The world's modern communication has just started, and this time Li Weiguo did not fall behind, took the first train, and successfully started the modern communication revolution in China.

But this does not satisfy Li Weiguo, who wants to seize the opportunity to be ahead of the world in all aspects.

At the same time as the telegraph line was laid, Li Weiguo also found a new technology in the Jiangnan Academy of Sciences that could be put on the agenda.

The internal combustion engine, a term that has dominated the industrial system since then, is now in its infancy.

In the European and American powers, the theory of using gas combustion to provide thermal efficiency has been perfected at this time, and the Englishman Jos has begun to experiment with piston internal combustion engines powered by coal gas, and has achieved a thermal efficiency of 4%.

Li Weiguo was immersed in the role of a science instructor, he often lectured at the Academy of Sciences, and with some modern theoretical knowledge in his mind, he became the most admired great man by scientists from all over the world.

"Honorable Master Lee—"

"I prefer the title Professor Li!"

A British expert was about to ask Li Weiguo about a question, but Li Weiguo corrected him.

"Okay, Dear Professor Li, I beg your pardon, I can't compliment you on your drawing ability, but if you can tell me what the stroke marked on this internal combustion engine structure diagram means, maybe I can understand it better!"

Li Weiguo grinded his teeth, and dared to say that his painting skills were not good, you must know that this internal combustion engine structure diagram took him several days to draw hard.

This is also disrespectful to the fruits of other people's labor!

At the very least, it should be a little more tactful!

"The meaning of a stroke is actually—"

Li Weiguo was suddenly stuck, the stroke seemed to be a term he learned when he was in junior high school, and he couldn't remember how to express it, so he had to use his simplest words to describe it.

"You can think of it this way, it's this piston that goes from the farthest point here to the farthest point over there, I call it a stroke!"

Well, in the future, the term stroke will be written in textbooks as being pioneered by Li Weiguo.

"So a two-stroke is all about completing two laps?"

A French expert asked in French, how much Li Weiguo understood.

"You're smart!"

"So a four-stroke is all about doing four laps?"

"That's right. You're half right this time! ”

Li Weiguo paused and explained: "A four-stroke cannot be simply understood as doing four consecutive laps. The process of a two-stroke is to suction-compression-work-exhaust, but a four-stroke engine is characterized by two revolutions of the crankshaft to complete a work cycle. Two-stroke engines have no valves and utilize air scavengers in cylinder liners for air intake. Four-stroke engines have valves, and the crankshaft timing gear drives the timing chain (small chain), and the timing chain drives the camshaft to realize the valve opening and closing. A 2-stroke engine of the same displacement is more powerful than a 4-stroke engine, but a 4-stroke engine is more fuel-efficient. ”

A Swedish expert asked puzzledly: "But Professor Li, you don't seem to have made a two-stroke engine or a four-stroke engine, and we haven't even heard of the internal combustion engine you mentioned using gasoline, diesel and other fuels, so why did you come to these conclusions?" ”

It seems that there are still smart people. Experts are really not good at fooling.

However, Li Weiguo often does this kind of thing and has rich experience, explaining: "This is what I found when I was a child when I made toys for myself! ”

Everyone suddenly showed a look of surprise, and they all gave Li Weiguo a thumbs up, and admired him even more.

Our Professor Li calmly accepted the adoring gaze of these scientists, and did not blush at all.

A Prussian expert on internal combustion engines added: "Dear Professor Li, can you tell us how you got gasoline and diesel when you were a child?" ”

Li Weiguo suddenly smiled at the old god, took a look, and explained: "Gasoline and diesel are both high-purity fuel oils obtained through the refining of petroleum. This involves the knowledge of chemistry, and I'm afraid you don't understand it when I say it. ”

Li Weiguo thought that he would suppress them, but unexpectedly, the so-called scientists of this period were very versatile, and they all possessed all kinds of scientific knowledge. Just like the craftsmen of ancient times, such as a gunsmith, he could go up the mountain to prospect for iron ore by himself, mine it himself, and come back to smelt it himself. Strike the iron yourself, forge all the parts of the gun yourself, and finally build the gun. Even more powerful craftsmen can even make drugs after making their own guns, which can be called the all-round champion of the games. The same is true of these European and American scientists at the moment, although they are working on the internal combustion engine, they look like physical scientists, but they also know chemistry and other mechanics themselves, and they can even be comparable to experts in mechanics and chemistry.

"Dear Professor Li, I have worked with the famous British chemist Professor Lawles for several years, I have studied petroleum, and I have also done purification experiments, and after distillation, I get a transparent oil, is it the gasoline or diesel you are talking about?"

There are masters!

Li Weiguo was surprised, but more than that, he was surprised, and he hoped that the Academy of Sciences would have experts in various disciplines so that it could improve the domestic scientific research team.

"It's gasoline, but it's not suitable for internal combustion engine fuel, so it's okay for daily ignition!"

"You're so right! The kind of gasoline you said that Professor Lawrs refined is not very efficient in combustion! So can you tell me a little bit about how you can refine gasoline and diesel? ”

Li Weiguo thought for a while and said: "Actually, I don't want to tell you my method, because I am afraid that your thinking will be affected by my thinking, I hope you can find another way to find a better way, so that we can progress." ”

"Please tell us, you are the greatest scientist in our hearts, you can know everything, I believe you must be right!"

Everyone asked Li Weiguo one after another, which made Li Weiguo very embarrassed.

It looks like you have to be careful with bragging in the future, otherwise it will be too shameless to be exposed by these guys one day.

Thinking of this, Li Weiguo said in a dilemma: "Okay, in fact, Professor Lawles's distillation process has been half successful, and the rest is to catalyze in the distilled gasoline, the most critical of which is hydrogenation, only the hydrogenated gasoline has an efficient combustion value." Diesel, on the other hand, has an additional petroleum coking process, which is different from gasoline in the form of high-pressure ignition, which requires you to pay attention to the direction when developing internal combustion engines. ”

Everyone also wanted to ask how to refine gasoline and diesel, but Li Weiguo didn't understand it very well, and he was immediately vague.

"Remember, if you want to improve the combustion efficiency of an internal combustion engine. One of the most critical points is the compressor, with which the air and oil are compressed and blown into the cylinder! ”

"Dear Professor Li, you are indeed the greatest scientist, why didn't I think that compressed air and fuel can achieve higher combustion value!"

"Yes, I didn't think of this, if the cylinder uses the continuous stroke working method, it will improve the work efficiency by 20% compared with the existing single-piston work method, and the use of high-purity gasoline or diesel fuel will improve the thermal efficiency by about 20% compared with the existing gas, and then compress the fuel and air. Allowing the fuel and air to be fully combusted will increase the thermal efficiency by another 20%, which will increase from the current 4% to at least 60%, and the internal combustion engine will replace the steam engine, which will be the greatest feat of the century! ”

"That's right, we will surpass Watt and become the pioneer of the industrial revolution in the new era!"

Everyone suddenly became excited, and they worshipped Li Weiguo as a god.

Li Weiguo did not comment. Although he knew that the internal combustion engine would make great progress under his direction, and could foresee a revolutionary victory in automobiles, trains, etc., to replace the existing steam engine, but at sea the method of large warships and ships, with the existing industrial technology. It will not be possible for an internal combustion engine to replace a steam engine for decades.

Li Weiguo needs the enthusiasm of these experts, so he will not say anything to hit them, but he also gives them some restrictions, allowing them to focus only on small and medium-sized internal combustion engines. The conditions for the development of large internal combustion engines were not yet ripe, and considering the arrival of the era of ironclad ships at sea, Li Weiguo asked them to continue the development of large steam engines. Strive not to lag behind the Western European and American powers in terms of large marine steam engines.

There are only unexpected things in this world, and there are no things that can't be done, Li Weiguo just drew a rough drawing of two-stroke and four-stroke internal combustion engines, and gave these scientists some correct theoretical guidance, and they quickly designed the structure of two-stroke and four-stroke internal combustion engines in detail, and carried out relevant experiments.

At the same time, Dutch scientist Barnet and French scientist Huygens also began research on the distillation, refining, catalysis and hydrogenation of oil. The previous distillation and refining are ready-made technologies, and in terms of catalysis, according to Li Weiguo's description, they quickly found a suitable catalyst, only the hydrogenation link was slightly stuck, but in less than a month, they made a breakthrough and achieved preliminary hydrogenation to synthesize gasoline with high thermal efficiency.

However, soon several barrels of oil from the Academy of Sciences were all used up, and Li Weiguo sent people to purchase them in many ways, although there was natural black oil in the country, but it was all in the area ruled by the Taiping Army, and it was strictly controlled by the Taiping Army, because the Taiping Army often used these black oils when attacking and defending the city.

Although Li Weiguo knew that there was oil buried under the ground in some parts of the country, it was a pity that the burial was very deep, and the existing drilling equipment was simply not enough. There is some oil for sale in Europe, but the quantity is small, only for scientists to study and use, not to mention expensive, it is too far away, it takes ten months to go back and forth, scientists are fanatical, they can't afford to wait.

So on the one hand, Li Weiguo sent people to Europe to search for oil, and on the other hand, he sent people to Southeast Asia, the Dutch East Indies, where there are the largest shallow oil fields in Asia, although it is not yet known to the foreign powers, but Li Weiguo believes that the locals must have discovered oil, so he sent people to contact Southeast Asian businessmen with the idea of trying, and he really found that there are locals selling oil, and the amount is large and cheap.

Li Weiguo originally just wanted to buy a few tons of oil to meet the needs of the Academy of Sciences, but soon he had a flash of inspiration and thought that the role of fire attack tactics in war is very great, especially weapons and equipment such as incendiary bombs and flamethrowers, which will play a huge role that traditional weapons and equipment cannot achieve in a specific environment.

As a result, Li Weiguo decided to import oil on a large scale, and one of the directions was to cooperate with local merchants in the Dutch East Indies to buy a large amount of oil from the Dutch East Indies; On the other hand, they sent people to the Persian Gulf to cooperate with Persian merchants and buy oil from the locals.

However, Li Weiguo knows that the Middle East is the world's largest oil-producing region, easy to exploit, and the cost of large-scale transportation by sea is low.

Especially now that countries have just begun to develop the internal combustion engine, and have not yet discovered the huge military role of oil, so the European and American powers, including Britain, have not paid attention to the oil-producing Middle East Persian Gulf, especially Britain, although it has taken root in Kuwait in the Ottoman Empire, but until 1899, Kuwait was not included in the colony for rule.

This is exactly the opportunity for Li Weiguo to occupy a part of the oil-producing areas in advance, and all the oil in the Middle East in the province will be monopolized by Britain in the future, and the price will be maliciously raised.

At present, Li Weiguo did not have that kind of strong military strength, and it was impossible to control the Persian Gulf by force, so he sent people to negotiate with the Ottoman Turkish Empire and the Persian Empire respectively in the name of the Governor of Liangjiang of the Qing Empire, hoping to buy a piece of land in the Persian Gulf region to establish an oil supply base.

In order not to attract the attention of Britain and France, Li Weiguo finally gave up negotiations with the Ottoman Turkish Empire, because Britain and France had just helped the Ottoman Empire win the Crimean War.

Therefore, Li Weiguo sent Rong Hong as a negotiator, and finally only negotiated with the Murphy royal family of the Persian Empire, and purchased a piece of land on the northern shore of the Persian Gulf, about 50 square kilometers in size, because of the bribe of the Murphy royal family, the Persian Empire government did not ask for too much silver, and only used four million taels of silver to obtain the right to use this land for 99 years.

Only Li Weiguo knows that there are huge reserves of oil buried under this land, known as Little Kuwait, and the future profits are immeasurable.

Of course, Li Weiguo did not plan to carry out large-scale mining immediately, but only hired local people to extract oil on a small scale, at least until the victory or defeat with Britain and France, Li Weiguo had no plans to do so.

However, in Shanghai's Jiangwan Industrial Zone, Li Weiguo opened up a piece of land to build an oil refinery.

It's just that Li Weiguo has encountered a problem, although he can deduce the chemical formula of petroleum smelting, but it is only the content of a high school textbook, and there is still a big difference between it and the actual construction of an oil refinery to achieve industrial oil refining.

Fortunately, Li Weiguo didn't have to worry about these things, Barnett and Huygens had an almost fanatical energy for oil smelting, and Li Weiguo simply handed over this matter to the two of them.

However, foreigners are greedy, and although both of them are scientists, Li Weiguo still promised them a reward of 10,000 yuan each once they successfully developed the methods and equipment for large-scale industrial oil smelting.

It was a huge amount of money, and Barnett and Huygens became even more excited, and began the development work without sleeping or eating. (To be continued......)