A big country of aerospace with black technology

On the second day after arriving in the Gobi Desert, Zhang Xingyang and his team, under the leadership of Captain Fu, began the site selection work for the first molten salt tower solar thermal power station.

"A secondary road will be built here in the coming time."

Zhang Xingyang pointed to the area with only a simple road ahead and said.

This simple road is not even paved with asphalt or reinforced concrete.

Just in the next door, a simple road leveling was done, and the large pieces of gravel above were removed.

"Well, our previous exploration work is almost completed."

Captain Fu looked at the wind and sand in front of him expectantly and said.

A large part of their geological team's previous work was to conduct exploration work for this highway.

For this reason, they did not hesitate to eat and sleep in the open, running around in the harsh conditions of the Gobi.

Zhang Xingyang held a high-precision map in both hands and discussed with his comrades in the energy system where the first molten salt solar thermal power station should be built.

In fact, if we consider it solely from an economic point of view, the construction of power stations should be in areas with longer sunshine hours, the better.

However, this power station is not just for profit.

It is even said that everyone has been prepared for it to lose money.

Although Zhang Xingyang painted a big pie for everyone yesterday, he also knew very well that it would probably take longer than he said to get his money back.

This is mainly because molten salt power generation is not without its drawbacks.

The first is the problem of the heat transfer medium molten salt itself. Currently, the mainstream molten salt uses a composite product composed of sodium nitrate and potassium nitrate.

After being heated by focused sunlight, these molten salts gradually transform into a molten mass.

In this liquid melt, the main non-metal anion is nitrate.

As we all know, nitrate is highly corrosive.

Therefore, a large part of the annual cost of such a molten salt tower solar thermal power station comes from the update and maintenance of pipeline equipment.

At present, neither sodium nitrate nor potassium nitrate is cheap, and a large-scale solar thermal power station with an annual power generation of more than one billion degrees requires at least 80,000 tons of molten salt!

The price of industrial sodium nitrate is about 2,000 yuan per ton, and the price of industrial potassium nitrate is about 4,100 yuan per ton.

In molten salt, the ratio of the two is about 7:3.

In other words, the average price of molten salt per ton is around 2,600.

Eighty thousand tons of molten salt would cost more than 200 million!

The molten salt that needs to be replenished every year is probably thousands of tons, which is also a non-negligible part of the cost.

Therefore, it will still take a long time for molten salt power generation to recover its costs only by relying on the electricity it sells.

Of course, neither Zhang Xingyang nor the energy system staff present here care much about this.

Because this photothermal power station itself is of a technical verification nature.

Part of the exploration of the development of future energy systems.

Moreover, it is part of a larger project.

This is a large-scale alien environment simulation experimental site built for the purpose of exploring the moon and Mars.

"If the experimental site is built here, it needs to be slightly farther away from the power station to avoid accidents."

Zhang Xingyang pointed to the map in his hand and said to Zhou Xuan beside him.

A large part of this project exists for the lunar exploration program.

But it also involves some projects related to the Mars exploration plan.

"clear!"

Zhou Xuan nodded to indicate that he understood, but he still had many questions:

"Commander Zhang, do we need such a large area to build an experimental site?"

"It doesn't seem necessary, right?"

Judging from the current level of exploration of the moon and Mars in the world, it seems that building such a large-scale experimental site is useless.

This is also because the range drawn by Zhang Xingyang is really too big!

Even though this is the vast Gobi desert, the experimental area covering an area of ​​more than 50 square kilometers is too exaggerated.

This is a doubt that lingers in everyone's mind and cannot be dispelled for a long time.

"These are necessary investments for our future manned landings on the moon and Mars."

Zhang Xingyang said without raising his head.

"Whether it is to verify the moon return rocket or to launch Mars, a sufficiently large site is required."

"I even think the place might be a little small."

In fact, a large part of these fifty square kilometers is used to simulate the living environment of astronauts on the lunar surface and Mars.

For example, the lunar surface simulation area is nearly 10 square kilometers.

As for the Mars surface simulation area, the area is even larger, close to 30 square kilometers.

In fact, there are some things here that Zhou Xuan doesn't know.

Here, there will also be some highly confidential military areas used to test some cutting-edge military equipment.

“It’s such a big place, it’s almost as big as a big city!”

After Zhou Xuan heard Zhang Xingyang's words, she felt like she was scared to death.

Fifty square kilometers!

In this era when the urbanization process is only 40%, it is already quite astonishing.

Most prefecture-level cities do not have such a large urban area.

It is far from comparable to the era when urbanization reached 70% later.

“From now on, tens of thousands of people will live and work here.”

Zhang Xingyang rolled up the map in his hand at this time, looked at Zhou Xuan beside him, smiled and said:

"Dean Zhou, your work and life will be here for a long time in the future."

After saying this, Zhang Xingyang ignored Zhou Xuan, who was still immersed in shock, and walked towards Captain Fu who was still drilling the formation.

Although judging from historical records, no major geological disasters have occurred in this land.

There are no major earthquakes because there is no rain all year round, and there are no mudslides.

However, Captain Fu still relied on the professional standards he had followed all year round to conduct deep drilling and sampling of the formation for analysis.

"Captain Fu, thank you for your hard work."

Zhang Xingyang handed over a bottle of mineral water he had just taken out of the car and greeted the other party.

"Is the exploration work almost over?"

Captain Fu said nothing after taking the mineral water.

Instead, he took a gulp of water first.

Zhang Xingyang's eyesight was very good, and he could see from a distance that the ground was covered with flags of various colors and rock drill cores piled aside.

Obviously this land has been fully surveyed by them.

"There's still a small area left there."

After Captain Fu drank the mineral water in one breath, he pointed to a piece of bare land behind him and said.

"Wouldn't it be done soon?"

Zhang Xingyang said after looking at it.

The length of that area is no more than two kilometers. Compared with the long area that has been explored ahead, it is indeed just a small area.

Captain Fu smiled and said:

"We will be able to wrap up exploration here this week at the latest."

After the exploration is completed, it is the day when construction begins.

Compared with the extremely high-standard highways in the east, this is a secondary highway that is nothing.

It will also become a thoroughfare in this desert.

By then, oil, ores, and fruits from the west can also be transported to the east through this road, creating income for the elders in their hometowns.

Captain Fu imagined the prosperous scene after the construction of this highway is completed.

"It will probably take about four to five years to build this road, right?"

Zhang Xingyang thought about the time on a schedule he had seen before and said with some uncertainty.

"According to the plan, this highway will be completed in 2006 and then fully opened to traffic."

Captain Fu pointed to the flag in the distance and said:

"But that section over there will be opened to traffic sooner according to the plan, probably in 2005."

Naturally, such a long stretch of road will not be opened to traffic until it is fully completed.

Instead, a segmented approach was adopted, which was divided into three phases of the project.

The first phase of the project will be completed and opened to traffic in three years.

As for the second and third phases, they will be completed together and open to traffic in four years.

"Then our molten salt tower power station is still a little troublesome to complete."

Zhang Xingyang said with some sigh.

Apart from this, if the highway construction is not completed, it will be difficult to transport a huge amount of engineering materials.

You know, this molten salt tower solar thermal power station has up to 18,000 reflectors and 80,000 tons of molten salt.

Not counting the materials needed to build molten salt heating towers hundreds of meters high.

Just these two items require at least thousands of heavy-duty trucks to transport them.

If we rely on the current road surface that has only been hardened for foundation, to what extent will the construction time be lengthened?

Everyone present can imagine it.

"But we will not be intimidated by difficulties."

Zhang Xingyang smiled and patted Captain Fu's dusty shoulder.

"We also have our own timetable, and we will definitely be able to build this molten salt power station before 2004."

Captain Fu also laughed when he heard this and said:

"Then I'll wait and see."

"Don't worry, our engineering and construction team are not vegetarians either."

The person from the energy system on the side also intervened appropriately at this time.

This is also true. At this time, the electric power construction force has not yet been transformed. In this regard, they have very strong construction capabilities.

By entrusting the entire construction project to them, not only can it be completed with quality and quantity, but the construction time of the project will not be delayed.

"This molten salt tower power station will become a beacon in this desert."

Zhang Xingyang squinted his eyes and said:

"At that time, when you drive at night, you will be able to see his light from the side of the road."

In fact, the molten salt after heating is stored in the hot tank, and only a small part is at the top of the tower.

Most of the molten salt is still in underground storage tanks.

However, even such a small portion of molten salt can emit great light.

In this area with stable weather conditions, it can illuminate an area of ​​at least several kilometers nearby.

"But you must also take extreme weather conditions into consideration when designing and building."

Zhang Xingyang seemed to have thought of something, his eyes flickered twice and then he said.

In the next few decades, weather changes will become more and more severe, especially extreme weather events will become more, larger, and stronger.

Even at the northern end of the Sahara, cities that had not experienced flooding for thousands of years received decades' worth of rain in a single day.

Almost overnight, this pearl city in the desert was wiped off the world map!

In Zhang Xingyang's memory, a similar situation will happen in the northwest desert of China in the future.

It's just that the place it happened at that time was an uninhabited desert land. Although the huge flood flowed through, it brought the stones and dead trees on the surface with it, destroying them like a wall of earth.

But apart from leaving a long trace on the surface, no unnecessary damage was caused.

However, if the construction of this molten salt tower solar thermal power station is completed, such drastic weather changes will cause irreparable losses.

In particular, the reflecting mirror, which is an important part of the power station, is difficult to preserve under such conditions.

"In the desert, when extreme weather occurs, it often causes the greatest damage."

Zhang Xingyang said to the people around him quite seriously.

"Because it doesn't usually rain in the Gobi, once heavy rainfall occurs, the damage will be doubled."

The people in the energy system also nodded at this time.

He often works in the northwest on weekdays and has seen a lot of such things.

He had seen such a situation once during a long-distance high-voltage power transmission construction project.

The seemingly slow mudslide rolled in from the distant horizon, but it carried an unparalleled power.

Even boulders weighing several tons on the Gobi can hardly resist this force, and are pushed by the mudslides to roll continuously.

Those large engineering equipment that had no time to evacuate, and their thick steel frames, creaked and made frightening sounds under the huge force of the mudslide.

In the end, to everyone's regret, he was washed away by a mudslide.

Therefore, he took Zhang Xingyang's reminder quite seriously.

Only Zhou Xuan, who has lived in the plain area for a long time, asked with some confusion at this time:

"Is the mudslide so powerful?"

In fact, Captain Fu also has such doubts in his mind. Although he has been working in the field for a long time, he has never encountered such a situation.

"Some, even in some cases, heavy cranes weighing hundreds of tons will be destroyed."

People in the energy system thought about the scenes they had experienced, and they were a little scared.

"However, in fact, if preventive measures are taken in advance, the hazards of mudslides can be mitigated to a great extent."

In fact, as long as there are drainage ditches, the debris flow can be directed in other directions.

The reason why they caused so much damage before was that they did not expect such a large mudslide to occur in the Gobi, and they did not have time to carry out such operations.

Zhang Xingyang raised his head and looked at the sun in the distance, which was already close to the horizon, and said:

"I'm just making some suggestions. It's up to you to really realize these things."

In the desert, it seems that the sky has become much higher, and the stars and the moon have become far away from me.

But if we accumulate it bit by bit now, we will eventually get closer and closer to the stars.

Sooner or later, we will ascend to the moon and plant our flags across the starry sky!