Surrounded by the ministers, Li Xuan entered the Dangtu Industrial Zone. He first took a general look at the environment of the industrial zone, then focused on inspecting the factories of Jiangnan Weapons Company and Jiangnan Iron and Steel Company, and later went to
Inspected the Dangtu branch of Zhaoqing Company.
The companies Li Xuan inspected were basically core companies in heavy industry.
Although these enterprises are still very primitive and crude from the perspective of the future, Li Xuan knows that this is already the most advanced factory he can build in this era.
And it was precisely because of these factories that the army of the Tang Dynasty was able to obtain many advanced weapons!
Flintlock muskets and numerous artillery pieces are all products of these factories.
When Li Xuan inspected the Dangtu Branch of Zhaoqing Machinery Company, he saw that there was a steam engine in their production line. Although it was only a small steam engine and most of them were purely handmade, Li Xuan was still quite interested.
He even asked about the steam engine on the spot.
The person in charge of Zhaoqing Machinery Company personally explained: "Your Majesty, the steam engine we currently produce is the second generation steam engine. The basic model has a horsepower of eight horsepower. This eight-horsepower steam engine is as powerful as the previous generation steam engine.
Compared with a steam engine of the same horsepower of the first generation, the volume and weight are significantly reduced. With a stable output of eight horsepower, the volume and weight are greatly reduced compared to the first generation.”
"Oh, how is the stability, and is the operating cost high?" Li Xuan asked casually while looking at it.
Hearing Li Xuan ask about stability and operating costs, the person in charge next to him felt a little embarrassed. However, the person in charge of Zhaoqing Machinery Company was, to put it bluntly, an official, and all officials are very thick-skinned.
So although there was a flash of embarrassment, he still looked like we were awesome and said: "The stability of the second generation steam engine is three times that of the previous generation, because the utilization rate of steam is higher, so
The fuel cost per horsepower is also 1.5 times higher than that of the first generation!”
When he heard him say this, Li Xuan knew that this guy was still a scumbag!
Because he was very clear about the performance data of the first-generation steam engine. The average trouble-free operating time was only a pitiful dozen or so hours. Basically, after more than ten hours of continuous operation, various minor problems would occur.
Three times the improvement, it only takes thirty or forty hours!
In terms of operating costs, even for the first-generation steam engine water lifter operating in a coal-producing area, the cost per horsepower is basically more than ten times that of hydraulic power. If it is not in a coal-producing area, then this cost
Even more, because coal also costs money to transport.
To put it simply, the second-generation steam engine produced by Zhaoqing Machinery Company essentially does not deviate from the basic performance of the first-generation steam engine. It can only be said to be slightly improved.
And Li Xuan knew better. In fact, Zhaoqing Machinery Company was just an authorized manufacturing company. The research and development of steam engines had nothing to do with them. The research and development work was all done at the Royal Institute of Technology.
This so-called second generation is only a partial improvement made by the Royal Institute of Technology on the first batch of steam engines. When it comes to the real development of the second generation steam engine, the Royal Institute of Technology actually hopes to develop it and use the steam engine widely in all walks of life.
, especially used as the power source in many factories to replace the currently widely used water power.
Rather than being like the current steam engine, it is basically only used in various mining areas, and most of them are used in coal mines. It is used in factories. It is only used by a few wealthy companies in the Ministry of State-owned Enterprises. However, it is a commercial application, but it is better to say that it is a loss-making enterprise.
Operations support steam engine research and development efforts.
Although the steam engine in front of him is essentially the first-generation steam engine, Li Xuan is still very interested in looking at the sample steam engine in front of him. Although this steam engine looks very simple, it exudes the atmosphere of the industrial age everywhere.
Li Xuan can be very sure that as long as he continues to invest in research and development, a steam engine that can be used for widespread industrial production in the future will definitely be produced, because this is how history developed in previous lives, and what he has to do is to greatly shorten this process.
He didn't believe that even though he invested so much money in research and development every year, he still couldn't develop the Watt steam engine.
After the steam engines that are widely used in industrial production are developed, the industrial production of the Tang Dynasty will usher in a real take-off. At that time, it will also be time to develop high-pressure steam engines for ships and trains.
When the high-pressure steam engine is developed, the Tang Dynasty will sweep across the world, just around the corner!
When the time comes, it will be very easy to acquire a large number of armored steam battleships and be able to defeat any enemy in all sea areas around the world. It will be very easy to annex and colonize the world.
It is estimated that it will be difficult to come up with gasoline engines and diesel engines by then, but it doesn't matter. He remembers that in later history, there were such things as steam engine tractors. Now that there are tractors, it is also possible to build a steam engine version of the tank!
No one stipulates that a tank must be powered by a gasoline or diesel engine. The same goes for a steam engine!
The worst case scenario would be to build a larger tonnage and move slower, but as a land armored weapon, or more accurately a land armored cruiser, being slower and larger is not a problem at all!
As for starting the fire and starting the battle, the whole process takes at least more than an hour. You need to carry a large truck of coal to fight. Moreover, after loading the artillery, the speed is very slow and it is easy to be targeted by the enemy's artillery. That is a problem.
?
Slow startup? No problem, you can wait!
There is no problem in bringing coal into battle. Just build it bigger and bring more coal.
As for being targeted by the enemy's artillery, you think the artillery of the Tang Army is fake. Before the steam tanks charge, you will not use cannons to hit the enemy's artillery position once.
If you are hit at a slow speed, damn, get some thicker armor!
Then you may think, since the artillery is so awesome, you might as well just use the infantry to charge, that would be more straightforward, then there is no need to go to all this trouble!
But can things be judged simply by convenience? Can a steam tank be compared to something that is as rustic as infantry or cavalry? It looks like such a tall thing at first glance, even if it is used as a decoration, it is
Expensive furnishings!
Regardless of whether it is useful or not, Li Xuan plans to build a batch of steam tanks for fun in the future!
Well, Li Xuan regards this thing as a big toy to satisfy his personal preferences!
As for fighting, I really didn’t expect it!
Seeing Li Xuan repeatedly looking at the steam engine production line, several officials on the side also breathed a sigh of relief. They just knew that Li Xuan was concerned about steam engines, so they included the steam engines in the inspection area, and also ordered the Zhaoqing Machinery Company to
, It doesn’t matter if the production line is not advanced at first, but the performance of the product must be good. It doesn’t matter if it cannot be mass-produced. The key is to let His Majesty see the progress of technology.
And now the performance of the Holy Emperor is to let them know that they did the right thing regarding the steam engine.
After inspecting the second-generation steam engine produced by Zhaoqing Machinery Company, Li Xuan also asked the people in the scientific research room around him how the new-generation steam engine at the Royal Institute of Technology was doing.
The new generation steam engine developed by the Royal Institute of Technology is not the same as the one produced now, but is intended to be widely used in industrial production.
The followers immediately said: "The report from the Steam Engine Laboratory of the Royal Institute of Technology last month said that they have completed part of the design and are currently concentrating on overcoming the condensation problem!"
Perhaps he was afraid that Li Xuan didn't understand condensation, so he immediately continued to explain: "The Steam Engine Laboratory of the Royal Institute of Technology said that they have encountered a problem now, that is, when the steam enters the cylinder, it will be cooled.
The cylinder absorbs heat, thus losing a lot of power. They said that as long as this problem is solved, the power of the steam engine can be effectively increased in the future, so as to reach the standard of being widely used in all walks of life!"
After listening to this, Li Xuan briefly recalled the relevant textbooks he had written for the students at the Royal Institute of Technology. It seemed that the condensation problem was not mentioned at all!
Then he continued to think about it, what was he thinking about?
Thinking back to my school days, what did the Watt steam engine mentioned in the books at that time look like? How did it solve the condensation problem?
It's a pity that he knew about the Watt steam engine, but he still really forgot some technical details.
But it doesn't matter, these are just details.
As long as the problem is found, then the follow-up can be based on this problem to carry out targeted solutions. Isn't it condensation? Li Xuan himself imagined several solutions in an instant, but whether it will work or not will have to be discussed further.
He immediately said: "Well, when we return to Jinling City, let the people from the steam engine laboratory come to the palace. I want to personally listen to the problems encountered in the research and development of steam engines!"
The closer people are to Li Xuan, the more they know that Li Xuan attaches great importance to steam engines.
Today's steam engines can be said to be useless. Even pumping water in mining areas is considered expensive, and industrial production cannot replace water power. However, their Holy Emperor seems to have recognized that steam engines can bring great benefits.
Like a major change, he would preach to his ministers the importance of steam engines and the importance he attached to them whenever he had the opportunity.
Li Xuan was the emperor, and he valued steam engines. Even if the current steam engines were a piece of shit, he still received the highest level of attention.
The steam engine laboratory at the Royal Institute of Technology always gets the most funding!
Not only the funds provided by the Royal Institute of Technology, but also many large enterprises under the Ministry of State-owned Enterprises also provide funds for the research and development of steam engines!
Why the Ministry of State-owned Enterprises is willing to use steam engines operating at a loss, and continue to invest in research and development funds when there is no sign of a new generation of steam engines, is not because of Li Xuan's attention.