As the person in charge of a super project such as controlled nuclear fusion, Xu Chuan still has to make at least two preparations when considering some key issues.

For the actual control test of the plasma turbulence numerical control model, he also considered different situations.

If the EAST device in Luyang can be successfully applied, it will be the best.

After all, the EAST device is perfect and can complete the entire testing process to the greatest extent.

If Luyang's side refuses, then at least some other methods are needed.

Of course, relatively speaking, it is definitely not as perfect as using the EAST device on the Luyang side, and the time will be delayed.

On the sofa, hearing Xu Chuan say this, Peng Hongxi sat up straight: "What do you think?" ”

Xu Chuan smiled and said, "There are a few ideas, but I don't know which one is more suitable." ”

On the side, Gao Hongming asked: "Academician Xu, you said that if we can help something, we will definitely do our best." ”

Xu Chuan thought for a while, organized the language, and then said: "The first method is still to borrow a controllable nuclear fusion reactor to complete the experiment, which is the fastest way." ”

Hearing this, Peng Hongxi and Gao Hongming both cast puzzled looks.

They have all seen the previous information, and the only one that has the ability to complete the plasma turbulence numerical control model measurement experiment in China is the EAST device in Luyang, and the other experimental reactors are either too old and can only be used as test reactors, or they are still under construction and have not yet been completed.

Xu Chuan glanced at the two of them, and then said: "Although only the EAST device in Luyang can complete the ignition and plasma operation experiments in China, there is not only one country in the world that is researching controllable nuclear fusion reactors. ”

"Maybe we can try to trade with other countries."

After a pause, he added: "This method should be the fastest if it can be successful, but there are also drawbacks. ”

"The control model of high-temperature and high-pressure plasma turbulence is quite important in controlled nuclear fusion technology, and if we apply for experimental reactors in other countries to conduct control experiments, it will expose our fusion progress to a certain extent."

Hearing this, Peng Hongxi and Gao Hongming both frowned slightly.

The first method proposed by Xu Chuan is indeed feasible, and if it can be successful, the speed should be the fastest one.

However, the disadvantage is that, as he said, it will expose the research progress of controlled nuclear fusion in China to a certain extent, which may attract the attention and vigilance of other countries.

After thinking about it, Peng Hongxi asked, "What about the other methods?" ”

Xu Chuan said calmly: "Buy!" ”

"Buy a complete and controllable nuclear fusion reactor directly from abroad and come back!"

"Tokamak devices are the mainstream route of international research before, and many countries have research, and it is not required to buy the latest equipment from other countries, and it is enough to buy the equipment they have withdrawn."

"As long as we can carry out ignition experiments and plasma turbulence control, we can improve it after we buy it, which is also a relatively short method, but it costs a little money."

Peng Hongxi thought for a moment and said: "This is indeed a feasible way, but the amount of money spent will be a bit large, and it may not be able to be bought." ”

"After all, it is a controllable nuclear fusion reactor, even if it is decommissioned, it has a high research value, and if it is purely used for money, it may not be able to buy it."

Xu Chuan smiled and said, "Then what about technology?" For example, the use of high-temperature copper-carbon-silver composite superconducting materials as a trading object. ”

Peng Hongxi glanced at Xu Chuan and said softly, "But isn't this material your own technology?" ”

For controlled nuclear fusion reactors, superconducting materials are also quite critical core materials.

High-temperature superconducting materials with excellent performance can not only save a lot of money, but also improve the control performance of controllable nuclear fusion reactors to a certain extent.

If high-temperature copper-carbon-silver composite superconducting materials are used as one of the trading technologies, I believe that many countries will be tempted.

After all, a decommissioned controlled fusion reactor, while precious, is not something that cannot be sold.

At present, all superconducting materials on the market can be said to crush other high-temperature superconducting materials in terms of critical temperature, critical magnetic field, or critical current.

If this material is used as a magnetic field confinement generator for a controlled nuclear fusion reactor, the most immediate change is that the superconducting material, which would otherwise need to be frozen with liquid helium, can be replaced with liquid nitrogen by itself.

The price of liquid helium is more than 100 times that of liquid nitrogen.

This alone can save a lot of money.

More importantly, the magnetic field restraint device made of high-temperature copper-carbon-silver composite superconducting materials can produce a stronger confined magnetic field. This is also important for controlled nuclear fusion.

It's just that the Qixia controllable nuclear fusion project is a national project, and the high-temperature copper-carbon-silver composite superconducting material is the private thing of the young man in front of him.

If it is sold, it will be at least hundreds of millions of dollars, if not more, for the amount of high-temperature superconducting materials needed for a controlled nuclear fusion reactor.

The practice of trading one's own private stuff in exchange for decommissioned controllable nuclear fusion reactors and advancing national projects. Peng Hongxi has never seen it, at least he has not seen such a large amount of dedication.

For others, it's good not to find a way to put the state's stuff in their own pockets, let alone subsidize the state with their own assets.

On the side, Gao Hongming didn't think about this, or he thought about it, but he knew that the country would definitely not let this suffer.

"That, Academician Xu, aren't high-temperature copper-carbon-silver composite superconducting materials of great help for controlled nuclear fusion? Will this transaction also lead to a significant increase in the development progress of other countries? ”

Compared with Peng Hongxi, he thinks more about whether the domestic controllable nuclear fusion business can lead other countries.

Xu Chuan smiled and said, "Although the performance of high-temperature copper-carbon-silver composite superconducting materials is excellent enough, it is not without substitutes. ”

"Unlike the Large Strong Particle Collider, a controlled nuclear fusion reactor pursues extreme magnetic field control, and the former is sufficient to confine the turbulence of the high-temperature plasma in the chamber."

"And it's meant to be sold, so it doesn't affect much. Rest assured, the relationship is not very big. ”

Hearing this, Gao Hongming nodded and said, "In this case, it is indeed feasible to buy a piece of equipment and come back." ”

Xu Chuan said with a smile: "Actually, it doesn't have to be foreign, but domestic can actually be." I have seen that some tokamak devices under construction can meet the performance parameters, but the hope of purchasing from China is estimated to be not as big as that of purchasing from abroad. ”

To be honest, there are actually a lot of domestic tokamak devices, but half of them are experimental research types, which cannot be ignited and operated, and can only do some experiments; The other half is under construction.

Although most of these projects under construction meet the requirements, it is impossible for him to dismantle other people's project equipment to solve his own problems.

What's more, it is Chen Mingji of Luyang who is in charge of the tokamak field in China, and he does not nod his head to agree, and it is estimated that it will be difficult to buy.

As for the old equipment that has been decommissioned, there is no one that meets the requirements in China for the time being. After all, the development of controlled nuclear fusion in China is still relatively short.

So he is more optimistic about buying from abroad.

Peng Hongxi thought for a moment and said, "Then do you have a goal to buy?" ”

Xu Chuan thought for a while and said, "The Tore Supra superconducting fusion device in France, the T-15 fusion reactor in Tsarist Russia, the old ASDEX device at the Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics in the Germanic country, and the Alcatel C-Mod compact fusion reactor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the United States. ”

"For now, I'm thinking about negotiating one of the four. Among them, the Alcatel C-Mod compact fusion reactor and the ASDEX fusion reactor are two of my favorites. ”

"Each of them has its own unique advantages, the former is the world's only compact high-magnetic field nuclear fusion tokamak device, and the latter is because of the profound heritage of the Planck Institute for Plasma Physics, the equipment is relatively more complete and easier to transform."

"And both are currently in a state of complete retirement, so it will be easier to negotiate."

"Of course, if you have other considerations and options, you can also say that you can discuss it."

Peng Hongxi thought for a moment and asked, "It's not a problem to buy one and come back, it's a trivial matter to spend some money or something." It's just that we are now building fusion reactors ourselves, and although it will take two or three years to complete them completely, two or three years is not a long time for a project like controlled nuclear fusion, and will two fusion reactor equipment be a bit redundant at that time? ”

Xu Chuan smiled and said, "It's okay, if you want to carry out the purchase of fusion reactor equipment, then I will adjust the project on the side of Qixia Mountain later." ”

"Huh?" Peng Hongxi hesitated lightly and looked over.

Xu Chuan continued: "If the purchase of equipment is successful, I will modify the plan of the fusion reactor at the Qixia project base and directly design it into a large demonstration reactor!" ”

"If it goes well, this will also be the first commercial pile! At that time, it can be directly transformed into Jinling and even the entire Sujiang Province to provide electricity. ”

Hearing this, Peng Hongxi and Gao Hongming couldn't help but gasp and were shocked.

This change, even for them, can be said to be extremely crazy.

Although the four types of test reactors, experimental reactors, demonstration reactors, and commercial reactors all refer to controlled nuclear fusion reactors, they can have completely different concepts.

Normally, test reactors can only be used for phased or fixed type of research.

For example, most of the old equipment in China, such as the circulator No. 1 HL-1, mainly studies the auxiliary heating and driving system, as well as the projectile injection system and ultrasonic molecular beam injection feeding technology.

Experimental reactors are relatively complete, such as the EAST device, which can carry out a full set of fusion experiments and have a full set of equipment in addition to the actual power generation operation.

Of course, the experimental devices that can meet the most basic experimental needs of plasma experiments are actually called experimental reactors, and theoretically speaking, experimental reactors and experimental reactors are actually similar. However, it is still possible to distinguish according to the degree of perfection.

As for demonstration reactors and commercial reactors, they are another level of equipment.

The standard for a demonstration reactor is "a device that enables controlled nuclear fusion, from plasma confinement to fusion reactions to electrical energy output." ”

Since the world's first controlled nuclear fusion experimental reactor was the Williamshampton Nuclear Fusion Laboratory (WIFER), which was built in 1956 and began research, the research on controlled nuclear fusion has gone through more than 70 years.

Up to today, various experimental reactors have emerged in various countries, from magnetic confinement routes to inertial confinement routes, from tokamaks to stellarators, and then to laser fusion devices.

The total number of experiments in the world is more than three digits.

However, neither the United States, nor China, nor the European Union, has been able to complete the construction of a demonstration reactor for controlled nuclear fusion.

As for the arrangement of the demonstration reactor, it is only in the PPT and the plan schedule at present.

Therefore, for Xu Chuan's idea of directly building the Qixia controllable nuclear fusion project into a demonstration reactor, both of them couldn't help but feel shocked and crazy in their hearts.

After swallowing his breath of air, Peng Hongxi asked with a hint of hesitation and concern: "Isn't it a bit too fast to directly change the demonstration pile?" We're not done yet. ”

I have to say that the young man in front of him is really courageous, or crazy.

In the case that the experimental reactor has not been completed and no breakthrough results have been made, I directly thought about going to the demonstration reactor in one step.

If it weren't for his character and academic character, Peng Hongxi would even directly doubt whether he was crazy.

After all, this arrangement and plan sounds crazy.

Xu Chuan smiled and said, "It's a bit fast, but I'm sure I have it." ”

"And now it's actually not so urgent, the park is still under construction, and the related equipment is still being purchased, which is just a temporary idea, and it really can't be changed when the time comes."

"The key now is how we can test the plasma turbulence model in our hands, which is a very critical step in the project of controlled nuclear fusion. If this crucial step can be taken, it is not far from the demonstration pile. ”

"As for other problems, it can also be carried out on the experimental reactor that I bought, as if it was to save the time of the original construction and spend some extra money."

Hearing this, Peng Hongxi nodded. If you think about it this way, it's really a good idea to buy a device and come back.

After thinking about it, he said: "If that's the case, then the arrangement to buy equipment will be on the agenda, and for us, the sooner we get the equipment, the better." ”

Xu Chuan thought for a moment and said: "In addition to the fusion reactor, the numerical control model of plasma turbulence needs to be driven by large-scale supercomputing, and the daily construction of the supercomputing center must also be advanced. Then this time arrangement is more appropriate for about half a year to a year. ”

"As for the time in between, we can first build the optimized devices such as the superconducting plasma orbit and superconducting coil that can be purchased after determining which equipment we can purchase."

"As long as the equipment arrives, we can carry out the assembly transfer test as soon as possible."

"Now in the lunar calendar, it is the end of 19, and if it goes well, then the plan to launch the first round of ignition experiments at the beginning of 21 should be about the same."

(End of chapter)