Chapter 549

early october.

The gate of the base is a bit lively.

Next to the construction site, several heavy trucks were parked there, and with the assistance of construction workers and lifting equipment on site, they carefully completed the unloading work.

Standing next to Lu Zhou, looking at the heavy equipment transported into the base, Xiao Le said with some emotion.

"This thing was originally sold to ITER, but they probably won't buy it now."

The device placed in front of the two of them was the legendary ICRF heating antenna.

This device consists of four parts: transmitter, transmission line, impedance matcher, and the most critical heating antenna. The RF output energy can reach 3MW level, and the adjustable frequency range is between 30-110MHZ.

As one of the key components of the fusion device, this thing can be said to be the second largest black technology of the Luyang Institute of Matter besides the fully superconducting D-shaped cross-section design.

In addition to being purchased by General Atomic Energy, this equipment worth hundreds of millions has also received an order for the ITER demonstration reactor project.

But now it seems that Europeans probably won't buy it.

After a pause, Xiao Le continued: "This equipment was originally planned to be disassembled and shipped to France, but our cooperation with them has been interrupted. With this device, we can quickly dismantle the plasma inside the reactor. Heating to more than 100 million degrees, it can be said that this is one of the most advanced plasma heating technologies in the world!"

Lu Zhou nodded and looked at the device with interest.

Although the name is ICRF heating antenna, compared to the antenna antenna in his understanding, no matter how you look at it, it looks more like an air conditioner magnified dozens of times.

The steel support under the whole device is not much different in shape from the steel support under the air conditioner. The protective limiter and current belt protruding forward in the whole device are like the combination of the filter screen and fan blades of the air conditioner.

Further back is the tubular vacuum transfer line, hydraulic drive, and critical vacuum feed.

During the experiment, the protective limiter as the "air-conditioning fan blade" is located at the front end of the ICRF heating antenna, together with the current band next to it constitutes the plasma heating component and the "Faraday shielding box", while heating the plasma Insulates the plasma from the current band while preventing electrostatic fields from coupling into the plasma.

Since it directly faces the plasma in the vacuum chamber, 43 cooling pipes with an outer diameter of 10mm are welded on it.

Although the whole device looks complicated and huge, and lacks some sci-fi aesthetics, there is no redundant design on the whole device, and even every welding joint has been carefully designed.

Therefore, it is not an easy task to change these designs.

At this time, an old engineer in a gray coat with a safety helmet in his hand came over, looked at Lu Zhou and said with a smile.

"How is it? Does this thing look okay?"

Hearing this sentence, Lu Zhou smiled and said, "It seems quite reliable, but I hope it can run normally on the stellarator."

The old engineer waved his hand: "Don't worry, even if it doesn't work now, I promise to make it work."

The old gentleman standing in front of Lu Zhou is Li Jiangang, an academician of the Huaguo Academy of Engineering, and also the vice president of the University of Science and Technology and the vice president of the Institute of Material Science of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

Although the old man studied ship power as an undergraduate, he finally became a monk and studied plasma physics for some reason. Later, catching up with the tide of major scientific projects during the Ninth Five-Year Plan, the research on controllable fusion has been paid more and more attention in China. His academic career can be regarded as progressing steadily along with the development of history, and he has achieved the position of vice president. Later, he was rated as an academician.

Before Huaguo withdrew from the ITER group, he was still a member of the Huaguo Expert Committee. ICRF heating antenna technology can be widely recognized internationally, and his credit is also indispensable.

As for now, Hua Guo has withdrawn from ITER, and his identity has become an advisor to the National Fusion Energy Program Implementation Center. At the same time, he is responsible for coordinating the work of the Luyang Institute of Material Science in the demonstration reactor project—that is, the entire demonstration reactor. Heating parts.

Xiao Le, who is standing next to Lu Zhou at the moment, is his student, and it was he who recommended him.

Lu Zhou still believed in the guarantee of this big cow.

"Then I will trouble you, and I will simply say a few requirements."

Professor Li took out the notebook he carried with him, and he didn't talk nonsense.

"you say."

Lu Zhou nodded, recalled the project details that had been discussed in previous meetings for a while, and said.

"Corresponding to several different positions of the plasma in the stellarator discharge experiment, the heating antenna needs to be able to move along the radial direction, the moving range is between minus 150mm and plus 150mm, and the adjustment accuracy is one millimeter. It can be done ?"

Professor Li said without thinking, "This is not a big problem."

Lu Zhou nodded and continued.

"The characteristic impedance of the vacuum feeder of the antenna, the transmission line and other components should meet the design requirements of 50Ω, and the allowable voltage of the inner and outer conductors should be 45KV."

"Both the current band and the Faraday shield need to design an independent cooling circuit, and its cooling capacity must be able to withstand the thermal load of the MW/m level."

"Also, while considering the assembly and maintainability of the antenna, the welding parts should be minimized, and it is required to ensure that the total leakage rate of the antenna is less than 10^-10Pa·m^3/s."

"..."

It was okay at the beginning, Academician Li's expression was still relaxed, but when he heard Lu Zhou talking like a cannonball, his face gradually lost that relaxed smile, and he only felt his scalp numb for a while.

Then he said a dozen requests in bits and pieces. Feeling a little thirsty, Lu Zhou took a sip of mineral water from Wang Peng's hand, threw the plastic bottle back, and added more One sentence.

"...The basic situation is like this. I may speak a little too fast, and I will send you more specific requirements by email when the outline of the meeting tonight is made."

Hearing the last sentence, Li Jiangang stopped the pen in his hand.

Staring at the notebook in his hand for a while, his brows were also wrinkled for a while, and finally a forced smile appeared on his face.

"...You will really give us a problem. The ITER project bidding conference in Europe is not as much as you."

Hearing this sentence, Lu Zhou smiled lightly and said: "After all, it is the first reactor. A good demonstration can only be achieved after a good start. I want to make it as perfect as possible."

Although the system does not stipulate specific "acceptance criteria" for the DEMO demonstration reactor, there is no doubt that the task rewards are directly proportional to the results. The more awesome the demonstration pile is, the higher the mission reward will naturally be.

What's more, from a practical point of view, the stronger the performance of the demonstration reactor, the less resistance encountered in the technology promotion stage. From the perspective of a researcher, he also hopes that his research can be recognized by the country and the world.

After closing the notebook, Academician Li said, "Okay, when the matter here is finished tomorrow, I will go back to the institute and hold a meeting to study it, and I will give you the results in two days."

Lu Zhou nodded: "Well, please."

...

The last work has been arranged, and the work at the STAR-2 demonstration reactor base has basically been on the right track step by step. Both the project site and the research institute are in full swing.

The demonstration reactor is like a torch, illuminating the future of the entire nuclear fusion research in China.

Even without impassioned pep talks, everyone who works here has a strong sense of purpose.

They are doing a great job.

Their research has gone ahead of the world.

So far, under the leadership of the project leader, they have achieved countless phased results, won countless victories, and proved themselves countless times.

Moreover, everyone has no doubt that as long as there is chief designer Lu, they will continue to win until they cross the final finish line.

In such a work environment, it is difficult to generate negative emotions.

It can be said that even the chefs in the cafeteria are working with enthusiasm.

If the situation is optimistic, all components can be completed by the end of the year.

As for whether it is before New Year's Day or the Spring Festival, it depends on luck.

For Lu Zhou himself, there are only two things that need him to solve now.

One thing is to go back to the STAR Stellarator Research Institute on Zijin Mountain, and use the STAR experimental reactor device to complete the final design of the liquid lithium neutron recovery system as soon as possible.

Others are so powerful, and I can't hold back.

As the core component of the entire nuclear fusion reactor, it can be said that the design of this part directly determines the success or failure of the STAR-2 demonstration reactor project. If this part is completed, after "plasma control technology", "tritium retention", the second biggest difficulty in controllable fusion, will also be overcome by him.

At the same time, this is the last difficulty.

As for what unit to use to generate electricity, what device to use to generate heat, and the installation of "insurance" under the reactor... These structures only determine whether the fruit of victory can be more perfect.

As for the other thing, it is to solve the problem of supercomputing algorithm.

At present, the plasma control of the STAR experimental reactor is completed with the assistance of Xiaoai.

When the demonstration reactor is completed, he can't get Xiaoai to the main control computer of the demonstration reactor, right?

After all, no matter from which point of view, Xiao Ai is not suitable to show his face in front of people, at least not right now.

Ideally, the algorithms associated with the plasma control scheme should be separated from its main program.

If the above two problems are solved, the assembly of all "puzzles" is completed.

The completion of the demonstration reactor is just around the corner.

Thinking of this, Lu Zhou couldn't help feeling a little hot in his heart.

Countless days and nights of hard work.

Finally, the day he had been waiting for came.