Rebirth in 1989: Building a Chinese Technological Empire

Parts were produced one by one by the major research institutes. This time, Xu Huasheng asked them to produce several more sets of parts and prepare to assemble several more prototypes for experiments.

"Hello, Chief, I'm Xiao Xu. Do you remember Xu Huasheng? Yes, it's me, the chief. I have a small matter. Can you get us a Type 59 tank? A retired one will do. Our company has studied a diesel engine, and we want to find an equipment platform to test its performance..."

In the Power Research Institute, Xu Huasheng picked up the phone and dialed a number.

The call was not from someone else, but Wu Zhengliang, the army leader who had talked with Xu Huasheng for a long time in the banquet hall of the State Guesthouse after returning from Saudi Arabia last time.

In Yanjing, Wu Zhengliang couldn't help thinking after hanging up the phone.

After thinking for a while, Wu Zhengliang picked up the phone and dialed a number.

"It's me, Wu Zhengliang. Find two Type 59 tanks from you. Retired ones are fine, as long as the frame is intact. Send the things to the headquarters of Huasheng Group. Remember this contact information. Contact him when you arrive. Remember to keep it confidential..."

Wu Zhengliang made the arrangements directly by phone, and was also curious about the performance of Huasheng Group's diesel engine.

Wu Zhengliang was in charge of logistics, and this little thing was nothing to Wu Zhengliang. Besides, there are many Type 59 tanks in China, and some tanks have been retired and sealed, and some are usually used as training tanks. Yangcheng Military Region has equipped a lot of them, so it is convenient to send them to Xu Huasheng.

Busy, Xu Huasheng got busy here.

Power Research Institute, when all the parts were delivered one after another, Xu Huasheng and everyone immediately got busy.

They need to assemble these prototypes, and then conduct various tests to see what the various data of this engine are.

Zhao Changhe is even more looking forward to it. Can a 24-liter V6 engine really produce 1,100 horsepower?

If it is true, it will be of great significance to China!

Heavy-duty diesel engine technology is a technology urgently needed by the Chinese army. For tanks, infantry fighting vehicles, self-propelled artillery, and super heavy trucks, a good engine is the heart of these equipment. If an equipment has a heart disease, its combat capability will be greatly reduced.

The Power Research Institute became lively. When all the parts were in place, the staff immediately assembled the parts according to the drawings. After a patient assembly, the first engine was finally assembled successfully.

Looking at this assembled engine, everyone at the Power Research Institute swallowed their saliva.

The first impression of this engine is that it is advanced, because the whole engine is very compact. The volume was just measured, which is only 1.1 cubic meters, and the weight is only 1.2 tons.

For a tank engine, weight and volume are very important performance indicators. This is why the United States and the Soviet Union installed gas turbine engines in their most advanced tanks. Because compared with diesel engines, gas turbine engines are lighter, smaller and have greater horsepower.

Take the US M1 Abrams main battle tank for example. It uses the AGT1500 gas turbine with a maximum horsepower of 1,500 horsepower, a length of 1.6 meters, a width of 1 meter, a height of 0.7 meters, a volume of only 1.1 cubic meters, and a weight of only 1.1 tons.

The German Leopard 2 tank uses MTU's 12-cylinder diesel engine, which also has a maximum horsepower of 1,500 horsepower, but weighs 2.7 tons, is 1.7 meters long, 1.957 meters wide, and 1.1 meters high, and has a volume of 3.35 cubic meters. Basically, the diesel engine used by the Leopard 2 is 3 times the size of the M1 engine and 2.5 times the weight of the M1 engine.

Such a large gap on the tank has a great impact on the internal space of the tank.

Another major benefit of the small size and light weight of the gas turbine is that it is more convenient to maintain and has lower maintenance costs. There are far fewer parts than diesel engines, and because there are fewer mechanical transmission structures, the loss is lower and it is easier to maintain.

So with so many advantages of gas turbines, why doesn't Germany use Leopard 2? Is it because there is no technology? No, Germany also has such technology.

The reason why it is not used is that the gas turbine has one of the biggest disadvantages, that is, it is a fuel tiger.

The fuel consumption of the Leopard 2 tank is 72 liters of diesel per 10 kilometers, while the fuel consumption of the M1 tank is exactly twice that of the Leopard 2 tank, reaching 148 liters per 10 kilometers.

So in terms of the power system, fuel consumption, and economy, Germany's Leopard 2 is obviously better. This is also one of the important reasons why Sweden, Greece and other countries later chose Leopard 2. Not every country is as good as the United States.Money.

Moreover, once the war started, not every country had such a strong logistical supply capability like the United States. Without a strong logistical supply capability, with the fuel consumption of the M1, it might break down before reaching the battlefield.

Now, the size of this V6 twin-turbo diesel engine of the Power Research Institute is about the same as that of the gas turbine used on the US M1 tank, and the weight is also about the same. If the final power can really reach 1,100 horsepower, then this engine will be of great significance, because the fuel consumption of this engine is super low.

"Try it..."

Xu Huasheng looked at the engine with expectation in his eyes. In fact, this thing was the first time he saw the real thing, and he really didn't know what its performance was.

The people in the institute nodded and began to experiment with the engine. After a series of inspections, the final ignition experiment officially began.

When the engine started with a low roar, everyone became excited. At least now that it can be successfully ignited, it means that the design defects may not be major defects.

Various experiments began, and they conducted various experiments on the machine step by step, even though it was already night. These people did not feel sleepy at all, and many of them were even ready to sleep on the floor here tonight, staring at the progress of various experiments on this engine.

Some experimental data slowly came out, and when the maximum horsepower was tested, everyone became solemn.

"Mr. Xu, it's out..."

After the final result came out, Zhao Changhe said excitedly.

"How much?"

Xu Huasheng asked quickly.

"1127 horsepower..."

Hearing this data, everyone was completely excited.

It turns out that a V6 diesel engine can really reach 1100 horsepower. This is fucking abnormal. Look at the size of this engine. It can be completely stuffed into the heavy trucks currently on the market. If this heavy truck is equipped with this thing, it is estimated that even a small car may not be able to catch up when it runs on the road.

Great power creates miracles. At this moment, many people immediately started thinking about what equipment this engine can be used on. After thinking carefully, it feels that there are too many places where it can be used. It is widely used not only in the military market, but also in the civilian market. When the time comes, remove the two turbines and make some adjustments to the engine to make a civilian version. At that time, this civilian version of the V6 engine will be able to easily produce six or seven hundred horsepower, which is more than enough performance in the civilian market.