Academy of Sciences, Institute of Mechanical Engineering.
Su He looked at the big thing in front of him. After a year of research and development, the steam engine was finally assembled from parts into a machine.
He thought that with the knowledge of future generations, he could build a steam engine in a few months.
It's such a wonderful idea, but if you actually start making a steam engine, you need to overcome one difficulty after another.
The first difficulty Su He encountered was the prototype of the steam engine.
The principle of a steam engine is very simple, it is a device that converts thermal energy into mechanical energy.
To put it figuratively, it means boiling water and the steam will lift the lid of the pot.
The principle is very simple, but it is extremely difficult to make a steam engine have higher thermal efficiency and become a usable steam engine.
Suhe's purpose of manufacturing steam engines was to replace water power as the power source for factories.
He couldn't make the most primitive steam engine, which could only be used to pump water.
Suhe must be manufactured, and the thermal efficiency can reach the steam engine improved by Watt in later history.
He remembered the structure of a steam engine. The main structures include cylinder, crankshaft, connecting rod, and flywheel.
I don't remember the details of the other steam engines very clearly.
Su He could only perfect the steam engine bit by bit by manufacturing small prototypes.
Small accessories such as pressure gauges need to be designed repeatedly to verify their feasibility.
This is how difficult it is to create steam from scratch. Every small accessory needs to be redesigned and manufactured.
The steam engine prototype design work was completed by Su He and Tian Jiapeng, led by Su He students.
Su He first explained to them the principles of steam engines.
He and his students began to build a mini steam engine and figured out the various structures of the steam engine.
This process lasted for half a year, and Su He and Tian Jiapeng finally produced a prototype of the steam engine.
The steam engine is mainly composed of cylinder, base, piston, crank connecting rod mechanism, slide valve steam distribution mechanism, speed regulating mechanism and flywheel.
Su He remembered Watt's improvements to the steam engine, which were based on the current mechanical processing conditions.
In the process of verifying the prototype, he also completed the separation condenser, the insulation layer outside the cylinder, the piston lubricated with oil, the planetary gear, the parallel motion linkage mechanism, the centrifugal speed regulator, the throttle valve, the pressure gauge and other accessories.
Design and processing.
The manufacturing work of the steam engine prototype was mainly completed by two craftsmen, Du Kangjie and Lu Jin, who led a large number of ninth-level workers.
Du Kangjie is a top talent in processing gun barrels. He is responsible for the most important cylinder of the steam engine.
Steam engine cylinders require extremely high machining accuracy, and the smoothness of the cylinder must be ensured.
Du Kangjie and other craftsmen used boring machines to process more than 5,000 meters of steel pipes before they mastered the processing technology of steam engine cylinders.
Lu Jin is a talented person in metallurgy. He is responsible for the materials of the steam engine and the most important boiler.
Some parts of the steam engine need to be durable and require higher hardness steel.
Some parts are easy to replace and require softer steel.
If a steam engine accident occurs, the damage to the steam engine is not terrible.
Boiler steam explodes with more power than cannonballs.
It must be ensured that the boiler material can withstand high-pressure steam.
After the success of the steam engine prototype, Su He led the craftsmen to manufacture a standard steam engine.
It is to enlarge the prototype machine, use high-pressure steam, and enhance the power of the steam engine.
Su He gathered all the high-end craftsmen from the Prince of Qin's Palace, used everyone's wisdom, and went through several months of technical research.
He invested 380,000 taels of silver coins in the steam engine project.
Now we have finally produced a steam engine of satisfactory quality.
Through the low-pressure steam test, the steam engine can already operate normally.
Su He believed that the steam engine placed in front of him could already achieve the same level of thermal efficiency as the Watt steam engine.
He touched the freshly baked steam engine, hoping that it would be successfully started this time.
If the steam engine is successfully manufactured, industry will be given a pair of wings and will no longer be limited to areas around rivers.
As long as there is coal and water, industrial zones can be established.
Lu Jin stood up and said to Su He: "Your Highness, King Qin, please leave this room.
After the boiler was improved and operated many times, only air leakage occurred and no explosion occurred.
But it’s still too dangerous here, please go outside and wait.”
Lu Jin didn't dare to let Su He stay here. He was in the early stages of making boilers and had no experience.
In case of emergency, open the relief valve if no one comes.
The boiler exploded that day, and thirteen people who were next to the boiler died on the spot.
Twenty-five more people were severely burned and could no longer participate in the boiler manufacturing.
Since this accident occurred, everyone has tightened their focus on safety.
The boiler room is specially constructed in a reinforced concrete room.
Reduce the losses caused by boiler explosions.
The half-meter-thick reinforced concrete wall provides a sense of security and prevents the boiler from harming people outside the wall.
Lujin improves the strength of boiler steel.
His Highness the King of Qin redesigned the automatic pressure reducing valve, automatic air release valve and other means.
As long as safety inspections are done, the boiler is very safe now.
Basically, there will be no explosion. At most, it will cause steam leakage and a large amount of water vapor to burn people around.
Lu Jin didn't dare to bet that nothing would happen to the boiler.
He really dares to leave His Highness King Qin here.
Even if this steam engine test is successful, he will pack up and leave.
Su He knew Lu Jin's worries, and he knew even more about the possible dangers of this immature steam engine.
Su He took Tian Jiapeng and others to the outside of the wall.
They observed the steam engine in the room through a glass window equipped with a refracting lens.
This periscope-like design can protect the room even if there is an explosion or steam leak.
Explosive fragments and leaking steam will not harm people outside the wall through the window.
Lu Jin ordered: "Boiler, add coal, and always pay attention to the pressure gauge value."
The water in the boiler boils quickly, and the high-temperature and high-pressure steam enters the steam engine along the pipes.
Lu Jin opened the intake valve of the steam engine, and steam entered the cylinder of the steam engine.
The steam drives the piston to move, and the piston drives the connecting rod to move.
The connecting rod drives the flywheel through the crankshaft, and the flywheel begins to rotate highly.
Su He watched the steam engine start up. The steam engine he designed was a double-cylinder reciprocating steam engine.
When the connecting rod moves, the valve of the cylinder is automatically opened.
The valve controls the time when the steam reaches the cylinder, enters the slide valve chamber through the main steam valve and the throttle valve, and is controlled by the slide valve to alternately enter the left or right side of the cylinder to push the piston to move.
The steam pushes the piston in the cylinder to do work, and the cooled steam is introduced into the condenser through the pipe to condense back into water.
This process is repeated as the steam engine moves.
Tian Jiapeng said excitedly: "It's moving, the steam engine is moving.
We succeeded, actually succeeded."
Qin Yun said in surprise: "Teacher, we succeeded.
In the future, with steam engines, factories will no longer have to stop production due to river cuts.
My mother didn’t have to sigh because she stayed at home for a long time and couldn’t go to work in the factory.”
Not long after they were happy, the cylinder of the running steam engine suddenly leaked a lot of air.
The steam engine stopped running with a puffing sound.
At the same time, a popping sound of steam leaking occurred at the connection point of the boiler pipe.
A large amount of high-temperature and high-pressure steam began to leak.
When Su He saw this situation, he knew that he had forgotten to consider the most important thing about the steam engine.
Sealing problems of steam engines and boilers.
The prototype machine that was operated before was just to verify the principle of the steam engine.
The steam pressure of a small boiler is very low, and it only allows the steam to move. Due to the structural sealing of the boiler pipes and cylinders, there will be no serious steam leakage.
Now the steam engine is officially in operation, driven by high-pressure steam.
High-pressure steam is in the cylinder and will rush out of the cylinder directly without sealing.
The current situation of the steam engine is the leakage of high-pressure steam.
When Lu Jin saw that there was a problem with the steam engine, he immediately opened the pressure relief valve of the boiler and stopped adding coal to the boiler.
After the boiler pressure stabilized, Lu Jin opened the door and let Su He and others in.
Lu Jin immediately stepped forward and said: "Your Highness, King Qin.
After our inspection, the steam engine was not damaged.
If the steam engine is leaking, the pressure in the boiler may be too high.
Should we lower the pressure of the boiler and try again?"
Su He waved his hand and said: "The steam engine is leaking air now.
This is because the sealing work of the steam engine was not done well.
We had to redesign the sealing of the steam engine."
Lu Jin asked doubtfully: "Your Highness, King Qin, why didn't our boiler leak before?
I feel that all parts of the steam engine are very tight, so why is there an air leakage?"
Su Ho walked to the steam engine pipe and looked at the delicate rivets on it.
"In land engineering, boiler pipes are riveted.
The connection is not very tight, but the main purpose was to verify whether the boiler can output steam, and the pressure has not been increased so high.
The boiler pipes are completely open and the steam flows smoothly, so there is no steam leakage.
After he connected the steam engine, the boiler pipes suffered from high steam pressure, which caused leakage.
We must first solve the sealing problem."
Du Kangjie asked: "Your Highness, King Qin, the steam pressure is too high.
The piston in the cylinder needs to be constantly moving, so what kind of material should be used to seal it so that it will not affect the operation of the steam engine."
When Su He entered the house, he had already thought about the sealing materials for the steam engine.
The best sealing material for steam engines is rubber gaskets, which are cheap and easy to use.
But rubber trees are still in South America, and only a few areas in China such as Qiongzhou can plant rubber trees.
Even if rubber tree seedlings can be obtained now, it will take more than ten years until the rubber trees produce gum.
Extract rubber from Eucommia gum and convert it into usable rubber.
This kind of chemical technology cannot be achieved at all with their chemical system that has not even mass-produced three acids and two alkali.
At present, only alternative methods can be used to seal steam engines and steam pipes.
There are two alternatives, divided into low-end and high-end.
The low-end method is to use oil-impregnated hemp rope to achieve sealing purposes.
Su He had seen the ancient steam engines of the British Empire in his previous life.
The invention of the steam engine was before the use of rubber.
Many steam engines use this method to achieve a sealing effect.
Another high-end method is to use metal sealing gaskets.
The pure copper metal pad is very soft, will not wear the cylinder, and can achieve a good sealing effect.
Later generations of nuclear facilities used metal sealing gaskets.
This kind of metal sealing gasket requires extremely high technical skills from the craftsmen.
It is necessary to ensure that the sealing gasket is absolutely perfect and there are no gaps at all to achieve the sealing effect.
"Du Gong, I have temporarily thought of two sealing methods.
A low-end steam engine with not too high steam pressure.
For example, it is used for water pumping, mines, and small factories.
This kind of application scenario does not require high machine efficiency and can be shut down at any time.
Use oil-impregnated hemp rope for sealing. As long as it is replaced more frequently, it can achieve the sealing purpose.
For steam engines with high steam pressure and very harsh usage conditions.
We can use sealing gaskets made of pure copper to seal steam engines and steam pipes.
Pure copper can withstand great pressure, and its texture is soft and will not affect pipes and cylinders.
But the requirements for craftsmen’s skills are very high.”
Du Kangjie's eyes lit up when he heard Su He's words.
"Please rest assured, His Highness King Qin, we will try it with a pure copper sealing gasket.
I personally lead the craftsmen to process the gaskets, and I will definitely produce qualified gaskets."
Su He, Tian Jiapeng and others redesigned the sealing structure of the steam engine.
The sealing structure of the steam engine is well designed and verified by the hemp rope to achieve the sealing effect.
Craftsmen began to process pure copper gaskets and applied them to steam engines.
The seals required by steam engines are very precise.
It was the first time for the craftsmen to process something with such high precision, so they concentrated on it.
Suhe is waiting for good news from the craftsmen.
He left the Academy of Sciences to attend to other matters.
During this period, the imperial examination had just been completed and the results were officially released.
Su He also had to meet with the scholars on the list and give them lectures in the Imperial College.
This time, many talents emerged from the imperial examination. This time, some talents who graduated from elementary school early took part in the imperial examination.
Su He originally thought that the talents he cultivated through primary school could come out on top in the imperial examination.
Unexpectedly, there are so many talents in Ming Dynasty. The top three are not talents trained in primary schools, not even local talents.
The first place was Li Yan, the second place was Niu Jinxing, and the third place was Mao Xiang.
Su He was deeply impressed by these three talents.
Li Yan and Niu Jinxing were important talents in history who reached the late stages of becoming kings.
The fourth son of Maoxiang Fushe, his reputation is not too high.
Li Yan was talented, but was not reused by Li Zicheng.
The talents of Ox Venus are also very outstanding, that is, after gaining power, they can eliminate dissidents with jealousy.
Su He could always use a traitor like him if he had talent.
He did not have high moral requirements for his ministers and only asked them to abide by the law.
When all the ministers are in harmony, the monarch will not be able to sleep.
…………………………
"Your Highness King Qin, the pure copper sealing gasket has been successfully manufactured, and the steam engine has been running perfectly for one day."
Su He was in the Imperial College, giving lectures to newly admitted students.
He heard the news reported by Tian Jiapeng.
Su He immediately handed over the course to others and went to the Academy of Sciences to observe the condition of the steam engine.
Maoxiang said curiously: "Do you know what Zhengqi Chicken is?
His Highness King Qin was so excited that he gave up giving lectures to us."
Niu Jinxing guessed: "I think Zhengqi Chicken should be a kind of medicine.
Look at the effects of allicin and vaccinia.
The rule of King Qin has always been very stable, and it has not suffered from large-scale plagues.
These two drugs were indispensable, especially cowpox, which directly curbed smallpox.
Let us directly defeat this plague that is ravaging the land of China. This is an achievement that far exceeds the achievements of the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors.
Zhengqi Chicken, sounds like cowpox, could it be a special medicine to solve the plague?
It feels impossible. To solve the plague, it should be called a fighting cat."
The students in the Imperial College were all discussing what a steam engine was.