion demonstration reactor project is advancing steadily and orderly, and both the Dawn Demonstration Reactor project site and the Dawn Research Institute are in full swing.
For Xu Chuan, there was only one last problem left that he needed to solve.
That is, the final difficulty in systematic improvement is the proliferation of lithium neutron tritium.
During the period when the Daybreak fusion device needs to carry out various experiments, the EAST device is the only one in China that can undertake deuterium and tritium ignition and conduct neutron irradiation experiments.
After nearly two months of renovation, EAST now has a completely new look.
The original niobium-titanium alloy field coil superconducting material has been completely replaced by high-temperature copper-carbon-silver composite materials produced by Western Superconducting Group.
The control system has also been completely replaced with a plasma turbulence CNC model written by Xu Chuan.
Of course, due to different equipment, the model must have been adjusted, and it will definitely not be perfect in a short period of time.
In addition, compared with the Dawn Fusion Experimental Reactor, today's EAST still lacks a first wall material.
Although a suitable manufacturer of zirconia carbon composite materials has been found, the production volume cannot be increased for the time being due to factors such as production difficulty.
After the complete replacement of the first wall of the Daybreak Experimental Reactor, it will be necessary to provide the first wall material for the demonstration reactor project. There is no excess production at EAST that can be optimized.
But for short-term control of EAST for deuterium-tritium fusion and lithium-neutron-tritium breeding and recovery experiments, the lack of these things is not a big problem.
So after the EAST device was changed, Xu Chuan rushed over immediately.
.....
"Have all the preparations been done?"
In the main control room of the EAST device, Xu Chuan looked down at the steel behemoth below through the huge floor-to-ceiling tempered glass window, and asked the new person in charge, Yu Mu, beside him.
Compared with the Daybreak Experimental Reactor, the control room here at EAST is better built.
Not only does it have a complete monitoring system and protection system, but the EAST equipment can also be seen directly through the tempered glass with the naked eye.
Yu Mu nodded solemnly and replied: "The inspection has been fully completed. Please give the order to Academician Xu."
Xu Chuan nodded and gave the order calmly: "Then let's start."
For him today, a deuterium-tritium fusion ignition experiment is no longer something worth getting excited about.
But for Yu Mu, who has newly taken over the Luyang Controlled Nuclear Fusion Project, this can be said to be the most important thing in life.
Along with the delivery of instructions.
EAST, who was sleeping in the core area, woke up.
Liquid helium and liquid nitrogen used for cooling began to be injected into the superconducting magnet pipeline of the external field coil respectively, soaking the circles of copper-carbon-silver composite superconductor surrounding the outside of the EAST track, and rapidly reducing the strength of the superconducting material.
temperature.
With the generation of the superconducting effect, a huge current begins to pass through the coil. With the assistance of the control coil, a powerful confinement magnetic field is formed on the EAST device.
Subsequently, under the action of microwaves from the ICRF antenna, the temperature in the EAST chamber quickly and steadily rose to 100 million levels.
The light blue film formed by the fusion of deuterium and tritium raw materials flows at high speed in the reactor chamber under the control of the external field coil.
The high-energy neutrons born from fusion penetrated the first wall material and hit the liquid lithium molten salt hard. The 14.1Mev-level high-energy neutrons were like a cue ball being hit hard on the table, and they were in the liquid.
Lithium nuclei are constantly colliding with each other in the lithium molten salt.
Grains of tritium are produced and diffused in the liquid lithium molten salt.
Along with the guidance, these liquid lithium molten salts continue to flow along the cladding, and part of the liquid lithium molten salt material that has participated in the reaction flows out of the guidance port and enters the tritium extraction system.
Here, the tritium in the liquid lithium molten salt will be replaced by hydrogen, then purified, concentrated, and re-transported into the raw material storage tank to participate in the subsequent deuterium-tritium fusion reaction.
At this moment, everyone in the control could not help clenching their fists.
Even Xu Chuan looked through the tempered glass at EAST, which was already in operation, where the hope of realizing controllable nuclear fusion technology was carried.
【Tritium generation detected! The tritium extraction system is operating normally!】
A report broke the silence in the main control room.
"pretty!"
"It worked! We did it!"
"Tritium is self-sustaining! I didn't expect that one day we would be able to participate in solving this kind of problem!"
In the control room, researchers from the EAST project and the Dawn project went crazy.
The last problem has been solved, and they are really no longer far away from controllable nuclear fusion.
Even Xu Chuan, standing in the control room, had a bright smile on his face.
The liquid lithium molten salt neutron recovery system he designed has been best verified at this moment.
The rest depends on how efficient the neutron recovery can be.
After all, in deuterium-tritium controlled nuclear fusion, more than 80% of the energy is taken away by neutrons. It would be a pity if this part of the energy cannot be utilized.
...
As the ICRF heating antenna stopped operating, the temperature in the EAST experimental reactor chamber began to decrease rapidly.
After waiting for the EAST device to cool down, staff wearing protective clothing quickly entered the reaction chamber and took out some attached test materials from the first wall.
After all, it is a deuterium-tritium fusion ignition experiment. In addition to verifying the liquid lithium molten salt multiplication tritium system, it can also do many other tests.
After the attached test materials were removed, at the same time, the other two groups of staff quickly stepped forward.
A team was responsible for completely dismantling the liquid lithium molten salt breeding tritium system deployed in the envelope for testing.
The other group is responsible for verifying the overall damage status of the EAST device.
When deuterium-tritium fusion ignition is carried out without zirconium oxide carbon composite material as the first wall protective material, even with perfect magnetic field denominators and numerical control models, Xu Chuan estimates that the overall condition of EAST will not be much better.
This chapter is not over, please click on the next page to continue reading! After all, the neutron radiation produced by deuterium and tritium fusion is really terrible.
In fact, the test of EAST also confirmed his conjecture.
Not only is the first wall made of tungsten-molybdenum alloy basically completely embrittled, but even the overall structure has been impacted by neutron irradiation and has been damaged to varying degrees.
It can be said that after one experiment, the EAST device was already half useless.
But for the process of controllable nuclear fusion, it has made a huge contribution, and even if it means entering a museum for retirement, it is completely worth it.
.....
With the data collected at almost the cost of an EAST device, Xu Chuan returned to Jinling.
These data are enough for him to optimize the liquid lithium molten salt breeding tritium system.
Next time, it will be time to conduct a more complete experiment on it.
However, it is time to write another letter.
The test of the liquid lithium molten salt breeding tritium system was successful. Although there are still some areas that need to be optimized, he believes that these are minor problems and will be solved soon.
...
The days passed day by day, and in the blink of an eye, the time came to the beginning of July.
The entrance to the demonstration reactor base is quite lively.
Various super-heavy loading trains stay in the designated areas, waiting to be unloaded.
With the Nuclear Industry Group using several times the manpower and working around the clock around the clock, the industrial park has completed the construction of buildings, and now various equipment is being transported in and deployed to the corresponding places.
Under the leadership of two academicians from the Nuclear Industry Group, Wang Yongnian and Hou Chengping, their reset magnetic fluid generator sets, conventional ultra-supercritical generator sets, and supercritical generator sets are being installed in an orderly manner.
Standing next to the construction site, Academician Wang Yongnian of the Nuclear Industry Group, who was in charge of the site, was wearing a safety helmet and looked at the magnets that were lifted by steel cables and slowly transported towards the power plant under the traction of the crane's cross arm.
Fluid generator, with a heartfelt smile on his wrinkled old face.
Being able to realize controllable nuclear fusion technology with his own hands, even if his role in the whole process only accounts for a small part, still makes him satisfied.
On the side, Hou Chengping squinted at the equipment that was being slowly installed, and said with a smile: "I thought I would spend my whole life relying on nuclear fission to generate electricity, but I didn't expect that I would actually preside over the construction of a nuclear fusion demonstration reactor project in my lifetime.
"
Wang Yongnian looked at the moving generator set not far away. After confirming that the assembly was proceeding as scheduled and there were no problems, he gave a rare grin.
"Yeah, it's like a dream."
After a pause, he continued: "At this time last year, I was still studying the fifth generation of controllable nuclear fission power stations. I didn't expect that controllable nuclear fusion would be realized in less than a year."
Hou Chengping smiled and sighed: "Compared to this, I am more curious about what kind of existence that person is."
"In the past six months, the more I have interacted with him, the more I feel that he has no bottom. It seems that in every field, he can make the greatest achievements."
"Breakthroughs in both theoretical and applied fields. Throughout history, those who can achieve this step may not be able to do so even with a slap in the face."
"What's more important is that he is still so young. He seems to be less than twenty-five years old this year?"
After hearing this, Academician Wang Yongnian thought for a while and said: "If I remember correctly, Academician Xu seems to have been born in 1997 and is only 24 years old this year."
The two of them were communicating while watching the installation and deployment of the magnetic fluid generator unit.
At this moment, another old man wearing a safety helmet walked over.
"Lao Wang, Lao Hou, I knew you were here."
The old man who came over happily greeted them, and quickly stepped forward and punched each of them. Then, he glanced at the magnetic fluid generator set that was still being deployed, and said with a smile: "The progress here is a bit slow.
Everything is done."
Hearing this, Wang Yongnian suddenly felt a little unhappy. He glanced sideways at him and said, "As for your little technical stuff, I can finish it for you in a week."
The person who spoke to them was Zeng Jitong, another academician of the Academy of Engineering from the State Grid Corporation of China.
Although the three of them are not colleagues, they have worked together many times and are quite familiar with each other.
Not only are nuclear power plants used to generate electricity, but people from their nuclear industry group naturally often deal with people from the State Grid.
This Zeng Jitong is good in every aspect, with a good personality and good temper. His only shortcoming is that his mouth is a little awkward and his words are not very lovable.
Just like just now, when he came, he complained that their generator was assembled too slowly.
Of course, he responded without any politeness.
When he heard Wang Yongnian say that the things he built had no technical content, Zeng Jitong immediately became unhappy.
"Hey, you old man is still blabbering? Without the converter and power grid I built, you can generate P electricity. Also, has the magnetic fluid generator set you designed been tested? If so, then
It would be interesting if I couldn’t send out a call.”
Wang Yongnian glanced at him lightly, did not continue to tease him, and directed the installation of the magnetic fluid generator unit.
On the side, Hou Chengping smiled and didn't pay much attention.
We are all old acquaintances, but these two people seem to be naturally at odds with each other and have opposite personalities. They start fighting each other as soon as they meet.
Lao Wang doesn't like to talk very much and often responds in silence; while Zeng Jitong, although he is a sharp talker, can't bear the silent attacks from others and often chases after him.
However, the more he talked, the more Wang Yongnian became too lazy to pay attention to him.
However, this did not delay the cooperative work; on the contrary, it created a pair of happy enemies.
As for him, he can just eat and watch the show.
.......
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