Chapter 1085 The Development of Nanyang Diesel Engine Factory
Back then, when the Mingzhou Group was just developing, Qin Tao planned to build a diesel engine factory to provide supporting facilities so that the money would not flow to other people. However, this process was not easy.
The first investment was made by the Old District Diesel Engine Factory. This diesel engine factory mainly introduced French technology. The 16PA6V-280STC diesel engine produced has become the main power of the 054 frigate. It is not only used for its own use, but also exported in large quantities.
Later, the absolute controlling shareholder was Nanyang Diesel Engine Factory. This diesel engine factory was originally on the verge of bankruptcy, but finally it took over the Mingzhou Group. The Mingzhou Group did not provide financial support, but mainly provided the technical data of the TBD620 diesel engine, allowing them to Study technical information and then copy related diesel engines.
This set of information was originally given to Bincheng Diesel Engine Factory, because this incident made Bincheng Diesel Engine Factory very dissatisfied. However, the information was obtained by Mr. Qin, and they had no choice. The two sides competed with each other, and finally developed advanced diesel engine.
This diesel engine was Mannheim's most advanced technology in the 1990s. Unfortunately, the company was not doing well and has now been acquired by Deutz. However, Mannheim's diesel engine technology has taken root in the East.
This kind of diesel engine is also used on a variety of ships, especially a diesel engine version for submarines!
When the Germans wanted to use cut-off submarine diesel engines to compete with the Mingzhou Group for orders, the Mingzhou Group launched an advanced domestic submarine equipped with a TBD620 diesel engine. The power system was also independent, so there was no need to worry about being stuck by foreigners. , now, the German submarine diesel engines can no longer be sold.
At the same time, Nanyang Diesel Engine Factory continues to develop other diesel engines. High-speed diesel engines are suitable for limited applications. For most civilian ships, medium-speed diesel engines are more common. They not only develop medium-speed diesel engines, but also dual-purpose diesel engines. Fuel engine!
With the continuous development of environmental protection, natural gas engines have begun to become a trend. The gasoline engines used in taxis can be converted to burn natural gas, and the diesel engines used in heavy trucks can also be converted to burn natural gas. The natural gas engines launched by heavy truck manufacturers are actually modified diesel engines. Compared with the original diesel engines, the biggest difference is that a spark plug needs to be installed inside the cylinder head of the diesel engine. Diesel only needs compression ignition, while natural gas needs to be ignited. .
When does the spark plug fire? Then you need to install a series of sensors and then control them through the engine's ECU.
After modification, the power will decrease and the temperature of the cylinder head will also increase, but it is within the tolerable limit. The key is to save money! When natural gas heavy trucks first appeared, the same route saved one-third of the fuel cost than diesel vehicles. Later, the price of natural gas continued to rise, and it was almost the same as the cost of diesel vehicles. However, natural gas vehicles are environmentally friendly. Diesel vehicles are restricted everywhere, while natural gas vehicles are directly allowed.
Natural gas engines still have many uses. Environmental protection requirements not only exist on land, but also in the ocean. The power requirements of ships are also getting higher and higher.
Nanyang Diesel Engine Factory, director Zhang Yuzhan stood at the gate early in the morning, looking eagerly at the road outside.
Behind him, there were several other factory leaders, and they were all muttering in their hearts that Mr. Qin did not say hello in advance and only called when he was about to come to the factory. This was obviously to make him suddenly attack.
However, our factory has strict rules and regulations and complete procedures. We will never let Mr. Qin find fault. It was just after eight o'clock and everyone was able to arrive at work.
As he spoke, a high-end Hongqi car appeared in the distance. Mr. Qin is here!
Qin Tao was also excited. After he came back, there was nothing else to do. Wandering around various shipyards would soon become boring. Therefore, he had to find something interesting to do. This diesel engine factory has not had one for a long time. When I came here, I heard that people from South Korea were interested in the diesel engines produced here and wanted to place an order, so he decided to come and have a look.
As for saying hello in advance? The factory must have cleaned up quickly and was busy greeting him. He just wanted to come over and have a look. There was no need to make such a big fuss, so he didn't contact him in advance.
The car stopped at the door. Qin Tao got out of the car and looked at the person who greeted him.
“Lao Zhang, you have worked hard these years.”
When I first met Zhang Yuzhan, he was already the director of the factory. He had a worried face and looked very old. Now, more than ten years have passed. Although Zhang Yuzhan's hair has turned white, his mental state is very good.
“I am personally very proud that the factory can develop and grow without hard work. Of course, I must also thank Mr. Qin for his support. Without the data from that year, our factory must have closed down and gone bankrupt.”
"Well, I didn't actually support that much back then. I just gave you technical information and wanted to see if you could understand the technical information thoroughly. This was a risky investment, but I am very satisfied with the results." Qin Tao said : "You have not only mastered the technology, but also improved it. Come on, let's go in and have a look. Let me open my eyes."
Now, Qin Tao's main focus is on warships, and the main power is gas turbines. He really doesn't pay much attention to the extent of the development of diesel engine technology.
“Okay, please come in. This is the factory.” Zhang Yuzhan took Qin Tao to the factory. After entering, he saw a huge irregular long object being hoisted.
“Crankshaft?” Qin Tao asked curiously.
“That’s right, it’s the crankshaft.”
Diesel engine is a reciprocating machine. The piston moves back and forth in the cylinder, but the power needs to be rotated. How to solve this problem?
This is the contribution of the crankshaft. The crankshaft turns the reciprocating motion transmitted from the connecting rod into rotation. There are as many connecting rod shaft diameters as there are cylinders. These shaft diameters have different angles, forming such a weird structure.
“This set of crankshafts has a total length of 10.6 meters, a rotation diameter of 1.63 meters, and a weight of 120 tons.” Zhang Yuzhan said: “This set of crankshafts is used in the advanced medium-speed dual-fuel diesel engines we developed for natural gas ships.”
Just a set of crankshafts weighs so much! So how big should the entire dual-fuel engine be? How heavy?
Medium-speed diesel engines will occupy the civilian ship market, of course because they are fuel-efficient. To illustrate with simple data, the fuel consumption rate of the most advanced medium-speed diesel engines is 175 grams per kilowatt-hour, and the fuel consumption rate of high-speed diesel engines must reach 195 grams per kilowatt-hour. When it comes to gas turbines It has to be increased to 205 grams per kilowatt hour. As for steam turbines, this data reaches 350 grams per kilowatt hour.
Of course, the steam turbine burns residual oil, which cannot be compared with the previous ones.
Marine diesel engines are all very large. In order to reduce fuel consumption, it is most common to use medium-speed or low-speed diesel engines. Looking at this crankshaft, Qin Tao was very interested: "Did we process this crankshaft ourselves?"
Such a complex configuration requires sufficient precision and is very difficult to process. Only the most technically capable factories can process it! Qin Tao knows that there is a famous Huarui Marine Crankshaft Co., Ltd. in Bincheng, which specializes in manufacturing crankshafts for various marine engines. I wonder if the crankshaft in front of me is produced in-house or outsourced?
"We produce it ourselves. We have jointly developed a professional CNC center for crankshaft processing with relevant domestic units, which has greatly improved the processing accuracy and reduced the processing cost." Zhang Yuzhan was very proud: "After all, this kind of engine has already It is our main engine, with orders for 20 to 30 units a year. If we don’t use CNC machining technology, we won’t be able to process it at all.”
“We developed it ourselves?” Qin Tao was very surprised.
"Of course, we now have first-class CNC machine tool R&D capabilities in China." Zhang Yuzhan said: "Our production has entered the era of CNC processing. Whether it is crankshafts, high-pressure oil pumps, etc., they all need to be processed with CNC technology. .”
I think back then, domestic CNC technology was backward, and advanced CNC machine tools could only be imported from abroad. Not only were they expensive, but they also faced Batumi restrictions. Only backward machine tools could be imported, and advanced companies simply did not sell them.
But over the years, domestic technology has undergone earth-shaking changes. The country has already developed advanced CNC machine tool research and development technology, which is at the world's advanced level in many aspects. The introduction is of course the one obtained when Mingzhou Group was engaged in propeller processing. The continuous development of these technologies has promoted the progress of the entire CNC machine tool.
The processing of crankshafts is quite complicated. In the past, it could only be done on a bed. Not only was the operation process complicated, but it also required very high requirements for technicians. The masters who can master these technologies are the technical backbone of diesel engine factories.
After entering the 1980s, the United States developed the turning process. Since then, modern crankshaft processing technology has emerged. In just a few years, it has transitioned from simple linear turning to inner ring tool rotating turning and outer ring tool rotating. Car pulling greatly improves the processing speed.
Qin Tao nodded with satisfaction: "Yes, if our country wants to develop, it must become a major manufacturing country! In the past, we relied on cost advantages, but now we rely on technological advantages. Our engines can obtain orders from foreign shipyards. It’s even more worthy of pride!”
"Yes, in the 1980s, when the country opened up, we saw advanced foreign technology and also saw our own backwardness. When we first got the Mannheim diesel engine technology, we were surprised. The various requirements were far beyond ours. processing capabilities, and now, I believe that our technology will be beyond the reach of foreigners."
The crankshaft is just a component of the engine. Moving forward, you can see the piston connecting rod assembly on the assembly line. The huge piston is half a meter in diameter!
"Currently, our medium-speed diesel engines have a bore of 510 mm, a stroke of 600 mm, and a rated speed of 500 rpm. There are four designs in total, from 12 cylinders to 18 cylinders, with a maximum power of 17,550 kilowatts." Zhang Yuzhan walked and gave Qin Tao introduce.
The speed of high-speed diesel engines generally exceeds one thousand rpm, the speed of medium-speed diesel engines is several hundred revolutions, and the speed of low-speed diesel engines is tens of revolutions. Among freighters, the installed capacity of medium-speed diesel engines is the highest.
“As for fuel, our current focus is on dual-fuel engines of diesel and natural gas. In fact, not only natural gas ships can use dual fuel, but even ordinary cargo ships can also use natural gas.”
Ordinary cargo ships normally burn oil, but with the improvement of environmental protection requirements, some cargo ships have begun to install natural gas engines. Moreover, in this era, natural gas engines also have economic advantages, because the current price of natural gas is still Relatively low.
It’s just that if an ordinary cargo ship wants to burn natural gas, it must be modified and an LNG fuel tank must be installed at the bottom of the ship.
If it is an oil-burning engine, the fuel tank can be installed according to the structure of the ship's hull. However, LNG is different. This fuel tank must be a cylinder, which will waste a certain amount of internal volume. At the same time, due to liquefaction Gas may leak, and the quality requirements for various valves and fittings are very high, and alarms and other devices must be installed.
Essentially similar to a natural gas heavy truck.
Qin Tao nodded: "Then we can also design some cargo ships that burn natural gas. Economics is on the one hand, and environmental protection is on the other. We must contribute our own strength to the world's environmental protection cause."
Hearing Qin Tao talk about environmental protection, Zhang Yuzhan felt a little embarrassed.
"What's wrong?"
“Actually, we also have a variant that burns heavy oil.”
Can diesel engines burn heavy oil?
Of course it is possible! Whether it is diesel or heavy oil, the fuel is injected into the cylinder and burned. Diesel can be burned, natural gas can be burned, and heavy oil can of course be burned!
The world’s largest civilian marine engine is Wärtsilä’s RT-flex96c. This machine is 27.3 meters long and 13.5 meters high, almost as big as the island of an aircraft carrier, and its weight has reached 2,500 tons.
Does civilian ships need such a behemoth?
When it was first manufactured, no civilian ship liked to use it. Although its power was as high as 110,000 horsepower, it allowed a 100,000-ton giant ship that could only run at a speed of more than a dozen knots to reach more than 20 knots. However, the ship People don't care about time, what they care about most is money!
This kind of engine has 14 cylinders, each cylinder has 2,000 liters, and consumes 15,000 liters of diesel per hour. No ship owner can afford to keep it!
Seeing that no one was using the engine that had set the Guinness World Record, Wartsila became worried, and then used its brains to change the fuel from diesel to heavy oil. Is the ship owner afraid of spending money? Then let’s burn inferior fuel!
I heard that this kind of engine can burn heavy oil, and shipowners from all over the world immediately flocked to it. It has high horsepower, low cost, and is very cost-effective! Watching the 96C engine continue to receive orders, Wärtsilä counted the money until it was too late, and it was a happy life. Until later, the environmental protection voice became louder and louder, and this kind of engine could no longer be sold.
Although heavy oil is cheap, its sulfur content is too high and it seriously pollutes the environment. Wartsila has also come under fire.
Now, how should our side choose a route?
"We still don't want to burn heavy oil." Qin Tao said: "Since we have put out a brand to promote our engines as green and environmentally friendly, then we should not pollute the earth anymore. We must actively promote environmental protection viewpoints to other countries. We can Promote dual-fuel engines.”
It’s not like their engines can’t be sold. They’re very popular now, so they don’t need to be both fake and stand-alone. Selling dual-fuel engines can save users money and create an environmentally friendly image. Who wants Europeans to eat this? Where's the set?
"Yes, then we will follow your plan. We will focus on developing our own dual-fuel engine technology."
“Tell me about this dual-fuel engine.” Qin Tao is still curious about these technologies.
“Okay, compared to the diesel engine, our dual-fuel engine mainly adds a spark plug, a throttle valve on the air filter, and a crankshaft angle sensor on the flywheel housing…”
The two continued to talk while walking forward. On the production line in front, an engine had been assembled. After the intake and exhaust systems were installed in place, the entire length of this engine reached 13.6 meters, and the width also reached 13.6 meters. 4.7 meters, V-shaped eighteen-cylinder structure, looks very spectacular.
“The maximum power is 17 megawatts, which is not low, but the size is too large and is not suitable for warship equipment.” Qin Tao sighed with emotion.
Gas turbines only have more than 20 megawatts, and the diesel engine in front of us can output 17 megawatts. The power is enough, but the size is too large.
To a ship of hundreds of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of tons, this volume is nothing, but for a warship, every inch of land is precious. Even for a ship as big as an aircraft carrier, space cannot be wasted.
“Yes, diesel engines can also produce high enough power, but diesel engines are huge and cannot be compared with gas turbines.”
At this moment, Xu Zhengyang came over and said, "Mr. Qin, the procurement representative of Line Dai Heavy Industry from Nanjingchi Country will be here in an hour. Do you want to see him?"
Qin Tao knew that the South Kimchi Country was coming to the East to purchase marine engines, but he didn’t know that they would also come today. Want to meet?
Qin Tao thought for a moment: "It's okay to be idle, so just meet him."
Having nothing to do, I have to find some fun for myself, after all, I can’t get out.
An hour later, Huang Youxian, the purchasing representative of Linedai Heavy Industry, arrived at the Nanyang Diesel Engine Factory. When he got off the car, he was surprised to see people standing at the door of the office building, and his eyes almost dropped.
"Mr. Qin? I really didn't expect that you would come to pick me up in person." Huang Youxian was flattered.
Huang Youxian is considered a close confidant of Zheng Yishan in Online Dai Heavy Industry, and he is usually aloof, but in front of Mr. Qin, he is nothing. A little person like him actually bothers Mr. Qin to come and greet him in person?
“Yes, when I heard that our friendly neighbors were coming, I came to greet you personally and welcome you.” Qin Tao extended his hand warmly.
(End of this chapter)