Chapter 622
Dragon Scale Project
Chapter 622 Dragon Scale Project
In August 1997, a bus secretly drove into the Liaoyang Provincial Government Building.
The staff at the provincial government building exchanged glances discreetly.
Look, just as Deputy Mayor Lin was reporting to the leaders, a large bus arrived.
Hehehe, what could it be for? The reason is hard to guess.
The conference hall on the seventh floor of the Provincial Party Committee building.
Provincial leaders sat in the center, flanked by more than 20 experts from institutions such as the Institute of Metal Research of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Northeastern University, and Shenyang Cable Factory.
Lin Xiaohe stood in front of the projector and presented the "Dragon Scale Project" proposal.
The goal is to develop a copper oxide-ceramic composite superconducting material with a critical temperature of -20°C within one year.
The moment the proposal was revealed, the entire conference room fell silent.
After a long while, Academician Chen from the Institute of Metal Research ignored the glaring "within one year" and spoke first.
“Scientifically speaking, the highest critical temperature of copper oxide superconductors is currently around -140°C, and they can only operate in the liquid nitrogen temperature range. The proposed -20°C means that the electron pairing mechanism is completely unknown, which is equivalent to overturning the existing BCS theoretical framework. In my opinion, this is only one step less difficult than room temperature superconductivity.”
Professor Wang from the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at Northeastern University chimed in: "Even if the theory holds true, the process is almost impossible. The precise chemical ratios and special sintering processes you proposed are not very realistic."
If it weren't for the fact that the person who proposed this plan was Lin Xiaohe, a great contributor to the three old provinces, Professor Wang would have spat in her face and called her a fool.
“Copper oxide ceramics are extremely brittle. To draw them into wires or press them into strips, the flexibility requirements far exceed current levels. We have conducted similar explorations, but the yield rate is less than 1%. Moreover, the goal is to achieve a cost that is only one-third that of copper wires…”
Professor Wang was filled with a sense of helplessness regarding the ingenious ideas of laymen: "Although ceramic raw materials are cheap, the depreciation costs of high-purity rare earth and oxygen atmosphere sintering furnaces are extremely high. Large-scale production requires at least the construction of a new dedicated production line, with an initial investment estimated at over 20 billion yuan."
Chief Engineer Li of Shenyang Cable Factory added to the concerns of the application side: "Even if we can produce strip, how can we achieve defect-free joints over a kilometer? Superconducting cables require a cryogenic maintenance system. Although -20°C is higher than liquid nitrogen, active cooling is still required. In Northeast China, outdoor temperatures can indeed reach -20°C in winter, but what about in summer? Spring and autumn? 24-hour operation requires a refrigeration unit, and the energy consumption and maintenance costs of this part have not yet been calculated."
There were so many technical terms that the leaders were completely confused, but they roughly understood. The experts did not approve of the plan.
An advisor from the Provincial Planning Commission summarized: "I understand what the experts mean. The Dragon Scale Project is theoretically attractive, but it has a weak scientific foundation, many engineering bottlenecks, and an excessively long investment recovery period. Conservatively speaking, it will take two or three decades of continuous research to go from laboratory breakthroughs to industrial pilot production."
Vice Governor An casually stroked the ceramic teacup, his eyes catching Lin Xiaohe's calm expression out of the corner of his eye. A thought struck him, and he asked, "What is the current level of international research on this composite superconducting material?"
The experts looked helpless. After all they had said, had the leaders still not given up?
To dispel unrealistic fantasies among the leaders, Academician Chen presented the facts and reasoned with them.
"Achieving room-temperature superconductivity is as far-fetched as saying we'd land on the moon in 1900. The biggest bottleneck is the lag in theory. Even today, the academic community is still debating the microscopic mechanism of high-temperature superconductivity, lacking a unified theory. There are as many theories of high-temperature superconductivity as there are existing theories."
As we all know, theoretical research is the most time-consuming part of scientific research.
If you go in the wrong direction, it's easy to veer your research in a completely different direction.
If the development of Dongguo is like feeling one's way across a river by touching the stones, then the research on room temperature superconductivity is like feeling one's way across the sea by touching the stones.
Academician Chen looked directly at Lin Xiaohe, who was the one who needed to be persuaded: "The United States is leading in practical applications and can commercially produce kilometer-scale high-temperature superconducting materials. Japan, on the other hand, applies high-temperature superconducting materials to basic scientific facilities, such as large helical coils in nuclear fusion experimental devices."
When these two countries were mentioned, the leaders all frowned. Academician Chen concluded seriously, "I support exploring the frontiers, but I suggest adjusting the goal to the practical application of liquid nitrogen at -140°C, which is already a world-class challenge."
Everyone looked at Lin Xiaohe.
Lin Xiaohe calmly said, "As long as you provide me with research support, I'm willing to sign a pledge. I can handle the research funding myself."
Actually, Xinbao could provide a complete set of procedures, but as the saying goes, it's better to have your own than to have someone else's.
The rise of Donggu is due to the collective effort, not individual efforts.
Lin Xiaohe's request for personnel from three research institutes was actually aimed at cultivating future-oriented talents for the country; being selected was a huge win.
Lin Xiaohe's attitude was very firm: he only wanted people, not necessarily key business personnel, and he wouldn't ask the government for money. Apart from wasting some time, it wouldn't cause any other adverse effects.
If the experts continue to object, it would be a bit unreasonable.
With the tacit approval of the expert panel, Project [Dragon Scale] was approved unanimously.
The project is publicly stated to be about developing new ceramic insulating materials to ensure project safety.
At the same time, the provincial government applied to the central government for foreign exchange quotas and tax exemption policies for importing key equipment from abroad.
The project was affiliated with the Changhong Group Research Institute, which issued secondment letters to the Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, the Institute of Metal Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, and the Institute of Cryogenic Electronics in the name of the institute.
Changhong Investment Company invested 3000 million yuan in the first phase of the project to obtain the commercial use rights of room-temperature superconducting materials.
"Huh? Director, why are you calling us? The research direction of Changhong Group Research Institute is completely different from ours."
Dr. Ma Dongmei, who had just graduated, heard from her senior colleagues that she had been exiled to the frontier. Outraged, she went directly to the director's office to protest.
The director, with a stern look on his face, said authoritatively, "Comrade Ma Dongmei, watch your attitude and obey the organization's arrangements. It's not like you're the only one going. Why don't you see anyone else having any objections? Come here and sign this confidentiality agreement."
The director gave a stern warning followed by a sweet treat: "Changhong Group offers excellent benefits. After you go there, in addition to the basic salary from the institute, you will also receive a stipend from Changhong Group. It includes meals and accommodation, a monthly stipend of 4000 yuan, and project-stage bonuses, which are said to amount to tens of thousands of yuan."
The director believes that the project's phase bonus is just empty promises, but he certainly won't say it out loud, otherwise how would he entice young colleagues to work at the Changhong Group Research Institute?
In any case, Vice Mayor Lin only requested that researchers be seconded, not that they be key personnel in the field.
Ma Dongmei reluctantly signed the confidentiality agreement, walked out of the director's office, and returned to the laboratory, where she was met with sympathetic glances from everyone.
The professor who brought her over patted Ma Dongmei on the shoulder and reassured her, "Go over there for a while. You can come back after the project is finished."
The professor swallowed the sigh that was on the tip of his tongue, lowered his eyes, and hid the regret in them.
Around 30 years old is the golden age for researchers, when their thinking is very active.
It's a pity. Although Ma Dongmei isn't particularly talented, she's diligent and a very trustworthy assistant. If she could delve deeper into her field, she might have achieved great things.
With this trip to the Changhong Group Research Institute, Ma Dongmei's career development ceiling has already been set.