Warship of Great Power

Qin Tao remembers clearly that in his time and space, controllable nuclear fusion has always been a project in the laboratory. Even if many countries unite and want to mature controllable nuclear fusion, it will take decades. time, which is equivalent to not saying anything. After all, three monks have no water to drink. With so many countries working together, there is too much uncertainty. Just look at the Galileo Project.

And now, our own controllable nuclear fusion technology is so good that it can be commercialized within ten or twenty years?

"Mr. Qin, you're here? This is great." Krasnopolski said, "We thought you couldn't catch up."

"As long as I know about the project, I will definitely come." Qin Tao said. He really had to make it clear. Many times, he, the boss of the group, does not know what his subordinates are going to do. Naturally, he cannot go to the site to participate. For example, He said that high-temperature gas-cooled nuclear reactors were already in commercial operation, but he didn’t know.

However, if Qin Tao is asked to read those mountains of group documents all day long, Qin Tao will not be able to bear it. His subordinates can only pick out the ones they think are important and show them to Qin Tao. But many times, the subordinates think they are not important. , may also be important here in Qin Tao.

Fortunately, in terms of controllable nuclear fusion, Qin Tao happened to participate.

"Krasnopolski, I remember you are not engaged in nuclear fission? Why are you engaged in nuclear fusion again?" Qin Tao continued to ask.

"Mr. Qin, don't you understand this? Fission and fusion are both nuclear physics. I did fission before because this project can be commercialized, but suddenly I discovered that our laser technology has made a big breakthrough. I had done fusion research before, so I changed my direction. After all, there is nothing to improve on fission reactors, and fusion reactors are the focus of our future research.”

High-temperature gas-cooled reactors already belong to the fourth generation of nuclear reactors. Its biggest feature is safety. Whether it is an earthquake or a tsunami, or any sudden accident caused by any natural disaster, the nuclear reactor will not be at risk of explosion. If there is a slight disturbance, it can Natural shutdown.

It can be said that the high-temperature gas-cooled reactor has reached the limit of this type of nuclear reactor, and there is nothing to worry about. The direction of nuclear fusion is a new fortress that nuclear physics experts must conquer.

In the past few years, various Eastern technologies have continued to make breakthroughs, and laser technology has developed greatly, which also led Krasnopolski to choose a new method.

"Yes, Starship Company will build a lunar base in the future. There is a large amount of helium-3 on the moon. Now that we have successfully developed a nuclear fusion reactor, unlimited energy can be obtained on the moon, and the helium-3 on the moon can also be transported back to the earth. , Build a large number of nuclear fusion reactors on the earth, and there will no longer be energy shortages in the future." Max actually came to participate, and said excitedly at the side.

"Our manufacturing of natural gas ships and oil tankers will probably enter the graveyard of history," Qin Tao said with a smile.

On the earth, oil is the most important energy source. For the sake of environmental protection, the use of natural gas is now being advocated. The construction technology of these ships is mainly in the hands of the Mingzhou Group. They have risen by relying on the construction of natural gas ships, and even Shipbuilding throughout the East profited.

Will these be gone in the future?

"Yes, new technology will eliminate the fallen technology, so that development and progress can be achieved. Although many conservative forces will be dissatisfied or even obstruct this, in the face of history, they will become clowns, just like the craftsmen who smashed the It’s the same as a machine, it doesn’t make any sense, but our Mingzhou Group will always be at the forefront.”

Speaking of this, Max was very emotional: "Mr. Qin, you were vigorously developing electric vehicles back then. I used to think it was just a boring little toy of yours, but now I finally discovered how far-sighted you are. Those people in the island country , I call hydrogen energy every day, but it can’t be compared with electric cars.”

"Really? How come I have such foresight?" Qin Tao asked curiously.

Electric cars have reason to be criticized by others. With so many batteries installed inside, they are prone to fires and explosions. The battery life depends entirely on the stack of batteries. Moreover, charging time is slow. Although many experts boast of inventing technology that can fully charge in a few minutes. But he never mentioned how terrible the charging current was at this time, whether there were such thick cables, and whether the electricity in the entire community could supply such a car for charging.

Therefore, the islanders want to take the hydrogen energy route. In their eyes, hydrogen energy is the final route. The product of this thing is only water, which is the most environmentally friendly. However, the islanders will never mention how this hydrogen comes from. Moreover, how to add hydrogen to a car? As the lightest gas, what should I do if it leaks? It is much more dangerous than natural gas.

If a hydrogen refueling station explodes, almost the entire nearby street will be greatly affected.

In short, both routes are not good. Qin Tao wanted to invent electric cars, but he just let nature take its course at the time.

"Currently, Golden Sun Electric Vehicle Company has begun testing wireless power supply technology." Max said: "In the future, when our nuclear fusion reactor research and development matures, energy supply will be very cheap. In the future, wireless power supply networks can be laid on roads, and cars will be able to walk on the road. In the process, the power of the wireless power supply network is directly used, and only a small battery is needed for the car to be used in places where there is no power supply network for a short period of time.”

The train is also a tram, so why is no one scolding it? Of course, this is because the power used by the train is provided from overhead wires, and the train itself does not have a battery.

Of course, electric vehicles can also remove batteries and just draw power from the road. This method is the most mature electric vehicle solution.

Of course, the efficiency of wireless power supply is very low. The power supply method with two coils facing each other shown in the laboratory has an efficiency of only 75%. When applied in practice, the power supply efficiency will not exceed 10%. five.

A large amount of energy loss is unacceptable. Unless the energy supply can reach an extremely low price, it can be wasted at will. This is only possible with nuclear fusion.

Therefore, Golden Sun Electric Vehicles has begun to conduct relevant experiments, and will also register a large number of patented technologies. In the field of gas vehicles, many car companies that developed first registered a lot of patents, and then lay on them to sleep. Now, to In the field of electric vehicles, the technology is all ours.

Qin Tao is also full of expectations when thinking about the future of electric vehicles.

"Report, someone from the International Atomic Energy Agency is here."

"Let's go and greet them." A leader said.

"Let them come in, we don't have time to greet them." Krasnopolsky said, "We didn't invite them here."

Krasnopolski is very active in the country and often attends various activities. However, he is very careful to never go abroad or participate in any international cooperation projects. In his eyes, Eastern technology is the most advanced. , there is no need to find others to cooperate. If others have needs, they can come to you.

"That's right, let them in." Qin Tao also spoke.

Charman walked in with someone. He first saw Krasnopolski and immediately greeted him: "Hey, brother, I heard that your nuclear fusion project is going well and is about to be ignited now. I On behalf of the International Atomic Energy Agency, congratulations!”

"Anything else besides congratulations?"

"Also, with the United States taking the lead and all countries responding actively, they jointly launch an international cooperation plan to promote the development of nuclear fusion. This will allow nuclear fusion to be commercialized as soon as possible, clean energy can be used around the world, and mankind will cope with it well. The worsening climate crisis." Charman continued: "Your technology in nuclear fusion is developing rapidly. If you can join this plan, you will definitely be able to make nuclear fusion practical more quickly."

"We're not interested." Qin Tao refused directly: "Our Mingzhou Group's technology is already the most advanced in the world, and we don't want our technology to be plagiarized by others."

"No, Mr. Qin, this is for the common dream of mankind."

"I know that we humans only have one earth, so we have invested heavily in developing nuclear fusion technology and even built an artificial sun here. We will definitely be the first to complete the research and benefit the entire human race. As for the Americans-led Plan? Not only will we not participate, we will also introduce relevant regulations to prevent our advanced technology from being plagiarized by some rogue countries.”

"Yes, we want to prevent the leakage of our high technology." Krasnopolski also said.

Charman's face turned dark.

"Excuse me, what are you doing here? If you are here to participate in our lighting ceremony, you are very welcome. If you are not interested in this, forget it."

"Participate, of course, we must participate, this is our daily work at the International Atomic Energy Organization."

"Okay, let's get started. Pay attention, prepare to start the equipment now!"

All kinds of noises started to sound, and even the lights overhead dimmed slightly.

"The inside of our experimental device is also in a vacuum state, so it needs to be evacuated. At the same time, our laser device needs to store energy in advance." Krasnopolski said: "Many of the systems are golden sun motors. The company helped develop it, such as energy storage devices, we use supercapacitor technology..."

Krasnopolski looked very relaxed, as if he was confident, but his slightly held hands still represented his inner excitement at this time.

In the early 1950s, old guys invented the tokamak device, which used magnetic fields to confine plasma and conduct nuclear fusion experiments. Since then, almost all nuclear fusion devices in the world are variations of the tokamak device.

However, Krasnopolski feels that the Tokmak device can perform nuclear fusion, but it also has many shortcomings. In particular, it has restricted the minds of many scientists. They only think about how to improve the Tokmak, but do not want to find another way.

The Tokmak device is likely to be a dead end. The nuclear fusion reactor that can be truly commercialized in the future should probably be laser-controlled!

Of course, using lasers to generate nuclear fusion was not Krasnopolski’s idea. As early as the 1960s, various nuclear physics experts noticed it. Wang Ganchang, a famous physicist of the motherland, proposed the idea of ​​laser nuclear fusion in 1964. Belongs to the forefront of the world.

In the 1970s, Dongfang also used a laser to drive a polydeuterated ethylene target and successfully produced a nuclear reaction. Senior Yu, who built the successful hydrogen bomb, also proposed the idea of ​​using a heavy metal shell to surround the cavity to form a cavity. After the laser is fired into the cavity, it can be driven by X-ray radiation to achieve laser nuclear fusion. In the 1980s, Dongfang also developed a laser nuclear fusion experimental device called Shenguang.

However, these are all experimental devices. What needs to be verified is that nuclear fusion can occur. What Krasnopolski and others have to do is to make the output power greater than the input power, so that nuclear fusion can truly enter the commercial field!

Now, the experiment is about to begin!

At this moment, everyone held their breath and looked at the huge display screen outside with expectation. Various data were being displayed on it. In the center, there was also a simulated composite image showing the scene inside.

"Each laser beam outputs 300 kilowatts of power, and there are a total of 192 laser devices inside." Max said on the side: "That is to say, every time it starts, there will be a power demand of 700 megawatts. If there is no energy storage device, it means that a power station is needed to supply it."

"In this case, it must output more than 700 megawatts of power to meet the requirement that the input is greater than the output." Qin Tao also became interested: "Does our fusion device have such a high power output?"

"Of course not." Max said: "The laser is not continuously working, it is only used for ignition." Max continued to introduce.

The most difficult part of nuclear fusion is how to make the atomic nuclei overcome repulsion and contact each other. The laser ignition method is to irradiate the target evenly from all directions. Under the strong energy input, the outside of the target pellet is ablated to form a high-temperature and high-pressure plasma. Under the pressure generated by the recoil of these gases, the target pellet will collapse rapidly and be compressed to an ultra-high density of several hundred grams per cubic centimeter. In this way, the local area will reach the ignition condition and then all the nuclear fuel will be burned.

"Ignition? In other words, the time is very short? One second?"

"Not even one nanosecond, it's at the level of picoseconds." Max is obviously very familiar with these technologies.

As long as the laser is irradiated, the target pellet will undergo a nuclear fusion reaction, and the rest will be ignored. The energy generated by the nuclear fusion reaction will cause other nuclear materials inside the target pellet to react, so that it can continue to burn for several seconds, so that the output energy is far greater than the input energy.

Although the input power is high, it is calculated in picoseconds, and even if the output power is not high, because it is calculated in seconds, it can also get enough energy output.

You can't calculate the power, you have to calculate the amount of work done.

"In this case, the coordination and synchronization of these lasers, and the simultaneous use of them, as well as the aiming at a capsule with a diameter of two millimeters, require sufficiently advanced control technology, right?"

"Yes, this technology is the key. Fortunately, we have an advanced computer system..." Max was interrupted by a voice when he reached this point.

"The preparations are ready!"

"Put in the target pellet!"

"Attention, prepare to start the laser and irradiate the target pellet together!"

At this moment, a gorgeous scene appeared on the screen, and in an instant, it was like a firecracker exploding.

"Neutrons are detected!"

The appearance of neutrons means that a nuclear reaction has occurred! After all, only heavy nuclei can spontaneously emit neutrons, which is called decay. Some of them have a half-life of millions of years, so they will continue to affect the surrounding environment, while light nuclei will not.

The emission of neutrons from light nuclei can only be light nuclear fusion, and the excess neutrons are released!

Success! At least it means that the ignition is successful!

At this moment, cheers broke out in the entire control room. The device had just been built, and the first trial run successfully carried out nuclear fusion ignition. It was so exciting!

Krasnopolsky did not cheer along. He kept looking at the screen, where various numbers were jumping. Fortunately, the Loongson computer had strong performance. Half a minute later, the data came out.

"Input energy 2.05 megajoules, output energy 3.15 megajoules, our nuclear fusion experiment has obtained positive energy!"

Only when the output energy is greater than the input energy does it mean that nuclear fusion has commercial prospects. After reaching this conclusion, Krasnopolsky finally cheered.

"Great, great!" Krasnopolsky said excitedly: "I knew that the tokamak device was unreliable, and laser nuclear fusion is the future!"

"Congratulations, this is the world's first positive energy nuclear fusion experiment!" Charman said: "On behalf of the International Atomic Energy Agency, I congratulate you. You have opened up a new era of nuclear fusion!"

Although unwelcome, Charman still did not forget his identity.

Qin Tao was still a little curious on the side. He did not dare to ask others, so he could only continue to communicate with Max.

"I'm curious, with such a small capsule, the reaction can't continue!"

192 beams of high-energy lasers bombarded a target with a diameter of only 2 mm, successfully achieving nuclear fusion, but how to use it commercially?

This target can't be too big, otherwise it will become a hydrogen bomb, but in this way the reaction can't continue.

"Just like an internal combustion engine." Max said: "Intermittent work."

This small capsule can be continuously sent into the three football field-sized machines, receiving laser irradiation, and each capsule reacts in turn, just like an internal combustion engine. Among the four strokes, only the power stroke outputs power, and the rest of the time consumes energy, but it can still output power.

This laser nuclear fusion device is to continuously load capsules and continuously ignite with lasers, so that energy can be output in a pulsed manner.

"Oh, so that's the case, then what? How to output energy?"

The energy output of nuclear fission is to heat the water in the form of heat and take the energy out. What about nuclear fusion? The inside must be evacuated, how to output energy?

"I don't know about that either. I'll consider it later. Let's first solve the ignition, positive energy, and sustained reaction of nuclear fusion."