Chapter 96: Song of Electricity (Part 7)

“After that, it wasn’t until 1844 that the first industrial direct current generator was invented, specifically for electroplating. It wasn’t until 1873 that the generator and motor were connected in series. Before that, generators would generate electricity to be stored in batteries, which would then drive the motors. As for the excitation method, the shift from permanent magnets to self-excitation by current was described in a paper by Siemens in 1867. The modern armature, or drum winding, was designed by Alteneck of Siemens in 1872. The compensating winding and laminated iron core of the motor didn’t appear until 1885. And the universal three-phase synchronous generation mode also appeared in 1887.”

Faraday’s “multimedia” presentation of popular science aroused everyone’s interest. Although fragments of this knowledge were known to those present, few had such a comprehensive understanding.

“The reason I’m saying all this is that we absolutely don’t need to follow the original technology tree all over again. For example, the motor we successfully trial-produced was manufactured according to the drawings we brought, which is the Y-series three-phase squirrel-cage asynchronous motor from the national standard of the original world. This series of motors can basically meet the requirements of most of our current workshops for prime movers. You know, a 10-ton electric crane only needs a 15kW motor.”

He then began to talk about the types, functions, and principles of power equipment, and also gave a general overview of the principles of power transmission and distribution. He basically taught in a simple and easy-to-understand way. The Elders present were all engaged in science and engineering work, so they didn’t need too many details to roughly understand.

“…To get back to the point, there’s a misconception that everything related to electricity should be managed by the power sector. In fact, the power industry, as the name suggests, is like the machinery industry. The machinery industry manufactures machines, and the power industry manufactures electricity. That is, the power stations are ours, but building generators is not our job. In fact, building generators is a category of the machinery industry. Let me say a few words here. Our machinery industry has a tendency to get lost in the crude and heavy steam-punk culture and can’t extricate itself. We have over a hundred Elders in those few village-level broken factories, acting like fitters all day long. What the hell is that? I think that on the mature production lines, the Elders must be liberated and put into other places where Elders are needed. We want to make a motor, and we get no response from heaven or earth. We want to find an Elder who knows machinery to help, and they all roll their eyes. I’m not fighting for my own family’s property here, I’m fighting for everyone’s future and tomorrow…”

“Ahem, ahem, ahem.” Qian Liushi, sensing something was wrong, quickly coughed to warn him. Faraday gave Qian Liushi a look. “Alright, if I say any more, it will hurt feelings. The Executive Committee and the Planning Department have approved the establishment of a project team for the production and development of power equipment, temporarily led by me and Qian Liushi. I hope more professional colleagues from the machinery field will join this project team to make our power equipment bigger and better, and to enter the era of electrification as soon as possible.”

“Alright, that’s all from Faraday for now. Let me continue,” Qian Liushi, fearing Faraday would make another blunder, quickly cut in. “Actually, the Planning Department has long wanted to change the prime movers used in our current factories from steam engines to electric motors. But because the production of silicon steel and various insulating and sealing materials has been delayed, these plans have only remained on paper.”

“Now we have to do this. First, look at the demand, then see what we can provide. Currently, the main demands for electricity are in these few areas. If there are any omissions, everyone can add to them. The most important work at present is to meet the necessary electricity needs of various industrial enterprises: electrolysis and electroplating. Especially electrolysis, which consumes a lot of electricity and has a great impact on the non-ferrous metal industry and the chemical industry. We will first focus on solving the needs in this area.”

After this popular science session, the meeting roughly got on track. After discussion, the Elders from the industrial sector came up with a general plan for the manufacturing of power equipment and the direction of power development.

First was the manufacturing of silicon steel. At the current level of the steel plant, they could probably only produce hot-rolled silicon steel sheets. Then, by continuously testing the hysteresis loops of silicon steel of various grades, they could roughly classify them for use in motors and transformers.

With a stable and reliable supply of silicon steel, a professional motor workshop would be built. In addition to producing Y-series motors, they could mass-produce low-speed, air-cooled permanent magnet generators below 100kW—this would not require brushes. This type of generator could be driven by a steam engine, and in the future, if there were diesel engines, it could be driven by diesel engines, or even by small hydroelectric stations with water turbines. The terminal voltage would be 400V. The insulation problem for this low-voltage level of motors could be easily solved with mica sheets and mica paper. This series of generators was relatively light and could be used in combat logistics centers, command posts, or on construction sites. The combination of generators and electric motors would greatly improve efficiency compared to steam engines—of course, this was on the premise that Lin’gao’s industrial system could provide diesel engines and the required fuel on a large scale. Otherwise, the advantage of using gas power would be discounted.

As for power transmission and distribution, the unanimous opinion of the Elders from the machinery and chemical sectors was that there were too many technical difficulties to overcome and too many missing links in the industry. At present, apart from barely being able to self-produce various makeshift wires and cables, it was difficult to produce transformers, circuit breakers, and so on. As for secondary electrical equipment such as ammeters and voltmeters, there were also difficulties that would be hard to overcome in the short term. Therefore, it was suggested that the main method of expansion should be self-sufficient power stations. Self-sufficient power plants would be set up in chemical and smelting enterprises that required a large amount of electricity. Steam engines would be used to drive a large number of low-speed, air-cooled permanent magnet generators to generate electricity for local use.

The power work conference “concluded victoriously.” After the meeting, Chang Kaishen hosted a banquet at the Agricultural Estate Teahouse for Liu Tom, Faraday, Qian Liushi, and other “key technical personnel” to toast their “hard work and perseverance.” He also invited Zhong Lishi. In the past few years, Faraday and the others had been able to achieve some results, thanks to the silent support of Dr. Zhong as the People’s Commissioner for Science and Technology. Otherwise, Faraday would probably have jumped ship to the steel plant to study materials science long ago.

Dr. Zhong rarely attended social gatherings among the Elders, but this time he readily accepted the invitation. Minister Chang knew that Dr. Zhong generally would not refuse an occasion with good food, so he generously spent his circulation coupons and prepared many “high-grade” dishes that were usually served at banquets.

Although the teahouse was for the Elders, the chef’s skill was not that of a master chef. Wu Nanhai had no intention of turning the teahouse into a restaurant, so the naturalized citizen chefs trained by the teahouse were skilled in snacks, desserts, and light meals. For a real banquet, a master chef would be brought in from the Merchant’s Guild Restaurant.

The master chefs at the Merchant’s Guild Restaurant had all been personally trained by several Elders who were both gourmands and good cooks. The recipe for Nanbao roast duck was personally taught by Zhong Lishi. They were skilled in various dishes and their flavors were quite to the Elders’ liking.

The banquet was set by the window overlooking the water in the teahouse’s annex. The latitude of Lin’gao was low, and by March, the weather was already warm with blooming flowers. The long windows were open, and a gentle breeze blew in.

The table was filled with dishes with local Lin’gao characteristics: four hot dishes: braised spicy sea snails, steamed crabs with roe, stir-fried peanut worms, and dried radish with pork belly; two main dishes: salt and pepper pig’s trotters and roasted Nanbao duck; vegetables were stir-fried water spinach with garlic and boiled small taro with scallions; and two desserts: pan-fried chive cakes with shrimp and oil paste, and Lin’gao fried sesame balls.

The drinks were rice beer and Leizhou rum, both self-made by the Agricultural Estate Cooperative. Of course, the “national beverage,” kvass, was also indispensable.

This banquet, even in 1633 when the Elders’ standard of living had greatly improved, was still considered “luxurious.” In particular, the pig’s trotters, with their tender skin and meat and a hint of medicinal aroma, and the small pieces of pork belly, made the mouths of those present water.

The host and guests toasted each other and ate and drank heartily. During the banquet, Chang Kaishen frequently proposed toasts, and soon everyone was flushed from the alcohol.

Dr. Zhong, already feeling a bit tipsy, felt he couldn’t drink anymore and started talking about academic journals.

“Your work on the electric motor this time is very good!” Zhong Lishi said. “Record the experimental data from this time. Later, everyone should summarize their respective parts, put them together, and publish it in a core journal.”

The “core journal” Dr. Zhong was referring to was the first academic journal in this world, Nature and Science, organized by the Ministry of Science and Technology and published by the Great Library. The journal was edited by Zhong Lishi of the Ministry of Science and Technology, with the most senior professionals in machinery, metallurgy, chemistry, as well as electrical, materials, precision instruments, and biology serving as editors and reviewers. The journal mainly published the latest work achievements and production results of various industrial departments, with a focus on the Elders’ exploration and practice of “replicating” and “recreating” modern industry under existing conditions.

The publication of Nature and Science had, to a certain extent, replaced the science and technology section of the internal forum. This section had gradually become desolate as the first five-year plan progressed, the work of various departments became more separated, and everyone was busy with work during the day and other activities at night.

Many Elders were no strangers to publishing in core journals. Although writing papers was annoying, due to the active remuneration system—especially the auction of foreign horses, which made everyone increasingly value circulation coupons—submissions were still quite active. The magazine was published monthly and distributed free of charge to every Elder. As a supplement to information, it also allowed professionals in various fields to stay informed about the work of other departments and to apply the latest technological developments as soon as possible. In addition to the copy for each Elder, a portion was also printed for the Great Library, schools, and the professional data rooms of various enterprises for the naturalized citizen technical personnel to read. For this reason, the call for papers explicitly stated that papers should not contain words like “old world” and were not allowed to mention the history of old technology.