Yang Fan looked at it for a while and said: "Are there any difficulties with this kind of steam engine at present? Are there any unsolved problems?"
Upon hearing this, Chen Xi's face fell. "There are many problems. For example, I don't know how to control the pressure of the steam. If the pressure is too high, it will explode."
Yang Fan nodded. He was very knowledgeable about pressure vessels.
"I will provide you with instruments, valves, and bearings in the future. I will also provide you with the principles of these things. You divide the students below into groups and copy simple valves, instruments, and bearings respectively."
Chen Xi nodded and said: "Okay, it's good to have a direction, but I'm afraid I don't have any ideas. In addition, the steam generation effect is not very good. I think I still have some mistakes in the design of the boiler."
Yang Fan said: "This boiler is indeed too simple. Boilers are divided into water tube boilers and fire tube boilers. Yours is just a big pot. The heating area is too small and the efficiency is too low. A lot of the combustion heat is not heated to the water. As the The smoke is exhausted.”
Chen Xi's eyes lit up, it was indeed like this. She hurriedly asked: "What is a water tube boiler and what is a fire tube boiler?"
Yang Fan snapped his fingers and said: "It's very simple. For example, in this furnace, use a lot of iron pipes, which can pass water, so that the heat of coal burning can be surrounded by these iron pipes. The larger the heating area, the more heat will be absorbed. . This kind of boiler is a water tube boiler. It is suitable for high-power steam engines."
Chen Xi understood as soon as he heard it. The thing he designed was a big pot on the stove. The contact area is the area of the bottom of the pot.
The water tube boiler I mentioned is equivalent to densely setting water tubes above the furnace. In this way, the outer wall of each water pipe can be heated. It does greatly increase the heating area.
Chen Xi couldn't help but ask: "Where is the fire tube boiler? What's going on?"
"This is simple. You divide the flue of the stove into many pipes and zigzag through the water tank. Can this also increase the heat exchange area? This design is a fire tube boiler. The difference is that the water in the pipe is still hot. Smoke.”
Chen Xi understood. The principle was not difficult to understand. You can definitely make it yourself, no problem.
"Sir, which one is better?"
"Each has its pros and cons, but fire tube boilers are not suitable for high-power boiler design. It doesn't matter which one is at this stage."
Yang Fan didn't want to limit their ideas. It was better to experiment and find out the problems and advantages on their own. It was better to teach people to fish than to teach them to fish.
Only by developing independent research capabilities can they continue to make progress in the future. Instead of relying entirely on Yang Fan to provide a steady stream of modern information. That's a craftsman, not a scientist.
Otherwise they would never be able to go very far.
"Sir, do you have any suggestions for this machine?" Chen Xi asked. She knows that the master has many wonderful ideas and can often give her great guidance and help.
Yang Fan touched his chin and thought about it.
"I think there are several points that can be improved on this machine. One is that the boiler should be made into a water tube boiler or a fire tube boiler with better heat exchange efficiency. At the same time, the furnace should be wrapped with asbestos, so that the insulation efficiency can be higher. "
There are asbestos mines in Ming Dynasty. This thing is not new.
As early as the Zhou Dynasty, there was Huohuan cloth, which was cloth woven from asbestos.
During the Yuan Dynasty, a large number of government-run asbestos mines appeared, and the scale of mining was even greater in the Ming Dynasty.
"In addition, I think this kind of steam engine has a simple structure and low fraud. The demand is mainly in two directions, one is for farmers to pump groundwater, and the other is for mines. One needs to be small and exquisite, with as little weight as possible, so that it can be easily used in the fields. Transshipment. The other one needs to be enlarged and the power increased, because mine water penetration requires a large amount of water, and it is useless if the power is small."
The main value of the Newcomen steam engine is the invention of the cylinder. It realizes using steam to push the piston to move up and down in a straight line. It is the ancestor of the cylinder.
Chen Xi introduced that this machine can make 16 round trips per minute, and each round trip can raise 50 liters of water to 46.6 meters. One day and one night, 4,320 tons of water can be pumped. Therefore, the machine can be used for mine drainage.
Chen Xi carefully recorded Yang Fan's opinions in a small notebook.
"If you can perfect the equipment and finalize it, I can give you a patent. Once the factory is put into production, every time a steam engine is sold, I will give you a sum of money. The patent is valid for ten years. You can use this money for research. and funding to maintain the institution.”
"That's great, sir. We will definitely be very motivated to invest in research."
"I think there is a greater demand for steam generators for civilian use. After all, there are only a few mines now, and they don't use too many," Yang Fan said.
"Since it is for civilian use, it shouldn't be too bulky. The power doesn't need to be that big. It can be made lighter. In addition, it doesn't have to be coal. It can be burned in the fields, such as straw, broken wood, boards, etc., as long as it can burn Can it be burned? So the lower the fuel requirement, the better.”
Chen Xi nodded and said, "Sir, you are right. In addition, the supporting well must be redesigned so that the water output matches the power of the machine."
Floods and droughts occurred alternately in the late Ming Dynasty, whether it was pumping groundwater for irrigation to fight drought or pumping water for drainage. All require steam engines. There should be great demand in society.
There is nothing to keep secret about this primitive Newcomen steam engine.
Technically, no one can process a qualified cylinder without a boring machine. Without a cylinder, this kind of steam engine would be impossible to copy.
A hammer can't knock out a standard cylinder.
Since there is no fear of leaks, it can be launched into the market.
What Yang Fan really planned to use was the next generation product of the Newcomen steam engine - the reciprocating steam engine. From the Newcomen steam engine to the reciprocating steam engine, there was a huge technological leap.
Involving separate condenser, cylinder external thermal insulation layer, oil lubricated piston, planetary gear, parallel motion linkage mechanism, centrifugal speed regulator, throttle valve, pressure gauge, etc. Watt spent decades inventing all these things before he truly created a practical reciprocating steam engine.
Only reciprocating steam engines can be used as the power source for trains, locomotives, ships, and industrial machinery.
After watching the Newcomen steam engine, Chen Xi led everyone to the east wing of the office in the front yard.
There is a copper reciprocating steam engine model lying quietly on the table. Chen Xi spent a lot of effort and assembled the parts by hand polishing one by one according to the technical information provided by Yang Fan and with the efforts of more than a dozen master craftsmen.
The small boiler is burning alcohol. The crankshaft is a small piece of steel ingot, which is cut out bit by bit by hand with a file. At this time, the small steam engine was working, the cylinder whistled, and a large amount of steam was discharged from the exhaust port of the cylinder.
The crankshaft drives a wheel to rotate rapidly.
Although it is only a one-horsepower model, the Sparrow is small but has all the internal organs. If you can make this set of things, you will definitely be able to make a practical reciprocating steam engine.
When Tu Shan Yuehe and Lin Yueru saw this exquisite model, they all looked like little stars at a glance. This thing was so well made and had an industrial aesthetic.
"Master, this machine is much prettier than that one. It looks very pleasing to the eye and has an indescribable sense of beauty." Xiao Niangpi said.
Yes, industrial products with reasonable design are beautiful.
It has the beauty of the laws of nature.
Later generations of aircraft, rockets, cars, and ships were more successfully designed, and they all look good.
"Sir, I'm thinking, if we put this on a carriage, we won't need horses for our future travels." Tu Shanyue asked.
"This thing is too bulky and not suitable for mounting on a carriage. It also emits black smoke and requires a fire. It's so smoky that it's weird if you want to sit on it. This thing can be mounted on a boat, so you can remove the person on the bicycle. . It can also be installed on the mine cart. We have laid so many tracks, and now they are all horse-drawn. If you use a belt to connect the flywheel to the wheels of the mine cart, the mine cart can be dragged on the track without horses. It's flying."
Lin Yueru also said excitedly: "Sir, wouldn't it be true that battleships no longer rely on the wind. Cars on land no longer rely on livestock."
"Yes, even weaving will no longer require manpower in the future. Our water conservancy spinning machines and looms are being tested. With this machine, machines can be used to produce cloth in places without water sources or in winter. As long as it is used Wherever manpower is available, it can be replaced by manpower to do things." Yang Fan said.
"Sir, if you install this on a rail car, it won't get tired and can run around day and night. In that case, wouldn't it be possible to pass anywhere there is a track?" Lin Yueru asked.
"Yes, from now on, the track will be called a railway. This rail car with a reciprocating steam engine will be called a train."
"This is a good name. This thing relies on burning fire to generate power. It is indeed a train." Xiang Yi said.
"When the test is successful, we will first replace the rail cars in Xincheng and several coal and iron mines with trains. I believe that trains will one day replace the Grand Canal and become the main method of material transportation." Yang Fan looked at the station said the model machine of horsepower.
