The blast furnace has been fired in advance, but in order to complete the ceremony, there is still a box of about 500 kilograms of iron ore at the feeding port, waiting for the emperor's order!
The inside of the blast furnace is a mixture of coke and iron ore. A powerful blower is blowing air desperately into it. The coke is completely burned. The solid iron ore becomes red, then soft, and then liquefaction begins to appear on the edge and drips down. Flow!
And these dripping molten iron can't extinguish tons of burning coke, until finally all the molten iron will merge with the flames, you have me, and I have you!
After hearing the emperor's order, Xin Jian used long steel tongs to push open the material opening. Finally, hundreds of kilograms of selected iron materials were thrown into the blast furnace. General sparks even flew out from the feeding port!
Ninety-nine percent of the royal nobles and ministers of the Qing Dynasty have never seen such a scene. A huge blast furnace more than ten meters high, like the alchemy furnace of the Supreme Lord, radiates rolling heat waves outward!
It was so hot that even the safe area of the workshop felt the heat wave!
The moment the feeding port was opened, Xin Jian's face wearing huge goggles was illuminated by a golden light, like a god!
"Keep blowing... turn on blower No. 4..."
"Check the steel sink again! Clean up the debris... Unrelated personnel retreat to the safe area!"
The atmosphere in the workshop had reached its most tense moment. The apprentices from the Ministry of Industry of the Qing Dynasty had all practiced in Tanggu, but when they made their first batch of steel in person, and in front of the emperor, they were so nervous that they almost fainted. Got it!
If it weren't for these Chinese and European technicians supporting the scene, they would even forget what they were going to do!
Human beings are like this, full of fear and awe for things that are too big and dangerous. This blast furnace that is burning all over is beyond everyone's understanding. Many officials watching the ceremony felt that their knees were weak!
European engineers are making careful calculations. They are responsible for the key step in turning molten iron into molten steel, which is blowing oxygen!
Of course, there is no large-scale oxygen refining process today, but the technology of blowing air is very mature. The blower is driven by a steam engine, and the fresh air blown in is heated by the steam engine into high-temperature air. The hot air that is continuously blown into the molten iron is the transformation of the molten iron. The key to making molten steel!
Officials from the Ministry of Industry whispered some basic common sense to the ministers of the DPRK and China, "My lords, the difference between molten iron and molten steel is actually the carbon content inside!"
"Carbon is a basic substance in our charcoal and coal, the kind that can burn!"
"Blowing in a large amount of air, especially hot air, can force the excess carbon in the molten iron to burn away and keep the carbon at a reasonable content. This is the steel we need!"
To be honest, the people in the Ministry of Industry don’t even understand it. They just follow the script, let alone these feudal officials who are big-eyed and small-eyed!
But it doesn’t matter if you don’t understand. Just look at this responsible and dangerous processing process. These people will know that industrial steelmaking is not a simple matter. Even ordinary rails cannot be made by the traditional craftsmanship of the Qing Dynasty!
"Be good! No wonder the foreign devils' cannons and battleships are so expensive. It's true that they are expensive! How much coal will be burned and how many people will be required to serve them!"
"How could it be that the quality is not good? How can a treasure brought out with such care not make money? No one else can make it!"
The blast furnace has been blowing hot air continuously for more than three hours now. The time has been calculated in advance, because no one can keep the emperor waiting for too long!
At twelve o'clock, the furnace of molten steel was almost ready. If it were not for waiting for orders from German engineers, these officials from the Ministry of Works would have wanted to ask for the furnace to be started immediately!
The technical officer from the Ministry of Industry accompanied Smiley Face to the German Big Nose, and asked the interpreter to carefully say, "Master Foreigner... is this molten steel almost ready? Long Live the Lord, you have been waiting for a long time..."
"No! In the face of science, the emperor has to give way! The molten steel is not enough time, so continue to blow oxygen for another twenty minutes! This is technology, I have the final say!"
The official from the Ministry of Industry shrank his neck and said, "Come on! You are the boss, you have the final say... You are the only foreigner who has the guts to ask His Majesty to wait for twenty more minutes!"
Zai Chun seemed to have guessed what these officials were thinking. He stared at the furnace of steel and said without looking back, "No one is allowed to interfere with the steel-making personnel. All irrelevant personnel should step back!"
"Here, the emperor must also give way to science! Whatever the technicians say is whatever it is!"
With the emperor's support, these foreign devils are even more unscrupulous. They only have time, temperature, status, numbers, tables and their own experience in their eyes!
Everyone was worried and sweating profusely. Of course, it might just be the heat. When it was a quarter past twelve, the German big nose finally spoke!
"Dump the slag...prepare the overhead crane and heavy-duty crucible...produce the molten steel!"
The officials who were watching the ceremony had all forgotten their own rank at this moment, and they all crowded to the front with a roar, almost forming a line shoulder to shoulder with the emperor, but no one cared about them anymore, because everyone's attention was focused on this. In the furnace steel!
This is an ocean where flames and steel merge together. The molten steel is completely liquid, but the remaining stones in the iron ore are not liquid because of their different melting points!
The density of these solid residues will definitely be lower than that of steel, which will cause all the residues to float on top of the molten steel!
In this furnace of molten steel, the lower two-thirds are pure molten steel, while the upper third is floating residue. To make molten steel, all these residues must be released!
The slag discharge port on the middle waist line was pried open by workers. The scene was shocked and saw tons of red slag mixed with molten steel spurting out, with golden light and sparks flying!
The entire workshop was illuminated, and the air temperature instantly increased by six to seven degrees. The officials felt that the sweat pores on their bodies could not be closed, and sweat poured out like a fountain!
Prince Lao Li couldn't bear the heat anymore and had to be helped out. Prince Zheng was still insisting, but his handkerchief could already squeeze out water!
Everyone's clothes were soaked, and the golden dragon on Zaichun's body turned into a water dragon!
Xin Jian is taking on the most dangerous job today. He holds long pliers and stabs at the slag outlet in order to prevent iron slag from blocking the slag outlet. The professional insulating clothes he wears are no longer effective, and he is sweating profusely down his neck. Obscene!
He pried open the clogged red slag bit by bit, and more molten iron and residue spurted out. At the closest point, it was only a few dozen centimeters away from him!
This is the most dangerous job. If you are careless and get sprayed with molten iron and residue, your whole body will be burned!
"The overhead crane... pulls the heavy crucible... and produces molten steel!"
In the blast furnace workshop, the heavy gantry crane began to move slowly. The huge crucible made of cast iron can be filled with three tons of molten steel!
The discharge port at the lowest end of the blast furnace was pried open, and red molten steel spurted out like blood, gurgling into the heavy crucible!
"Ah! The molten steel is coming out! The molten steel is coming out..." Zai Chun clenched his fists excitedly and shouted, "Hahaha... Wuwuwu... This is the first furnace of steel in the Qing Dynasty!"
"The first furnace of molten steel in the Qing Dynasty! Wuwuwu... I am no longer afraid of being bullied by others... Wuwuwu... The foundation of industry is finally here!"
After years of dreams and grievances, Zai Chun could no longer suppress his emotions. Tens of thousands of people had sacrificed their lives in exchange for this furnace of molten steel. He had completely lost control!
