Great Power Heavy Industry: Rise

Chapter 103 Controlled Nuclear Fusion

Sure enough, Dean Ye called Zhong Cheng to the living room, and Aunt Zhao and Ye Wenxin were also by his side.

Dean Ye said that their mother and daughter are both scientific researchers with first-level authority in the Academy of Science and Technology, so he doesn't need to avoid them when talking with Zhong Cheng.

Zhong Cheng was very curious about what Aunt Zhao was researching.

Ye Wenxin proudly introduced that her mother studies controllable nuclear fusion technology and has already been awarded the title of academician. Her father studies rocket engines. Although he is the dean of the Academy of Science and Technology, he is still engaged in research work.

Zhong Cheng was in awe, these are the pillars of the country!

Aunt Zhao pampered Ye Wenxin's head and told her to sit down obediently and not disturb his father's conversation with Zhong Cheng.

Ye Wenxin stuck out her tongue, leaned against Aunt Zhao's arms and stopped talking.

Zhong Cheng thought to himself, it turns out that Ye Wenxin still has a good girl side!

Dean Ye then asked about Zhong Cheng and Zhu Rong's electric push. It turned out that he was interested in ion engines.

It is no wonder that ion engines are more suitable for use in space vehicles, and they are an engine that is an era ahead of the current rocket engines that use chemical fuels.

Zhong Cheng introduced the design principle and performance of Zhurong Electric Push in detail, and Dean Ye asked some technical details.

In the end, Dean Ye sighed, if Zhu Rong's electric push is applied to the aerospace field, it will definitely bring Huaxia's aerospace technology to a higher level.

But at present, it can only be used on satellites in the blue star synchronous orbit, which can be used to accelerate orbital adjustment and attitude adjustment, and can even be used for deep space navigation in the solar system.

But it is far from enough to be applied to launch vehicles. Accelerating things weighing tens of tons and hundreds of tons to the first cosmic speed (7.9 kilometers per second) in near-Earth space, Zhurong electric push is not only insufficient in driving force, but also in power. It is also far from keeping up.

(PS: When the spacecraft reaches the first cosmic speed, it can balance with the gravity of the earth and orbit the earth without falling.)
Zhong Cheng's heart moved, he glanced at Aunt Zhao, and said, "Unless a nuclear fusion reactor is used to provide electricity."

Ye Wenxin gave Zhong Cheng a white look, "If you can use a nuclear fusion reactor to generate electricity, you can directly make a nuclear fusion engine, and what's the matter with your Zhurong electric pusher?"

"It's true, the nuclear fusion reaction itself will produce a large number of high-temperature charged ions, and the direct injection or the injection of the medium after heating the medium can generate a huge and long-lasting driving force."

Zhong Cheng didn't take it seriously, but quickly thought about Ye Wenxin's words.

"Hahaha!" Dean Ye and his wife both laughed.

Zhong Cheng looked at Aunt Zhao in surprise, did I say something wrong?
Aunt Zhao said slowly: "You are right, but the controllable nuclear fusion is still in the laboratory, and there is still a long way to go before the real application."

"It means there will always be only 50 years!" Marven Ye made a joke.

Dean Ye glared at Ye Wenxin and said:

"The current difficulty of controllable nuclear fusion is a little analogy. It's like striking a match, and the energy is gone, while the coal ball can continue to burn. What we have to do is to find a way to ignite the fusion 'coal ball', but with such a large It is not easy to maintain something with a capacity of hundreds of millions of degrees Celsius."

Aunt Zhao said with a smile: "Currently, my country's controllable nuclear fusion technology has been at the forefront of the world. The super-tokamak device I am in charge of has achieved repeatable plasma operation at 1.2 million degrees Celsius for 80 seconds. It only needs to reach 1000 seconds. Let the reactants continue to carry out the nuclear fusion reaction, and the 'briquettes' are considered to be ignited, and the nuclear fusion reactor may be put into practical application."

"How many years will it take to go from 80 seconds to 1000 seconds?"

Ye Wenxin sighed, she was feeling sorry for her mother, maybe her mother would never see that day.

"Scientific research is like this. It is completed by the accumulation of generations, unless there are a few more geniuses!"

Aunt Zhao glanced at Ye Wenxin and Zhong Cheng with hopeful eyes. In the frontier field of science, it is not that the older and more experienced, the better the advantage. It often requires young people's unconstrained ideas and ignorance of the sky and the earth.

Zhong Cheng didn't express his opinion. It's best not to talk nonsense without research in this professional field.

He can only hope that Aunt Zhao and the others can succeed as soon as possible and completely solve China's energy problem, which can also be said to be the energy problem of human beings.

Deuterium used as a raw material for nuclear fusion is abundant in the earth's seawater, as many as 40 trillion tons. If all of it is used for fusion reactions, the energy released will be enough for humans to use for tens of billions of years, and the reaction product is helium without radioactive pollution. .

In addition, since nuclear fusion requires extremely high temperatures, once a problem occurs in a certain link and the temperature of the fuel drops, the fusion reaction will automatically stop.

In other words, the fusion reactor is a subcritical reactor, and an accident similar to the Chernobyl nuclear power plant will never occur, and it is safe.

Therefore, fusion energy is an infinite, clean and safe new energy source, and it is the most needed energy supply method for human beings at present.

Then, Dean Ye continued to discuss with Zhong Cheng the improvement ideas of Zhurong Electric Push, and Dean Ye believed that the focus should be on the improvement of calcium intercalated graphene materials.

It is best to develop a pure graphene superconducting material, which will greatly improve the power conversion of Zhurong Electric Push, and will also reduce the harsh environmental requirements for the UAV body.

Zhong Cheng agrees very much. After a lot of tests on Kuafu power batteries last year, he already has a certain idea of ​​making pure graphene materials.

He outlined his ideas, which aroused the great interest of the three members of the Ye family, especially Ye Wenxin, who herself has a research project on graphene materials.

The three members of the Ye family have deep research and high attainments in material science, and their opinions have brought some new ideas to Zhong Cheng.

Well worth it!
The conversation at Ye's house lasted until the end of the Spring Festival Gala at night, when Ye Wenxin interrupted her. She asked her parents to go to bed early, saying that she was entrusted by the state with the important task of supervising their parents' rest time.

Dean Ye told Zhong Cheng that the couple had to pay New Year's greetings to colleagues in the Academy of Science and Technology tomorrow, so they couldn't accompany him, and asked Ye Wenxin to accompany him to the capital for a good stroll.

The next day, New Year's Day.

After Zhong Cheng called his parents and colleagues to celebrate the New Year's Eve, he had breakfast with the three of Ye's family, and Dean Ye and his wife went out in a special car.

Ye Wenxin looked at Zhong Cheng and asked, "Zhong Cheng, where do you want to go to play today, I will accompany you to the end!"

Zhong Cheng thought for a while, and felt that there was nothing to play, "How about we discuss quantum mechanics?"

He has always been obsessed with quantum computers, and this time he happened to ask Marven Ye for advice.

Three black lines floated up on Marven Ye's forehead, "Would you like to discuss the theory of relativity again, and study the grand unified theory?"

"Maybe there is not enough time, just tell me about the latest research progress of the current quantum mechanics theory!"

If there is time, Zhong Cheng is willing to discuss the theory of relativity and the grand unified theory, but how can one day be enough?

Ye Wenxin had no choice but to find that Zhong Cheng was serious, "Okay then, let's go to the small garden to chat, the air will be better."

There was a gazebo in the small garden of the Ye family villa, and there were two wicker chairs and a tea table in the gazebo. Ye Wenxin made a pot of tea and a plate of snacks, and the two sat down on the wicker chairs.

Ye Wenxin put on a military overcoat, but Zhong Cheng said he didn't need it.

Ye Wenxin suddenly felt that it would be a pleasure to chat quietly with Zhong Cheng about her research work.

Not everyone is willing to talk about quantum mechanics during Chinese New Year!

(End of this chapter)