Traveling through the sword to engage in military industry

#138 - 30,000 kilowatts? Impossible, absolutely impossible!

"30MW (30,000 Kilowatts) Axial Flow Turbine Production Process Design." Li Jixiang took the materials from Ren Zhong, his heart contracting sharply when he saw these words on the first page!

"Impossible, absolutely impossible!" A strong thought instantly echoed in Li Jixiang's mind, but he forcibly restrained himself from saying it.

Although Li Jixiang was not old, in his prime at just over 30 years old, as an outstanding intellectual of this era, he had a rough understanding of the world.

Currently, the largest hydroelectric power station in the country was in Shilongba, Kuncheng, with an installed capacity of 489KW!

Ren Zhong's proposed 30,000 kilowatts was, in Li Jixiang's initial reaction, an impossible feat.

However, Li Jixiang suppressed his doubts and continued reading. What Ren Zhong provided was all substantial content. Even though Li Jixiang still had some questions, the basic principles and processes seemed unobstructed. This was genuine axial flow turbine design documentation. However, what Ren Zhong provided seemed to be a preliminary design outline, without detailed drawings. Even so, Li Jixiang was greatly shocked.

"Mr. Ren, the problem you've presented is not a small one. According to my inner thoughts, this is an impossible mission," Li Jixiang said after a moment of deliberation. "Even if your design is correct, with our current industrial foundation, we cannot produce the steel needed to manufacture such large units, nor do we have the processing capabilities."

"Frankly speaking, Mr. Ren, your design is excellent, but it is likely to be a castle in the air."

"However, if we scale it down by a factor of ten, and manufacture a 3000KW axial flow turbine based on this, I think the possibility is very high," Li Jixiang said, his tone somewhat hurried, clearly not as calm inside as he appeared.

It should be known that the main generator units of the Niagara Power Station designed by Westinghouse Electric Corporation were only 3700 kilowatts, which was already a very large hydropower station in the world.

Compared to the Shilongba Hydropower Station, this was an increase of an order of magnitude!

"What if I said that the steel material problem has been basically solved?" Ren Zhong took out two pieces of iron from his bag, one of gray cast iron and one of carbon steel. "Professor Li, take a look. These are our latest domestically produced steel materials, gray cast iron and carbon steel. You can test their flexibility and rigidity."

Professor Li took the two pieces of iron that Ren Zhong handed over and tried to bend them with force. The gray cast iron piece bent down immediately and without much rebound, but after the carbon steel piece was bent with force, it quickly sprung back when released!

"This, this..." Professor Li was shocked for the second time today.

"How did you do it?"

"It's very simple. We have now mastered the open-hearth steelmaking process. Professor Li is probably familiar with the Siemens-Martin furnace, right? We simplified the process used by the Hanyang Iron and Steel Works and achieved mass production," Ren Zhong said somewhat casually.

"What! You have developed the Martin furnace process yourself?" Professor Li was even more surprised than when he saw the steel pieces.

Because qualified steel could be produced by repeatedly forging and tempering steel pieces. The ancient saying 'a hundred refinements make steel' is based on this principle, but the production capacity of this method obviously cannot achieve large-scale production.

What Ren Zhong was talking about was smelting through a Martin furnace, which was on a different level than forging steel.

"Professor Li, I guarantee that there will be no problem with the steel for manufacturing turbines. We even have some machine tools that can be used for processing," Ren Zhong said again, startling everyone.

"Machine tools, what machine tools do you have now? Where did you get the machine tools from, America?" Professor Li was a little numb.

Ren Zhong's impact on him today was too great.

"I have some pictures that Professor Li can take a look at first." Ren Zhong took out the printed paper with photos of machine tools that he had secretly taken in the Bright Sword world through his mobile phone and handed them to Professor Li.

Looking at the completely unfamiliar machine tools above, although Professor Li couldn't tell the specific models, he was in the mechanical field and immediately recognized that these were not the machine tools he was familiar with. This was a brand new type of machine tool, and there were lathes, punches, and boring machines!

Where was this factory? It could be so advanced. Professor Li felt that even the ordnance factories of the Kuomintang didn't have such advanced equipment!

"Mr. Ren, you actually have the production capacity, right?" Professor Li suddenly felt a great sense of loss, as if a great project was moving away from him.

With design process drawings, processing equipment, and manufacturing materials, what was he needed for?

"Professor Li, that's why I came to you. Frankly speaking, we have indeed made quite a few preparations. Even a 30MW unit can indeed be produced under our current conditions," Ren Zhong said sincerely.

"However, the quality of these large units and the related supporting facilities, such as 35KV transformers and power transmission and distribution equipment, are not something we can completely solve ourselves. We need a chief engineer to lead the completion of the hydropower station construction based on the 30MW turbine generator unit, and Professor Li, you are the best candidate."

"Where do you plan to build this hydropower station?" When Professor Li heard Ren Zhong say this, his breathing became rapid again. Obviously, this matter had deeply moved him.

This was a 30,000 kilowatt unit, the first and largest in China. Compared to the Fengman Reservoir planned by the Japanese in the Northeast, although the installed capacity was smaller, it should be known that the Japanese imported that from abroad. Moreover, that power station was completely controlled by the Japanese, only using our land for construction, and now they are only building the dam. The actual installation of the units has not even begun.

If we act faster, we might be able to complete it before them.

"We plan to build it in Jin Province." Ren Zhong's words immediately extinguished the enthusiasm that Professor Li had ignited.

"No, no, I will not serve the Japanese puppets!" Professor Li said decisively.

Looking at Ren Zhong, his eyes already showed disgust.

"Professor Li, you misunderstood." Ren Zhong did not blame him. On the contrary, he admired him very much.

On this major issue of right and wrong, Professor Li was qualified.

"We are not building for the Japanese puppets, but for our own nation," Ren Zhong said. "The Japanese devils won't last long in Jin Province. They will be driven away by us in a few years. By the time we research and manufacture this set of units, we might have already driven the Japanese devils out of Jin Province. I think it will take at least two or three years to develop this set of equipment, right?"

"Mr. Ren, are you joking? Can we drive away the Japanese devils in two or three years?" Professor Li obviously didn't believe it.

"Professor Li, let's wait and see. Before that, we will research and develop the units and supporting transmission and transformation equipment, and then we will talk about the construction of the power station. There is no conflict, right?" Ren Zhong asked.

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