Chapter 297： nuclear reactor

In Germany, industrialization has long been realized. Power plants are built near coal mines and electricity is transmitted through high-voltage lines. However, in Africa, it is still in the most primitive era.

At the same time, the secret base set up by Germany here must require a lot of electricity. As early as when we arrived here, a large generator set was transported to provide electricity here. Later, as the demand increased. , And several more have been transported to meet the energy demand here.

These generator sets are all diesel-burning, and the distinctive tom sound of diesel engines is the most obvious sound.

But now, here, I can't hear the sound of the diesel engine! This is simply too strange!

Where does this electricity come from?

Hearing Hitler’s question, the veteran of the German scientific community, Heisenberg, said to Hitler: "The Führer, that is because we are here and have begun to use nuclear reactors to generate electricity."

Werner-Karl-Heisenberg was born in 1901. Now is the most energetic time. Although he is not as famous as Einstein, in fact, he is the most important physicist in the 20th century after Einstein. !

And his greatest contribution is quantum mechanics. In later generations, if you want to study the microscopic world, you must study quantum mechanics! Quantum mechanics is one of the most important achievements in the entire history of science. In view of his important influence, Heisenberg ranked 43rd in the "Top 100 People Who Affect the Process of Human History" by American scholar Mike Hart.

However, Heisenberg's reputation is not so good. After all, before World War II, a lot of physicists, represented by Einstein, left Germany and went to the United States.

Heisenberg, however, stayed in Germany because of his love for Germany and tried his best to save German science.

Now, he is a professor of physics at the University of Berlin and the director of the Kaiser-Wilhelm Royal Institute of Physics. He is also the leader in the development of nuclear weapons in Germany. His current job is to develop a nuclear reactor with Hahn, one of the discoverers of nuclear fission!

A few years ago, Hitler approved Germany's atomic bomb program, which is the uranium program, but now, instead of building a nuclear bomb, they have begun to engage in reactors!

Why is that?

Of course it is because of the shortage of nuclear materials! There is no uranium mine in Germany. The uranium needed is imported, and the quantity is very small. It is quite difficult to extract the fissile uranium 235 from it.

Later, Cyric's explanation opened up Heisenberg's vision.

The main uranium ore is uranium 238. These things are not easy to fission. However, in a nuclear reactor, uranium 238 can be burned into plutonium 239 and plutonium 239, which is easy to fission!

At that time, even Heisenberg did not believe that Cyric, a layman who had never been exposed to nuclear physics, could actually propose a fission equation!

As an experiment, Heisenberg suddenly discovered that Cyric's proposals were completely correct!

In this way, Germany's first nuclear bomb was set to be a plutonium bomb. In this case, Germany needs to build a nuclear reactor to burn the required plutonium!

Initially, the site selection issue was discussed, and the final decision was to establish a secret base in Libya, where the conditions for scientific research are already available and it is easier to keep confidential.

In this way, German scientists, with Heisenberg as the core, many people have come to Libya, but they often return to Germany to give academic lectures and make public appearances to deceive the scientific community in other countries.

Their exchanges are all protected by the Gestapo, and there has never been a problem.

This is much earlier than the historical process. One of the important issues is funding.

Historically, from 1937 to 1940, the German Army spent 550 million marks on the development of large rockets, while the funding for the Uranium Project was only more than 1 million marks. In this way, the funding for the "uranium project" is seriously insufficient.

Now, Germany has sufficient funds to support the entire plan. So far, Germany has invested 500 million Reichsmarks in the uranium plan!

Hitler came here, of course, hoping to see some results.

For example, now, when he heard that a nuclear reactor was used to supply electricity, Hitler became interested: "Go, go and see."

Go see? Cyric frowned immediately: "Great head of state, nuclear reactors are our great invention, but there are some invisible rays inside, which are easy to cause harm to the human body. Let's listen to the introduction first."

In this era, various technologies are still very primitive. Although Cyric has already suggested that they thicken the cement layer of the nuclear reactor, no one knows whether there is a leak.

It's better not to take risks.

"The nuclear reactor is built five kilometers away from here, and electricity is transmitted through cables buried in the sand." Heisenberg also said: "Now, let us introduce you to it."

Regardless of whether the knowledge of radioactivity is sufficient, Heisenberg also wants to avoid danger, so the nuclear reactor is not built inside the base.

So Hitler had no choice but to give up.

When he arrived at the conference room of the base, Hitler first listened to Heisenberg's report.

“General Cyric’s proposal has inspired us a lot. We use graphite as a moderator to burn uranium 238 into plutonium 239 to obtain the nuclear materials we need. At the same time, the energy generated by the reaction allows We can use it as a boiler to heat water vapor, drive a steam engine, and then drive a generator to generate electricity. Now the base’s daily life uses electricity from this type of reactor."

Historically, Heisenberg started to study nuclear reactors only after he came to the conclusion that it was impossible to make a successful atomic bomb. In later generations, there are also sayings that he loves his country, but he hates Hitler's atrocities. Therefore, he took practical actions to curb the development of German nuclear weapons.

In fact, of course it is not the case. Just think about it and you will know that the ones who should go have already gone, and of course all who stayed followed Hitler!

Besides, if Germany succeeds in manufacturing an atomic bomb, the history of the entire world will be rewritten, and Heisenberg will also be the greatest scientist of the empire by then!

It was Heisenberg's calculation wrong!

Hitler was very happy: "Then when will we be able to get our planned nuclear bomb out?"

Now, hearing that it is going well, Hitler certainly wants to have a nuclear bomb as soon as possible. Whoever is disobedient, throw one away!

Hearing Hitler’s question, Heisenberg seemed very embarrassed: “We are still a long way from the manufacture of nuclear bombs. If we look at our current nuclear reactor, it will take at least a hundred years to burn. Can make up the raw materials needed for a nuclear bomb."

In an instant, Hitler's face went black.