To engage in uranium enrichment, power supply is a very important basic issue, so Zhu Jingyuan and Zhu Zhongliang first went to the power plant.

Zhu Jingyuan and Zhu Zhongliang changed into labor protection clothes, and accompanied by the power plant shopkeeper and craftsmen, walked into the factory where the power plant's generator sets had been put into operation.

Zhu Zhongliang was in the safety corridor, looking at the engine equipment running in front of the car, he felt a little familiar.

Zhu Zhongliang subconsciously asked Zhu Jingyuan beside him:

"Has the prime mover of this power plant been used elsewhere?"

Zhu Jingyuan smiled and nodded:

"The source motive of the first set of generator sets in front of us is directly copied from the power unit of the cutting-edge battleship.

"Only the equipment connected behind the wheel of the steam turbine was replaced with an alternator from the main shaft of the propeller of the battleship.

Zhu Zhongliang suddenly realized:

"I said why is it so familiar, the power system on the battleship, if it is used to generate electricity, is the efficiency appropriate?"

Zhu Jingyuan can't say anything about this problem, but he knows that it can definitely be used, and the efficiency depends on the actual use.

The master craftsman of the power plant who followed him immediately explained:

"Heavy oil boilers and steam turbine systems are very new technologies, and this is the first time that they have been combined to generate electricity.

"So, in order to get this new power plant into operation as soon as possible and meet the increasing demand for electricity in the industrial park under construction, the power plant chose the most mature of these new technologies.

"The same original power system of the new battleship can be produced in a unified manner with the existing battleship power system production line, and there is no need to open a separate production line, and the speed of production can be achieved as fast.

"At the same time, the number of the same unit will be more and more, which is convenient to find, accumulate and finally solve the problems encountered, and the speed of iterative update of the unit can be faster, and finally feedback to the stability.

"Theoretically speaking, the working environment and scene of power generation units and marine power units are very different, and there is also a big gap between the performance and stability requirements of the two sides.

"Theoretically, marine power units usually have higher requirements for reliability, to adapt to unstable offshore platforms, relatively complex and harsh working environments, and to be designed to be as simple and easy to maintain as possible.

"At the same time, we are not particularly interested in extreme power and conversion efficiency, and we are not very sensitive to cost.

"Generator sets are completely reversed, they work in a stable plant, and they are more convenient to maintain, so we should pursue higher power, higher conversion rate, and reduce more sensitive costs as much as possible.

"Therefore, only the first four sets of units for the emergency construction of the power plant will completely copy the power system of the battleship.

"After the power supply demand is satisfied, the efficiency of the generator set is optimized and improved according to the actual needs of the power plant.

"And then according to the experience summarized in actual use, we will specially design and produce special generator sets."

Zhu Zhongliang listened and nodded slightly:

"The power of a battleship power crew is 160,000 horsepower, and four sets are enough, right?"

Zhu Zhongliang looked at Zhu Jingyuan, Zhu Jingyuan thought for a while and said:

"If this power plant is not integrated into the new Tianfu power grid and used exclusively for the new element project, it will be completely sufficient."

The total power of the four generator sets is 640,000 horsepower, equivalent to a total installed capacity of 470,000 kilowatts.

Converted into a monthly power generation of more than 300 million kWh.

The World War II-era Oak Ridge K-25 plant has less than 240,000 kilowatts of installed capacity.

Although the factory and laboratory have other sources of electricity, the laboratory has a substation capacity of 310,000 kilowatts.

So the upper limit of the monthly electricity consumption of the entire laboratory and factory is more than 200 million kWh.

At that time, the United States generated about 20 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity per month, which was 100 times the upper limit of the total electricity consumption of laboratories.

In later articles, the Manhattan Project consumed one-seventh or even one-third of the electricity generated in the United States, presumably messing up the data from different eras and circumstances.

It may be that the electricity consumption of the entire Manhattan project for several years is compared with the total installed capacity of power plants in the United States at that time.

Or the electricity consumption of the nuclear expansion in the sixties.

The electricity consumption of the Manhattan Engineering uranium enrichment plant can be afforded by two Lexington-class aircraft carriers.

Even in the sixties, when nuclear production capacity was fully exploded, enriched uranium plants consumed only 2.4 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity per month.

This doesn't seem like a big number?

In the 60s, the United States generated only more than 14 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity per month, which was to spend one-sixth of it on uranium enrichment.

At that time, the gas diffusion method was used.

The power consumption of the centrifugal method is only one-fifth to one-tenth of that of the gas diffusion method.

If all the electricity generated by the oil-fired power plant in Xintianfu is used to enrich uranium, it will be enough to supply the Cold War-level nuclear expansion army.

Of course, this is only enriched uranium, and other engineering consumption is counted on a monthly basis.

The cost of the entire Manhattan project was huge and wasteful.

Because they didn't know what to do right at first, they explored all kinds of refining and manufacturing schemes.

He also searched for ores all over the world, and tried the electromagnetic isotope separation method, which was even worse than the energy consumption by the gas diffusion method.

Now Daming has a stable ore producing area, which is mined directly from the world's largest Tiannan (Australia) uranium mine.

Directly to centrifugal production, which consumes more energy than gas diffusion methods.

Zhu Jingyuan also provided relatively perfect theoretical guidance.

The final cost of the Ming Dynasty's current "new element" project may only be a fraction of that of the Americans.

It's just that the time spent may be more because a lot of the industrial base needs to be remediated.

Zhu Jingyuan and Zhu Zhongliang's ancestors and grandsons went around the power plant and ate at noon in the canteen of the direct power plant.

In the afternoon, I went to the chemical plant where the ore is refined into uranate, that is, the chemical plant where uranium yellowcake is made.

Zhu Zhongliang and Zhu Jingyuan went to the reception of the factory and first went to change into a full set of protective clothing.

Uranium in chain reactions is very dangerous, both in operating nuclear power plants and in the aftermath of a nuclear weapon explosion.

Pure uranium is not dangerous in itself.

The half-life of uranium is hundreds of millions of years, so the radiation released from uranium ore to yellowcake and uranium hexafluoride to enriched uranium is weak under normal conditions.

A piece of paper can completely block it, and it can't penetrate a person's skin.

Therefore, ores, yellowcakes, and enriched uranium metal can all be directly contacted.

However, when the radon gas produced by uranium decay and the dust containing uranium metal and compounds are inhaled into the human body, they will have an internal radiation effect and cause disorders in the body.

Then there is the natural toxicity of uranium as a heavy metal to living organisms.

Heavy metal poisoning is indispensable in the body, and a few tens of milligrams are enough to cause kidney failure.

Therefore, although uranium ore is not dangerous, it is still necessary to protect it when it comes into contact.

However, it does not need to be as strict as dealing with nuclear contamination, as long as direct physical contact and inhalation are avoided.

So early researchers and workers in history were not quick to realize the dangers of direct contact with the metal.

Even after the atomic bomb was exploded, mankind at that time still did not feel any danger to uranium itself.

At the time, many people believed that nuclear radiation was good for health.

The Ming craftsmen who are now involved in the new element project have been specially reminded by Zhu Jingyuan.

From the very beginning, a relatively standardized protection system has been formulated, and relatively reasonable protective equipment has been specially designed.

In accordance with Zhu Jingyuan's proposal, the craftsmen also conducted radiation control experiments with various animals.

They have recognized the dangers of nuclear radiation to living organisms.

Zhu Jingyuan and Zhu Zhongliang changed into one-piece protective suits, put on masks similar to gas masks, and joined the shopkeeper and master craftsmen of the factory, and went to the hall where the ore was displayed first.

The uranium ore needed for the new element project was mined in Tiannan and only the simplest selection and clean-up work was carried out.

Then it was sent directly to Xintianfu.

The subsequent ore refining and enrichment, the principle research and production of atomic energy weapons, are all carried out in Xintianfu.

At present, the work started is mainly the processing of ore and the study of principles.

Zhu Zhongliang wore a gas mask, held a piece of golden uranium ore, and said with emotion:

"The colors of these ores are really gorgeous, and some even have fluorescent effects, which really look like the legendary pearls of the night.

"If ordinary people encounter this stone in the wild, think that this stone is beautiful, and put it around as a gemstone, what will be the consequences?"

Zhu Jingyuan is also the first time to see uranium ore with his own eyes, but he has already seen a breakthrough on the Internet in his previous life, and those good-looking uranium ores are really like colored gems and crystals:

"Probably you will get all kinds of chronic diseases, pure uranium is actually harmless, I am afraid of the radioactive residues from the decay of uranium ore, and the compound dust of uranium......"

When Zhu Jingyuan said this, he subconsciously looked at the craftsman and shopkeeper here:

"We must have been doing experiments here, right?"

The general management department of the entire new element project is directly attached to the new Tianfu army system.

The treasurer of the factory in charge of uranium ore refining is a major general of the New Tianfu Army, named Zhu Zhaoxie.

Zhu Zhaoxie was born in the Zhou Palace, the most populous of the clan, and is the same generation as the current emperor Zhu Jianyan.

When Zhu Zhaoxie heard this question, he immediately said with emotion:

"According to His Highness's orders, biological experiments have been being done, but they are only the results of experiments......

"It can only be said that there are no good results so far......

"Most of the animals that were directly affected by the radiation, as well as those that had eaten the radioactive substance, slowly developed all sorts of strange lesions.

"According to current observations, the more radiation there is, the stronger the effect, and the faster the symptoms appear.

"It's really fortunate that His Highness has specially reminded from the beginning that the craftsmen and workers involved in the work have taken good precautions.

"Otherwise, in the past year, I don't know how many people will get all kinds of strange diseases, and then life is better than death.

"The energy of nuclear radiation can really hurt people invisibly.

"The various by-products produced by the experiment can now be used as special weapons."

When Zhu Jingyuan heard this, he immediately reminded:

"Therefore, the whole new element project is the most confidential scientific research and production project of our Ming Dynasty and even the world.

"All the materials, all the experiments and all the production processes, must be strictly controlled.

"No material or information will be allowed to leak."

Zhu Zhaoxie immediately agreed from the bottom of his heart:

"Your Highness, rest assured, experiments and research are the business of craftsmen, and we, the management from the military, are studying secrecy and control measures all day long."