Material Empire

Hearing Qin Hai's words, Ji Zhenrong shook his head and said, "It's too difficult, who designed this blueprint, it's too unrealistic."

"How could it be?" Qin Hai was a little puzzled. He combined some of his previous life's experience with this blueprint and invited a professor from the Department of Chemical Engineering of Anhe Institute of Technology to make an estimate. It was because the Chemical Engineering Department of Anhe Institute of Technology was not strong enough to do some complicated theoretical research, so he went to Huaqing University for help. Of course, he has another purpose, which is to establish a business relationship with the Department of Chemical Engineering of Huaqing University through such cooperation, so as to turn this place into his own external brain in the future.

Ji Zhenrong said: "I didn't make it clear. I'm not saying that the process route on this drawing is wrong, but the equipment it needs is not something our country can make. Let's talk about the ethylene plant. Now our country has 300,000 tons of ethylene. The technology has not yet broken through, you just want to buy 800,000 tons, how is it possible?"

Qin Hai thought for a while and said: "Professor Ji, my consideration is this. We can directly import some equipment from abroad, such as the most difficult ethylene compressor in the ethylene plant, etc.; as for some equipment, we can import them from abroad. Imported raw materials are manufactured domestically, such as ethylene spherical tanks, which require some low-temperature-resistant steel plates. We can’t solve the problem at present, and we can consider importing steel plates from abroad. As for the equipment that can be produced domestically, we must base ourselves on domestic production. However, the whole set of equipment The overall design must be completed domestically, so that our country's own equipment manufacturing capabilities can be cultivated, what do you think?"

"Imported separately, integrated in the country?" Ji Zhenrong understood Qin Hai's thoughts, and he tapped his fingers on the table lightly, lost in thought.

The design and construction of large chemical equipment has always been a shortcoming in China's industry. As a professor of Huaqing Chemical Engineering Department, Ji Zhenrong is also heartbroken by this. He knew that in order to develop his own design and construction capabilities, he must practice with actual projects, rather than simply talking on paper. But how cautious it is to launch a large-scale chemical equipment in China, how could it be possible to hand it over to them for training?

So far, several large-scale ethylene plants that have been built or are under construction in China are completely imported from abroad. In China, they are only making some corners and corners of supporting equipment, and the core parts cannot accommodate domestic scholars and engineering technology at all. Personnel meddled.

However, according to Qin Hai, he intends to invite the Department of Chemical Engineering of Huaqing University to do the overall design of this large-scale equipment, and build such a combined ethylene and propylene plant based on domestic strength. If this idea can really be realized, then those professors in the Department of Chemical Engineering who do process control will get an extremely rare opportunity to practice.

"Xiao Qin, have you thought about the risk of doing this?" Ji Zhenrong felt a little uneasy, he was afraid that Qin Hai was just a whim.

Qin Hai smiled and said, "Someone has to take this risk. Professor Ji, I think there are so many chemical experts in our country, united as one, they should be able to solve these technical problems. Is there really something that is not well thought out? If you don’t believe me, you won’t be able to see it. Finally, after all the designs are completed, we can also ask well-known foreign design institutes to help review it, they have such a business.”

"The fee for reviewing the drawings is not a small amount." Ji Zhenrong reminded.

Qin Haidao: "Compared to the investment of the whole set of equipment, the cost of reviewing the blueprints is nothing. Professor Ji, I'm here to ask for help sincerely, you must help me with this."

Ji Zhenrong said: "Chairman Qin, you are saying the opposite. You have provided us with an opportunity and helped us by letting us undertake the process design. However, it is up to us to design such a device." The strength of the Department of Chemical Engineering is not enough, we have no problems in theory, but the specific engineering experience is not as good as the engineers of the Chemical Engineering Design Institute, so we must invite them in and work together."

"No problem, when the time comes, you tell me who you want to invite, and I'll come to invite you." Qin Hai said happily.

"Great! Well... this design is really interesting. Put your blueprint here first, and I'll get everyone together later. Let's discuss and see how to divide the work." Ji Zhenrong held Qin Hai The drawings, look up and down, full of joy.

Qin Hai looked at Ji Zhenrong and asked with a smile, "Professor Ji, do you have any other questions to ask?"

"Any other questions?" Ji Zhenrong scratched his head, "There are no other questions."

"What about the cost?" Qin Hai was a little bit crazy. To design a set of large-scale chemical equipment, the cost abroad was tens of millions of dollars, but Ji Zhenrong seemed indifferent.

Hearing Qin Hai talk about the fee, Ji Zhenrong was stunned for a moment, and said with some embarrassment: "Well, the fee... definitely should be charged. It may take half a year or a year to complete this design. Everyone occasionally reports A meal fee... and the cost of checking the information, the consumption of the drawings..."

"Yes, I'm just waiting for your offer." Qin Hai said with a smile.

Ji Zhenrong thought for a while, then looked at Qin Shan who was sitting aside, as if he was a little embarrassed to speak. Qin Hai had no choice but to encourage him quickly: "Professor Ji, just say that I am in a business, and I understand the truth that doing things cost money."

"Well, okay." Ji Zhenrong gritted his teeth and said timidly, "I think the expenditure for this project should be about 200,000 yuan."

"How much?" Qin Hai's eyes widened. Could it be that this old man is ignorant of numbers? He designed a set of large-scale chemical equipment and asked for a price of 200,000? Not to mention hiring a bunch of professors to work with this money, even if you hire migrant workers, you won't be able to hire much, right?

Ji Zhenrong misunderstood, thinking that Qin Hai thought his asking price was too high. At that time, the salary of professors was a little higher than that of ordinary workers, which was more than 200 yuan a month. 200,000 yuan was indeed a very large number. He waved his hand and explained: "I'm just talking casually, and I haven't calculated the specifics. How much does Chairman Qin think is appropriate?"

"I'll pay two...uh, two million." Qin Hai originally wanted to blurt out that it was twenty million, but when the words came to his lips, he hesitated and finally changed it to two million. Since Ji Zhenrong's expected value was only 200,000, it should be completely beyond Ji Zhenrong's expectation that he paid 2 million. It is always a pleasure to lower the price now and increase it if necessary in the future. If the appetite of these professors is increased now, it may be difficult to cooperate in the future.

"Two million? This... this is too much." Ji Zhenrong said with a red face.

"That's not too much." Qin Haidao, "To complete this design, we professors alone are definitely not enough, and we must mobilize young lecturers, teaching assistants, graduate students, and undergraduates to participate together, even if it is a work-study program. Our department also has to send some labor fees to others, right? I estimate that there will be tens of thousands of drawings for the complete set of designs. By the way, should our department also introduce a set of CAD software to realize computer-aided drawing?"

"It can be considered, but the price of CAD software is not cheap, and we have never even dared to think about it." Ji Zhenrong said with a smile. With Qin Hai's words, he has already decided to accept the 2 million yuan design fee. At this moment, he began to feel a little distracted, thinking about how much he could achieve in the department with 2 million yuan. As the head of the department, it is really painful to have no money in his hand.

Qin Hai stood up and said, "I'll leave the blueprint with you for now. You can discuss it with the professors to see how this matter is done, and we'll have further discussions later. Or, let's talk about it here today. , I will take my leave first."

Ji Zhenrong sent Qin Hai and Qin Shan out of the civil engineering hall, watched them walk away, turned around and went back. Instead of going back to his office, he pushed open the door of a laboratory and shouted to the students inside: "You guys, go and inform Mr. Xiong, Mr. Li, and Mr. Ma in the process room immediately, and let them come to the laboratory." When I came here for a meeting, I said that there was an urgent task, and it was urgent!"

With a mere 2 million funds, the Department of Chemical Engineering has been turned upside down, and Qin Hai has a sense of accomplishment. After the two left the civil engineering building, Qin Shan went to the classroom for class, while Qin Hai left the campus alone, took a taxi, and went to the Iron and Steel Research Institute to meet his old friend Chen Heqian.

"Xiao Qin, it's been a while since you came to my place. I heard that you have made a lot of money recently." Chen Heqian said cheerfully as soon as he saw Qin Hai.

In the past two years, Qin Hai provided Chen Heqian with a lot of scientific research funding in the name of assisting in research projects, allowing Chen Heqian to obtain several internationally influential results. Of course, Chen Heqian reciprocated, using his social connections to help Qin Hai solve many difficulties in production and sales, and the friendship between the two became deeper and deeper.

Qin Hai sat down on the sofa in Chen Heqian's office, and said with a smile: "To use a fashionable word, I'm so poor that I only have money left. No, this time I made a special trip to the capital to seek help from experts."

"Oh, what problem did you encounter again?" Chen Heqian asked with concern.

Qin Hai shook his head and said: "It's not that there are any practical problems, but that we are planning ahead and want to start some long-term projects. Materials are a century-old project. If we don't lay the foundation now, we will have no place in the future."

"There are very few people who think like you." Chen Heqian sat down opposite Qin Hai and said with emotion, "Nowadays everyone says to respect knowledge and talents, but the actual appropriation is pitifully small. I can’t do any good research. Especially in the field of materials, there are no short-term projects, and it is even more difficult to apply for funding.”

Qin Haidao: "Mr. Chen has any difficulties, just tell me. I can't do research, but I have some bad money. Why can't a university student like Mr. Chen bend his waist for five buckets of rice?"

Chen Heqian shook his head and said, "I'm not talking about me. In the past few years, you have given me a lot of funding for this laboratory, and many people are envious of it. I'm talking about some of my colleagues, such as those from the University of Technology. Sun Yuzhi, Yan Shuncheng of the Mechanical and Electrical Research Institute, have stopped now, and all experiments have stopped. You know, if you can’t do experiments on materials, what can you achieve? Old Yan’s young men Assistant, everyone is clamoring to go to sea now."

Looks like I have a fever... sad