Liu Jin took Zhu Houzhao to a building in the Beijing Machinery Factory, which Liu Jin called the Steam Engine Research Institute.
The Jingcheng Machinery Factory is actually not very profitable at the moment. It only sells some textile machines and looms. But these things will soon be researched and copied by everyone, and no one will buy from the Jingcheng Machinery Factory anymore.
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Although the textile looms and looms produced by the Jingcheng Machinery Factory are of good quality and have few accidents, the price is indeed too expensive. There have been many factories and workshops specializing in the manufacturing of textile looms and looms in the Beijing-Tianjin area. They produce
Although the quality of their looms and textile machines is not good, their prices are quite competitive and everyone likes to buy their machines.
Springs and bearings are the main money-making products of machinery factories. These two items have high technical content and cannot be manufactured in small factories and workshops. At the same time, these two items are indispensable items for various machines.
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But just relying on these two things, there is no way to support such a huge machinery factory and support so many craftsmen, so Liu Jin still needs to subsidize it most of the time.
Liu Jin is a businessman, and naturally he will not always do business at a loss. Liu Jin has always been focusing on the research of steam engines. Once this thing is released, it will inevitably set off a new steam revolution and lead to the advent of the mechanization era. At that time
At that time, making money was trivial.
At the Steam Engine Research Institute, with the arrival of Liu Jin and Zhu Houzhao, Ren Siheng, the head of the Steam Engine Research Institute, quickly brought people over.
"His Royal Highness, Young Master~"
Seeing that Zhu Houzhao was there, Ren Siheng also hurriedly saluted. He was very young, not even twenty years old. He used to be a blacksmith and later joined Liu Jin's industry.
Because he loves learning and is good at specializing in research, he gradually became the head of the Steam Engine Research Institute, responsible for researching steam engines.
Of course, something like a steam engine is actually very simple. It just uses water vapor as power, but it is not easy to really delve into it and develop a powerful steam engine.
Not to mention anything else, the sealing alone is enough to make people in this era rack their brains. If the steam engine cannot be sealed, once the air leaks, the steam engine will have no effect and the power will be greatly reduced.
"Ren Siheng, how is the research on steam engines going?"
Liu Jin looked at Ren Siheng and asked with a smile.
"If I go back to Young Master, the steam engine has been researched a long time ago, but we have been thinking of ways to continuously improve the power and stability of the steam engine."
Ren Siheng quickly replied respectfully.
He was full of infinite gratitude to Liu Jin.
A few years ago, there was a famine in Beizhili. He was very thin, hungry and cold. He even took his younger brothers and sisters to escape to the capital. They were about to starve to death and freeze to death. It was Liu Jin who took them in and let them go to Xishan.
The coal industry has led to everything we have now.
Entrusted by Liu Jin with the important task of researching steam engines, he did not dare to slack off at all. He studied it every day and devoted himself wholeheartedly to the study of steam engines.
Of course, like Zhu Houzhao, he himself also likes mechanical things very much, and feels that the rotation of gears is more fascinating than an eighteen-year-old girl.
Liu Jin also provided sufficient salary and benefits, allowing him to live without worries. Not only did he buy a house in the capital and start a family, but he also sent his younger brothers and sisters to private schools.
"Yeah, let's go, take us to see~"
When Liu Jin heard this, he immediately laughed happily.
"His Royal Highness, Young Master, please come this way~"
Ren Siheng, Liu Jin and Zhu Houzhao quickly came to an empty room. Various machine parts were placed in the whole room. There was a steam engine in the middle, and there were many blackboards next to it, with writing on them.
There are many things to draw, and many people are studying them carefully around this machine.
"Is this a steam engine?"
Zhu Houzhao looked at the steam engine in the middle, became interested immediately, and hurried over to take a look.
He has been obsessed with studying machinery recently. When he saw the structure responsible for the steam engine, he became energetic.
Liu Jin did the same. He walked over and looked carefully at the steam engine in front of him.
It is similar to the steam engine I imagined in my mind. It is a large boiler that can burn coal and firewood underneath to heat the water in the boiler.
After the water is boiled, water vapor is formed. The water vapor enters a small piston and pushes the piston to rotate. The piston is connected to components that require power.
It seems like a very simple thing, but Ren Siheng and others have been studying it for several years.
"Is this a steam engine?"
"On what principle does it work?"
Zhu Houzhao looked around the steam engine and looked around again. He didn't seem to think it had anything special. It seemed that it was not as good as the wheat harvester he designed.
"Your Majesty, a steam engine, a steam engine, as the name suggests, is a machine that uses steam to push a piston to generate power."
"There is a large boiler here, which is filled with water. A fire is burned under the boiler. After the water is boiled, steam is generated. When the steam enters the piston, it will push the piston to rotate, thereby generating power."
Ren Siheng quickly began to introduce it to Zhu Houzhao in detail. The principle was very simple and could be understood as soon as he said it.
"Listening to what you said, I understand. However, if the steam wants to push the piston, the sealing performance should be very high. Otherwise, if the air leaks, wouldn't it have no power?"
Zhu Houzhao listened carefully, thought about it and said.
He is quite talented as he studies machinery, and he immediately knew that the core of the steam engine was sealing.
"Your Highness is amazing. He can see the difficulty at a glance."
"The principle of the steam engine is very simple, but it is quite difficult to manufacture. In order to achieve this tightness, we have been experimenting for several years, came up with many methods, and used many materials."
"It wasn't until last year, when Master asked someone to bring back a rubber thing from Golden Continent, that our sealing performance was finally satisfactory."
"In addition, we cooperated with Miyun Iron Works. After more than a year of research, we developed a seamless cylinder tube. The power of the steam engine has been greatly increased, and it is now practical."
"The most important thing now is safety, because our sealing is so good and the power is very strong, but it also makes it very easy for the pot to fry. We have not solved this problem yet."
Ren Siheng nodded solemnly, His Highness the Crown Prince was very powerful, he could see the problem at a glance.
"Fryer?"
"If it's a fryer, why don't you design an air valve?"
"Once there is too much steam in the pot, this air valve can automatically discharge the excess steam. Doesn't this ensure safety?"
After hearing Ren Siheng's words, Zhu Houzhao touched his chin, thought for a while and said.
"Yes~"
When Ren Siheng heard this, he couldn't help but slap himself in the face.
"Why didn't I think of this method? If there is an air valve, it can not only discharge some air and ensure safety, but it can also facilitate control and increase stability and controllability."
"Everyone, hurry up and redesign it and add an air valve~"
Thinking of this, Ren Siheng immediately got busy and led his men to immediately redesign the boiler and add a gas valve.
"I think we should develop something that can calculate the steam pressure in the boiler, so that we can accurately know the pressure in the boiler and facilitate control."
Zhu Houzhao touched his chin, thought for a while and then added.
"Yes, yes, Your Highness, you are really a genius, so amazing~"
Ren Siheng nodded repeatedly, and immediately felt as if he had met a confidant.
I have been studying steam engines for so long, but I still feel that they are not perfect enough. Now after what Zhu Houzhao said, I suddenly felt enlightened and enlightened, and I suddenly saw the emergence of a perfect steam engine.
As for Zhu Houzhao, he was even more happy when he heard Ren Siheng's praise. Young people of this age are the ones who need recognition the most.
His father, of course, couldn't praise him for studying these things. He even thought that he was not doing his job properly. As a prince, he should learn the way of a king and the way of governing a country, instead of playing with these toys to lose one's ambition.
As for his teacher Yang Tinghe, it is even more impossible to praise him. Yang Tinghe was already half-done with anger. This guy didn't go to his class even one day in ten days. This made him lose face as a teacher and asked Emperor Hongzhi many times.
Words.
Now he only made two suggestions, and Ren Siheng praised them repeatedly, which made him even happier. He quickly got together with Ren Siheng and the others, and began to discuss how to better improve the power of the steam engine and how to improve it.
The stability and controllability of steam engines come.
Liu Jin on the side was dumbfounded.
"Isn't this Zhu Houzhao also a time traveler?"
"How does he know about the valve?"
"How did his head grow so long? Isn't it so awesome?"
Liu Jin really doubted whether Zhu Houzhao was a time traveler. When he saw that the steam engine actually knew about the valve, he also knew that he needed to develop an instrument to measure the water vapor pressure in the boiler. This must be too evil.
After listening to Ren Siheng's words, Liu Jin originally wanted to give Ren Siheng some advice about the air valve and pressure gauge, but Zhu Houzhao actually thought of it first.
The key is that Zhu Houzhao is a person of this era. He can think of this thing all at once, which really makes Liu Jin feel incredible.
"Are people of later generations really smarter than people of ancient times?"