According to foreign media reports, according to foreign media reports, a small bucket of uranium is equivalent to the size of a coffee pot, but this miniature nuclear reactor has shielding devices and detectors, and the entire device does not exceed the size of a waste paper basket. At present, this prototype of a small nuclear reactor will be tested in the desert of Nevada in the United States, which will be a step closer to realizing the dream of mankind's future space exploration. Space nuclear reactor only has waste paper size The project, called "Kilopower", is a joint venture between NASA and the U.S. Department of Energy. It will be the first space nuclear fission reactor since the SNAP 10A project in the 1960s. Currently, the prototype is still being tested and it is easier to implement than any of the space projects conducted in the past decades. The Kilopower reactor is designed to have two dimensions, one is a 1 kW model and the other is a 10 kW model. Pat McClure, project manager of the Kilopower reactor, said: “People need about 1 kilowatt of electricity to bake bread. In an average family, they use 5 kilowatts of electricity per day, but for NASA, it’s consumed. A lot of energy. Previously, NASA detection equipment only consumed hundreds of to several kilowatts of electricity in space, so 1 or 10 kilowatts in space is a large unit of electricity." The maximum power of the NASA “New Horizons†detector is 240 watts, and the power of the “Cursic†rover is 120 watts. Both of the above detectors use nuclear power batteries and can convert the natural decaying heat into electricity. However, the shortage of helium and the assembly power of 1000 or 10,000 watts are major improvements, even if it is smaller than the equipment on Earth. Unlike those nuclear power batteries, the Kilopower system forms a fission reaction that quickly splits the uranium atoms to release energy, and then turns the energy into electricity by connecting the engines. McClure said: “Traditional light-water cooled reactors can produce one gigawatt of electricity, which is one million times more than Kilopower reactors produce electricity. Its structure is very complex, and at the same time, it can be designed to make full use of fuel.†For small-scale Mars In the reactor, the effective utilization of fuel will be greatly reduced, but we need a reactor that is easy to predict results and easy to operate. In fact, this small-scale Mars reactor has an automatic control function. This will reduce the possibility of accidents that may occur on larger power sources. In other words, we will not risk nuclear events on the surface of Mars. McClure said: “For the work we are currently doing, it is very difficult to melt the fuel. Our physical design method is that the reactor will release a lot of heat, so we did not carry out cooling treatment, only a small amount of heat radiation, the reactor will Reduce power to match." At the same time, this small nuclear reactor can also operate in a strange space environment. We believe that the space environment is very cold, but keeping a reactor cool down in a vacuum is not easy. There is no air or water in space and the heat of the generator can be transferred. Instead, the system relies on eight heat pipes, each containing about one tablespoon of sodium, which has a very high boiling point. Sodium boils at high temperatures, and when sodium boils near the heat pipe, its temperature is close to fissionable uranium fuel. Steam passes through the heat pipe and gradually condenses, and the difference in temperature will help produce electricity. The cooled material will then return to the higher temperature part of the heat pipe and the entire system will cycle. In theory, the system can produce reliable and efficient energy for many years. What is the safety of space nuclear reactors? If there is a problem with launches, many people will worry about nuclear leaks and space crises. Airborne nuclear power sources will be potentially threatening. McClure said: "People always think that you will bring Chernobyl to space or somewhere, and it is not actually so dangerous. Before the fission reactor, there was a small amount of radioactive material in the space nuclear reactor because it It is uranium, but its amount is very small. Even if there are some accidents during the launch, it will not cause public trouble." McClure explained that if there is a problem in the launch process, the standard, non-fissile state of the reactor will explode uranium residues, posing a very small risk to the public. The peak dose of radiation is much lower than 1 millirem, while in reality, the dose of radiation peak is lower and it is a micro Rem level. In contrast, the average annual radiation dose received by Americans is 620 millirem. This means that the space nuclear reactor emits far less radiation than background radiation or is equivalent to flying on an airplane. However, launching a space nuclear power source is only the first step. It must also be operated safely at a distance from distant space. Once it leaves the Earth's atmosphere for a long time and starts up, it will become more radioactive. However, the research team conducted a special design. If the nuclear power source fails, it will automatically shut down. At the same time, they plan to conduct tests next month in Nevada, connecting the nuclear power source to two engines, each capable of generating about 80 watts of electrical power, heating the fission reaction to a high temperature of approximately 800 degrees Celsius. Dave Poston, director of space nuclear reactor design, said: "We will shut down all heat emissions, indicating that the reactor will not only survive, but will also be in standby mode. If the power conversion system can recover and start generating electricity, then it It will go back to where it was. This will confirm that we can handle any brief or abnormal operation of the reactor and people do not have to worry about it." How will this be done? McClure said: "The 1 kilowatt nuclear reactor is used for deep space missions. For example: Arrival to Pluto or Jupiter satellites. A 10 kilowatt nuclear reactor is used for deep space or Mars surface missions. At present, NASA plans to send five 10 kilowatt nuclear reactors to reach Mars. This will provide a 40 kW power supply for a Mars base." Steve Jurczyk, deputy director of NASA’s Space Technology Task Force, said at the press conference: “Mars is difficult to deploy on its surface, its exposure to sunlight is less than that of the Earth and the moon, and nighttime. The temperature is very low, there is a very unique sandstorm, which lasts for weeks, months, and even ravages the entire planet." Although NASA has explored solar panels as a potential source of power, NASA is currently actively exploring solutions that will continue to provide essential life support systems, especially when there is insufficient sunlight to provide solar power. The first batch of nuclear power reactors will land on Mars and begin to provide power for automated systems that separate water ice to form liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen to produce fuel that returns to Earth. Once humans land on Mars, these systems can power their habitat and other support systems. Currently, NASA is negotiating with other commercial organizations to propose a 1 kilowatt nuclear reactor for exploration missions in outer space. Janet Kavandi, head of NASA's Glenn Research Center, said: "As a former astronaut, I can assure you that having a reliable source of power is crucial in missions away from low earth orbit. It is important that this type of power system will become especially important as we go deep into the solar system and eventually reach the surface of other planets." Water Reducing Agent is a kind of Concrete Admixture which can reduce the water consumption of mixing under the condition that the slump of the concrete is kept basically unchanged. Most of them belong to anionic surfactants, such as lignin sulfonate and naphthalene sulfonate formaldehyde polymer. 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The picture shows the artist's "Kilopower" power plant installed on the surface of Mars.