latelenovela Chapter 488: Nanyang's Future White Appliances 3 Swordsmen
Chapter 488: Nanyang's Future White Appliances 3 Swordsmen
Chen Siyuan and the materials engineer Lao Zhao next to him looked at each other and saw incredible ecstasy in each other's eyes.
Coconut shell fiber...this stuff is everywhere in the mountains and is almost free, plus the natural latex produced by rubber plantations all over Southeast Asia?
"In theory..." Lao Zhao pushed up his thick glasses, his voice trembling with excitement. "Coconut fiber is fluffy and porous, and the rubber juice fills the gaps and solidifies to form a closed air chamber... The thermal insulation performance is absolutely up to standard.
Moisture and mildew resistance are natural advantages. "Cost..." He did a quick mental calculation and slapped his thigh. "My God, including labor, it's probably only one-tenth of the cost of imported glass wool, or even lower."
"My God, Your Excellency, your creative ideas in the field of materials are simply genius-level!"
What Old Zhao said was not flattery, but sincere admiration.
Zhang Chi waved his hand. In fact, this was all the inspiration brought to him by the developed Internet information in later generations.
"The theory is good, but whether it works in practice won't be known until we try it out," Zhang Chi decided. "So, immediately organize a team to tackle this problem together. I'll give you a week to produce samples and test data."
"If it's feasible..." He looked at Zhou Guodong, "Engineer Chen, get ready. Once the insulation layer is solved, immediately expand the trial production. Start by equipping local administrative units and naval and air force bases."
The few refrigerators Nanyang currently owns are all Freon refrigerators purchased at high prices from White Eagle.
The brothers at various military bases are eagerly looking forward to this refrigerator that can refrigerate and keep food fresh.
After all, while canned food and luncheon meat are great, who wouldn't want to enjoy some ice-cold watermelon or vegetables from the fridge? It's a morale multiplier!
At this time, Chief Economic Secretary Bai Hongsheng, who had been following beside him with a smile on his face, interjected, "Sir, what brand of this new refrigerator do you think would be a good choice?"
Zhang Chi thought of the classic cartoon image of two brothers, one yellow and one white, on refrigerators in later generations, and blurted out, "Let's call it Nanyang Brothers."
Zhou Guodong immediately applauded: "What a great name, Nanyang Brothers, it means that the people of all ethnic groups in Nanyang work together as one, and as brothers, they can overcome any obstacle."
The name was down-to-earth and loud, and everyone immediately followed suit and cheered.
Considering that the future refrigerator market will still be dominated by Freon refrigerators, which were only phased out in the new century due to environmental issues, Zhang Chi said:
"Ammonia refrigerators ultimately pose safety risks, so the development of Freon refrigerators cannot be neglected. How about this: you contact Mr. Hou from Nanhua Chemical and see if he has any ideas for developing an industrial process for cheaply producing Freon preparations."
“Also, I think this ammonia-absorbing refrigerator has unlimited potential if it is expanded and strengthened.
Imagine building a larger, more powerful freezer, and loading it directly onto ocean-going fishing vessels. Lobsters, crabs, fish, and large prawns caught from the nearby fertile seas would be quickly frozen right on board.
Once the fish arrive at the shore, they can be transported by train or bus to the inland area. Then, not only the coastal towns but also our brothers in the mountainous areas of Bago will be able to enjoy cheap and fresh seafood.”
Given the geographical environment of Southeast Asia, Zhang Chi believes that the technological point of ship refrigeration compartments must be developed as soon as possible.
Cold chain shipping is of great significance to the improvement of people's livelihood. Apart from anything else, by then at least the coastal areas of Southeast Asia and towns connected to ports by roads and railways will be able to eat fresh frozen deep-sea seafood.
For his core army, abundant food is the guarantee of combat effectiveness.
As long as deep-sea fishing is well developed, it will not be easy to ask soldiers to make steaks every day (tropical regions are not suitable for raising cattle due to high temperatures and parasites), but it is still possible to make lobsters, scallops, and oysters.
Not to mention the hardest-working submariners, who rely on delicious food to relieve boredom when they are at sea or at base. (Submarine kitchens are generally better than those in the Air Force.)
Therefore, Zhang Chi believes that any branch of the technology tree related to "eating" must be pointed out as soon as possible.
Zhang Chi: "Given the humidity and heat of Nanyang, once residents have money, they will definitely buy refrigerators. The market prospects are huge, and demand may even outstrip supply for the next decade or so. Engineer Chen, Director Zhou, you have a heavy task ahead of you."
Finally, Zhang Chi and his team came to the deepest part of the factory, which is also the area with relatively low noise but the highest technical content, the air-conditioning compressor testing area.
Several silver-gray cylinders were fixed on the test bench, connected to complex pipes and instruments.
Several technicians in white coats were nervously recording data. Luca Ferrari, an elderly engineer with graying hair and a thick Italian accent, was gesturing excitedly to a young technician.
"No, no, no. The pressure isn't stable enough. The vibration, the amplitude exceeds the standard by 0.5 mils. This won't do. For use on a submarine, this vibration won't matter. We can install soundproofing."
As a senior submarine designer and expert in gas compression systems for the Italian Navy, Luca didn't know how he ended up in Southeast Asia to build refrigerators?
He was hired by Zhang Chi with a large sum of money and the promise of "challenging technical difficulties", but now he can only study air-conditioning compressors first.
"Gentlemen, we make commercial air conditioners. If you install a machine like this in a room, you will get complaints from customers. They will be unable to sleep because of the noise!"
The young Chinese technician next to him looked aggrieved: "Mr. Ferrari, we have adjusted the dynamic balance to the best possible level, and the stainless steel casing has also been treated according to marine standards..."
"Then why is there still noise? Why are there burrs on the pressure curve?" Ferrari blew his beard and glared.
Zhang Chi walked over and asked: "Mr. Ferrari, are you in trouble?"
Ferrari saw Zhang Chi and calmed down a bit, but he was still serious:
"Sir, we are testing the NAD-1 compressor to its extreme operating conditions.
Its prototype is the high-pressure air compressor on our Italian submarines. Its power and reliability are no problem, but it still needs fine-tuning to be miniaturized, quieted, and adapt to the continuous and stable operation conditions of air conditioning.
This little guy is powerful enough to produce a 2.5 atmospheres of cold wind, but he has a bit of a bad temper and isn't very gentlemanly.
Zhang Chi walked over to the test bench, and a technician quickly turned the air outlet connected to the compressor towards him. A strong, noticeably cool breeze instantly blew across his face and arms, refreshing him in the stuffy factory.
The wind was mixed with a subtle but high-frequency "buzzing" sound and a hint of metallic friction.
Zhang Chi felt it for a few seconds, then suddenly burst into laughter, his laughter sounding particularly loud in this somewhat quiet area: "Hahaha, good, good wind, strong enough."
His laughter relieved the nervous technicians, and even Ferrari looked at him in confusion.
Zhang Chi stopped laughing and looked at Ferrari. He found that this Italian expert did not have the lazy temperament of his compatriots. Instead, he had some of the Hans' old-fashioned and pursuit of excellence.
He pointed at the compressor and said, “Mr. Ferrari, you are right, the noise and stability must be solved.
But look out the window, at the scorching sun of Southeast Asia. Think of the front lines, the barracks on the edge of the tropical rainforest, where the soldiers stand guard in 40-degree heat. In the tents of the field hospital, the wounded groan in agony from the fever and oppressive heat.
The temperature in a warship's engine room can reach 50 degrees Celsius. In the future, when we have submarines, submariners will spend dozens of days in cramped, hot iron cans.
There are also those staff officers who are crowded in the iron command posts on the front line, planning operations day and night.
What they need most is coolness, a life-saving breeze that can prevent them from getting heatstroke.
Our soldiers weren't even afraid of the enemy's artillery fire, so why would they be afraid of the humming of a machine?! They could definitely handle a little noise.
Of course, after meeting military needs, this air conditioner will eventually be marketed to the civilian market. The noise problem will eventually need to be solved.”
At this point, Zhang Chi had already imagined the future scene in his mind. The three white appliances, washing machines, refrigerators and air conditioners, would be the flagship products of Nanyang's light industry manufacturing industry in the future.
In the post-war world, they will quickly seize the local and surrounding markets in Southeast Asia, and rely on relatively low labor costs and industrial scale to participate in market competition in Europe and America.
Although they have various shortcomings and problems now, he, as a time traveler, will spare no effort to support their development and improvement.
He knew very well that these white household appliances were the future economic growth points, and they were the future 'Three Musketeers' of Nanyang Light Industry!
They will start by meeting military needs, continue to iterate and upgrade, and eventually enter the homes of ordinary people, becoming the golden signboard of Nanyang manufacturing, and accumulating strong capital for him to support a more ambitious blueprint.
Thinking of this, he turned to Zhou Guodong and said in a firm tone:
"Director Zhou, listen carefully: First, as long as the existing 'NAD-1' prototype meets the cooling capacity requirements and operates reliably, small-scale production should begin immediately.
Prioritize supply to the three armed forces, especially those units stationed in hot areas. Tell them this is the "air conditioning" I, Zhang Chi, specially approved.
Second, we contacted the faculty and students of the Electrical Engineering Department at the University of South China and fully cooperated with Mr. Ferrari to continue optimizing the design, focusing on overcoming noise and vibration issues, paving the way for subsequent civilian models."
"Well...well..." Zhou Guodong seemed to be hesitant to speak. "Initial production capacity is limited. Could you please tell me which unit will receive this limited supply?"
Zhang Chi was amused. Thinking that the army, navy, and air force would have to fight over this batch of first-generation air conditioners, he said with a smile:
"Forget it. Just produce 500 mainframes as quickly as possible and send them to the General Logistics Department. Let Old Kang in the Logistics Department worry about the specific distribution. Hahahaha!"