BXBX NOVEL Chapter 255: Wisdom’s Limit! Eighth Official Livestream (3)
Chapter 255: Wisdom’s Limit! Eighth Official Livestream (3)
Translator: Exodus Tales Editor: Exodus Tales
Chapter 255 – Wisdom’s Limit! Eighth Official Livestream (3)
“And this product’s name is called...
“The Earth Spray!”
[??]
[???]
[Spray my ass!]
[What a name.]
[Are you kidding me?]
[¿¿]
[Listening to its name, I now know why the modern scientific community couldn’t make it.]
[As expected of you.]
[As expected of you. +1]
[All rise! Time to send off the old driver!]
“Yes, this thing is called Earth Spray.” Stepping aside, Chen Yu let the camera capture a panoramic view of the blue cylinder. “It also has a more appropriate title—the Tide of Mother Ocean.
“I doubt anyone can figure out this product’s function through its name. However, once you listen to my explanation of its principles, you’ll definitely understand why it is named as such.
“As we all know, the cost of launching rockets into space is very high. According to current standards, it costs 20,000 U.S. dollars to lift one kilogram of material into space. If it is a 50-kilogram person, it will cost one million U.S. dollars. If the astronaut is of Qiao Biluo’s[1] weight class, even the wealthy America wouldn’t be able to afford many trips.
“But if we switch to using a space elevator, the cost of traveling to space will plummet. After calculation, it will only cost 190 dollars to send one kilogram of matter to space. That’s a difference of 100 times! Even ordinary people like us can afford to travel to space. So, you can imagine how much yearning the various governments have toward the space elevator.
“Alright.” Clapping his hands, Chen Yu pointed at the Earth Spray and said, “What if we use this to send objects into space? How much would it cost then?
“The answer is...nothing.”
When Chen Yu’s words fell, let alone the audience in the livestream rooms, even the professors in the floating castle nearly bit their tongues in shock.
“Yes. Nothing,” Chen Yu emphasized. “Moreover, not only will it cost nothing to travel to space, but the Earth Spray can even help you make money.
“The Earth Spray uses water to carry objects into space. Meanwhile, Earth has a near-endless supply of water in its oceans. This water can even be reused. Hence, the Earth Spray is also called the Tide of Mother Ocean. It is a gift from nature.”
[I’m smiling.]
[Are you finally going to engage in MLM?]
[Is it really free? Will you really give me money to go to space?]
[UP, what you mean to say is that the cost is meager, right? There’s no way you don’t need to spend any money.]
[What nonsense! Using water to carry objects into space? Do you think you can replicate Europa’s fountain?]
[You can probably launch over a thousand rockets with the energy needed to send water spraying tens of thousands of kilometers into space.]
[A space fountain? This is pseudoscience...]
[I’m not trying to doubt the host, but this doesn’t make sense in theory.]
[Stop pretending that you understand, OK? Do you think you’re better than the host?]
[It’s not a question of being better or not. Even the most amazing person in the world cannot violate physics...]
Raising his wrist, Chen Yu took a look at the numerous speculations appearing among the bullet comments. He then shrugged and said, “I knew most of you won’t believe it. In that case, I will now introduce this product’s operating principle in detail. I’ll let you understand how imagination can create a world.”
After saying so, Chen Yu summoned Hermione and grabbed the staff she wielded. He then drew a picture in the air while narrating, “First, we need to know one of the most basic chemical principles. Water, or H?O, is the simplest hydroxide compound in existence. It is a colorless and odorless liquid with a freezing point of 0°C and a boiling point of 100°C under standard atmospheric pressure. Its density will be at its highest at 4°C.
“Water contains hydrogen, and hydrogen is a type of fuel. When mixed with oxygen, it will explode into flames. Nowadays, all rockets use hydrogen-oxygen fuel.
“Now, there is a very interesting point here! Why not decompose the hydrogen found in water to use as fuel?”
After saying so, Chen Yu hovered into the air and wrote down a series of formulas in the air, his actions stunning his audience.
“There are many ways to decompose water, and they are all simple. For example, using the electrolysis method, 2H?O can be decomposed into hydrogen and oxygen by energizing 2H?+O?. However, according to this formula, it can be concluded that the chemical energy stored in the product is higher than the reactant. According to the principle of conservation of energy, it is difficult to have a catalyst that directly decomposes water into hydrogen and oxygen while the amount of the catalyst itself remains unchanged.
“In layman’s terms, this means the investment exceeds the expenditure. It isn’t practical to obtain hydrogen in such a way.
“Aside from electrolysis, the several other methods of decomposing water into hydrogen require contact with other materials such as metallic sodium (Na), metallic aluminum (Al), and metallic iron (Fe).
“Their formulas are as follows...”
Na + 2H?O ⇒ 2NaOH + H?.
Al+6H?O + (heat) ⇒ 2Al(OH)? + 3H?.
Fe + 4H?O + (heat) ⇒ Fe?O? + 4H?.
After writing the three formulas using light particles, Chen Yu pointed at the first formula and said, “See? Aluminum and iron both require an input of energy. Only sodium doesn’t! As long as it comes into contact with water, it’ll decompose water into hydrogen!
“Hydrogen is fuel!”
Lowering the staff, Chen Yu pointed it at the distant blue ocean under the white clouds. “There is an infinite amount of sodium in the sea. We only need to extract it and merge it with water. Isn’t that equivalent to having an endless supply of fuel?”
Without giving the audience room to think or refute, Chen Yu continued, “In modern industry, the acquisition of metallic sodium is done by the Downs method. That is, adding calcium chloride to a sodium chloride (table salt) solution. Electrolysis is then conducted at a high temperature of 500°C and a voltage of 6V to produce metallic sodium. The metallic sodium will be produced at the cathode, while chlorine will be produced at the anode.
“Meanwhile, inside the Earth Spray is a set of extremely efficient electrolysis separation equipment. The machine also runs on tidal energy. So long as it is submerged into the ocean, it will automatically absorb, filter, and process the sodium chloride in the sea, producing metallic sodium at an efficiency beyond imagination.
“The metallic sodium produced will be divided into three uses. The first part will be fused with Group A engines to consume hydrogen and generate energy to create a powerful water jet. The second part will be fused with water in Group B engines to consume hydrogen and generate energy for continuous sodium chloride electrolysis.
“The last part will be released in the form of small particles with the water column into the air. Upon making contact with the water, the metallic sodium particles will detonate the water’s hydrogen, generating extra kinetic energy and rapidly push the transported object into space!
“The movement, angle, speed, and thrust of the spray are controlled by a high-performance computer throughout the entire journey. So long as the Earth Spray remains in the ocean, under the continuous propulsion of the water spray and explosion of hydrogen atoms, it will be possible to travel past even Earth’s low-Earth orbit!
Meanwhile, the only material we need to manually supplement to the Earth Spray is cheap calcium chloride. However, the chlorine gas produced during the electrolysis process can easily cover that cost. In fact, it might even generate profits.”
Tossing the staff away, Chen Yu faced the camera and spread his hands. “The reason why I said it won’t cost any money to travel to space is basically because of this.”
[Crap!]
[I don’t get it, but awesome!]
[First, use seawater to generate electricity. Then, electrolyze metallic sodium from the seawater, and let the metallic sodium decompose water into hydrogen. Finally, use the decomposed hydrogen as fuel to drive the engines and propel objects into space... Damn! Which lunatic researched this?]
[It is entirely feasible in theory!]
[This operation method is too cool!]
[I’ve finished calculating with my fingers. It’s feasible!]
[I also finished calculating. We should have the ability to manufacture such a machine now.
[It shouldn’t be possible. That electrolytic device is too awesome!]
[Why has nobody thought of this idea before?]
[I keep getting the feeling that something is wrong...]
“This product was produced by the Huaxia Heavy Industry in 2441.” Taking out the introduction card again, Chen Yu revealed the product name to the camera. “In reality, its prototype would already appear just several decades later.
“Unfortunately, the lack of inspiration delayed its official debut by several centuries.”
After saying so, Chen Yu returned the introduction card to its slot on the Earth Spray. He then pressed the ‘Start’ button on the machine. “Next...
“Let us witness the power of imagination together!”