Chapter 70 Huge Uranium Mine

In the blink of an eye, two months have passed...

On November 17th of the new human calendar, the first batch of virus vaccines were finally successfully developed, marking mankind's complete victory over the Martian virus!

Scientists have discovered that some inactivated viruses can produce a small amount of immunity in people after being specially treated. For prepared humans, a small amount of immunity is enough.

Biological scientists are still very interested in these Martian life. They believe that these Martian microorganisms are organisms between viruses and bacteria, which refresh people's view of life and bring new scientific ideas. Their research continues.

Of course, others have not been idle during this time. The new human government has begun to formulate various plans, and various groups of geological exploration are still in progress.

Good news comes one after another. People have not only discovered super-large uranium mines at the North Pole of Mars, but also important resources such as iron ore, aluminum ore, copper ore, and titanium ore. These are all open-pit mineral sources and are very convenient to mine.

I have to say, Mars is really a fertile planet, and humans are in the right place!

"Did you know that the official report of the geological survey has finally come out. The reserves of that super-large uranium mine have even reached 1.06 million tons! And the quality is excellent, basically 0.5%-1% rich ore, and the highest uranium content is even Above 2%.”

Several scientists were sitting together to discuss, exclaiming from time to time. They were impressed by the richness of Mars.

"This time, there is really a big move! All that is needed is the government's overall plan."

There was a kind of fanatical excitement in the eyes of many people, and their hearts began to stir.

This is the extreme yearning for powerful industry. After experiencing several crises, everyone is eager to hope that the entire civilization can become stronger and more prosperous.

"I heard that the new government is building large-scale nuclear power units in batches. As long as the nuclear power units are built, everything can start."

"Yes, electric energy is very critical. This time, the nuclear power generation capacity must be increased to 30 million kilowatts, which is three times the previous amount!"

30 million kilowatts, this kind of electricity consumption is already comparable to the entire city of SH, which is a big city with a population of tens of millions!

When talking about this, the scientists couldn't help but feel a little emotional and a little proud. They also participated in the formulation of these big plans.

Such ambitions are not only Yu Yifeng's, but also theirs, and even the entire new human civilization!

Although there are only 50,000 people on board Noah, the electricity consumption is very huge because it is necessary to maintain the entire spacecraft's industrial system and ecosystem.

When the lunar base was first established, it was designed to be partially self-sufficient, and many daily necessities could be produced on its own.

For example, things like plastic are synthesized from inorganic materials such as methane. Paper, facial tissue, etc. are basically made of special plastics and feel similar to real paper.

When these items are used up, they can be sorted, recycled, and reused.

The industrial factories on the moon have basically been moved to Noah. These basic industries, plus the various necessary life-support systems on the Noah, usually have a power of about 2 to 4 million kilowatts (not counting heavy industry).

In the original power system, the maximum power was about 11 million kilowatts, and nuclear power accounted for 70-80%, which can be said to be completely sufficient.

But now, the new government wants to expand production, so such power load is a bit embarrassing. In particular, the smelting of various metals and the production of various mechanical equipment require a large amount of electrical energy. The original power load of 11 million kilowatts is not enough, and nuclear power plants must be expanded...

Leaving aside this point, because of the emergence of the Mars virus and the discovery of ultra-large uranium mines and large metal mineral deposits, many plans need to be re-formulated, and the contents are very complicated...

Noah, captain's quarters.

At this moment, Yu Yifeng was checking a report, which was a detailed geological report within 100,000 square kilometers of the North Pole of Mars. After two months, it was finally completed!

Various mineral resources are written on it. This rich planet that has never been developed is really very attractive.

"1.06 million tons of uranium reserves? Is there any mistake?" Seeing this number, Yu Yifeng's eyebrows jumped and he asked with some confusion.

According to experience on earth, tens of thousands of tons of uranium ore is considered good, but a sudden increase of 1.06 million tons is too amazing, right?

"Of course, Mr. Yu, we have confirmed it many times! In fact, we can't believe it... But in fact, this is still a conservative estimate, it will only be more, not less!"

The person who answered him was a young geologist named Dimo, who was originally an Indian and is now a member of the new human race.

Dimo said in an enthusiastic tone: "We suspect that this large uranium deposit is caused by the unique geological movement of Mars... In Australia on Earth, although there are such rich uranium resource reserves, the abundance is far less than This huge mine can be said to be worth a country!”

"If all these uranium ores are mined, we can obtain 1.06 million tons of uranium! Calculated at a ratio of 7.2 parts per thousand, we can obtain 7,600 tons of uranium-235!"

"7,600 tons, what is this, Mr. Yu, you need to know! It's enough for us to use for hundreds of years! Hundreds of years!"

Dimo's eyes were red, and he shouted wildly. He was very excited, as if they would run away if he didn't go to mine...

A geologist actually wanted to go mining, can you believe it?

Yu Yifeng smiled bitterly. These scientists only focus on their own fields. Once they get crazy, they don't care about anything.

And during this period, this kind of fanaticism has a tendency to spread more and more, even among ordinary people...

"This should be a kind of passion, it should be a good thing..."

Yu Yifeng did not hesitate, and immediately picked up a pen to calculate. This high school level physics problem is not too difficult.

Uranium, atomic number 92, element symbol U, is the main material for nuclear fission. It can be mainly used to generate electricity and make atomic bombs.

Uranium-238 is difficult for humans to use. Its content is greater than 99.2%. The truly useful one is uranium-235, which only accounts for 7.2 per thousand of the total.

When a uranium nucleus fissions, it releases an average of 200MeV of nuclear energy. For a nuclear power plant with a generating capacity of 30 million kW, assuming that the power conversion rate is 40%, then... only 79.05 kg of uranium-235 is needed as nuclear fuel every day.

Only 79.05 kg of nuclear fuel is needed every day!

In other words, Noah only needs about 29 tons of uranium-235 a year to meet its power needs.

7,600 tons of uranium-235 is enough for humans to use for 262 years!

More than two hundred years, such a long time, Yu Yifeng couldn't help but sigh at the power of nuclear energy.

If humans can develop a more advanced "fast neutron breeder reactor", then the million-ton uranium-238 that occupies the vast majority of the total amount can also be used, and humans will not need to worry about energy for thousands or even tens of thousands of years.

Calculating this, Yu Yifeng's heart began to heat up, and he stood up and said: "Mr. Dimo, don't worry! The development of uranium resources will definitely be the top priority!"

After finally sending Dimo ​​away, Yu Yifeng jumped excitedly. The new humans don't need to worry about energy! What a great thing this is.

On Earth, people's main energy source is still fossil energy. Other sources include solar energy, nuclear energy, wind energy, hydropower, and many other types. But on Mars, where can we get oil and coal? The only thing we can rely on is nuclear energy. Solar energy only accounts for a small amount.

Although people have brought a lot of uranium from the moon, the total amount is not large. Even if we save money, it will only be enough for more than ten years. If the nuclear power plant is fully powered, it will be used up in three or four years.

This sense of crisis has always existed in people's hearts. It's just that people have faced too many crises in recent times, and this future energy crisis is not very urgent, but has faded.

But it still exists. If it is not dealt with, it will become more and more dangerous.

Now, humans have directly obtained more than two hundred years of energy share. This feeling is like a person who is about to die of heat in summer suddenly gets a popsicle... No, it's a popsicle from an ice storage, which is so cool!

Yu Yifeng finally understood why these people were so fanatical. Facing this great gift, it's really hard not to dig it.