Chapter 257 The most important technology in the letter
【.Now, our project has entered a critical stage. According to the plan, we will complete the construction and start-up of the first nuclear waste test power station before June in the first half of next year. 】
[But correspondingly, we also need more scientific research funds and related resources to accelerate this pace. 】
[According to the plan, in the next arrangement, the "Nuclear Energy Beta Radiation Energy Concentration and Conversion Electric Energy Mechanism Project" will be launched]
In the study room, bright lights illuminated a figure writing furiously.
At night, Xu Chuan, who was crawling in front of the table, finally made the last stroke.
Looking at the letter on the table, he breathed a sigh of relief.
This letter contains not only a report on the results of the institute during this period, but also some prospects for the future and expectations for controllable nuclear fusion technology.
Some of the technologies in the Nuclear Energy Beta Radiation Energy Concentration and Electrical Energy Mechanism Project are not limited to the treatment of nuclear waste.
Whether it is the atomic cycle theory, or the gap lattice inspired by the red swallowtail butterfly that can absorb radiation particles, they are all used in a wide range of applications.
He did not describe these technologies and theories in detail, but simply mentioned them in the letter.
I believe that even if he doesn't say anything, the higher-ups can figure it out.
Perhaps his country is currently lacking in innovation, but when it comes to expansion, probably no other country can match it.
Of course, what is more important is to apply for the next stage of scientific research funding.
When doing scientific research at any time, money is not everything, but it is absolutely impossible without money.
After checking the letter he had written and confirming that there was no problem, Xu Chuan called Zheng Hai and handed him the sealed letter.
Zheng Hai is nominally his driver, but is also responsible for serving as a bridge to communicate between him and above.
After all, we are all busy people, and we cannot run around in person every time something happens.
Beijing, north side of Chang'an Street.
In an antique building, a simple letter was handed into the hands of an old man.
After hearing who sent the letter, the old man's calm eyes moved, he opened the envelope and took out the letter.
Ordinary letter paper is not that thick, even if it contains some instructions, design drawings and the like, it only lasts seven or eight pages.
The old man looked down and flipped through the manuscript in his hand. His eyes became brighter and brighter, but this brightness was sometimes a little confused.
For him, even though the owner of the letter had described the scientific and technological principles in quite popular terms, there were still many terms that he did not understand.
But it didn't matter. From this letter, he saw a bright future.
That's what matters most.
After pondering for a moment, the old man called over a guard. After saying a few words, he closed his eyes again and began to ponder.
In addition to a bright future, there were other things in the letter that he also needed to consult with professionals.
Maybe this is the first time a letter has been sent here? Professor Xu packed a lot of professional terms in his letter.
Although there are more detailed explanations at the end, it is still a bit difficult for a non-professional to fully understand.
Without waiting long, Qin Anguo, who was knowledgeable in scientific and technological information, and Academician Peng Hongxi from Shuimu University followed the guards to the room.
No one is perfect, even he needs to listen to other people's opinions.
"I have a letter here, please read it first."
Seeing the two people coming, the old man nodded and motioned to the staff around him to hand over the copied letters to Qin Anguo and Peng Hongxi.
With some doubts in their eyes, the two took the letter and started reading it.
Seeing the title of the letter, Peng Hongxi had a smile on his lips.
Although he didn't know what it was about before he came, he probably guessed it when he got the letter.
Unlike the old man, he quickly passed through the clichés that meant nothing to him, and his eyes fell on the technical analysis and design description in the cover letter.
As a worker in the field of nuclear energy, he clearly understands the value of nuclear energy beta radiation energy concentration and conversion mechanism projects.
But he wasn't entirely clear on some of the technical details and theories involved in the project.
After all, he is just a consultant, and there is probably only one person who has complete control over all the details.
Even the supervisor, Han Jin, may not know all the details and techniques.
Therefore, he was very interested in the technical principles in this letter. Although it was just some concise words, he could still see the subtleties behind these technologies, as well as some uses that he had never thought of before.
On the other side, Qin Anguo, who was advanced in science and technology, also flipped through the letters in his hands.
Although he was also a scientific researcher before, now that he is in a management position, his thinking and perspective are naturally different.
Unlike Peng Hongxi, he is more thinking about the benefits that investing in this project can bring, and the "controllable nuclear fusion plan" mentioned in this letter.
[.With all due respect, although the nuclear beta radiation energy concentration and conversion electric energy mechanism project can properly handle nuclear waste and nuclear fission power generation is also a clean energy source, we still have to find a new, non-polluting, and cheaper energy source. . 】
[I don’t need to elaborate too much on the reasons. For example, the cost of generating one kilowatt hour of electricity is more than double that of thermal power. For example.]
[Controllable nuclear fusion technology has great advantages over traditional thermal power generation or nuclear fission power generation. 】
[Under the mature conditions of atomic recycling technology and radiation electric energy conversion technology, we are already qualified enough to improve it. In this regard, I believe that after integrating the technology, we are already at the forefront of the world.]
【.】
Looking at the letter, Qin Anguo fell into thinking.
Needless to say about the former, now that the country has developed to this point, the construction of nuclear waste power stations is a must.
Even if the second batch of scientific research funds exceeding 30 billion is proposed in this letter, they will be allocated without hesitation, and certainly as quickly as possible.
But before that, there’s also the letter’s outlook on the future of controlled nuclear fusion, which is also something worthy of careful consideration.
Although from the current perspective, after nuclear waste can be properly processed, nuclear fission power generation is already a truly clean energy source and can be promoted to the greatest extent.
But as the letter states, nuclear fission power generation has its own shortcomings.
First, the initial investment in nuclear power plants is huge.
Since nuclear-grade equipment has higher requirements for design, materials, and manufacturing processes than conventional equipment, the construction cycle of nuclear power plants is relatively long, and it usually takes 5-7 years from early planning to operation.
During this period, most of the capital expenditures came from bank loans, and the interest generated was very high. If the project was delayed, the cost would be even higher. For example, the construction of Unit 3 of Finland's Olkiluoto Nuclear Power Plant started in 2004, but it has been delayed by nearly 15 years compared to the original plan. The investment is almost three times the budget, reaching 8.5 billion euros.
Secondly, for safety reasons, nuclear power plants have installed a large number of redundant equipment, which virtually increases the cost of equipment manufacturing and unit construction.
For example, the third-generation unit "Hualong One" currently under construction in China takes more safety into consideration than the second-generation unit, and its construction cost has also increased significantly.
The estimated construction cost of Hualong One is between 16,000 and 20,000 yuan/kilowatt, while the estimated unit cost of EPR is as high as more than $6,000/kilowatt.
In addition to high construction costs, factors such as rising international uranium prices and the aging and decommissioning of nuclear power plants are also likely to further increase the cost of nuclear power in the future.
High costs most directly affect the competitiveness of nuclear power in the power market, and high costs are also not conducive to nuclear power exports.
These are all things that can be encountered.
More importantly, China is a real energy consumer.
Judging from last year's statistics, in 2018, the electricity consumption of the whole society reached 6844.9 billion kilowatt hours.
Among them, thermal power, which uses coal as the main power generation energy, generates approximately 73.23% of the country's total power generation, which is the real majority.
Nuclear power only accounts for 4.33%, less than 5%.
Is it because China cannot afford to build more nuclear power plants?
Not really.
If it were to be built, given China's strong infrastructure capabilities, nuclear power plants could sprout up in all coastal cities overnight.
But no.
On the one hand, it is due to the previous difficulty in processing nuclear waste.
On the other hand, the cost of nuclear power generation is too high.
Compared with thermal power, each kilowatt-hour of nuclear power costs more than double the cost to connect to the grid, which will lead to a sharp rise in electricity prices.
Not to mention other things, in terms of the simplest residential electricity consumption, the price of electricity per kilowatt hour has increased from 0.6 yuan to 1.2 yuan, which is almost an unacceptable price.
But compared to nuclear fission, nuclear fusion is indeed the ultimate energy source.
Whether considering the cost of power generation or other aspects, nuclear fusion is the real ideal.
However, this ideal has always been too far away from people, so far that people use the term "forever fifty years" to describe it.
"What do you think about this letter?"
After waiting for Qin Anguo and Peng Hongxi to read the copy in their hands, the old man sitting aside slowly asked.
After pondering for a moment, Qin Anguo said decisively: "Let's not talk about other things for now. Regarding the second batch of scientific research funds applied by Professor Xu, I think it is very necessary, and it should be done as soon as possible."
The old man and Academician Peng Hongxi both nodded, agreeing with this view.
After all, no one who can stand here today is short-sighted.
The regeneration of nuclear waste can not only solve China's energy shortage problem to a large extent, but also give China a greater say in the international arena.
Especially in Europe, it can bring greater benefits to China.
No region in the world is more dependent on nuclear power than Europe.
For example, in France, the largest nuclear power producer, its nuclear power generation accounts for more than 50% of the country's total power generation.
The remaining countries such as Germany, Spain, and Sweden also account for a large proportion.
Therefore, these countries have basically accumulated huge amounts of nuclear waste and do not know how to deal with it.
Now, they have key technologies in their hands, and in exchange, they may get more benefits and support from there.
After the three people communicated for a while, the old man turned his attention to Academician Peng Hongxi who was standing aside, and then said: "Academician Peng, I heard that you are serving as a consultant in the nuclear energy project. Could you please explain to me some scientific and technical terms in this letter? For a moment? ”
"Maybe Professor Xu has tried his best to describe it in concise words, but it is really difficult for me to understand it without having studied these things."
He had some understanding of some of the technical terms in the letter, but was not sure whether they really meant it and whether it could be done.
That's why Peng Hongxi, an academician in the field of nuclear energy and a consultant on nuclear energy research projects, was invited for consultation.
The old man has no shame about his shortcomings.
No one is perfect, and learning is something a person must continue from birth to death.
Academician Peng Hongxi nodded quickly and said, "This is what I want to mention to you next."
After a pause, he continued: "About some of the technologies in this letter"
In the antique room, Peng Hongxi described his understanding in words that the old man could understand in a calm and thoughtful tone.
".Compared with the previous atomic recycling technology, the next gap lattice that can absorb radiation particles may be even more important."
After a pause, Peng Hongxi continued with cautious words: "Because it can not only be applied to controllable nuclear fusion technology, but also may be applied to a field we have never thought of - electromagnetic wave stealth, and then extended to the military field!"
Hearing this, the old man asked with interest: "How do you say it?"
Peng Hongxi clarified his thoughts and then said: "Because it can absorb radiation!"
"No matter which type of radar we use currently, its essence is electromagnetic waves, and the essence of electromagnetic waves is radiation"
Speaking of this, Qin Anguo, who was advanced in science and technology, also reacted and blurted out: "If this technology can be applied to coating materials, we may be able to create a brand new stealth fighter."
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Opposite, Academician Peng Hongxi nodded, and then said: "Yes."
"I have personally witnessed part of the process of the radiation-to-electrical energy conversion experiment at the Institute of Atomic Nuclear Sciences of the Shanghai Academy of Sciences. There is no doubt that it can absorb and utilize most of the radiation except neutron radiation."
"Logically speaking, this technology should also have the ability to absorb electromagnetic waves, which are also a type of radiation."
"It's just that it has never been tested so far, and I don't know if it can really be done, and if it can, to what extent it can be done."
After a pause, he continued: "Of course, I may have misunderstood what Professor Xu really meant."
"After all, I don't actually know much about the technologies related to nuclear energy projects. Although I am a consultant, I have not fully participated in the work of nuclear energy projects."
"If you want a true understanding, I suggest you ask Professor Xu."
(End of chapter)