"Countdown starts ......"

“10…… 8…… 0…… Initiate! ”

Hydrogen is injected into the prototype's six Levi's rings.

However, there is a difference in the injection time.

In the first Levi's ring to be injected with hydrogen, the magnetic field quickly binds the hydrogen, and in an instant, one by one tail field devices are activated, and the hydrogen is rapidly accelerated, and then passes through the gamma-ray plasma heating device.

The heating limit of 1.27 billion degrees Celsius splits hydrogen molecules into hydrogen ions in an instant, and they are extremely hot hydrogen ions.

Hot and fast hydrogen ions, rapidly approaching sub-light speeds.

In less than 36 seconds, the temperature and velocity of hydrogen ions in the Levi's ring reached a critical point.

The next second.

The hydrogen ion fluid begins to undergo a fusion reaction, which is very intense and rapid, and the amount of hydrogen injected has been calculated, just enough to keep the fusion stage at a manageable level, and there will be no fusion reaction to destroy the device.

As the chain reaction of nuclear fusion begins inside the Levi's ring, the heat energy inside the ring-shaped pipe soars, and some high-energy neutrons are sprayed in all directions.

At this time, the neutron absorbing layer wrapped inside the pipeline begins to receive these high-energy neutrons, which are nano-absorber layers composed of lithium-carbon materials, which are only 12 centimeters thick, but they contain layers of graphene, and a layer of lithium nanofilms is sandwiched between the two layers of graphene.

High-energy neutrons cannot break through this neutron absorbing layer, and these high-energy neutrons ejected by nuclear fusion will convert some of the carbon and lithium into radioactive isotopes.

Therefore, the lithium-carbon neutron absorber layer has a service life and can usually only be used for about 75 days before it must be replaced.

This is not a problem on Earth, but on a spacecraft, it is necessary to think about the issue of replacement, as well as the replenishment of lithium-carbon materials.

As for how to replenish lithium-carbon materials, Carr's team has created a set of secondary recycling technologies for nuclear reaction products.

The principle is very simple, during the multiple nuclear fusion reaction of the Levi's ring, lithium and carbon are produced separately at different stages, so this part of the lithium and carbon can be recovered.

The recovery system is in the spiral magnetic field device.

Three minutes later, all six Levi's rings completed the nuclear fusion cycle, and the temperature inside the Levi's rings was rigidly controlled at 1.27 billion degrees Celsius through a gold-based thermoelectric conversion system.

A large amount of thermal energy is converted into electrical energy, part of which is used for the system's magnetic field, tail field, plasma maintenance, and part of it is converted into power.

This is the function of the compound spiral magnetic field device.

The auxiliary system continuously injects a variety of material powders into one of the open spirochets, which are rapidly ionized into plasma, along with magnetic and tail field acceleration.

The plasma is accelerated to 25%~30% of the speed of light.

The barrier ceramic wall set up behind the prototype, 1,000 meters from the prototype's vent, still emitted dense sparks, and the surface temperature spiked wildly.

Apparently this is a high-heat, high-velocity plasma ejected from the engine nozzle, acting on the barrier wall.

In less than 10 minutes, the surface temperature of the first barrier wall has exceeded 5,000 degrees Celsius, and with the impact of a large number of high-energy plasma, even the high-temperature resistant ceramic material has begun to melt.

Inside the control room of the test platform.

Mikoyan glanced at the power data, the power of this engine is very amazing, those high-energy plasma that is ejected brings a very strong reaction force to the engine itself.

And these reaction forces are the driving force that propels the spacecraft forward.

Mikoyan was very happy: "Karl, it seems that you have succeeded. ”

However, Karl didn't open the champagne at half time, he shook his head with a smile: "I haven't spent 24 hours yet, it's hard to say yet." ”

Mikoyan, however, believes that this prototype has been successful, after all, this is the first one, and even if it does not last for 24 hours, it can continue to be improved in the future.

He touched the stubble on his chin: "This power is too strong, if it is installed on the Qinglong-class space battleship, the speed is estimated to soar to 6,000 kilometers per second." ”

"2% speed of light is no problem." Karl was very clear about the upper limit of this engine.

According to the combination of nuclear fusion power and sub-light plasma engine, the theoretical upper limit of the speed of this system can reach 5% of the speed of light, and there is no way to go higher.

At this point, reaching 2% of the speed of light is not too difficult.

"Report, can be recycled and recycled......"

Karl hurriedly ordered: "Start recycling immediately." ”

At this time, among the six Levi's rings of the prototype, the Levi's ring, which first began to inject nuclear fuel, has reacted to the lithium stage.

Therefore, the system starts to automatically turn on the magnetic field communication device, and after the magnetic field is adjusted, the lithium element that turns into plasma is quickly sucked into another closed spiral magnetic field device.

The high-temperature and high-speed spiral magnetic field that enters the spiral magnetic field is quickly sucked off by the gold-based thermoelectric system, and then sucked into the recovery device by the electric field.

In this way, spacecraft can produce lithium carbon from hydrogen and helium through a steady stream of nuclear fusion reactions.

Although the lithium-carbon element produced in this way also has some radioactive isotopes, the two can be separated.

This system is not very useful for spacecraft operating in the inner solar system.

But for the spacecraft flying in interstellar space, this system is indeed crucial, because it ensures that the spacecraft itself can obtain a continuous supply of lithium carbon to maintain the neutron absorption layer of the fusion power generation system.

As for why the neutron absorber layer does not use other elements, but uses lithium-carbon nanomaterials?

The reason is very simple, it is not that other elements cannot make neutron absorbing layers, but that other elements cannot be artificially made.

For example, tungsten and platinum can also be used as raw materials for neutron absorption layers, but the problem is that tungsten and platinum are rare elements, and the content in interstellar space is very small, and it is difficult to obtain supplies by collecting stardust and asteroids.

This is not the case with lithium carbon, which can be produced through controlled nuclear fusion, and its raw material is hydrogen, helium, beryllium, and boron, which can be produced in a continuous stream as long as hydrogen is present.

That's why Carr's team chose lithium-carbon as the neutron absorbing layer material.

Hydrogen is the most readily available raw material in interstellar space.

It's perfectly possible to install a stardust collection pot on the head of the ship, or look for watery asteroids along the way.

In this way, the spacecraft can obtain a large amount of hydrogen, and through hydrogen nuclear fusion, helium, lithium, beryllium, boron, and carbon can be obtained.

Therefore, many consumables inside the future transplanetary spacecraft should be helium, lithium, beryllium, boron, and carbon.

Thank you for your support (ω'), ask for subscriptions, collections, monthly passes and recommended tickets. There's another chapter, around half past nine.