OBS Chapter 1494 The True Significance of Magnetohydrodynamic Power Generation
Chapter 1494 The True Significance of Magnetohydrodynamic Power Generation
Chapter 1494 The True Meaning of Magnetohydrodynamic Power Generation
An unremarkable press conference ultimately caused shock to the global aerospace industry that lasted for several months.
However, few people would have thought that the starting point of all this, that is, the nuclear reactor magnetohydrodynamic power generation test conducted in Jincheng, could only be regarded as a by-product.
Chang Haonan's main purpose in studying magnetohydrodynamic power generation at the beginning was actually to enable ramjet engines to generate electricity like turbine engines.
As for the connection with nuclear reactors and the aerospace field, it is completely an episode...
"Academician Chang, there is news that the United States is trying to pass a new clause to ban all official cooperation with us in the field of aerospace."
Xing Muchun walked over quickly, holding a freshly printed briefing in his hand.
As a former rocket chief engineer, although he has basically left his original research field, he still habitually pays close attention to any developments in the aerospace field.
Chang Haonan was standing in front of the floor-to-ceiling window of the wind tunnel control room, staring at the JF14 wind tunnel in front of him that was almost ready.
The gas compressors and heat exchange towers outside were making a low hum, like the breathing of a dormant giant beast, occasionally mixed with the slight clicking sound caused by the expansion and contraction of metal due to heat and cold.
To ordinary people, these sounds might just be the noisy background of industrial facilities, but to him, they constitute a certain precise rhythm, like the heartbeat of a huge machine.
"It's expected." Chang Haonan's voice was as calm as if he was discussing tomorrow's weather. "When we were developing Beidou before, they cut off the supply of atomic clocks. Later, when we were developing supercomputers, they banned the sale of high-computing power CPUs..." He turned around and glanced at the electronic clock hanging on the wall next to him.
There are 90 minutes left until the scheduled start time of the test.
"Back then they could bring Europe along, but now..."
Chang Haonan shook his head helplessly and mockingly:
"The Artemis plan that was put together some time ago didn't even dare to add an exclusivity clause. It also said that it supports the spontaneous flow of technology within the industry without affecting national security..."
At this point, the two of them laughed at the same time, and a happy atmosphere filled the control room.
Xing Muchun also said:
"If we don't include exclusivity clauses, we can still maintain basic decency... If we force other countries to choose between the two, and more countries follow us in the end, then Americans will lose everything."
Just as the two were talking, a buzzing sound of a motor suddenly came from next door.
Through the glass wall, you can see Li Min and several other young engineers operating the crane to slowly place today's equipment to be tested on the fixed frame inside the wind tunnel.
This young researcher, who has just taken over the position of second deputy chief engineer, is still a little immature in terms of experience, but he is making progress at a speed visible to the naked eye, and now he can almost operate the wind tunnel on his own.
Behind her, two technicians in orange overalls were lying on the ground checking the fiber optic interface. The laser rangefinder in one of them's hand made a "beeping" sound from time to time.
"Ready!" A hoarse voice came from the intercom. In the background, the crisp sound of metal tools colliding could be heard. "Prepare for pre-flow test."
On the test stand, the verification machine code-named "Lingxiao-1 modified" was trembling slightly in the pre-flow -
It is so slender that it is almost deformed. Its diameter is less than 0.5 meters, but its body is more than 9 meters long. Its surface is covered with a layer of honeycomb-shaped reinforced ceramic insulation tiles, which have a matte sheath under the light, like a Miao Dao unsheathed.
……
Forty minutes later, the installation work was finally completed.
Li Min returned to the control room and wiped the sweat off his face. The cuffs of his uniform left a gray mark on his forehead.
"Academician Chang, the aspect ratio is almost 20. Will it really not flutter after entering the scramjet mode? I remember that the Beijing Aviation verification aircraft at the beginning of the year was at M6.2..."
He stopped abruptly mid-sentence.
Because she suddenly realized that, theoretically speaking, the person in front of her seemed to be a professor at Jinghang University...
"So we added an active suppression system." Chang Haonan pointed to the jumping spectrum on the main screen and drew a circle at a peak. "Looking at the limit cycle oscillation frequency, we not only redesigned the composite material layer, but also embedded 4 groups of 32 piezoelectric actuators in the leading edge." He called up another window, and the 30D model immediately showed spider-web-like red stress lines inside the body. "A % margin was reserved."
Just as he finished speaking, a thunderous explosion suddenly came from the wind tunnel.
A pressure sensor alarm suddenly sounded, and the red light on the console flashed wildly.
"Inlet shock wave is detaching from the body!" The young engineer shouted with a tremor, and pounced on the control console like a cheetah.
The structural stress curve on the screen began to jump violently, like a boiling oil pan.
But Chang Haonan was staring at the oblique air inlet in the surveillance video - the sensor with the abnormal reading happened to be located on the third compression slope of the inlet duct, where the pressure fluctuation curve showed a strange periodicity.
"It's not a malfunction." He quickly stopped Li Min's hand from pressing the emergency stop button. "This is how it is designed."
The latter's movements froze instantly:
"what?"
The position of second deputy chief engineer sounds very important, but in terms of function he is only responsible for specific work related to wind tunnel testing, which is completely different from the position of Xing Muchun, the genuine deputy chief designer.
Previously, Jiang Zongli was able to participate in the overall plan planning throughout the process, on the one hand because his qualifications and level were indeed sufficient, and on the other hand because he was Chang Haonan’s immediate superior in the original timeline.
Li Min obviously does not have such conditions now.
In addition, it has been very difficult for her to manage her job during this period, and she has no energy to focus on other aspects.
"Ramjet engines do not have rotating structural parts, so they cannot generate thrust while driving generators to generate electricity like conventional turbofan engines."
Chang Haonan stared at the data on the screen and explained:
"So if we want to achieve relatively stable and high-power power output, we can only use the high energy characteristics of the dual-mode ramjet engine to introduce magnetohydrodynamic power generation technology into it."
"You mean...MHD technology?"
After all, Li Min was doing research in ultra-high-speed wind tunnels, so he was not unfamiliar with this concept, but...
She glanced at the surveillance screen next to her:
"I have written a paper before, analyzing that the Americans tested a HVEPS system on the X43A... but it didn't have such an exaggerated structure?"
At this moment, the console screen lit up in due time, and a three-dimensional cross-sectional view came into view.
Li Min moved closer and saw that the position at the end of the air inlet and before the combustion chamber was clearly marked with "MHD power generation channel", while the position behind the tail nozzle where the engine should have been had become an "MHD accelerator".
"The generator is working in the intake section?"
She reacted instantly.
"The HVEPS system places the generator behind the combustion chamber, which is indeed more intuitive. The gas after combustion is more plasmatized, which is beneficial to improve the power generation efficiency to a certain extent."
Chang Haonan explained:
"But in fact, for hypersonic flight, aerodynamic heating is enough to produce ionization effect. Combined with ionization seed generator, it can also generate sufficient potential difference. On the contrary, the rear-mounted generator design is limited by the structure and can only use electron beam as ionization generator. Electron beam ionization is like stirring honey with chopsticks, which will inevitably induce eddy current and reduce the performance of MHD."
At this time, the inflation sound of the wind tunnel has turned into a low-frequency roar, and several red warning lights began to rotate.
Confirmations came from various posts on the intercom: "The shock tunnel pressure is 90%... The magnetic confinement power supply is online... The laser interferometer calibration is complete..."
"Besides."
Chang Haonan put on the headset and prepared to give the order to start the test.
But I saw that there was still enough time, so I went back and completed the rest:
"Introducing MHD will definitely lead to problems of total pressure loss and reduced thermal efficiency. If the MHD is placed after the nozzle, these losses will be wasted. If the MHD is placed before the combustion chamber, it is equivalent to..."
Li Min has also captured the key:
"——It is equivalent to converting the total pressure loss into a combustion chamber adjustment method, and introducing an additional independent variable to control the incoming flow parameters in the intake duct?"
Her voice was a little sharp because of shock.
This is not just a change in thinking, but also involves wonderful aerodynamic perception and control.
Chang Haonan was satisfied with her answer:
"Yes, it can expand the flight conditions and improve the combustion performance at non-design points, which is generally beneficial to the high performance of the dual-mode ramjet engine..."