Chapter 522 Boiling Water Is Too Wasteful

These days, Lu Zhou is basically in meetings.

Among them are the internal meetings of the Jinling Institute for Advanced Study, the meetings of the Star Simulator Research Institute, and the meetings held by cooperative units...

For how to realize a controllable fusion reactor, he already has a rough blueprint in his mind, but he alone cannot realize this blueprint.

As the person in charge and chief designer of this large-scale scientific research project, he must divide this huge subject into small parts, and then assign them to suitable candidates, and separate out those parts that are difficult to solve, and concentrate on solving them. Get rid of.

Just to give an example, such as "tritium recovery in plasma ash exhaust gas and deuterium-tritium fuel supply" and "tritium safety tolerance", we can know that the Chinese Academy of Sciences has conducted similar research by consulting the literature.

Therefore, there is no need for him to do these repetitive research tasks. It is only necessary for people or institutions engaged in research in this field to get enough project funds to continue in-depth research and find ways to apply it to the design of stellarators. just go up.

As for the more difficult subjects such as "first wall cladding materials", "neutron-resistant materials", "tritium extraction in the breeding cladding", "and tritium retention", etc., Lu Zhou left it to Jinling He personally led the team to overcome the Institute for Advanced Study.

The third day after the start of the project.

In the STAR Stellarator Research Institute, Lu Zhou met the working group sent by the Huaguo Nuclear Industry Construction Group.

The leader of the team is Academician Wang Zengguang, chief engineer of the Nuclear Industry Group. This veteran academician has worked in the nuclear industry for many years and has extensive experience in the design of fission reactors and nuclear power generating units.

Although the experience accumulated in fission reactors may not be fully applicable to fusion reactors, they are both nuclear power, and there are still similarities between the two sides.

For example, in the design of generator sets.

Regarding how to convert the thermal energy generated by the reactor into electrical energy, the old academician brought a design sketch.

Drawing on the design ideas of high-temperature gas-cooled reactors, this set of devices can also be used for nuclear fusion power generation.

However, after briefly looking at the sketch, Lu Zhou put it down.

"It's rare to make such an advanced technology. It would be too wasteful to continue boiling water."

Academician Wang: "But you cannot deny that boiling water is still the most efficient way."

Lu Zhou shook his head: "Not necessarily."

Academician Wang did not speak, but waited for Lu Zhou to continue.

However, Lu Zhou didn't explain anything, just took a piece of A4 paper and spread it out on the table, then picked up a ballpoint pen, and drew a sketch on it.

As the engineering level reached LV4, after a period of adaptation, he finally gradually realized the ability improvement effect brought by the engineering level.

If the level of mathematics strengthens the learning of mathematical knowledge, the sensitivity to numbers, and the ability to calculate, then the level of engineering not only improves the absorption of engineering knowledge, but also further strengthens the concrete abstract concepts into language, The ability to describe with graphics, numbers, etc. tools.

Just like now.

Although he has not professionally trained the ability of drawing, but has only read related books, the muscles of his arms seem to have memorized these movements, even if he strokes casually, it is like a ruler As standard as the picture.

Seeing Lu Zhou's drawing action, Academician Wang squinted his eyes, and a look of surprise flashed in his pupils.

"Have you ever studied mechanical drawing?"

"No," Lu Zhou said with a faint smile, "Maybe it's because when studying geometry problems, he draws a lot of pictures."

Hearing this explanation, Academician Wang looked disbelieving.

Although he has never studied mathematics, even if he thinks about it with his feet, he knows that drawing in engineering is not the same thing as drawing in mathematics.

With such skillful strokes, it is impossible to do it without three to five years of experience.

Whether Academician Wang believes it or not, there is no need for Lu Zhou to make any explanations on such insignificant matters, and just focus on the work at hand wholeheartedly.

First, the outline of the stellarator is simply outlined with lines, and then the structure of the generator set is simply outlined on this basis.

Staring at the more and more clear lines on the picture, Academician Wang gradually saw some ways, and raised his eyebrows with interest.

"Magnetofluid power generation?"

"That's right," Lu Zhou stopped the pen in his hand, looked at the sketch, and nodded with satisfaction, "I can only draw this level at my level, and the specific design still needs to be troublesome." You experts."

Like controllable fusion technology, magnetic fluid power generation technology is not a particularly new concept, and it can even be said to have a long history.

Even judging from the timeline, this concept was first proposed together with "Gas-Steam Turbine Combined Cycle Technology (GTCC)".

In the 1980s, magnetic fluid power generation technology was even included as a key project of the 863 plan, and in terms of importance, it was placed in a parallel position with nuclear fission power generation technology.

Considering that the full name of the 863 Project is "Proposals on Tracking the World's Strategic High-tech Development", the tracked projects were basically hot research directions in the international academic circles at that time. It is not difficult to see that in the international academic circles at that time, magnetic Fluid power generation technology can be said to be a hot topic.

However, as the second half of the twentieth century entered, the situation changed.

Aerospace and the arms race have led to rapid development of engine technology and gas application technology. GTCC technology has learned a lot from it and learned a lot of experience, and finally realized the counterattack of overtaking on curves.

In contrast, although ferrofluid technology has seemingly more attractive prospects, it is difficult to realize due to technical reasons, economic benefits cannot keep up with market demand, and it has not been able to produce decent results for decades, so that it is gradually being used. Abandoned by the mainstream of academia and industry.

Staring at this sketch, Academician Wang shook his head: "With all due respect, the magnetic fluid power generation technology is not yet perfect, and it may not be a suitable choice to use it for power generation. The nuclear fission reactors in the world today are mainly pressurized water reactors. , I have never heard of any nuclear power plant that uses magnetic fluid power generation technology to output electricity."

As if he expected Academician Wang to say that, Lu Zhou smiled and continued

"That's true for fission, but not so much for fusion."

"Oh?" An unexpected expression appeared on Academician Wang's face, and he turned his questioning gaze to Lu Zhou, "What do you say?"

Lu Zhou: "The difficulty of magnetic fluid power generation technology is nothing more than the part of gas ionization. Normally, it is difficult to heat the gas to a high temperature of 2000 degrees and form a plasma beam, and even if it is done, this process is very likely. Accompanied by a large amount of heat energy loss, it is difficult to achieve a cycle efficiency of more than 20% for magnetic fluid power generation technology...Am I right?"

Academician Wang nodded and agreed: "Basically it is like this."

Although other problems also exist, this is undoubtedly the most important.

Magnetic fluid generators are not unavailable, and many laboratories can make them, both coal-fired and oil-fired, but almost no one can achieve an energy conversion efficiency of more than 20%.

But if it's nuclear fusion...

"If it's nuclear fusion, we don't have this problem at all." Seeing Academician Wang's questioning expression, Lu Zhou smiled and continued, "After all, the nuclear waste produced by DT fusion itself is helium with hundreds of millions of degrees. .”

Hearing this, Academician Wang's expression was slightly moved, and he immediately looked at the sketch again, and quickly reacted.

As we all know, the principle of magnetic fluid power generation is to heat the easily ionized gas to a high temperature of 2000 degrees, ionize it into a conductive plasma beam, and make it flow in a high-speed magnetic field, cutting the magnetic field lines to generate an induced electromotive force.

And the helium gas generated by the "D+T" fusion reaction in the stellarator itself exists in the form of plasma with a temperature of more than 100 million degrees!

In other words, they don't need to spend more energy heating the ionized gas, they just need to use these plasmas that carry a huge amount of energy!

Although this technology is useless for coal, fuel or even nuclear fission power generation, it is almost tailor-made for nuclear fusion power generation!

Rather, it would be a waste to use those high-temperature plasmas to boil water.

Thinking of this, academician Wang, who was staring at the sketch, gradually showed excitement in his eyes.

Looking up at Lu Zhou again, he said in a cautious tone.

"What you said makes sense... It seems to be possible in theory, but now I can't give you an accurate answer. I need to go back and discuss it with other experts in the group."

Then, he looked at the sketch again.

"Can I take this sketch back with me?"

"Of course," Lu Zhou nodded happily, "I'm looking forward to your good news."