"This is my junior, a freshman from the Physics Department at Yan University," Yang Dong introduced. "I brought him along for a tour."
"Oh..." Wang Miao nodded. "Regarding the coolant issue, we've already reported it to the higher-ups. If you need it, I can write another application to urge logistics to speed up the transport."
"No need." Hearing Wang Miao's words, Yang Dong shook her head. She looked at the massive, expensive physical apparatus with a complex expression, knowing it might never fulfill its true purpose again. "Let nature take its course."
Yang Dong noticed small white flowers tucked into the superconducting cryogenic module of the old particle accelerator. They were placed there spontaneously by the base researchers to commemorate the previous head of the accelerator project. She had heard rumors—rumors about a succession of cutting-edge physicists committing suicide over the past few months.
Although it seemed physics had indeed run into a minor problem, countless people were still willing to pay any price for that last tiny glimmer of a chance for victory. Perhaps that was why the application for the accelerator's expansion had been approved in such a short time.
Wang Miao nodded. On the other side, he heard the supervisor of the Nano-Technology Research Institute sending someone to call him to the vacuum chamber. Apparently, some unexpected situations had arisen in the engineering there.
But before leaving, Wang Miao stole another deep look at the young man who was smiling and nodding at him.
Although Liangxiang possessed the world's largest particle collider, it wasn't a completely closed system like some secret military experimental bases. On the contrary, to cultivate new talent in high-end physics and facilitate international exchange, the Liangxiang base had signed regular tour and internship agreements with several key domestic universities. Usually, it also opened certain areas for physics enthusiasts and tourists to visit with tickets. It was only due to the recent impact of the accelerator expansion and upgrade that some areas were temporarily closed to the public.
Therefore, Wang Miao wasn't too surprised that Yang Dong, the current general manager of the particle accelerator, had brought her junior to visit the base.
"Regarding the question you asked me yesterday." Yang Dong turned around and stared into David's eyes, as if she couldn't understand why he would ask such an outrageous question, but she answered patiently nonetheless. "In reality, if it's just about setting up a commercial nuclear power plant, as long as you have sufficient funds, the market entry barrier isn't as high as you might imagine."
Seeing that David didn't quite catch her meaning, Yang Dong explained further. "While no one besides CNNC and State Power has the qualifications to build nuclear power plants in China, the country is currently exploring the commercialization of nuclear power to increase profitability. If one is willing to advance the costs, there's a high probability of obtaining operating rights."
Hearing Yang Dong's suggestion, David shook his head. If his nuclear power plant weren't destined for the moon, he might have actually considered it.
"Well, if you insist on building a private nuclear power plant, you'll have to consider the backup plans of various foreign new energy companies." Yang Dong flipped through the construction logs of the particle accelerator expansion phase; they were filled with monotonous text. For this kind of project, a boring report was far better than an 'innovative' one.
"Currently, besides our country, the US and France also master third-generation pressurized water reactor technology. The technology used by the Americans likely involves non-powered pressurized water cooling through natural forces and gravity to reduce the failure rate of core components and achieve cooling."
Yang Dong set down the dry report. Except for the installation of the coolant being delayed by the shooting incident at Hongtashan, the installation speed of all other parts was ahead of schedule. "Even though the American technology is quite advanced, it's not suitable for private use."
Faced with Yang Dong's warning, David asked, "Why?"
"It's simple. the power of the American general-purpose modules is far too large. Even though they use third-generation cold-pressure technology, higher power always means a higher failure rate and potential safety hazards. Meanwhile, the EU has been dedicated to promoting the miniaturization of nuclear power in recent years.
I heard that a nuclear reactor recently built in Finland used the latest type of Small Modular Reactors (SMR). According to the assessment of the International Atomic Energy Agency, the power generation is below 300,000 kilowatts."
Yang Dong explained. As a top talent in the domestic physics research institute, although she wasn't a professional nuclear energy worker, she believed she had a decent understanding of domestic and international nuclear theories and experimental results.
"And under the policy subsidies of the EU—mainly Germany and France—European factories are very willing to produce SMR modules. In fact, that's why I recommend using small modular reactors. Sometimes policy barriers are harder to break through than technical barriers. If you purchase from the EU, there will basically be no issues in this regard."
Yang Dong spoke eloquently, and David listened thoughtfully. He had already made up his mind: purchase small modular reactor modules from the EU.
Besides the failure rate Yang Dong mentioned, David had another concern. As the "Abominable Intelligence" became more active globally, its risk of exposure would inevitably increase. One day, its existence would be noticed by the Sophons. Launching a small rocket would certainly not escape Sophon monitoring, which meant he would have to handle transporting the modules to the moon himself.
David estimated his psionic power; he could lift a weight of about three tons. If he could get the EU factories to keep the weight of each module under three tons, he believed he could try to transport the small reactor to the moon through the Warp.
"If I really wanted to buy one, which EU company do you think is more reliable?" David asked.
Yang Dong thought seriously for a moment. "Actually, the US is also promoting the miniaturization of nuclear reactors now. NuScale Power's light-water SMR technology is quite mature. However, I still suggest sourcing equipment from the EU. Comparatively, because the EU Nuclear Industry Alliance is more powerful than its American counterpart, the European SMR industry faces much fewer restrictions than domestic US enterprises."
When discussing physics-related topics, Yang Dong's eyes sparkled. She tore off a sticky note, wrote down a URL, and placed it before David. "If you're really interested, you can check this out... But let me say this first: even for a miniaturized nuclear reactor module, the cheapest cost will be over 120 million pounds."
"I see." David nodded thoughtfully. He wasn't worried about the funds. Because nobody understood pay-to-win players better than he did.
Abominable Intelligence! Black Crusade! Gacha Simulator! Launch!