Chapter 95 An Unexpected Connection
Lin Mo locked himself in the Prefabricated Building for two whole days.
The computer screen was densely packed with literature—physical properties of tritium, lithium isotope separation technology, magnetohydrodynamics, plasma physics... He started chewing through the basics, reading and taking notes, until a thick stack of printed paper piled up on the desk.
Every time Li Xiao brought in food, she saw him staring blankly at the screen, muttering to himself.
"Teacher Lin, please take a break," she said, placing the boxed meal on the table. "Teacher Chen said if you keep pushing yourself like this, he's going to tie you to the bed to make you sleep."
Lin Mo didn't even look up. "Right away, just finishing this section."
Li Xiao sighed and tiptoed out.
She knew that once Lin Mo dove into a problem, no one could pull him out.
In the early hours of the third day, Lin Mo suddenly sprang up from his chair.
He stared at the two documents open side-by-side on the screen, his eyes widening.
The one on the left was a review of Tritium Extraction technology. It discussed a method based on Magnetic Field Separation—utilizing the slight difference in the deflection radius of tritium and deuterium in a magnetic field to achieve separation.
The one on the right was his own summary of Lithium Extraction from Seawater technology. It included a chapter specifically on the design of the Magnetic Field Separation device—utilizing the different movement trajectories of lithium isotopes in a magnetic field to achieve enrichment.
The two schematic diagrams, when placed side-by-side, were almost identical.
The only difference was the object being separated: one was hydrogen isotopes (tritium and deuterium), and the other was lithium isotopes (lithium-6 and lithium-7).
But the core principle was exactly the same—ions of different masses in a magnetic field have different deflection radii.
Lin Mo's fingers trembled slightly on the keyboard.
He stood up, walked to the window, walked back, and looked at the screen again.
That's it.
One of the core technologies of Lithium Extraction from Seawater is using Magnetic Field Separation for lithium isotopes. And what Tritium Extraction needs to separate is precisely hydrogen isotopes.
The principles are the same.
The equipment structures are similar.
The process logic is almost interchangeable.
If... if the Magnetic Field Separation device for Lithium Extraction from Seawater was slightly modified, adjusting the magnetic field strength and separation parameters, could it be used to extract tritium from seawater?
And what is the source of tritium in seawater?
It's deuterium. Seawater contains a large amount of deuterium; the energy released by the deuterium in one liter of seawater through Nuclear Fusion is equivalent to 300 liters of gasoline.
Deuterium itself is not tritium, but deuterium can be converted into tritium through neutron bombardment—this is the concept of tritium breeding. In a fusion reactor, lithium-6 is used to absorb neutrons to produce tritium and helium.
So the complete logical chain is:
Seawater → Extract lithium (lithium-6) → Lithium-6 absorbs neutrons in a fusion reactor → Produce tritium
Or:
Seawater → Extract deuterium → Deuterium converted through neutrons → Produce tritium
And both of these paths require Magnetic Field Separation technology.
Lin Mo stood there, his mind exploding with countless thoughts like fireworks.
He remembered the prerequisite in the system: Tritium Extraction technology (extracting tritium from lithium).
Extracting tritium from lithium essentially means processing the irradiated lithium target material and separating out the generated tritium. This process also requires Magnetic Field Separation—because tritium is a gas, and magnetic fields are an efficient means to separate trace amounts of tritium from a large amount of lithium.
So...
This device for Lithium Extraction from Seawater, this device they had been running stably in the Gobi Desert for two months, was it actually a prototype for Tritium Extraction technology?
He turned abruptly and rushed to the door.
When the door of the Prefabricated Building was flung open, Chen Xueming was standing outside holding a thermos, preparing to knock.
The two almost collided.
"Lin Mo? You—"
"Teacher Chen!" Lin Mo grabbed his arm. "Come with me!"
Chen Xueming was dragged a few steps, nearly spilling his thermos. "Hey, hey, hey, what's the rush?"
"Big news."
Lin Mo pushed him down in front of the computer and pointed to the two diagrams side-by-side on the screen.
"Look at this."
Chen Xueming put on his reading glasses and leaned in to look.
The diagram on the left was the Magnetic Field Separation principle for Tritium Extraction. The diagram on the right was the lithium isotope separation principle for Lithium Extraction from Seawater.
He looked at it for ten seconds, then raised his head and looked at Lin Mo.
"This..."
"The principle is the same," Lin Mo said. "Magnetic Field Separation of isotopes. If we change the parameters and the separation object for our device, it can be used to extract tritium."
Chen Xueming was stunned.
He stared at the screen for several dozen more seconds, then slowly stood up and walked to the window.
Lin Mo waited for him to process it.
The sunlight from the Gobi Desert shone in, casting mottled light and shadows on Chen Xueming's face.
After a long time, Chen Xueming turned around.
"Lin Mo, do you know what this means?"
Lin Mo nodded.
"The device for Lithium Extraction from Seawater could become a precursor to the fusion fuel preparation device," he said. "What we are doing now isn't just breaking the blockade on lithium resources—what we are doing is paving the way for Controlled Nuclear Fusion."
Chen Xueming took a deep breath and slowly exhaled.
"Damn it." He said those two words again.
But this time, the tone was completely different.
The last time it was amazement; this time it was shock.
Li Xiao and Zhang Zhe heard the commotion and ran over. The two squeezed in at the doorway, looking at the two people in the room who were stunned.
"Teacher Chen? Teacher Lin?" Li Xiao asked in a low voice. "What's wrong?"
Chen Xueming pointed at the screen. "See for yourselves."
Li Xiao leaned over, looked for a few seconds, and then let out an "Ah."
Zhang Zhe followed suit, and after looking, his mouth opened wide enough to fit an egg.
"This... this is the same technology?" Zhang Zhe stammered. "Lithium Extraction from Seawater and Tritium Extraction?"
Lin Mo nodded.
"The principles are the same. Magnetic Field Separation of isotopes. As long as we modify the structure of the separation chamber and adjust the magnetic field parameters for our device, it can be used to extract tritium from lithium or deuterium from seawater."
The room was so quiet that everyone's breathing could be heard.
After several seconds, Li Xiao said in a low voice, "So what we are doing now isn't just Lithium Extraction from Seawater... we are preparing for Nuclear Fusion?"
Lin Mo looked at her and smiled.
"Yes."
That "Yes" was as light as a feather, yet as heavy as a mountain.
Chen Xueming suddenly slapped the table.
"Good!"
His outburst startled everyone.
Chen Xueming stood there, his expression extremely complex—there was excitement, exhilaration, and a sense of relief that had been suppressed for a long time and finally released.
"I've been working on materials for over twenty years, and I've never seen anything like this," he said. "One technology, bridging two fields. Lithium Extraction from Seawater, Nuclear Fusion fuel—killing two birds with one stone."
He looked at Lin Mo, with something indescribable in his eyes.
"Lin Mo, how many more surprises does your system have in store?"
Lin Mo shook his head.
"I don't know. But I do know that the path we are on now is the right one."
Chen Xueming nodded vigorously.
"Yes," he said. "Absolutely right."
Li Xiao raised her hand from the side. "Um... what do we do now?"
Lin Mo thought for a moment, walked to the whiteboard, and picked up a marker.
"Two things," he said while writing. "First, the industrialization of Lithium Extraction from Seawater cannot stop; this is our foundation. The floating offshore platform must continue to be pushed forward, aiming for completion and operation next year."
He wrote down the first line.
"Second, launch the pre-research for Tritium Extraction technology." He wrote down the second line. "Use the existing device to conduct principle verification experiments. See if the efficiency and purity of extracting tritium from lithium can meet the requirements of a fusion reactor."
Chen Xueming nodded. "I'll lead this. Li Xiao will assist with data simulation, and Zhang Zhe will be responsible for equipment modification."
Li Xiao and Zhang Zhe replied in unison, "Understood."
Lin Mo put down the marker and looked at the two lines on the whiteboard.
Lithium Extraction from Seawater. Tritium Extraction.
One is the present, the other is the future.
But these two are actually one.
He turned around and looked at the device operating in the sunlight outside the window.
The metal casing reflected dazzling light, like a silver seed planted in this Gobi Desert.
No one knew what this seed would grow into.
But he knew it would be something worth waiting for.