For a long time, there has been a saying that when a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier or nuclear submarine is docked at the shore, it is idle. Can it still make money by simply selling the electricity it generates?

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 you consider construction, it is even more uneconomical. After all, this kind of nuclear reactor is military grade. It has to consider how to operate safely under enemy attack. These are definitely not issues that civilian nuclear power plants should consider.

Now, this Linglong 1 generates 120 megawatts, which is 120,000 kilowatts. It generates 120,000 kilowatt hours in one hour, which is 2.88 million kilowatt hours in a day. It costs 50 cents per kilowatt hour. In this way, the electricity sold every day is 1.44 million yuan. If In one year, that’s 500 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’s much more. You don’t need to count the design cost. Just talking about building this kind of nuclear reactor, steam circuit, steam turbine, and generator. In such a set, the construction cost alone will exceed 500 million yuan. Of course, this is more than The ones in the United States are cheaper, but China still has a cost advantage after all. If other facilities of the entire floating power station are also included, an additional 100 million will be added.

Then, what about nuclear fuel? The cost of replacing nuclear fuel for an American Nimitz-class aircraft carrier has reached an astronomical figure of US$200 million. This was still the price in the 1990s. By 2017, the price of replacing nuclear fuel in the United States had risen to more than one billion US dollars. .

 Fortunately, we use weapons-grade enriched uranium and do not need to replace nuclear materials during its entire life, which can save a lot of money. However, this kind of nuclear material also costs money. Even if it is a nuclear warhead that has been eliminated by the military, it will still cost money to remove it from the nuclear bomb and then improve it for use in a nuclear reactor.

There are also personnel costs, maintenance costs, etc., which are not cheap. If you are lucky, you can work in vain for three to five years. If you are unlucky and encounter a big accident, you will have to pay for it.

"In three to five years, we will be able to make a profit, right?" Wu Shengli obviously has no plans to continue construction in the future, as long as the current one can make a profit: "In this way, our huge investment can be recovered, and the commercial value of this project will be Operations are successful.”

Krasnopolsky nodded: "Yes, if nothing else happens, 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 domestic nuclear physicists. Experts communicated and concluded that the high-temperature gas-cooled nuclear reactor is the most suitable solution, and it should be able to be commercially operated in the future and become the leader of global nuclear power plants."

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

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

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

China does have advantages in high-temperature gas-cooled nuclear reactors. However, this type of nuclear reactor is too large and destined to be unable 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 type of nuclear power plant. Of course, the most important thing for the Navy is the nuclear reactor that will be used on the aircraft carrier.

"Okay, then let's talk about the automatic control technology of this floating nuclear power plant at sea." Krasnopolski continued to introduce: "Relying on our current advanced electronic technology, we have carried out a lot of research on this kind of nuclear power plant. Automated transformation, after the transformation, theoretically has the ability to be unmanned, that is to say, if it is used on a warship, the engineer soldier can fully rely on the electronic system to monitor it fully automatically, greatly reducing the workload of the engineer soldier."

We are currently experimenting. Of course, it is impossible to leave the personnel on duty and let the nuclear power plant operate alone. However, in the future, when used on aircraft carriers, these will mature, with fully automatic monitoring and unattended operations. These are very advanced. of.

Wu Shengli nodded, these were pretty much the same, they were the aspects he was most satisfied with.

 “Go on.”

 Krasnopolski continued to introduce, and it took about half a day to completely introduce the Linglong 1 floating nuclear power plant.

"The biggest features of this system are 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 In the container, this is also the nuclear power bank plan originally proposed by President Qin." Krasnopolski said.

For warships, the power of 1 megawatt continues to increase, but for ordinary civilians, 1 megawatt is already very large. If you have this kind of nuclear power, you can get it directly to Shuangsha Island, which is enough for the island. Used for decades! This kind of nuclear power treasure is of great significance to completely solve the power shortage problem there, as well as in border areas, plateaus, deserts and other places. Transportation there is inconvenient. If diesel generators are used, diesel has to be transported continuously. , now using this kind of nuclear power treasure, there is no need to consider the transportation of fuel.

Karasnopolski feels that if he completes such a project before retiring, even if his merits are complete, there will be both big and small projects, and he will have no regrets.

"Okay, after the aircraft carrier nuclear power project is completed, we can continue to develop nuclear power supplies. If our superiors don't support it, our Mingzhou Group will provide the research and development funds. By then, our nuclear power supplies can be sold all over the world!" Qin Tao Said: "Of course, there have to be two options when designing. We can use weapons-grade enriched uranium for our own use, but we can't sell it for such a high price."

Weapons-grade enriched uranium can have a concentration of over 99%. Even if it is diluted, it is still over 90%. It is used in nuclear reactors, of course, to extend the life of the nuclear reactor. Inside, there is no need to replace nuclear fuel, which is of great significance to warships. The Nimitz-class aircraft carrier has to be replaced every ten years, and the replacement price has reached 200 million US dollars. After all, there is a lot to do to dismantle the nuclear reactor. Protective measures require cutting a lot of steel plates, which is a major project to disembowel the body. If the nuclear fuel does not need to be replaced during the entire life, 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 the nuclear fuel during its entire life. After it is used up, it is more convenient to dispose of it as a whole without cutting it. However, the weapons-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 obtain. If someone knew that weapons-grade enriched uranium was used in a nuclear power bank, they would definitely do something crazy.

Krasnopolsky nodded: "Of course. Let's use a computer to simulate it first. We haven't started developing it yet, but in our idea, it can not only use uranium 235, but also uranium 238, so as long as the concentration Three percent of the fuel rods can be used for thirty 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, which is physical. The method is a centrifuge. If all the electricity in the country is used for separation, it will take several years.

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

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

“If this nuclear power plant is built, can it be used to refit our AIP submarines?” Someone raised this opinion.

 In this way, conventional submarines will be transformed into nuclear submarines!

“This technology still needs to be studied in the future, but we believe that this idea is possible.” Qin Tao said.

The layouts of conventional submarines and diesel-electric submarines are very different. Even if a nuclear power bank is added to a conventional submarine, it is still a conventional submarine in essence. The nuclear power bank can only enable it to achieve better underwater performance. It has good battery life, 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 and is expected to be officially put into service soon." Wu Shengli said: "In a few days, we will go to Shazikou Base to hold a grand reception ceremony. Mingzhou Group will serve as the official representative of Shazikou Base The construction unit and the designer of the 095 submarine can participate in this ceremony together."

The construction speed of 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 after all, Qin Tao did not attend the launching ceremony. For nuclear submarines, after launching 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!

The reason why the 093 submarine was able to be developed in such a short period of time is of course because it is just 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, you can quickly enter the Liaodong Bay. However, the cities there are constantly developing and the surrounding environment is becoming increasingly crowded, which is very detrimental to the operation of our submarines. Therefore, we decided to Shazikou was developed as a new base for our nuclear submarines. At the same time, seventy kilometers away from Shazikou is the Guzhenkou base where our aircraft carrier is parked. The two bases are next to each other, making it easier to dispatch together in the future."

After the 001 aircraft carrier entered service, after careful planning by the navy, it was decided to allocate the aircraft carrier to the fleet in the north. It can also train in the inland sea during normal times. Guzhenkou eventually became the base of the 001 aircraft carrier. The Shazikou base next to Guzhenkou is It became a nuclear submarine base.

 This is also the second nuclear submarine base in China.

“Currently, we plan to add an open-air dock to this base so that we can carry out operations such as degaussing nuclear submarines at the base. This project has not yet started, but we have no problem stationing nuclear submarines.”

"We should still develop southward 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 it’s built.”

"Speaking of which, Type 093 is about to enter service. The Mingzhou Group's nuclear power plant is operating smoothly. The Navy has finally made up its mind and the construction of Type 095 is about to begin. Mr. Qin, are you looking forward to this project?" A leader present at the scene asked.

expect? For the sake of the 095 submarine, we have to wait until the flowers have withered! Qin Tao sighed in his heart. When he first bid, the 095 submarine was very high-end, so his superiors required pre-research to complete the 093 first. In the past few years, they have been perfecting the design. Wu Shengli has promised more than once that the submarine will be launched next year. Construction will start next year, but we have waited until now!

Construction is finally about to start, but Qin Tao is not excited anymore.

“Let’s go to attend the commissioning ceremony of 093 first, and then go to Mingzhou to attend the groundbreaking ceremony of 095.” Leader Wu said: “You, the Mingzhou Group, must also be prepared, and you must not fall behind.”

As long as funds are in place, when will our construction stop? Qin Tao cursed in his heart, but he did not dare to say this to his father-in-law directly. Now he could only nod: "Yes."

The meeting is finally over. This meeting has arranged a lot of things. The floating nuclear power plant at sea is related to the technical reserves of the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier. It will take a long time to wait, but now a firm step has been taken. As long as there is no problem with the nuclear reactor, then the new It is appropriate for aircraft carriers to use nuclear power. The 095 nuclear submarine is also about to start construction, which is definitely good news.

After leaving the conference room, Qin Tao was still chatting with others when he saw Xu Zhengyang walking up, leaning into his ear and saying: "Mr. Qin, the manager is here. I have been waiting for you for a long time."

 The old man is here?

Qin Tao nodded: "Okay, I'm going to take a look. I guess the gantry crane has been sold to the British and they are here to tell us the good news."

In the office, Mr. Guan became excited when he saw Qin Tao: "Mr. Qin, as you guessed, the British came to us to place an order! A 12,000-ton gantry crane was sold to them for US$60 million. It’s just that they couldn’t raise the full amount, so they could only give us 30 million first.”

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

“Well, our original 6,000-ton gantry crane was already the largest in the world. Now, the 12,000-ton gantry crane has created a new miracle.”

"Guan Lao, don't be complacent about this achievement. If we have 10,000 tons, we will have to have 20,000 tons in the future."

 Ten thousand tons is nothing. Next, it’s time to move towards the small goal of 20,000 tons.

Mr. Guan nodded vigorously: "Yes, Mr. Qin, don't worry, we will work hard. As long as there is need, we can build any large gantry crane!"

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

“Of course this is no problem, we can donate one to the Navy.” Mr. Guan said.

This 12,000-ton gantry crane has made them a lot of money. It is normal for them to donate part of this money.

“No, don’t do this. If you donate, what will others do?” Qin Tao said, “The cost price is enough, at most you will make less money.”

 Lao Guan 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. We will just pay the normal market price."

"Mr. Qin, without you Mingzhou Group, Zhenhua Heavy Industries wouldn't be what it is today. How can we make money from you?" Mr. Guan shook his head repeatedly: "The cost price is enough, and free door-to-door service will be provided for life. You have to be grateful as a person. If you don't agree, you're looking down on us."

 Qin Tao could only nod.

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

"The 093 nuclear submarine plays an important role in the history of our nuclear submarines. As a transitional submarine, it only has one, but it is still very important." On the helicopter, Mr. Peng said.

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 side array sonar, etc. , so it can be regarded as an experimental boat prepared for 095.

"Yes, 093 is the product of our small steps and fast running. 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 Shashakou base is very suitable for nuclear submarines. It has a long and winding coastline and cliffs with a vertical drop of more than 100 meters. This means that nuclear submarines can dive directly into the submarine cavern while submersing underwater!

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

"At least six submarines can be parked inside the cave. It is very spacious." Wu Shengli looked at the port below and was 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 deployed secretly at any time. status."

“Of course it can’t be five 095s, there must be at least two 096s.” Qin Tao said.

Since the Navy has decided to start construction of the 095, the ballistic missile nuclear submarine developed on the basis of the 095, also known as the 096, should be put on the agenda.

The most important thing for underwater nuclear submarines is to serve as a secondary nuclear counterattack force. The 096 ballistic missile nuclear submarine is even more important!

"Yes, our Julang-2 is developing smoothly, and we do need a second-generation ballistic missile nuclear submarine. However, there is still debate whether this nuclear submarine should be named 096. After all, in our product series, 094 is vacant. In order to confuse our opponents, we may also name it 094." Wu Shengli said.

Qin Tao nodded: "We don't care what you call it, as long as we build it, we don't have a monster with an underwater displacement of more than 10,000 tons yet!"

The current largest 092 has an underwater displacement of only 8,000 tons. Among ballistic missile nuclear submarines, it is still small. The nuclear submarine designed by Mingzhou Group is much larger. After all, it can handle a 13.5-meter-diameter pressure-resistant submarine. The shell is made, which means that the submarine can meet the needs of carrying Julang-2 missiles without using a turtle back. As for the displacement, it is also quite huge. According to Kvasa's original introduction, this kind of submarine can carry 16 ballistic missiles. The water displacement has reached 17,000 tons, and the underwater displacement has reached 24,000 tons.

 The navy naturally yearns for this kind of monster.

As he spoke, the helicopter had already begun to land. He went directly to the top of Dingding Mountain, walked a section of the mountain road, passed through the tightly sealed gate, and then took the elevator, zigzagging all the way to the spacious submarine cave.

 The cave is very humid, and you can see water droplets forming on the side walls and then falling.

“This humid environment is very detrimental to our electronic system.” Qin Tao frowned.

"Yes, of course we are aware of this disadvantage. Now we only rely on exhaust fans for ventilation. A central air-conditioning system will be installed here soon. 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 yet been installed. However, they will never relax. Whatever needs to be installed, it will be installed quickly.

 Qin Tao nodded. It was not that his requirements were high, but that the new nuclear submarine used a lot of electronic equipment, and the humid environment was very detrimental to the electronic equipment.

 The sound of water flowing in the distance was heard.

 “Our nuclear submarine is coming!”

A huge nuclear submarine is moving from the waterway in front. After entering the cave, it begins to float. It is in a floating state at this time, so its noise is a bit loud. After all, the large side-inclined propeller at the tail has already Part of it is exposed to the air, but it doesn't matter. As long as it is completely immersed in water, the noise will be reduced immediately.

Two rows of sailors were already standing on the deck of the nuclear submarine. They stood tall like a steel Great Wall on the sea.

"salute!"