Chapter 1708: Core in Place

In the following months, the various subsystems of the "Junneng No. 1" demonstration reactor were transported to their locations one after another, and the relevant technicians and equipment responsible for the core construction also arrived at the Dalinghhe fusion demonstration base.

The towering cranes resemble a steel forest, and the roar of heavy transport vehicles' engines is endless...

The vast land of western Liaoning has not seen such a bustling scene for decades.

In the reactor hall, several high-precision laser trackers have already been deployed. The collimated light beams are interwoven in the huge space, constructing a three-dimensional coordinate reference network with precision to the micron level.

In the center of the hall, six thick vertical positioning rails are deeply anchored in the pre-cast earthquake-resistant base.

They are like six giants that will hold up the core of humanity's first practical fusion reactor.

9:00 AM sharp.

Academician Lei Wencheng, the on-site commander-in-chief and chief engineer of the Nuclear Industry Construction Group, appeared on the temporary command platform.

The noisy noise at the scene seemed to have subsided a lot at this moment.

All engineers, technicians and workers involved in the core assembly work turned their eyes to him.

Lei Wencheng took out a document from his pocket and looked around the room.

"After joint review and approval by the National Supreme Science and Technology Commission and the National Energy Strategic Planning Leading Group, the construction order for the 'Junneng No. 1' magnetic confinement fusion demonstration reactor project has been officially issued."

His voice was clearly transmitted to every corner through the PA system:

"Controlled nuclear fusion holds the key to unlocking a limitless energy future for human civilization. It is not only a strategic fulcrum for addressing my country's future energy security and achieving green development, but also the cornerstone for all of humanity to break free from the constraints of Earth's resources and move towards a more distant future..."

"Looking back on my country's fusion research and development history, from the initial exploration of the Tokamak-1, to the continuous breakthroughs made by the EAST device in high-temperature plasma confinement, to the current engineering practice of the Jueneng-1, it is the result of the hard work, self-reliance, and collaborative efforts of generations of fusion scientists..."

"..."

Like most documents issued by superiors, this directive contains a series of policy overviews.

But no one showed any impatience.

Because for them, every word of this is a recognition of their work over the past few years or even decades.

As for Lei Wencheng.

Due to excitement, even the voice was a little fuzzy when I read to the end:

"I hope all researchers and test personnel will uphold the scientific spirit, strictly abide by the operating procedures and strive for excellence to ensure the complete success of the first ignition experiment of the 'Junneng No. 1' demonstration reactor, and contribute to the national rejuvenation and the progress of civilization!"

After the announcement, there was a calm and restrained applause from the audience.

There was not much cheering, but a heavy sense of mission echoed in the air.

Lei Wencheng put away the documents and took a step back, giving his seat to Chang Haonan next to him.

The latter walked to the microphone and glanced at the thousands of staff in front of him.

"I declare that the final assembly of the 'JuNeng No. 1' demonstration reactor has officially begun!"

The order is the clarion call.

The two thousand-ton bridge cranes had been on standby for a long time and finally let out a low roar.

The huge hook dropped down precisely, locking onto a disc-shaped behemoth on the giant transport bracket - a cryostat.

Its function is equivalent to that of a refrigerator, providing a suitable and stable operating environment for the core.

Under precise guidance, the thermostat was lifted steadily and moved to the center of the reactor base.

At this moment, the command voice transmitted through the radio, the subtle hissing sound of the hydraulic system, and the metal friction sound of the taut ropes were intertwined.

The operator stared at the laser positioning feedback screen and made imperceptible adjustments on the console with his hands.

The metal outer wall of the thermostat gleams coldly under the warm winter sun, and the precise interface reserved at its bottom is aligned inch by inch with the vertical positioning rail on the base.

Time seemed to be stretched.

An hour later, a report finally came over the radio:

"Thermostat main base is fixed in place! Posture locked! Deviation value: X axis -0.02mm, Y axis +0.01mm, Z axis -0.05mm."

The first key link was perfectly completed.

Applause followed, but was soon replaced by more intense commands.

The next thing to be installed is the toroidal field coils in the steady-state superconducting magnetic field background system, which are 18 D-shaped superconducting magnets.

They are the main force that produces magnetic confinement and are the core of the entire device.

The main module of the longitudinal field coil is provided by SNI of Switzerland, but the superconducting material wrapped inside the magnet has been replaced with copper oxide superconducting cable developed for the Torch Laboratory.

The critical temperature of this new material reaches over 90K, which means that the cryostat that has just been installed can mainly rely on liquid nitrogen instead of liquid helium, which is more expensive and has greater dissipation losses, avoiding many problems in engineering practice.

The heavy crane started again and began to assemble this giant building block that concerns the fate of mankind.

The first D-shaped coil module, weighing over several hundred tons, was lifted and carefully passed through the reserved space below the cryostat.

The laser positioning system flashes with a faint light, guiding the coil around the central axis, precisely positioning and locking it with micron-level accuracy.

Then the second piece, the third piece...

Inside the thermostat, a giant magnet gradually creates the outline of a confining magnetic field.

……

At the same time, in a comprehensive office building in the distance, Chang Haonan was standing in front of a huge floor-to-ceiling window, looking out at the busy and orderly construction site.

Despite being more than one kilometer away, the outline of the nuclear island buildings and the construction machinery scattered around them are still clearly visible.

Suddenly, the door was gently pushed open.

Academician Liang Jianguo walked slowly to Chang Haonan's side and also looked out the window.

"It really is... like a lifetime ago," Liang Jianguo sighed softly, his tone filled with complex emotions. "Honestly, when I first came into contact with magnetic confinement fusion in the early 90s, I never thought that fusion power generation was something that could be seen in the foreseeable future..."

"Even just two years ago, my biggest wish was to see our own device achieve positive net energy gain before retirement, paving the way for future generations. Who would have thought..."

He didn't continue speaking, as if recalling those passionate but resource-scarce years.

After hearing this, Chang Haonan smiled faintly: "What's your wish now?"

Faced with this question, Liang Jianguo was stunned at first, then lowered his head and fell into deep thought.

Finally, he shook his head:

"I don't know. It just feels unreal right now... It's like I'm being swept forward by the tide of time. Before I could fully react, I was already standing here."

He paused, his tone becoming somewhat self-deprecating:

"I never thought I'd live to see a fusion power plant connected to the grid and generating electricity... The past two years have been so busy that I haven't had time to think about the future."

At this point, Liang Jianguo suddenly changed the subject and asked:

"What about you, Academician Chang? After achieving fusion power generation, what is your next goal?"

Chang Haonan finally turned slightly to the side, but his eyes were still looking higher and farther.

"Humanity's exploration of the unknown will never stop," he replied. "So, I plan to move a fusion reactor to Mars."

Liang Jianguo's body visibly stiffened when he heard this.

I was speechless for a moment and couldn't say anything immediately.

This answer was far beyond his expectations.

But it seems to make sense——

With the "beacon" relay base serving as an interstellar outpost, there are also fusion reactors that can provide almost endless energy.

The next step is naturally to combine the functions of the two.

"Academician Chang." Liang Jianguo's eyes became hot.

"Hmm?" Chang Haonan looked at the other party in confusion.

"Take me one!"

……

Two days later, Washington.

Inside the Oval Office.

Ao Guanhai, who is about to step down, sat on the sofa, watching the CCTV English News Channel playing on the TV screen in front of him.

In the picture, the assembly work in the "Junneng No. 1" reactor hall is progressing efficiently. The huge components are moving precisely under the operation of heavy machinery, full of power and order.

Chief Scientific Advisor Attila Holder stood aside and reported the analysis conclusions:

"According to the latest analysis and assessment by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, China's 'Ju Neng No. 1' project is highly complete. All components delivered to the site are highly integrated and mature modules. This indicates that they have undergone extremely thorough ground testing and verification before arrival, and almost all that needs to be done on site is assembly and debugging."

Ao Guanhai pointed to another D-shaped coil being installed on the screen. "At the speed they're showing right now, how long do you think it will take them to complete it all?"

Holder pondered for a moment and replied cautiously:

"In just two days, China has completed the installation of seven D-shaped coils, and the subsequent vacuum chamber segments appear to be ready. As for the other central solenoids, divertors, and feeder systems, these are highly integrated systems and will not take long to install."

"Even considering the subsequent system integration process, it will basically not exceed..."

He paused, as if making a careful calculation.

After a few seconds, the answer was given:

"No more than four months, which means early 2017."

Ao Guanhai's breathing obviously stopped for a moment:

"But the timetable they announced previously...wasn't it before the end of 2018?"

"The previously publicized timetable might just be a smokescreen from our opponents. You know, they're very good at this." Holder gave a helpless smile. "Besides, if you must say, early 2017 is before the end of 2018, so the Chinese aren't lying..."

Ao Guanhai leaned back on the sofa and closed his eyes in pain.

He didn't need Holder to explain any more, as he already understood:

No matter how much HelionEnergy speeds up, it will never be able to catch up with the Chinese in four months.

This technological competition, which concerns future energy hegemony and even the fate of the country, is doomed to fail.

However, misfortunes never come singly.

National Security Advisor Tom Donilon, who had been silent until now, stepped forward and added in a low voice:

"Our recent work with ASEAN countries... has yielded little success. The vast majority of countries have clearly stated their unwillingness to abandon China's proposed 'Stable Power Alliance' initiative. The few remaining countries that were initially wavering have begun to lean towards joining after seeing the speed of 'JuNeng No. 1' construction over the past two days."

"In short, the current situation is not optimistic. Our two-pronged efforts to prevent the formation of this 'stable electricity alliance' have failed..."

After the report was completed, the office fell into a long, depressing silence.

There was a sense of powerless frustration in the air.

It was not until a few minutes later that Ao Guanhai suddenly sat up straight again, reached out and tore a piece of paper from the notepad on the table, then picked up a pen and began to write on it quickly and scribbled.

"Actually, there's one last option, which is the plan Senator Dick Durbin proposed earlier." He wrote as he spoke, "Disrupt the situation around China and ASEAN. As long as we can delay until Helion Energy's Orion Power Plant is completed, there's at least a chance of saving the situation..."

He stopped writing and looked at the few key points hastily written on the paper, his tone full of amusement:

"But... I definitely don't have enough time, so this plan will have to be left to the next generation to decide."

Ao Guanhai put the note in the drawer as a "message" to his successor.

This is also the customary practice of shift handover.

"Hopefully... he can still make it in time."