1890 King of Southeast Asia

"The Jinwu Project is part of the Tanggu Project, and it is also one of the most important parts."

"Have you read the report?" Liu Yiming held the teacup in both hands, looking like an old cadre.

"So, the uranium ore we dug out from Australia can be used to burn and generate electricity after refining, just like coal?" Xu Hui felt that the world had become unfamiliar again.

The report said that there is huge energy in metallic uranium, and the Tanggu Project is to develop this energy.

Metal, can it burn? Can it also generate electricity?

How long can a piece of metallic uranium burn? The price is still so expensive (compared to oil). Nanhua has a lot of oil reserves. The cost of extracting a ton of oil is only a few cents. Can metallic uranium compare?

However, as a possible future energy source, Xu Hui still nodded.

"So we need a power plant to purify metallic uranium so that it can reach the purity that can be burned?" Xu Hui looked at the plan behind and always felt that something was wrong.

"Hmm!" Liu Yiming pouted and nodded.

"We still need to rebuild a hydroelectric power station in a deserted, stable geological place with abundant water resources?" Xu Hui wanted to ask why there is no hydroelectric power station in such a place.

"This is a scientific attempt. At least we have found a way to use it." Liu Yiming knew what Xu Hui was thinking.

"Just the stable geological conditions alone, we don't have many places to choose from, Arabia?" Xu Hui thought about it.

"The water resources in the Mesopotamian Basin are barely enough, and there is oil around, so we can build a thermal power plant nearby. It is not difficult to find an uninhabited place, which is completely suitable." Xu Hui said.

"No." Liu Yiming immediately rejected the proposal, which was too close to Europe.

If Europe discovers something, Nanhua will lose the first opportunity.

Liu Yiming has been tossing for so long, and he only has a first-mover advantage. Even if a group of scientists have stopped their research in physics, there are still many scientists left.

If they are discovered by Europe, their research progress may surpass Nanhua.

These things, even if they are a little slower, must be kept confidential, at least they cannot be obtained by war madmen who have not yet experienced the baptism of the war.

The two world wars broke not only the colonial system, but also the power system built by the aristocracy. After World War II, the aristocracy completely transferred all its efforts to votes.

Votes - capital, there is not much difference between the two.

"Tianjin Wei?" Xu Hui did not ask why, but gave a second answer.

"No! This thing is harmful to a certain extent." Liu Yiming immediately denied it, and then explained.

"Harmful...Bangkok?" Xu Hui thought for a long time and remembered Thailand, the colony of Nanhua.

"Well... Thailand still has large tracts of vacant land. Let the King of Thailand clean up a piece of land and tell him that we will pay." Liu Yiming thought about it and patted his head.

Even he didn't pay attention to Thailand.

After all, Thailand's presence is too low, the market is not large, the consumption capacity is weak, and there are not many specialties worth mentioning.

What Thailand has, Nanhua basically has, the production method is more advanced, the quantity is large and the price is cheap.

Coincidentally, the peninsula area is not in the volcanic earthquake belt, the geology is relatively stable, and other conditions are also easier to meet. At most, let the Thais move.

"I plan to send Luo Yu to be the governor of the Thai colony to take charge of this matter. He is not suitable to appear as a soldier." Liu Yiming said.

"Let him retire from active service? Is it necessary?" Xu Hui felt that Liu Yiming was making a fuss.

Yes, Liu Yiming took it so seriously and ignored the cost because he had seen the nuclear explosion video. After all, this is a weapon that can change the strategic situation.

Xu Hui, who had never seen a nuclear explosion, could not understand this plan. Letting a general retire from active service and work in the colony was considered by many people as exile.

Exiling a veteran, there was no suitable reason, and the waves caused by this matter were enough to keep Xu Hui busy.

"It is necessary, very necessary, believe me." Liu Yiming nodded seriously.

~~

"Okay, I will deal with it." Xu Hui nodded after hesitating for a long time.

...

In November 1910, Liu Yiming came to Guinea Island.

"Your Majesty!" Liu Yiming heard Sir Rutherford's strange accent as soon as he stepped into the laboratory.

Rutherford performed an ancient Chinese ritual, which is to stretch both hands out to the sides and close them forward, and then bow.

This was taught to him by Liu Yiming after Rutherford bowed to him.

"My dear, please don't bow. Stand up." Liu Yiming felt a little uncomfortable, after all, he didn't pay attention to etiquette at ordinary times.

Under his leadership, Nanhua didn't care much about etiquette in informal occasions, but this group of white nobles was not like that, and they attached great importance to various "aristocratic etiquette".

"Sir Rutherford, I heard that your research has made a breakthrough?" Liu Yiming went straight to the point.

"Yes, Your Majesty, the No. 3 graphite pile has completed self-sustaining, proving that our theory is correct!" Rutherford said excitedly.

"Come on, Your Majesty, this way, I'll take you to see, we have opened a new era!" Rutherford excitedly led the way in front.

Entering the laboratory, Liu Yiming changed into protective clothing, which was made of lead-containing rubber. In fact, Rutherford didn't wear protective clothing at ordinary times.

Because lead is toxic, and Nanhua does not have the technology to make it harmless, long-term contact will cause heavy metal poisoning.

The most important thing is that lead poisoning can cause baldness, and Rutherford's remaining hair can't stand the tossing.

But it's okay, as long as the uranium fission is not activated, the radiation is very small and can be ignored.

After walking about 500 meters, Liu Yiming followed Rutherford into a "factory".

Or a warehouse?

The empty laboratory was surrounded by electric fans, and in the center of the laboratory was a cube about four meters high.

"Your Majesty, this is the No. 3 graphite pile. We gave it a code name, called the Giant. This is the largest graphite pile." Rutherford said, pointing to the cube of graphite and metallic uranium.

After years of mining and smelting, Nanhua's metallic uranium reserves are enough to consume thousands of tons.

"We placed about 70 tons of metallic uranium and oxides in it, consumed 700 tons of graphite, and built the Giant." Rutherford introduced,

"Last month, the Giant completed self-sustaining and successfully exported energy to the outside world, proving our theory and the future of nuclear energy!"

They can be said to have experienced multiple hardships.

First of all, how to build a reactor to ensure safety stumped them.

According to their calculations, 70 tons of uranium and its oxides can release the energy of burning thousands of tons of standard coal.

Converted to TNT equivalent, this value can be divided by 0.4.

That's right, under the same volume, the energy released by TNT is only 40% of that of coal.

Pile No. 1 is only one cubic meter in size, and no reaction has formed at all. Pile No. 2 is two and a half meters long, wide and high, and a fission reaction has occurred, but it has not been able to complete self-sustaining.

After discovering this situation, the "giant" of pile No. 3, which was originally built with a length, width and height of five meters, was reduced to a length, width and height of four meters.

The volume was reduced from 125 cubic meters to 64 cubic meters, more than half.

For this, Rutherford almost activated the "emergency state" - detonating the reactor and interrupting self-sustaining.

This would cause great pollution, but fortunately, the simple graphite pile withstood it.

"The energy output power is 615.2 watts, which can light twenty light bulbs if used to generate electricity. But I believe that we will soon be able to truly develop the true value of nuclear energy." Rutherford chattered.

Liu Yiming looked at the scientists wearing airtight protective suits in the room without air conditioning, and looked at this simple reactor. He was so proud that he didn't know how to express it.

"How is the design of the practical reactor going?" Liu Yiming asked.

"We have prepared several plans based on the theory. At present, everything seems to be within the controllable range. We are confident that we can complete the design and construction of the reactor within five years." Rutherford said easily.

They have done very advanced theoretical research, but there is no experiment to verify it, so they have temporarily stopped their progress.

In order to verify, they designed many experiments, and for the sake of funds, they have already started the practical road - the practical reactor is also their future laboratory.

"This reactor still uses metallic uranium. Ordinary uranium is too stable and does not participate in the reaction. We are designing a filter, hoping to enrich the uranium." Rutherford said here, and his mood was a little worse.

The centrifugal separation method proposed by Liu Yiming was not unexpectedly stuck on the centrifuge. Driven by a motor, Nanhua manufactured a centrifuge with a speed of 6,000 revolutions per second in the laboratory.

But the performance is very poor, the life of the core components is extremely short, and the machine will vibrate at a speed of 6,000 revolutions per second.

The weight difference between 235 and 238 is not big, and this vibration is almost fatal, because it may cause the uranium that has just been separated to mix again.

These are the conclusions drawn by Rutherford after he ordered some centrifuges, built a centrifuge unit, and then ran it for three months.

The centrifuge unit consumed more than two million funds in these three months, which almost made Rutherford heartbroken.

"Filter?" Liu Yiming asked curiously.

"Yes, the atomic mass of isotopes is different, and the mass is also different. According to its physical properties, we are going to make a membrane to let the gas uranium pass through this membrane, and its isotopes will be easier to break through the membrane."

"In this way, the concentration will be higher after each membrane. As long as there are enough membranes, we will eventually get pure enriched uranium." Rutherford said firmly.

"At present, we have completed the preliminary preparations and are experimenting with suitable materials. Within a month, the first machine can be assembled." Rutherford now bets all his treasures on this thing.

Liu Yiming felt familiar, but couldn't remember it. Maybe someone had used this method before?

He only remembered the classic centrifugal separation method. If he couldn't remember it, he would forget it and go back to look through his notes to see if there was any.

Liu Yiming nodded and stretched out his hand behind him.

"Before enrichment, I want you to go to Thailand first to participate in the design of the first practical reactor."

"You have opened up an unprecedented field. In order to commend your outstanding contributions to the South China Empire and science, you are awarded this Imperial Medal." Liu Yiming took a box.

This thing was sent to Rutherford's heart. He could not have a rich life, but he needed others to affirm his career.

This kind of honor is the greatest affirmation.

.