Technological power starts with upgrading lenses

In fact, in addition to the problem of Q value in controllable nuclear fusion, fuel is also a troublesome matter.

In the past, when promoting controllable nuclear fusion, the media always said that there is inexhaustible deuterium in seawater. If we master controllable nuclear fusion, humans will never have to worry about energy issues.

But in fact, deuterium-deuterium fusion is as inefficient as burning wood in an internal combustion engine.

The Q value of John Bull's JET reactor of 0.67 is the highest experimental result obtained using deuterium-deuterium as fuel.

The island country’s JT-60 has changed deuterium-deuterium to deuterium-tritium, which has almost doubled the ‘combustion efficiency’.

However, here comes the problem, deuterium is not radioactive, but tritium is radioactive.

After the deuterium-tritium nuclear fusion reaction, the protons emitted are also radioactive.

Therefore, controllable nuclear fusion using deuterium-tritium as fuel is not necessarily greener, more environmentally friendly, and safer than nuclear fission. There are still quite a few problems that need to be solved.

Moreover, the manufacturing cost of tritium is very high, one gram costs 250,000.

The main way to manufacture this thing at present is the traditional nuclear fission power station.

The nuclear wastewater discharged into the sea by island countries contains a large amount of tritium.

As for why they still have to queue up something worth 250,000 grams per gram?

Of course, the purification cost of this thing is huge. The cost of bombarding lithium with neutrons to produce tritium is 1g and 250,000. The cost of extracting it from nuclear wastewater is even higher than this, and it even involves considerable technical difficulties.

Moreover, before controllable nuclear fusion power generation became popular, human demand for tritium was relatively small. In addition to making hydrogen bombs, nuclear fusion experiments were conducted. A single nuclear fusion experiment only uses a few grams or even a few milligrams. It is impossible not to form both. industrial chain.

In fact, the most suitable fuel for nuclear fusion is helium-3.

But this thing only exists on the moon, and humans are currently not capable of developing it.

Therefore, the difficulty of controllable nuclear fusion is simply hellish for current humans.

Kang Chi just took the attitude of giving it a try first to see if it was possible to achieve preliminary controllable nuclear fusion under the existing conditions.

Even if you can't figure it out, you should be able to find some reason.

Whether he solves it now or suspends experimental research and slowly solves it later when he is free, it will definitely be more directional and efficient than doing it now.

Although Kang Chi does not know the specific investment of the country in controllable nuclear fusion, the ITER project alone is as high as 20 billion euros (approximately 150 billion RMB), and China accounts for 9% of the share, which is 13.5 billion.

In addition to participating in the ITER project, China also has a total of 16 large-scale nuclear fusion experimental devices, most of which were built by itself, with a total investment of at least trillions.

The key is that this is still a bottomless pit, and no one knows how much money will be burned.

Everyone is already under a lot of pressure. If our living standards are significantly lowered because of the cost of the drone aircraft carrier project, we still feel a little guilty...

If we can save some money elsewhere, we can reduce the living standards of the people less.

——

Kang Chi was still staying in the west at this time, handling related matters after the exercise, and at the same time handing over research data to relevant research institutions.

The three elders who returned to Yanjing, after temporarily handling the "pause" issue of controllable nuclear fusion, began to participate in another major event in the scientific community.

After the initial nomination in May, after five months of selection, the 2025 academician selection of Huaguo, which has attracted much attention from all walks of life, has finally come to an end.

After the second round of selection, the final list of candidates was finally decided, and then the Academy of Engineering and the Academy of Sciences began to prepare for the academician conference and prepare for the final voting.

The Taishan Beidou disciples scattered across the country also began to gather in Yanjing.

Kang Chi naturally entered the final list of candidates without any surprise.

After handing over equipment and materials in the west, he immediately received notices from both houses of Congress, inviting him to participate in this year's Academician Conference as a final candidate.

The Academy of Engineering is doing fine. Based on Kang Chi's current results, no one is dissatisfied.

But someone from the Academy of Sciences also nominated him, which surprised him a little.

If the matter of quantum communication chips is announced, there will definitely be no problem in being elected as an academician of the Academy of Sciences.

But isn’t the news still blocked?

But then I think about it, many engineering achievements are actually theoretical breakthroughs.

For example, the electrolysis method of oil-mining insects, the preparation method of solid-state sulfide electrolyte for sodium batteries, super-strong neodymium magnets, T1200 carbon fiber composite materials and other technologies,

All have new theoretical support.

With so many achievements accumulated, even if Bell's inequality is not proved to be true, he is fully qualified to be elected as an academician of the Academy of Sciences!

When they heard that Kang Chi said that he wanted to go to Yanjing first and asked them to go back first, Yan Hui, Fang Qiang and others immediately guessed the reason.

After all, the biennial academician conference, even if it has nothing to do with me, as a person in the academic community, I will definitely pay attention to it...

"Mr. Kang, are you going to evaluate academicians!?"

"Ah...congratulations in advance, Mr. Kang!"

"Is it the Academy of Engineering or the Academy of Sciences?"

"Aren't you talking nonsense? It must be the two houses! Didn't you hear the two phone calls?"

"A 31-year-old academician of the two academies... Damn it, Mr. Kang is so awesome!"

"..."

The researchers congratulated Kang Chi excitedly.

In addition to excitement, the expression is more,

In fact, I am still envious...

After all, this is the official certification of China’s highest academic status!

Moreover, if Kang Chi is elected at the age of 31, the record for the youngest person elected as an academician will be reduced by 7 years.

How awesome is this!

Faced with everyone's generous compliments, Kang Chi couldn't help but smile sheepishly: "The results haven't come out yet, who knows if we can get a good rating..."

"Haha, if Mr. Kang's achievements are not even rated, those who have snatched your spot and been rated will probably have their backs stabbed in the dirt..."

"That's right. If the news breaks out and says that Dr. Kang was defeated as an academician, how can he be scolded by everyone? I guess the other candidates are burning incense and praying to Buddha, begging the big guys who voted not to cause trouble. , tricked them..."

"The academician candidates collectively burned incense and worshiped each other, begging their competitors to be elected..."

"Hahahaha, what Dr. Yan said makes me feel like I have a picture."

"..."

Three days later, Yanjing, the Great Hall of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

As the president of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and representatives of the academic departments read out the final list of candidates and the number of votes, the scene suddenly burst into fierce applause.

At the same time, the hearts of many people hanging in the air finally fell.

Because there were the most votes, the first name read out was Kang Chi.

Although all candidates hope that they will be elected, they do not hope to be elected when Kang Chi loses.

Even if he comes back the next year after losing the election, it is still better than Kang Chi losing the election and going on his own...

In fact, at yesterday's selection meeting for academicians of the Academy of Sciences, Kang Chi had successfully obtained a place as an academician of the Academy of Sciences.

Today's Academy of Engineering has no doubts.

Unprecedented, he was unanimously elected as an academician of the Academy of Engineering.

After all, the scientific application achievements of EUV lithography machines, oil-mining insects, and solid-state sodium-ion batteries are of great significance to the country.

Not to mention, there are also the later Yunhe and high bypass ratio engines.

Every one of them is the world's top scientific research achievement.

Even if some people are not interested in Kang Chi himself, in the face of such outstanding results, they still choose to respect the facts and vote for him.

A total of 86 academicians were elected to the Academy of Engineering this time. After reading the long list, Kang Chi, as the one with the most votes, was naturally the first to receive his certificate when his name was called.

After the leader of the Academy of Sciences handed Kang Chi the certificate signed by the old man, he immediately said with a smile: "Congratulations, you have become the youngest academician of the two academies in the history of China."

"Thanks."

"You're welcome, you deserve it."