Chapter 1388 Fierce Competition
A month later.
France, Provence.
Kaladashe Nuclear Fusion Research Center.
Several business trucks with Chinese flags stuck on the front windows entered one after another and slowly stopped in the reception area marked by white gypsum lines.
As the leader, Peng Juexian got off the car first. While feeling the salty water vapor blowing from the Mediterranean, he squinted his eyes and looked at the slightly old six-story building in the distance.
The dark gray concrete exterior walls are covered with ivy, and the already faded metal signs on the roof of the main control building are shining with dazzling silver light in the sun.
Behind him, more than a dozen people of different ages also got off the car one after another, waiting for the next instructions.
The ITER meeting is very high in specifications, so most of the people who can be selected to participate are researchers with certain experience in foreign exchanges. A considerable number of them even participated in the 2003 marathon negotiations with Peng Juexian. It can be said that they have experienced many battles and have seen them a lot.
However, out of the consideration of bringing new things, a few young people were added to the team.
Although they are not expected to play a specific role, they can at least open their eyes -
Usually, a doctor's research content is limited to a very small direction in a certain field.
Many students with good skills will be limited by their long-term focus on a specific topic, which is not conducive to long-term growth and development.
"This...is the temple of fusion research all over the world?"
Huang Zhitao pushed the black full-frame glasses, and the suitcase wheels made small complaints on the stone road:
"Why does it feel that the scale is not as large as the EAST device on Luzhou Science Island, and it is... a bit quaint?"
As Peng Juexian's nominal disciple, he has also participated in some peripheral work related to the "Oriental Super Ring", which is considered to be a bit of insight.
This time, I was very enthusiastic and prepared to see how grand the famous ITER could be.
The result...
I don't feel the temperament.
I only see the heaviness of history.
"Of course not as good as that." Fang Jianming, the deputy leader next to him, replied helplessly: "I didn't say it before leaving. ITER has just reached a preliminary agreement at present. The fusion reactor itself has not even started construction..."
As he said, he pointed to the metal sign that was reflecting:
"This is the ToreSUPRA facility built by France in the 1980s. It has been in operation for 20 years. It is certain that the scale is not as large as the Oriental Super Ring."
Huang Zhitao took a deep breath and showed a somewhat unrestrained expression:
"I thought..."
Because he is the only newbie in the entire team, before this departure, the delegation specially issued an informal related information.
Of course, the state of ITER is also mentioned, but he subconsciously brought the engineering efficiency of China, thinking that "construction has not started yet" means that the main body of the facility has not started to be installed, but at least the project should have begun to be promoted.
As a result, it seems that it hasn't even dug a foundation...
Huang Zhitao instantly questioned the seriousness of this ITER.
But considering the occasion, I finally held back what I said.
However, Fang Jianming still sensed the other party's emotions:
"Don't underestimate this ToreSUPRA. Europeans were very rapid in the field of fusion research. When the Soviet Union first proposed the Tokamak concept in 1954, the concrete here was mixed with shrapnel left by the Germans during World War II. But thirty years later, the French achieved the high-parameter quasi-steady state operation of the Tokamak device for the first time..."
Sure enough, after hearing what he said, Huang Zhitao's eyes became serious again.
Fang Jianming is also optimistic about this young man with good abilities, and took this opportunity to continue introducing:
"ToreSUPRA is the first large tokamak in the world that integrates all the technologies required to generate long-pulse plasmas, so many of the preliminary research content of ITER will be carried out on this... or to a certain extent, the entire ITER project is based on this."
The moment the glass door of the institute slides open to both sides, Peng Juexian has already changed into a standard French smile.
Professor Sergio Orlandi, the head of the construction project, welcomed him warmly, and his two silver-gray eyebrows almost flew into the same gray hair:
"It's hard to believe that the team actually reached 20 minutes ahead of schedule... I really hope they can have such efficiency all the time."
At the turn of the century, Orlandi and Peng Juexian worked with the International Atomic Energy Agency for a while and also made quite good cooperation several times, so the private exchange was pretty good.
"Because the driver was specially found from our consulate..."
After shaking hands, Peng Juexin lowered his voice and said in a half-joking tone:
"After all, Marseille's concept of time is more difficult to restrict than plasma, and it is really hard to believe."
Orlandi immediately laughed heartily: "It seems I have to ask you for a contact information..."
He was born in the old Paris Iris Flag. The feeling of hearing others joke about Marseille was similar to hearing others hacking Britain.
Wang Zhitao looked surprised when he saw this scene. He knew that Peng Juexian had participated in the negotiations on Huaxia's participation in the ITER project for a long time, but he still didn't expect that his mentor would be so familiar with the French supervisor.
"When ITER was choosing a site, we firmly stood in support of the Karadashe plan, and Academician Peng happened to be in the negotiating delegation at that time..."
Fang Jianming whispered in Chinese:
"Of course, the key is not actually supporting France, but we cannot accept putting ITER in Japan anyway..."
Huang Zhitao nodded in agreement.
…
According to the itinerary, both the day of arrival and the next day are rest days, and there is no serious agenda.
But anyone who has held international conferences knows that this period is not really a rest for you.
But it is used to perform various blending in advance.
So, after a greeting, Peng Juexian no longer concealed his purpose:
"Tell me directly Sergio, can the time window for our tritium proliferation module test be determined in the third or fourth quarter next year?"
This straight-forward dialogue method made Huang Zhitao's heart thrilled.
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He noticed Orlandi's Adam's apple slid twice under the loose skin:
"I personally, including the French Atomic Energy Commission, are willing to support your request..."
Although there was a positive response, no one in the Chinese delegation felt relaxed.
Because of this tone, there is usually a twist afterwards.
Sure enough, after a brief pause, Orlandi changed the subject:
"But the JT-60U in Kanto has just started the renovation and expansion project... You also know that although Japan has restrictions on the specific areas of nuclear research, the JT60 also provides ITEA with many useful research foundations, so JAEA believes that their cryostats should be tested first, and the application was submitted as early as last month."
Peng Juexian's brow frowned slightly:
"Of course, we fully understand that the ITER Management Committee needs to balance the demands of all parties... But don't forget that 37% of the filter material samples you received last year were marked with the LOGO of Luzhou Institute of Material Science."
"And it will take at least a few years to renovate JT60U. Your ToreSUPRA and the TFTR of the United States will soon enter the maintenance and upgrade stage, and the Russian T15MR is even more distant... In other words, in a certain time window in the future, only our Oriental Super Ring can provide data support for ITER..."
Orlandi's eyes changed, but she still shook her head:
"This is not me, nor even the French Atomic Energy Commission has the final say..."
"When I was choosing a location in ITER, Japan finally withdrew from the competition, but it also attached certain conditions, plus the support from the United States, so it is difficult for me to assure you more...unless you can take out new chips to convince several other swing countries."
"..."
"..."
Obviously, the first day of meeting failed to produce any results.
And from the current trend, it is probably difficult to achieve your goal by canvassing alone.
After a routine visit, the delegation got on the bus and returned to the hotel.
Peng Juexian did not show any disappointment. He just asked Huang Zhitao next to him after the car left the research center: "Zhitao, do you have any thoughts?"
"Today's visit is simple and does not involve any valuable internal parts, so there are only some preliminary ideas..."
"It doesn't matter, say whatever you want."
Huang Zhitao hesitated for a moment:
"I just feel that this kind of multi-national cooperation with each other...it may be difficult to get to the end smoothly."
It can be said that in just over one hour, he directly tore up his high-end filter for ITER.
Unexpectedly, Peng Juexian nodded directly: "You are right." "Ah?" Huang Zhitao never expected that he would get such an answer. "Actually everyone is clear about it, so whether we, Americans, or even Europeans themselves, they don't really think that ITER can be put into operation smoothly."
Peng Juexian replied in a plain tone: "The essence of this kind of cooperation is that everyone uses ITER as a platform to exchange their own achievements and resources, just like international trade... As for engineering and even commercial fusion facilities, they must be implemented in their own projects in the end." "Then we..." Huang Zhitao only feels that his worldview seems to be reshaping.
Peng Jue smiled first:
"The research on fusion involves too many fields, which ones are secretly circulated, and which ones can be used as bargaining chips to exchange them to avoid losing, or the degree of loss is acceptable... These are the issues that really require us to judge."
(End of this chapter)