Guangzong Yaoming

Chapter 435: Mature Steam Engine
Xiao Dehe has been the prefect of Tangshan for six years, but he knows that Tangshan Prefecture has become the current top prefecture in Hebei Province because Zunhua’s Military Industrial Park and the Machinery Institute of the Boyan Institute are located here.

Of course, he is not without achievements - the coal and iron heavy industry park between the original Luanzhou and Leting counties and the chemical industry park between Fengrun County and Lutai Inspection Office have begun to take shape.

Today's Tangshan Prefecture absorbed a county and a prefecture west of the Luan River to the south of Luanzhou from Yongping Prefecture, and Yongping Prefecture was renamed Shanhai Prefecture, with its jurisdiction expanded to the north of the Great Wall and the establishment of Qinglong Prefecture.

Zhu Changluo headed north from Dagu, which was renamed Tianjin Port, and it didn't take long for him to reach Tangshan Prefecture.

The chemical park has only been in operation for a short time. Currently, it mainly relies on the salt here and other materials shipped from Tianjin Port to try to produce some raw materials that can be produced with the current level of technology.

"The Chemical Industry Park, the Coal and Iron Industry Park, and the Military Industry Park are now in a three-way competition. The city is in the center. In addition to paying attention to these three places, I am also focusing on the Engineering Machinery University. However, the Chemical Industry Park is also in urgent need of talents in natural sciences, and unfortunately most of them are alchemists..."

Xiao Dehe introduced the current achievements and difficulties, and Zhu Changluo nodded: "Change the name to Polytechnic University. Let the Ministry of Culture and Education review it again and grant graduates of Hebei Polytechnic University a diploma equivalent to that of Peking University and Minghua University."

"Thank you, Your Majesty, for your grace!" Xiao Dehe was delighted. "This way, the Polytechnic Institute will have no problem attracting students from all over the world to study here."

The Ming Dynasty had already established a new system for admission to education.

First, there are primary schools in counties and prefectures. After graduation, students can get a "Tongsheng" diploma. With this diploma, they can work as clerks in government offices or in business firms under government-owned enterprises. This is the minimum requirement. Such jobs are not physical, but rely on learning.

Above that, there are the schools in various prefectures, where students can be awarded a "student" diploma after completing their studies, which is no different from a student who has passed the examination. If one is not interested in taking the examination again or has exceeded the time limit, one can at least be a ninth-rank official in a local government office, and with a little experience in a business under a government-owned enterprise, one can become a manager, and naturally there are more options for careers among the people.

After that, there are the universities under the jurisdiction of each province, where students can be awarded the "Jushi" diploma after completing their studies. Its status is slightly lower than that of a Juzi, equivalent to the vice list. If one wants to become an official, it is only slightly lower than the Juzi on the main list of the provincial examination. Although one cannot directly take the joint examination, one can participate in the official examination held regularly by the Jinxian Academy. As long as one passes the examination, one can be appointed as an official from the seventh rank onwards.

Finally, of course, there are the only two universities in the Ming Dynasty. Although they are still under the supervision of the Ministry of Culture and Education, graduates of the universities can be awarded a "doctorate" diploma, which is equivalent to the original grant of Jinshi, and can directly be awarded an official rank of seventh rank or higher.

This is the normal step to advancement that can be obtained by continuing to study. Although the local examinations for selecting students, the provincial examinations for selecting candidates, and the imperial examinations for selecting Jinshi still exist, these are just an "accelerated" channel. The successful ones are of course the best, but most scholars in the world still find it difficult to get through - not to mention the age limit now.

There are age limits for participating in the imperial examinations and the official examinations. So for most scholars with mediocre talents, it would be better to follow the routine and study in government-run universities, middle schools and primary schools while taking the examinations to try to "skip a step".

Now that Hebei Engineering Machinery University has been upgraded to a graduate school, students can be awarded a doctorate upon completion of their studies. This is a new path for candidates who cannot get into the two major colleges.

When studying in a graduate school, it doesn't matter where you are from, and it won't affect the number of candidates from other places. As long as you are willing to come, can get in, can study and pass the exam, you can eventually become a seventh-rank official or an official in other government offices. Isn't that great?

Zhu Changluo turned around and asked Wang Zheng: "What do you think about the chemical industry?"

After so many years, Wang Zheng is already 46 years old. He is still the director of the Institute of Research, but the Institute is no longer what it used to be.

The original Academy of Research was only a special establishment of the emperor, and the needs were funded by the imperial treasury. Now, the Academy of Research has become the second largest entity after the one house and seven academies, and its director is a first-rank official - although it does not involve the power of other central government offices, it is still a first-rank official after all.

Wang Zheng has been devoted to academic research for many years, and now he is presenting a report to the emperor, so he said directly: "The more you study, the more confused it becomes. I have discussed with several academicians that some disciplines should be listed as separate categories for further study. In the past, the Taoist priests were the ones who tried to study the theory of the mutual transformation of all things, but now there have been many discoveries. If we want to study it in depth, we can't just rely on the Taoist priests' experience."

"Okay, we have finally come to this point." Zhu Changluo agreed very much. "I changed the Engineering and Mechanical University into the Polytechnic University with this in mind. The mysteries of the transformation of all things are extraordinary. We will discuss this matter when we return to Beijing."

The study of chemistry, until now, can only rely on experience and experiment. To truly build this discipline, we must first go deep into the microscopic level, such as the molecular formula of various substances, what protons and electrons are, how can we do this in this era?
But it has finally come to the stage where we need to peek into its essence.

This progress was made possible by the research and application of many aspects such as heat and force during the development of the steam engine.

Visiting the chemical park was just a side trip, and the royal carriage continued to go to the machinery institute in the southern suburbs of Fengrun County.

The steam engine is the highlight of this trip.

……

The prototype was actually made three years ago. The principle of burning steam and using the piston to generate power to drive external tools that need to exert force is not complicated.

Relying on the experience accumulated by the Daming Military Industrial Park in processing cannons that were much more sophisticated than before, the development of the prototype was relatively smooth.

But if it is not very efficient and consumes too much fuel, then its advantages will not be reflected.

In addition, safety, the adjustment of its output force, and the size of its main components are all related to whether it can be applied in more scenarios.

Zhu Changluo's dragon-patterned soap boots were inevitably covered with coal dust and dirt, but he still arrived at the entrance of one of the mines.

Looking out, the well mouth was deep. Zhu Changluo listened attentively and heard a rhythmic "chi-boom" sound, which was the sound of a steam engine standing next to the well mouth.

"Are these all old-fashioned?" He turned and asked Zou Jin, the chief engineer of Kailuan Coal Plant.

Nowadays, there is no longer a register of craftsmen, and the former master craftsmen are now called engineers and work in various places and receive salaries.

Zou Jin was originally a master craftsman who was familiar with coal mining, and he was quite young. When he participated in the development of steam engines, he was only 34 years old, and now he is still in his prime.

He replied respectfully, "That's right. The machines developed by the Mechanical Institute are being tried out here at the coal yard. I would also like to put forward some ideas on how to use them."

"Tell me, in what areas are they being used now, and what are the results?"

"Yes. The first thing I used was the most troublesome problem, the water accumulation in the mine..."

Steam engines use coal, so the first place to try using it must be in coal mines - they are nearby and the cost is low.

During mining, water seepage and accumulation are inevitable due to the deep underground mining.

If it is not discharged in time, underground operations will become more and more dangerous. However, deep underground, drainage is a big problem. Before the steam engine, people could only rely on human and animal power, and the power of the earliest steam engines was very low, so they could only be used to pump water, and they could not pump water from too deep.

"This model, which was developed at the end of the previous year, can lift 3,000 kilograms of coal from a well more than 30 meters deep at a time. It takes no more than a minute to get it up from the bottom. In addition to unloading and transporting, the two baskets can be used in turn, and 500,000 kilograms of coal can be pulled up in an hour. Each well can mine 6 million kilograms of coal a day, which is more than seven times the amount during the Wanli period. There are now 16 wells in the factory, but only two of these machines are used, otherwise the bottom of the well would not be dug in time. If all of them are used, and new machines can be used to dig in the well, there will be enough time to mine and transport..."

Zhu Changluo certainly knew how terrible the efficiency of industrialized mining was: "Where is the difficulty?"

"Of course, this method has to be used for a while and then stopped for a while." Wang Zheng explained, "This is after wasting a lot of steam while using it, otherwise it will explode. It is also too big to be transported to the well. If it is dug in the well, it must be moved from time to time. If an inclined well is used, then it is necessary to lay rails into the well as Your Majesty said, and place the machine on the rails."

"Is the exhaust fan in use too?" Zhu Changluo pointed to a steam engine connected to a large leather hose in the distance.

"Exactly. They blow air into the well, and then they pump the evil spirits out of it. They are all the earliest old styles."

"It's good to use it. Is that the air blower over there in the ironworks?"

"We also used a new style from the end of last year, forging with a hammer."

Zhu Changluo nodded, turned around and looked at Wang Zheng: "You don't seem to be panicking at all, and you didn't report it in advance. You must be waiting for me to come, right? Do you have a new style?"

"In the Mechanical Institute." Wang Zheng nodded with a smile. "I congratulate Your Majesty. Over the past year or so, the academicians, doctors, and engineers have worked tirelessly and finally made new improvements. The new model at the end of last year simply uses the water vapor to cool it back and forth, and it can move in both directions, so it is finally suitable for use, but it is still the most cost-effective to use it only in Coal Hill. Now, first, we have made a barometer, and second, we have made the rubber, but it will have to be replaced soon. The most important thing is that we have made a higher-pressure cylinder, and it is a double-cylinder double-expansion cylinder."

"Oh?" Zhu Changluo's eyes widened immediately. "That's quite a bit of progress! How's the test data?"

"This coal plant is only in use for show, and the smoke and dust are quite heavy. Your Majesty, how about going to the Machinery Institute to see the new prototype?"

Zhu Changluo nodded: "Let's go!"

Before leaving, I naturally have to encourage the officials and managers of the coal plant.

Kailuan Coal Plant was affiliated to the Government-Owned Enterprise Institute. Although it was an official trading company, its person in charge was an official.

Zhu Changluo not only encouraged them to further cultivate the engineering culture, but also reminded them to pay attention to safety.

Finally, Zou Jin was brought along.

"Chief Engineer Zou has made great efforts." Wang Zheng reported on the way. "In addition to coal mining, he has also discussed a lot with engineers from other industries. It is rare that he has a flexible mind. We all think that the configuration of this type of steam engine can be determined. There are many parts that need to be cast, produced, and assembled. Since it will be used in many industries besides mining and iron smelting in the future, the Machinery Institute will set up a machinery factory, and it will mainly produce one type of model, so that the cost can be reduced. Chief Engineer Zou has made many suggestions so that this machine can be used in more industries."

"Oh?" Zhu Changluo looked at Zou Jin in surprise, "What good ideas did you come up with?"

"The most amazing thing is the speed regulator, Your Majesty." Wang Zheng answered for him, "Even Academician Galileo said that Chief Engineer Zou has a talent for studying physics and mathematics..."

There was a big problem with both previous steam engines: the speed of the shaft was determined only by the amount of steam. However, the amount of steam was difficult to accurately control, which led to large changes in the speed.

Although Zou Jin did not have the ability to participate in the development of the core components of the steam engine, he figured out an external method through long-term application at the coal plant.

Zhu Changluo didn't know what a centrifugal speed regulator was, but what Zou Jin made was similar in nature.

If the steam engine is to be applied in more scenarios, the output speed must be adjustable, or at least stable.

"After a detailed discussion with the academicians, I feel that this speed regulator is really a new branch in engineering machinery. In the future, there will be a lot of machinery, and how to control it precisely is a big subject..."

Zhu Changluo listened to him and nodded naturally.

Cybernetics is of course a big subject. As machines become more sophisticated, it is difficult for human labor to keep up, and automatic control components based on complex scientific principles must be adopted.

We chatted like this all the way and soon arrived at the machinery park which was not too far from the coal plant.

This is already an independent town, and will later become a factory producing steam engines.

Galileo and other relevant academicians of the Institute of Research are here.

Since the upgrade of the Institute of Scientific Research, Zhu Changluo has put a lot of effort into academic research in recent years, and Daming has initially built its own scientific research system. Compared with Minghua University, the Institute of Scientific Research has a higher level, and basically only those who are interested in studying the natural world, such as doctors or even Jinshi, can enter it.

Of course, the most honorable one is the title of Academician. Not only do they enjoy the same superb treatment and royal salary as dukes and earls, but they also have the power to lead and establish research projects. These projects are specially allocated by the national treasury, and in addition to the annual subsidies from the internal treasury and donations from the private sector, the entire Academy of Sciences has a huge amount of funds available every year of one million taels.

Not to mention that they can also receive additional salaries from Minghua University and Hebei Engineering Machinery University. Even those who have not obtained the title of academician can still teach at universities affiliated to various provinces and ministries, and can also organize some other research projects with the school funding of the Ministry of Culture and Education.

Galileo was now over fifty, but very excited.

"It's too late to announce the good news. It seems that the results this time are not small." Zhu Changluo rubbed his hands, "Let's go to the test room first!"

While walking on the road, he saw another young Westerner following closely behind Galileo, so he asked casually, "Who is he?"

"Your Majesty, he just arrived in April, and came to Malacca with the Dutch fleet. After hearing the details, Fubohou first sent him to Nandu, and then came here. He is my new disciple, named René Descartes, a Frenchman, and he is just 20 years old this year."

Zhu Changluo couldn't help but pause and turned to look at the young man: "Descartes?"

(End of this chapter)