Magnetohydrodynamic Generator

The concept of the magnetohydrodynamic generator had actually been around for a long time.

It was a device that generated electricity based on the Hall effect, using the motion of a conductive fluid, such as air or liquid, relative to a magnetic field.

By eliminating the step of converting energy into mechanical energy, it significantly improved power generation efficiency.

In his previous life, he had considered using this technology to generate electricity.

But time had been far too tight for any in-depth research. Left with no alternative, he had chosen the relatively simple method of boiling water to generate electricity.

But this time... he had more than enough time!

Excitement flashed in Lü Yongchang's eyes. He grabbed a blank sheet of paper and laid it flat on his desk.

"Fang Xu, come take a look at this plan!"

As he spoke, Lü Yongchang picked up the fountain pen beside him, uncapped it, and began drawing directly on the blank paper!

A hint of confusion appeared in Fang Xu's eyes as he watched Lü Yongchang.

Did something as simple as boiling water to generate electricity really need a special plan?

Xia Country had so many controlled nuclear fission power plants. Couldn't they just copy one of their designs and be done with it?

With that thought, Fang Xu stepped forward and looked closely at the white A4 sheet in front of Lü Yongchang.

As he studied the straight, neat lines on the paper, admiration surfaced in Fang Xu's eyes.

"Your freehand drafting skills... are incredible!"

Lü Yongchang's hand abruptly paused. Then he smiled and explained, "Oh, I just picked it up on my own. Otherwise, how do you think I drew those diagrams on the blackboard back then?"

Fang Xu nodded admiringly.

This was not something someone could just decide to learn and master!

At least, he certainly couldn't.

Never mind him-even among the academicians at the Academy of Sciences, probably only a handful could draw this well!

The office gradually fell silent.

Aside from their breathing, the only sound was the soft scratching of Lü Yongchang's fountain pen across the paper.

"This is..."

Fang Xu's eyebrows shot up.

As the lines of the drawing gradually took shape, he realized what Lü Yongchang was drawing!

"A magnetohydrodynamic generator?"

Without stopping his pen, Lü Yongchang chuckled and nodded. "Exactly! A magnetohydrodynamic generator!"

"In my view, this is absolutely the best device for controlled nuclear fusion, bar none!"

Fang Xu immediately frowned.

After a moment's thought, he said gravely, "Yongchang, I know magnetohydrodynamic generators are highly efficient."

"But... they have several fatal flaws. This technology still isn't mature enough!"

"Wouldn't rushing to use it for controlled nuclear fusion be... a little too reckless?"

The fountain pen in Lü Yongchang's hand stopped abruptly.

He slowly looked up at Fang Xu, then smiled and shook his head. "Obstacles?"

"There are really only two obstacles holding back magnetohydrodynamic power generation right now."

"First, it requires an inert gas containing trace amounts of alkali metals, such as potassium and cesium, as its working fluid."

"Second, there's the high-temperature environment in which a magnetohydrodynamic generator normally operates."

"Am I wrong?"

Fang Xu's gaze sharpened slightly, and he nodded. "The first one is still rather difficult to solve at present."

"We don't currently have the technology to produce inert gases on a large scale."

"With our current technology, even if we recycled the working fluid, using a magnetohydrodynamic generator would still cost far more than we anticipated!"

Lü Yongchang gave Fang Xu a meaningful look, a faint smile appearing in his eyes.

"Fang Xu, are you sure we don't already have the technology to produce inert gases?"

Fang Xu frowned slightly. After carefully searching his memory, he slowly shook his head. "I'm sure. At least as of last week, I hadn't seen any relevant technology in academic journals, either in Xia Country or abroad!"

Lü Yongchang said nothing. He simply gave Fang Xu a long look, then picked up his fountain pen again and continued writing and drawing on the paper.

At this, Fang Xu's frown deepened, and an inexplicable irritation rose within him.

He had a vague feeling.

It seemed he had overlooked something extremely important!

But no matter how hard he tried, Fang Xu couldn't figure out what it was.

"Yongchang?"

Anxiety crept into Fang Xu's eyes as he asked Lü Yongchang quietly, "What technology is it? Come on, tell me!"

Lü Yongchang still said nothing. He merely tapped the tip of his fountain pen lightly against the desk.

The gesture drew Fang Xu's attention, and he looked down at the blank sheet in front of him.

A line of neat handwriting appeared on the paper.

²₁H + ³₁H → ⁴₂He + ¹₀n + 17.6 MeV

This was... the reaction equation for deuterium-tritium fusion!

Staring at the incredibly familiar equation, Fang Xu froze on the spot.

His lips trembled slightly, and a smile gradually spread across his face.

"So that's it! So that's it!"

No wonder he had kept feeling that he had overlooked something important!

He had considered every external factor, only to overlook the most important internal one!

Unlike conventional thermal power generation and nuclear fission power plants, deuterium-tritium fusion itself produced helium gas!

Hydrogen-2 and hydrogen-3 underwent fusion at high temperatures, producing helium-4 and a neutron. This was straight out of high school physics, yet... he, an academician, had overlooked it!

Fang Xu shook his head with a wry smile. "In that case, the first problem is already solved."

The smile in Lü Yongchang's eyes grew more pronounced. "And is the second problem still a problem for us now?"

Fang Xu stared blankly for a moment, then suddenly slapped his forehead!

"Oh, this brain of mine! What's been wrong with me lately?!"

The new material inside the stellarator reactor could withstand the high temperatures of controlled nuclear fusion. Surely it could handle the "low" operating temperature of a magnetohydrodynamic generator-2,000 to 3,000 K?

The more Fang Xu thought about it, the more excited he became. With his hands clasped behind his back, he paced around Lü Yongchang's office.

"Yes! Yes! Yes!"

"The deuterium-tritium fusion reactor already produces helium gas! Gas at over a hundred million degrees Celsius, no less!"

"We wouldn't even need to spend energy heating it!"

"This is simply... simply the perfect power generation scheme!"

Lü Yongchang chuckled and handed the diagram on the desk to Fang Xu. "Fang Xu, see if our Sandao Kou University has anyone with expertise in this field. If it does... get a prototype built as soon as possible!"

"Let's aim to complete our first controlled nuclear fusion demonstration reactor within six months!"

Filled with excitement, Fang Xu took the sketch Lü Yongchang handed him and nodded firmly!

"All right!"

"Don't worry. Leave this to me!"

"I guarantee you'll see a prototype magnetohydrodynamic generator in less than two months!"