Great warships

For a long time, there has been a saying that when a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier or a nuclear submarine is docked to the shore, it is still idle, and simply sell the electricity it generates, can it still make money?
If you only consider selling electricity, it will definitely make money, but if you consider the entire maintenance and other things, it is definitely not cost-effective.

Now, if construction is considered, it would be even less cost-effective. After all, this kind of nuclear reactor is of military grade, and it must consider how to operate safely under the attack of the enemy. These issues are definitely not considered by civilian nuclear power plants.

Now, this Linglong No. 1 generates 120 megawatts, or 12 kilowatts. It generates 12 kWh in an hour, 288 million kWh in a day, and costs 144 cents per kWh. In this way, the electricity sold every day is [-] million yuan. In one year, that would be [-] million!It sounds like a lot, but this calculation is gross income, not pure profit, let alone pre-tax.

If you calculate the cost, it will be too much, not counting the design cost, just talking about the construction of this kind of nuclear reactor, steam circuit, steam turbine, and generator. After such a set, the construction cost alone exceeds [-] million yuan. American ones are cheaper, and domestic ones still have a cost advantage after all.If the other facilities of the entire floating power station are included, an additional [-] million will be added.

And what about nuclear fuel?For the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier of the Americans, the cost of replacing nuclear fuel once reached an astronomical figure of 2 million U.S. dollars. This is still the price of the 90s.

Fortunately, our side uses weapons-grade enriched uranium, and there is no need to replace nuclear materials during the entire lifespan, which can save a lot of money.However, this kind of nuclear material also costs money. Even if the nuclear warheads eliminated by the army are used, it will cost money to remove them from the nuclear bombs and improve them to be used in nuclear reactors.

There are also personnel costs, maintenance costs, etc., which are not cheap.If you are lucky, you can do nothing for three to five years. If you are unlucky, if you encounter a major accident, you will have to pay for it.

"After three to five years, we will be able to make a profit, right?" Wu Shengli obviously has no plan to continue building in the future, as long as the current machine can be profitable: "In this way, our huge investment can be recovered, and the business of this project The business operation was successful.”

Krasnopolsky nodded: "Yes, if there are no accidents, it should be profitable in the future. However, if you want to continue to build nuclear power plants, you should still use land-based technology. Over the years, I have worked with many nuclear physicists in China. According to expert exchanges, high-temperature air-cooled nuclear reactors are the most suitable solution, and they should be able to operate commercially in the future, becoming a global leader in nuclear power plants.”

Nuclear power plants are also divided into generations. The first-generation nuclear reactors are all experimental in nature, used to verify whether nuclear reactors are feasible to generate electricity. The second generation is commercial reactors. Many are still in use, but these reactors have various defects, especially safety. Yes, in order to make up for the security loopholes, there are third-generation nuclear reactors.

The high-temperature air-cooled nuclear reactor belongs to the fourth generation. The technology of this nuclear reactor is more advanced, and it is still in the experimental stage, while the technology of the East has gradually matured.

"Speaking of this high-temperature gas-cooled reactor..." Krasnopolski still wanted to talk eloquently, but was interrupted by Wu Shengli again: "Let's continue talking about our nuclear reactor."

China does have an advantage in high-temperature air-cooled nuclear reactors. However, this kind of nuclear reactor is too large to be used on warships. It can only be used as a land-based nuclear power plant. Therefore, the Navy will not pay attention to this kind of nuclear power plant. Of course, the Navy's most important thing is the nuclear reactor that will be used on the aircraft carrier.

"Okay, then let's talk about the automatic control technology of this offshore floating nuclear power plant." Krasnopolsky continued to introduce: "Relying on our current advanced electronic technology, we have done a lot of research on this nuclear power plant." The automation transformation, after the transformation, theoretically has the ability to be unattended, that is to say, if it is used on a warship, the marines can completely rely on the electronic system for automatic monitoring, which greatly reduces the workload of the marines.”

Now it is an experiment. Of course, it is impossible to leave the on-duty personnel and let the nuclear power plant operate alone. However, when it is used on an aircraft carrier in the future, these will mature. Fully automatic monitoring, unattended, these are very high-end of.

Wu Shengli nodded. These are all the same, and they are the aspects he is most satisfied with.

"Go on."

Krasnopolski continued to introduce, and it took about half a day to complete the introduction of this Linglong-[-] offshore floating nuclear power plant.

"The biggest feature of this system is its high power and high automation performance. When this system matures in the future, we plan to develop a small nuclear power plant. The power is temporarily set at about 1 megawatt. In terms of size, it can be installed in a nuclear power plant. In the container, this is also the plan for the nuclear power treasure proposed by President Qin at the beginning." Krasnopolsky said.

For warships, the power of 1 megawatt is constantly increasing, but for ordinary civilians, 1 megawatt is already very large. If we have this kind of nuclear power treasure, we can directly get it to Shuangsha Island, which is enough Used for decades!Completely solve the power shortage problem there, as well as on the border, in plateaus, deserts and other places, this kind of nuclear power treasure is of great significance, where transportation is inconvenient, if diesel generators are used, diesel has to be transported non-stop , Now with this kind of nuclear power treasure, there is no need to consider the transportation of fuel.

Krasnopolski felt that if he completed such a project before retirement, even if he had completed his merits and virtues, he would have no regrets if there were large projects or small ones.

"Okay, when the aircraft carrier nuclear power project is completed, we can continue to develop nuclear power treasures. If the superiors don't support it, our Mingzhou Group will provide research and development funds. At that time, our nuclear power treasures can be sold all over the world!" Qin Tao Said: "Of course, there must be two options when designing. We use it ourselves, and we can use weapons-grade enriched uranium. The ones sold can't be so high."

Weapon-grade enriched uranium, which can exceed 90.00%90.00 concentration, even if it is diluted, is more than 2%. It is used in nuclear reactors, of course, to prolong the life. During the entire life of the nuclear reactor, there is no need to replace nuclear fuel. This is of great significance to warships. The Nimitz-class aircraft carrier has to be replaced every ten years, and the replacement price has reached a figure of [-] million US dollars. After all, dismantling a nuclear reactor requires a lot of protective measures and a lot of cutting Steel plates are a big project to disembowel and disembowel. If the nuclear fuel does not need to be replaced during the entire life span, the nuclear reactor and the warship have the same life span, and the benefits are obvious.

The same is true for nuclear power treasures. There is no need to replace nuclear fuel during its entire lifespan. After it is used up, it is more convenient to dispose of it as a whole without cutting it. However, the weapon-grade enriched uranium inside cannot be used by bad guys. You must know that the principle of nuclear weapons is easy to obtain. , but weapons-grade enriched uranium is not easy to get. If someone knows that weapons-grade enriched uranium is used in nuclear power treasures, they will definitely do some crazy things.

Krasnopolsky nodded: "Of course. Let's use a computer to simulate first. The development has not yet started, but in our idea, it can use not only uranium 235, but also uranium 238. In this way, as long as the concentration Three percent of the fuel rods can be used for 30 years."

Traditional nuclear power plants or reactors use uranium 235, but the main uranium element in nature is uranium 238, so if you want to use it, you have to separate uranium 235 from uranium 238. This process is called purification, physical The method is a centrifuge. If all the electricity in the country is used for separation, it will take several years to fiddle with it.

The reason why uranium-235 is used is because only slow neutrons can react with uranium-235. Therefore, some people imagine that using fast neutrons can react with uranium-238, so that the cost will be lower.

As for the power of the nuclear power treasure, there are many theories, and some even say that it is 10 megawatts. You must know that the first-generation 091 nuclear submarine only has a power of 10 megawatts. The volume of the nuclear power system is definitely larger than a container. much.

"If this nuclear power plant is built, can it refit our AIP submarine?" Someone raised this opinion.

In this way, the conventional submarine will be transformed into a nuclear submarine!
"This technology needs to be studied in the future, but we believe that this idea is possible to realize." Qin Tao said.

The layout of conventional submarines and diesel-electric submarines is very different. Even if a section of nuclear power treasure is added to the conventional submarine, in essence, it is still a conventional submarine. The nuclear power treasure can only make it more underwater. Good endurance, but, for poor countries, this is definitely the best choice.

The topic finally turned to nuclear submarines.

"Our 093 nuclear submarine has been successfully tested so far, and it is estimated that it will be officially commissioned soon." Wu Shengli said: "In a few days, we will go to the Shazikou base to hold a grand reception ceremony. Mingzhou Group, as the owner of the Shazikou base The construction unit and the designer of the 095 submarine can participate in this ceremony together."

The construction speed of the 093 submarine is very fast. The last time Qin Tao visited, it was about to be launched. Since it is not a product of Mingzhou Group, Qin Tao did not participate in the launching ceremony. For nuclear submarines, after launching is If there is no outfitting test, the mooring test will be carried out after launching. After the mooring is completed, you can directly enter the sea for testing.

The speed is very fast, and now the 093 submarine has the basis for service!
In such a short period of time, the 093 submarine can be fiddled with, of course, because it is only a modification of the 091, and the changes are not major, so it will naturally be faster.

"Shazikou Base?" Qin Tao was very curious: "Has the construction there been completed?"

"Yes, our previous base was Xiaoping Island. From there, we can quickly enter Liaodong Bay. However, the cities there are constantly developing and the surrounding environment is becoming more and more crowded, which is very unfavorable to the operation of our submarines. Therefore, we decided to put Shazikou was developed as a new base for our nuclear submarines, and at the same time, [-] kilometers away from Shazikou is the Guzhenkou base where our aircraft carrier is parked.

After the 001 aircraft carrier entered service, after careful planning by the navy, it was decided to allocate the aircraft carrier to the northern fleet, and it could also be used for training in the inner sea. Guzhenkou eventually became the base of the 001 aircraft carrier, next to the Shazikou base in Guzhenkou. It became a nuclear submarine base.

This is also the second nuclear submarine base in China.

"Currently, we plan to add another open-air dock to this base, so that we can carry out operations such as degaussing of nuclear submarines at the base. This project has not yet started, but it is no problem for us to station nuclear submarines."

"We should still go south and build our new aircraft carrier and nuclear submarine base in Qiongzhou." Qin Tao said, "However, the north is also very important. Protecting the capital is always the first priority. The next base will be the 002 aircraft carrier." Let’s talk about it after building it.”

"Speaking of which, 093 is about to enter service. The Mingzhou Group's nuclear power plant is running smoothly. The navy has finally made up its mind that the construction of 095 will also start. President Qin, are you full of expectations for this project?" A leader present asked.

expect?For the sake of the 095 submarine, our side waited until all the flowers withered!Qin Tao sighed in his heart. At the time of the bidding, the 095 submarine was very high-end, so the superior asked for pre-research, and the 093 should be produced first. Over the past few years, he has been perfecting the design, and Wu Shengli has promised more than once that next year it will be launched. The work will start next year, but it has been waiting until now!

It was finally time to start work, but Qin Tao wasn't too excited.

"Let's go to the 093 entry ceremony first, and then go to Mingzhou to attend the 095 groundbreaking ceremony." Leader Wu said: "You Mingzhou Group must also be prepared, and you must not lose the chain."

As long as the funds are in place, when will our construction lose the chain?Qin Tao slandered in his heart, but he didn't dare to say this to his father-in-law directly, so he could only nod his head now: "Yes."

The meeting is over. There are a lot of things planned for this meeting. The offshore floating nuclear power plant is related to the technical reserve of the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier. It will take a long time to wait, but now a firm step has been taken. It is appropriate for the aircraft carrier to use nuclear power. The 095 nuclear submarine is about to start construction, which is definitely good news.

After leaving the conference room, Qin Tao was still chatting with other people, when he saw Xu Zhengyang coming up, leaned into his ear and said, "Boss Qin, Mr. Guan is here, and I have been waiting for you for a long time."

The old man is here?
Qin Tao nodded: "Okay, I'll go and have a look right now. I guess the gantry crane has been sold to the British. It's good news for us."

In the office, seeing Qin Tao, Mr. Guan immediately became excited: "Mr. Qin, as you guessed, the British came to us to order! A 1-ton gantry crane was sold to them for 6000 million US dollars. They can't make up the full amount, so they can only give us 3000 million first."

Qin Tao nodded: "Congratulations, Mr. Guan, you have made another big deal."

"Well, our original 1-ton gantry crane is already the largest in the world. Now, the [-]-ton gantry crane has created a new miracle."

"Guan Lao, don't be complacent about this achievement. With [-] tons, we will have [-] tons in the future."

What is [-] tons, the next step is to move towards the small goal of [-] tons.

Guan Lao nodded vigorously: "Yes, Mr. Qin, please rest assured, we will work hard, as long as there is a need, we can make any gantry crane!"

After talking about this, Qin Tao thought of something else: "By the way, when we had a meeting just now, we mentioned that we wanted to build a dry dock for a certain submarine base. If the dry dock had a gantry crane, it would definitely be more convenient. "

"Of course this is no problem, we can donate one to the navy," Guan Lao said.

The 1-ton gantry crane has made them a lot of money, and it is normal to donate part of the money.

"No, you don't want to do this. If you donate, what will others do?" Qin Tao said, "The cost price is fine, the most is to make less money."

Guan Lao nodded: "Okay, no problem."

"Currently, our Mingzhou Group is preparing for a new shipyard, and it is estimated that we will need a large number of gantry cranes." Qin Tao said: "The gantry cranes given to us should not be too cheap. Let's follow the normal market price."

"Mr. Qin, without you Mingzhou Group, we would not be where ZPMC is today. How can we make money from you?" Guan Lao shook his head repeatedly: "The cost price is fine, and door-to-door service is free for life. To be a human being, one must know how to be grateful. If you don't agree, then you look down on us."

Qin Tao could only nod his head.

This incident is just a small episode, the next most important thing, of course, is to go to the Shazikou base.

"The 093 nuclear submarine plays an important link in the history of our nuclear submarines. As a transitional submarine, there is only one, but it is still very important." Peng Lao said on the helicopter.

The 093 nuclear submarine is just a simple modification of the 091. However, during the production process of this submarine, many technologies have matured. Therefore, it is equipped with a lot of equipment that was originally installed on the 095, such as sideboard array sonar, etc. , so it can be regarded as an experimental boat for 095.

"Yes, 093 is the product of our small steps, and its appearance means that our underwater strength will be stronger." Qin Tao said.

As he spoke, he looked at the approaching base below the helicopter.

The Shazikou base is very suitable for nuclear submarines. It has a long and tortuous coastline and cliffs with a vertical drop of more than 100 meters. This means that nuclear submarines can drill directly into the submarine cavern while submerging underwater!

The base was built along the terrain. Looking down, there are two large ports, separated by mountains, in the shape of an M. The port on the west side is a military-civilian port, and the port on the east side is for submarines. There is not only a pier where submarines are moored, but also a special cave entrance, from which you can directly drive to the submarine cave in the Dadingshan Mountains.

"At least six submarines can be parked in the cave, which is very spacious." Wu Shengli looked at the port below, very satisfied: "There are three waterways, all of which can be entered and exited. In the future, five 095s can be deployed here, and they can be dispatched secretly at any time." status."

"Of course it can't be five 095s, but at least two 096s." Qin Tao said.

Now that the Navy has decided to start construction of Type 095, the ballistic missile nuclear submarine developed on the basis of Type 095, that is, Type 096, should be put on the agenda.

The most important thing for an underwater nuclear submarine is to act as a force for a second nuclear counterattack, and the 096 ballistic missile nuclear submarine is even more important!
"That's right, our Julang-2 is developing smoothly, and we really need a second-generation ballistic missile nuclear submarine. However, whether this nuclear submarine is named 096 is still a matter of debate. After all, in our product series, 094 is vacant. In order to confuse the opponent, we may also name it 094." Wu Shengli said.

Qin Tao nodded: "We don't care what it's called, as long as we let us build it, we don't have a monster with an underwater displacement of more than [-] tons!"

The current largest 092 has an underwater displacement of only 13.5 tons. In a ballistic missile nuclear submarine, it is still small. The nuclear submarine designed by Mingzhou Group will be much larger. After all, it can withstand pressure with a diameter of 2 meters. The shell is made, which means that the submarine can meet the needs of carrying Julang-16 missiles without using a turtle back. As for the displacement, it is also quite huge. According to the introduction of Kvasha, this submarine carries [-] ballistic missiles. The water displacement has already reached [-] tons, and the underwater displacement is as high as [-] tons.

For this kind of monster, the navy is naturally very yearning.

While speaking, the helicopter had already started to land, and went directly to the top of Dading Mountain. After walking a section of the mountain road, passing through the tightly sealed gate, and then taking the elevator, the winding road led to the spacious submarine cavern.

The cavern was very humid and water droplets could be seen forming on the side walls and then falling off.

"This humid environment is very unfavorable to our electronic system." Qin Tao frowned.

"Yes, of course we are aware of this unfavorable factor. Now we only rely on exhaust fans to ventilate. Soon, a central air-conditioning system will be installed here. We can use the dehumidification function to make the room drier." The person in charge of the base quickly introduced .

After all, this base has just been built, and some equipment has not been installed in place yet, but they will definitely not relax. What should be installed will definitely be installed in place quickly.

Qin Tao nodded, not because he had high requirements, but because the new nuclear submarine uses a lot of electronic equipment, and the humid environment is very unfavorable to electronic equipment.

There was the sound of running water in the distance.

"Our nuclear submarine is moving over!"

A huge nuclear submarine is coming from the waterway in front of it. After entering the cavern, it began to float up. At this time, it was in a floating state, so its noise was a bit loud. After all, the large skewed propeller at the tail had already Part of it is exposed to the air, but it doesn't matter, as long as it is completely submerged in water, the noise will be reduced immediately.

There were already two sailors standing on the deck of the nuclear submarine, and they stood tall like the Great Wall of Steel on the sea.

"salute!"