A big country of aerospace with black technology

In the early morning, there was still a layer of mist floating in the valley.

Between the two mountains, the light blue engine test bench has been prepared.

The 500-ton liquid oxygen and kerosene engine started its first test run.

As the first high-thrust liquid rocket engine in China.

Everyone has high hopes for him.

Future manned moon landing plans and Mars exploration plans will largely rely on it.

"The preparations have been completed."

Geng Bo took a deep breath and looked at Commander Zhang Xingyang who was standing at the back of the control center.

"Report to the Commander-in-Chief, the test run can begin at any time!"

Zhang Xingyang thought about what he had seen before, did some calculations, and then said after feeling that nothing could go wrong:

"500-ton liquid oxygen kerosene engine,

First test drive,

start! "

The high-speed turbine disc inside the rocket engine starts working first.

The high speed of 16,000 revolutions per minute makes the pressure of the turbine disk reach over 92 MPa!

The oxidant and fuel delivered from the fuel tank attached to the test bench reached an astonishing 1.8 tons per second!

The leaning orange-red fire dragon roared in the valley.

The huge roar, even thousands of meters away, is still as terrifying as thunder!

A huge cloud of smoke filled the entire valley almost instantly.

Covering all the pale red trees in the mountains and valleys.

The huge thrust almost shook the earth.

If it weren't for the 500-ton test bed specially built for this purpose, it was built in a way that could almost withstand nuclear explosions.

It is difficult to avoid problems in such a situation.

The first round of engine testing did not take long.

It only takes 50 seconds in total.

However, many people in the control center were sweating profusely in just fifty seconds.

Every second of engine testing will generate a large amount of data, which needs to be recorded and analyzed as soon as possible.

The intensity of work has never been higher during this period of time.

However, the performance of the engine, even without looking at the data, is still very good just from the images on the test bench.

At least there were no glitches.

"I announce that the first test run of the 500-ton liquid oxygen kerosene engine was successful!"

Zhang Xingyang announced after briefly scanning the data collected in his hand.

Although this is the first time for everyone to develop such a large thrust engine.

However, everything is proceeding according to Zhang Xingyang's previous prediction.

Nothing unexpected happened.

"The engine test run went well this time. Let's take a rest for half a day."

After announcing the success, Zhang Xingyang gave everyone a half-day holiday.

Most people have been working for a long time before test driving and really need some time to rest.

"Tomorrow morning, we will hold an engine test technical analysis meeting."

Zhang Xingyang said after taking a look at his watch.

It's a quarter past nine in the morning, so it's a half-day holiday, but it's actually not much different from a full-day holiday.

The technical analysis meeting is to analyze the problems and difficulties encountered during this test run.

After Zhang Xingyang finished talking about the rest arrangements.

Everyone cheered a little.

Then, under Zhang Xingyang's urging, he slowly put down what he was doing and left the control center.

"Xingyang, after the 500-ton liquid oxygen kerosene engine is successfully tested, I want to ask you a favor."

Just when Zhang Xingyang was about to return to his office, Geng Bo caught up with him and said a little embarrassed.

"There is no need to be so polite in our relationship."

Zhang Xingyang smiled and said:

"If anything happens, just tell me!"

"I want to take a long vacation, and by the way, I want to ask you to be my best man." Geng Bo scratched his head.

Zhang Xingyang was a little stunned and blinked a few times.

Just when Geng Bo thought he didn't agree, he was ready to say that it was okay if he didn't have time to come.

After all, Zhang Xingyang does have a lot of work, and I don't see him taking much rest.

"Who is the bride? Do I know her?" Zhang Xingyang asked a question that surprised Geng Bo.

"You agreed?!"

Geng Bo said with some surprise.

"You know him."

"Have interviewed us before."

"That's when Shenzhou-2 was launched."

Zhang Xingyang has a photographic memory, and he can naturally remember who the reporter was who interviewed him at that time.

"Huang Yuanyuan?"

"Yes, we have been together for three years, it's time to get married!" Geng Bo said excitedly.

"You're so good, boy!"

Zhang Xingyang hammered the opponent's chest and said with a smile.

"Whenever the wedding is scheduled, I will definitely go there."

Geng Bo is one of Zhang Xingyang's few friends in the world.

Zhang Xingyang will naturally not be absent from such a major life event as his marriage.

"This mainly depends on when our engine test run is completed."

"Otherwise, I wouldn't have the time or thought to get married!"

"It won't take long. It can be completed in half a year at most."

After Zhang Xingyang gave the time guarantee, he gossiped a little about Geng Bo and Huang Yuanyuan's love experience.

After all, things like falling in love and getting married are very rare experiences in Zhang Xingyang's mind.

It was also the first time that Geng Bo saw Zhang Xingyang with such a gossipy side.

However, Geng Bo still felt very sweet when he mentioned his lover.

So I happily shared with Zhang Xingyang the whole process from when the two fell in love to getting married.

"Xingyang, we are not young anymore. It is time to consider starting a family."

At the end, Geng Bo said with some seriousness.

The two graduated in the same year, and Geng Bo was younger than Zhang Xingyang.

Up to now, Geng Bo is married, while Zhang Xingyang has remained single.

This has to make Zhang Xingyang's relatives and friends worry about his starting a family.

Zhang Xingyang smiled and said, "I may never get married in this life."

"This country is my home!"

After thinking about it for a while, Geng Bo felt that he was probably telling the truth.

After all, I have never seen a woman who can enter Zhang Xingyang's heart.

Su Xiao from the Materials Laboratory started pursuing it seven or eight years ago, but now she hasn't even seen a spark.

Not to mention others.

The next day, the 500-ton liquid oxygen kerosene engine technical analysis meeting was held.

"The measured thrust of our engine this time reached 5400KN."

Zhang Xingyang briefly talked about the engine test run to everyone present.

"The main reason for exceeding the originally planned thrust is that the pressure on the turbine disk is greater than what we budgeted."

"In the previous calculation model, the turbine disk could only reach a pressure of 75 MPa, but in actual conditions the turbine disk reached 92 MPa!"

Everyone present, even if they are not responsible for the turbine disk, can understand that this improves performance by almost 17%.

The increase in engine thrust is extremely terrifying.

Because the thrust of the engine depends largely on the amount of liquid oxygen and kerosene burned instantly.

How much liquid oxygen and kerosene can be kept burning in the combustion chamber is determined by the pressure created by the turbine disk.

The greater the pressure, the more liquid oxygen and kerosene can be transported instantly.

This is something that everyone here knows.

Therefore, after knowing this data, everyone turned to the person in charge of the turbine disk trial production, Su Xiao.

“Our turbine discs, using newly developed composite materials, are able to withstand higher temperatures and pressures in an instant.”

Su Xiao saw everyone looking at her, so she stood up and explained a little about the technical issues of the turbine disk.

“In the manufacturing process, we used pressure and laser powder metallurgy to achieve unprecedented stability in the crystal structure of the turbine disk.”

The materials laboratory led by Su Xiao is now almost the world's leading level in the field of superalloys and composite materials.

So when this happened, everyone was just a little surprised at first.

After I came back to my senses, I almost felt that this was a normal thing.

"Overall, the first trial run was very successful."

Zhang Xingyang said after Su Xiao finished speaking.

"However, in the subsequent test runs, everyone must still maintain the spirit of excellence."

"Everyone also knows where this engine will be used in the future."

"Manned landing on the moon and a lunar base are our century-old plans, and we cannot afford to be careless!"

Many people present thought that Zhang Xingyang was telling some clichés.

After all, the manned moon landing seems to be quite far away from everyone.

Only a few people really feel that the moon is the key to future development.

In fact, just the abundant helium-3 resources on the moon are enough to encourage everyone to fly to the moon with all their strength!

You know, in Zhang Xingyang's era, heavy nuclear fusion was a technology that had already been realized.

Although the price/performance ratio is not as high as that of a Dyson sphere, it does not prevent everyone from using this technology in the Kuiper Belt far away from the sun.

As for the simpler light nuclear fusion, Zhang Xingyang has a variety of different implementation routes and technical information in his head.

Every engine test run requires a large amount of money.

After all, whether it is the loss of the engine itself or the nearly 100 tons of liquid oxygen kerosene consumed in just a few dozen seconds, the price is high.

In addition, there are various consumables required.

It can be said that each experiment consumes funds faster than burning banknotes directly.

A stack of one hundred hundred dollar bills would take nearly a minute to burn.

In one minute, the engine test run experiment costs millions of yuan.

The speed of burning money is simply incomparable!

But even so, the Rocket Research Institute still started the second experiment in less than half a month!

This experiment was mainly to test the long-term working ability of the engine.

As the first stage of future heavy-lift rockets that will fly to the moon and Mars.

The full working time of a 500-ton liquid oxygen kerosene engine is expected to be about 150 seconds.

This means that if you want the engine to ensure its working ability within this period of time.

Normal working ability must be maintained for at least 170 seconds.

At this time, it may not be a big deal on other engines.

But for rocket engines, it's a long time.

Especially a high thrust engine like this.

In just these 170 seconds, more than 300 tons of liquid oxygen and kerosene were consumed!

This is greater than the take-off mass of many rockets in the world today!

This is just the fuel consumed by a single rocket engine!

According to the planned design, the heavy-lift rocket will use at least seven 500-ton liquid oxygen kerosene engines.

That is, a heavy-duty rocket consumes more than 2,100 tons of fuel alone during the process before first-stage separation!

The fuel cost alone is over 100 million.

During the second test run of the 500-ton liquid oxygen and kerosene engine, when the engine ran for 162 seconds, the turbine disk was somewhat overwhelmed.

The pressure began to decrease from 92 MPa!

Within eight seconds to the end of the experiment, the pressure dropped by nearly a quarter!

The pressure cannot even maintain the originally scheduled 75 MPa!

Found out after inspection after test run.

Although the material of the turbine disk can withstand the impact of 92 MPa pressure, the corresponding material life has decreased to a certain extent.

After the material reaches its service life, its performance will drop rapidly!

"In the future, the flow rate should be set slightly lower to reduce the pressure on the turbine disk."

It is difficult to upgrade the material of the turbine disk in a short period of time.

Therefore, we can only reduce the flow rate to reduce the pressure faced by the turbine disk.

Adjusting the flow rate is not very complicated. The third engine test was only a week away.

This time the pressure of the turbine disk is always maintained at about 80 MPa.

Although the flow rate of liquid oxygen kerosene dropped a little as a result.

However, the engine performed very well during the entire 170-second test run, and there was no further instability in thrust.

In the next more than three months, the institute conducted seven more tests on the 500-ton liquid oxygen and kerosene engine.

All aspects of it have been tested in great detail.

Finally in October, the last long-distance test run of the 500-ton liquid oxygen and kerosene engine was completed.

Announced that the 500-ton liquid oxygen kerosene engine was successfully tested!

This long-distance test drive is quite special.

Because its test time reached an unprecedented 1600 seconds.

If you only consider the working condition of the engine, this time is enough for the engine to fly between heaven and earth ten times!

This is also to prepare for the reuse of heavy-lift rockets in the future.

Technically speaking, it is not difficult for experienced rocket research institutes.

In the future, whether it is the construction of a lunar base or a landing on Mars, all equipment will not be transported just through one-time transportation.

It must require multiple transportations.

When this space elevator was still on the drawing board, reusing heavy-duty rockets was undoubtedly a very economical choice.

After all, if you fly to the moon once, if you have to build a new rocket every time, the cost will be very high! ——

After the 500-ton liquid oxygen kerosene engine completed the test run, Zhang Xingyang gave Geng Bo a long vacation as promised and served as the best man at his wedding.

"wish you a happy wedding!"

At Geng Bo's wedding, Zhang Xingyang, who appeared as the best man, smiled and raised his glass to bless him.

Looking at Geng Bo who was smiling happily on the stage, Zhang Xingyang was really happy for him. (End of chapter)