Chapter 404: No obvious radiation damage!
On the other side, Peng Hongxi stood next to Xu Chuan, with some expectation and some nervousness in his muddy and old eyes. In addition, there was also a trace of worry.
The importance of first wall materials to controllable nuclear fusion technology is beyond doubt.
The high-energy neutron beam produced during the deuterium-tritium fusion process is a worldwide problem. If it is not solved, there will be no hope for controllable nuclear fusion.
But now, a glimmer of hope was right in front of him, which naturally made him expectant and nervous.
As for the worries, part of them comes from the current experiment. They are worried that the materials they developed may not be as good at resisting neutron radiation when exposed to high-energy neutron irradiation.
But more of it comes from the national treasure-level young scholar in front of him.
Compared with others, as a manager responsible for daily technical issues related to controllable nuclear fusion, he often has daily contact with the person in front of him to discuss various tasks, and he also understands his thoughts to a large extent.
If today's experiment confirms the neutron irradiation resistance of the zirconium oxide carbon composite material, then the next step will be the construction of a demonstration reactor.
This will be China’s first demonstration reactor and the first demonstration reactor in the world.
But you must know that two years ago, controllable nuclear fusion was still controlling high-temperature and high-density plasma in seconds. But now, in the blink of an eye, demonstration reactors that can actually generate electricity and be used commercially are being built.
I have to say that in his opinion, this step is indeed a bit big.
There are still many problems in controllable nuclear fusion technology that have not been fully solved. For example, although there are ideas for tritium self-sustainment, they have not been specifically perfected, or key issues such as magnetic surface tearing in tokamak devices have only been solved so far. Although the problem has been suppressed, it has not been completely solved. Even the operation time of high-density plasma has not been completed for at least twenty-four hours.
At this point, starting the construction of the demonstration reactor directly was a bit too hasty in his opinion.
Of course, in this mentality, the older generation's idea of being cautious and seeking complete solutions before making meritorious deeds also occupies a part.
Compared with the younger generation, the older generation has experienced a lot of hardships. When the country had nothing, they walked a road with insufficient funds, materials and personnel, which made them develop a cautious mind to ensure nothing goes wrong.
After all, at that time, the motherland was really poor and could not afford all kinds of squandering.
Of course, today, the motherland has become relatively rich and powerful. It is completely feasible to use money, funds and manpower to trial and error to save time, especially in the field of controllable nuclear fusion.
Because the first wall material has not yet been solved, each deuterium-tritium fusion experiment is very precious and will not last long.
However, Xu Chuan had great hopes for this material and extended the deuterium-tritium fusion time to two minutes at the risk of increased damage to the first wall.
As the ICRF heating antenna ceased functioning, the temperature in the Dawn fusion reactor chamber began to drop rapidly.
The heat generated by the fusion of trace amounts of deuterium and tritium raw materials was not enough to sustain its own reaction. Coupled with the operation of the water-cooled divertor, the temperature of the plasma in the chamber quickly fell below the million level and continued to decrease steadily.
After waiting for the device to cool down completely, under the personal leadership of Zhao Hongzhi, two engineers wearing radiation protective suits quickly entered the reactor chamber and removed the previously deployed material samples and control samples from the first wall.
The external staff carefully took the samples and stored them in corresponding containers.
These sample materials will be sent to the research institute, and various residues in the samples will be tested through special testing equipment.
The most critical thing is the neutron radiation damage test.
Whether it is the value of DPA or the neutron penetration rate of the material, it determines whether this carbon composite material with zirconium oxide as an additive can be truly applied to the first wall.
After the last set of experimental samples were removed, the engineers responsible for maintenance equipment quickly entered the reactor chamber with testing equipment and began to evaluate the damage to the first wall material, divertor, overall structure and other components.
The two-minute fusion reaction of deuterium and tritium raw materials was twice as long as the longest time they had ever started. No one knows how much damage will be caused to the first wall and the fusion reactor structure in this case.
Of course, damage to the Dawn fusion reactor is not the current focus.
At this moment, everyone's attention is focused on the neutron radiation-resistant materials that were sent to the institute. This is the real key to fate.
As the materials were sent into the testing room, leaders such as Xu Chuan and Peng Hongxi also followed.
The first thing to do is naturally the neutron radiation damage detection.
This is the core.
Under the personal supervision of Professor Zhao Guanggui, it took nearly two hours to produce the DPA destructive physical analysis test and neutron penetration and residual test reports.
The moment Zhao Guanggui came out with the test report, almost everyone in the laboratory gathered around.
"What was the result?"
"Has the standard been met?"
"How are the test results, Professor Zhao."
A flurry of inquiries continued. Zhao Guanggui stood in the crowd, holding the thin test report tightly in his hand, and met Xu Chuan's gaze.
With excitement and excitement in his eyes, he nodded vigorously, and said excitedly and tremblingly: "From the test report, carbon composite materials using zirconium oxide as a catalyst have a negative impact when exposed to high-energy neutron irradiation. After minutes of testing, the performance demonstrated is quite excellent! Neutron irradiation damage fully meets the requirements of the first wall material! ”
Upon hearing this, the laboratory suddenly burst into violent cheers. Peng Hongxi opened his mouth slightly and his eyes were a little moist.
Gao Hongming couldn't help himself with his joy.
Everyone had a happy smile on their faces.
The damage results of neutron irradiation are the core key.
There is no problem with this test, which means that the first wall material did it!
Hearing Zhao Guanggui's report, Xu Chuan also had a smile on his face. He reached out to take the test report from the other party's hand and read it carefully.
[Irradiation conditions: deuterium-tritium fusion, irradiation temperature is 2945.15K]
[Irradiation materials: experimental group (zirconia carbon composite material) control group (austenitic steel + tungsten gold)],
[DPA production rate: experimental group (0.0067%), control group (7.4%)]
[Neutron penetration rate: experimental group (99.958%), control group (59.81%)]
[Self-healing properties of Frenkel crystal defects: Experimental group (grain boundary reconstruction was observed, current efficiency is 58.92%), control group (no trace of reconstruction was detected)]
【.】
Numerical values flashed across his eyes, and the corners of Xu Chuan's mouth curved.
Judging from the test report, the zirconia carbon composite material still showed quite excellent performance when faced with 14.1Mev level high-energy neutron irradiation produced by deuterium and tritium fusion.
Not only is DPA's destructive physics very good from the data point of view, but the grain boundary reconstruction capability given by atomic recycling technology also shows very strong performance in the material.
It can repair trace amounts of neutron radiation damage and reconstruct damaged carbon nanotube zirconium crystals to maintain the stability of the material itself.
As for the neutron penetration rate, although it is slightly reduced in the high energy level region, it does not affect the overall performance. The lost neutrons are less than the amount of neutrons produced by deuterium and tritium fusion. , completely acceptable.
I have to say that today's experiment was quite successful.
Zirconia carbon composite materials, as expected, showed extremely excellent properties.
Staring at the test report in his hand, Xu Chuan thought with a smile on his face. The construction of the demonstration reactor could begin.
But, I have to write a letter again.
After handing over other work to Peng Hongxi, Xu Chuan returned to his office with the test report of zirconia carbon composite materials.
The white letter paper was spread on the table. He thought for a while, organized his words, and then the signature pen in his hand fell on the paper.
【Dear Your Excellency:】
[Hello, recently, Qixia's controllable nuclear fusion project has made a major breakthrough. 】
[I believe you should already know that with regard to the first wall material, through the unremitting efforts of many researchers at the institute, we have found a material suitable for the first wall of the controllable nuclear fusion reactor chamber]
[In terms of controllable nuclear fusion technology, Qixia Controlled Nuclear Fusion Project has mastered many pieces of the puzzle. First of all, in terms of plasma confinement, the Dawn Fusion device has completed more than two hours of high-density plasma operation (of course, we can do it longer if necessary), and in terms of first wall materials, now we have also found With the right materials, I believe we are capable enough to solve the remaining problems. 】
[The progress of the Daybreak Fusion Device has allowed us to see the hope that controllable nuclear fusion technology will be realized in the near future. There is nothing better than dreaming into reality. 】
[Of course, this is inseparable from the country’s long-term strong support and trust. 】
【.】
After spending some time, Xu Chuan wrote the letter and handed it to Zheng Hai.
The purpose of writing this letter is not to ask for scientific research funding. Last time, the 20 billion funding was not spent yet. The purpose of writing this letter is to report the good news on the one hand, and on the other hand to ask the superiors to arrange manpower to handle the construction of the demonstration reactor.
Experimental reactors and demonstration reactors are two completely different things. The latter is much larger than the former in terms of scale and supporting equipment, and is more cumbersome to build.
Of course, in addition to this, there is also the need for the above to make relevant preparations.
With the first wall material solved, he is now confident enough to achieve controllable nuclear fusion.
After all, some of the latter problems are never more difficult than the long-term control of the first wall material and high-temperature and high-density plasma turbulence.
And if the problem of controllable nuclear fusion is really solved, the impact will definitely be earth-shattering.
Not only in the economic and energy sense, but also in the political sense.
Even controllable nuclear fusion itself requires proper arrangement and disposal.
PS: There will be another chapter tonight, please vote for me.