"Read the information!"
After grumbling a little, Chen Yi chose the control technology for the Particle Thruster.
A massive amount of technical information, formulas, and principles surfaced in his mind.
"This is a chip design blueprint, along with control algorithms for electric and magnetic fields. The algorithms involve principles such as magnetic field coupling, N-decoherence, and interference."
"This algorithm feels like it could also be used in a Tokamak device. It could greatly reduce magnetic field losses in fusion devices and reduce the device's own energy consumption."
"However, to fully unleash the algorithm's potential, specialized chips are still needed."
It took more than two hours.
Chen Yi roughly understood and absorbed the knowledge from the information he had read, and a trace of emotion appeared in his eyes.
"The previous Brainwave Virtual Consciousness Machine needed specialized chips to fully realize its design capabilities. Now Ion Control also needs specialized chips.
It was easy to imagine.
As the technological content of items continued to rise, more and more equipment would require specialized chips.
Looks like when I have time, I'll need to set up a Chip Production Line and make my own chips."
Chen Yi first added the matter to his schedule, then continued adjusting and upgrading the Ion Propellant system.
This time, the attribute he adjusted and upgraded was efficiency.
After reading the technical information, Chen Yi discovered something.
It was a Low-Resistance Conductor Material technology, along with a special coil configuration.
Although it could not compare to the zero resistance of Superconducting Material.
It was still more than four orders of magnitude lower than the low-resistance Copper Material commonly used in daily life, reaching 1.34 × 10^(-12) Ωm.
Meanwhile, the electromagnetic field generated by this special coil configuration had better coupling with ions, providing superior ion confinement and acceleration performance.
Put simply, it consumed less energy to achieve greater acceleration.
One side reduced resistive losses.
The other enhanced acceleration.
Combined, the efficiency reached 186 percent of the HET-80 Hall thruster currently used by the Tianhe Space Station.
"Strength and quality can't be adjusted and upgraded individually. I'll have to wait until the carbon fiber 3D printer arrives before trying again."
After adjusting the three core attributes of speed, control, and efficiency in succession and reading the technical information, half a day had already passed.
Chen Yi went out for lunch.
After returning, he used the previous drone components, along with the Radar Component he had purchased through Professor Zhang.
He readjusted and manufactured a new batch of Avionics Main Control, communications, radar imaging, and other components.
At two thirty in the afternoon, Qin Xiaoyu arrived with the delivery crew, bringing the five Ternary Lithium Electric Vehicles, two high-precision carbon fiber 3D printers, and two 3D Metal Combined Printers he had purchased.
The Carbon Fiber 3D Printer was a relatively large machine available on the market.
Paired with an automatic tracking worktable and an automatic height gauge, it could print workpieces with a maximum diameter of two meters.
The combined printer had two different groups of print heads.
One group was responsible for printing metal components, while the other could jointly print plastic and carbon fiber.
This kind of printer was specially designed for products that integrated multiple materials together.
Chen Yi could use it perfectly to print and manufacture the Ion Propellant system.
That was because the coils inside the ion propulsion system that generated the electric field were embedded directly within the propellant.
"The technology gained from reading the speed attribute gave me the structure of the ion propulsion system, electric field layout, orbital layout, and more.
"The technology gained from reading the control attribute gave me the control algorithms. Although I don't have specialized chips, general-purpose chips can still be used.
"The information gained from reading the efficiency attribute gave me a new conductive material. I can't produce and replace that material for now, but the special coil configuration isn't a problem.
"Putting all these technologies together is enough to produce a prototype ion propulsion system."
After organizing the technologies he had gained from today's adjustments and upgrades and sorting out his thoughts, Chen Yi put on the virtual helmet.
Beep!
The computer beside him powered on and opened the CAD software.
A vast number of lines, structural parts, and components began to be drawn at an astonishing speed under Chen Yi's brainwave virtual control.
In less than an hour.
The two Ion Propellant systems, one on each side, along with the drone's fuselage, had been designed and drawn by Chen Yi.
For the engine design, the ducted intake passage was adjusted and replaced with a ram intake duct, improving high-speed performance.
For the fuselage design, he referenced the Lunar Lander Drone's fuselage, which had an attribute of up to 40, then enlarged and adjusted it to ensure structural stability and aerodynamic layout performance.
Rat-a-tat-tat!
The computer connected to the printers, and their nozzles began spraying scorching powder.
The powder piled together along specific trajectories and height ratios, fusing under high temperatures and gradually forming components for the Ion Propellant systems and drone fuselage.
After more than four hours, the four large 3D printers had been running at full power.
Finally, at seven in the evening, all the drone components Chen Yi needed had been produced.
"Carbon fiber really is different. It feels completely different in the hand."
Chen Yi picked up a cooled component and weighed it twice in his hand. There was only one word for the feeling.
—Light.
Carbon fiber generally had a density of 1.7.
That might not sound particularly impressive, but the lightest Aluminum Alloy Chen Yi had previously used generally had a density of 2.8.
If titanium alloy was used, its density generally exceeded 4.5, while other Nickel Alloy materials had densities above 7.5.
Such a density gap meant that for a drone of the same design, if it weighed 100 kilograms when made with titanium alloy, it would weigh at most 40 kilograms when made with carbon fiber.
"No wonder supercars all use carbon fiber bodies. The weight saved can undoubtedly improve a supercar's performance and lap times."
Chen Yi sighed emotionally, picked up the printed components and the communications, radar, Hydraulic Wheel Set, and other parts he had prepared by spending more than four hundred thousand yuan on stacked upgrades, then began assembly.
After the assembly was complete, he adjusted the stability attribute to eliminate problems caused by printing precision.
Very soon, a drone using ion propulsion—one of a kind in the entire world—appeared before him.
The drone's wings and fuselage were almost seamlessly fused together, forming a sharp triangular shape similar to the latest Recon-8 or the S72 Black Hawk from across the border.
[Item: Ion Propulsion Drone] [Attributes: Energy x0, Speed x10.2 (2.8), Quality x21, Stability x35, Strength x14, Communications x31.7, Radar Imaging x36.6, Avionics x34.5, Appearance x9.8] [Note: This is a maturely designed, one-of-a-kind ion propulsion aircraft. Through its unique electric field acceleration chamber design, combined with powerful control technology, it replaces the combustion expansion work of the combustion chamber in conventional chemical engines, making it a one-of-a-kind Electric Propulsion Drone. Don't be fooled by its low speed. When paired with a High-Capacity Energy Module, it can maintain acceleration for a long time and easily surpass existing Atmospheric Aircraft.]
"Speed 10.2, and its space speed is also 2.8. That's quite a surprise. I originally thought it would be at most a little over 9 in the atmosphere and just over 1 in space."
Chen Yi looked at the drone's speed attribute, a hint of surprise appearing in his heart.
As the drone's designer, he naturally understood.
The speed of 10.2 was its speed when the ram intake duct was opened at low altitude, working together with ion propulsion.
The speed of 2.8 was its speed in space, where there was no external intake and it relied entirely on ion propulsion.
"Let's test the whole aircraft's weight and thrust performance."
Chen Yi carried the drone to the floor scale nearby. After measuring it repeatedly three times, the drone's weight was confirmed.
13.9 kilograms.
After a series of technical integrations, structural optimizations, removal of unnecessary components, and replacement with carbon fiber materials, the drone's total weight had been reduced to an astonishing figure.
Even after it was later equipped with high-energy batteries, Ion Propellant, and a High-Temperature Resistant Coating, the full aircraft would not weigh more than 40 kilograms.
"That's pretty fierce."
Chen Yi showed a few traces of delight, carried the drone to the test bench on the other side, connected it to an external power source, and began testing.
After more than half an hour of repeated tests.
Chen Yi finally determined the thrust values of the ion propulsion system under different conditions.
At low altitude and low speed, with maximum mass ejection, the combined thrust of the two engines reached 8.46 kilonewtons. Based on a fully loaded weight of 40 kilograms, the thrust-to-weight ratio reached an astonishing twenty-one to one.
At subsonic ejection speeds, the combined thrust of the two engines was 5.34 kilonewtons, for a thrust-to-weight ratio of thirteen to one.
At supersonic ejection speeds, because the velocity had entered the ram intake duct's peak performance range, the combined thrust of the two engines increased rather than decreased, reaching 5.89 kilonewtons, for a thrust-to-weight ratio of fifteen to one.
This thrust increase would continue from supersonic speeds all the way to an ejection speed of Mach 3.5, after which it would decline rapidly.
By Mach 5, the combined thrust of the two engines would be only 2.85 kilonewtons, with a thrust-to-weight ratio of eight to one.
But regardless of the condition, as long as it was below an altitude of 20,000 meters and within the Mach 5 speed range.
This Ion Propulsion Drone would perform no worse than the previous Space Sprint Drone.
If it entered space, its endurance and sustained acceleration capabilities would utterly crush the Space Sprint Drone and utterly crush the Lunar Lander Drone.
"Too powerful!"
"These past two weeks of studying and hard work weren't wasted!"
Chen Yi shouted excitedly, "Tonight, I'll make an ultra-high-energy battery and add a layer of Thermal Barrier Protective Coating to the drone. Tomorrow, it can officially begin flight testing!"
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