Ana circled the prototype twice and accurately stated her first feelings.
"Really... small."
"But there is an indescribable beauty," Celine pondered, "especially the dense pipes around it, which are like tentacles."
Roland couldn't help laughing. The observation angles of the two were completely different, but the conclusions they reached were particularly appropriate, and they could be said to express the characteristics of the new machine succinctly.
Compared with the first cast iron steam engine made by Anna, the size of the principle prototype has been reduced by more than ten times. There are reasons for the great leap in processing technology, but the most important thing is that the boiler is omitted.
At present, Neverwinter's steam engine has developed to the fourth generation, but the boiler part has not changed much - whether it is burning coke, wood, or heavy oil, a huge combustion chamber and steam generator are inevitable. But now, what replaced it is just a rectangular steel box one meter long, half a meter wide, and less than twenty centimeters thick.
This box is also the core of the entire system.
Although simply put, the Rubik's Cube and water are put into a container to realize the fusion of combustion and evaporation, but whether it is a nearly harsh sealing requirement or a pipeline shell that can withstand high pressure, it is not possible for Border Town at the beginning. reachable. In other words, even if you can get the relics of the radioactive clan at that time, it is estimated that the effect that can be played is no different from that of others.
One end of the steel box is inlaid with three ritual Rubik's cubes side by side, as the source of power for the machine, and a layer of lead blocks is cushioned at the bottom to block excess rays. There are more than ten heat pipes neatly arranged on the top of the smooth shell, which pass through the secondary water tank and the cooling condenser and then return from the bottom. Reliable enough, in theory, there is no need to add new heat transfer medium when it is scrapped.
Of course, this size is not the limit of the new steam engine.
Water is just the easiest and cheapest heat transfer medium. If it is replaced with other more efficient medium, such as liquid alkali metal, the volume can be made smaller under the same power.
It's just that the principle prototype mainly verifies the feasibility of the plan, and Roland finally resisted the urge to do it all in one step. After all, in the event of an overheating leakage accident, if the alkali metal in the state of steam is mixed with water vapor, I am afraid that the entire laboratory will be bombed into the sky.
The pipes protruding from the heating box can continuously transmit the heat generated by the Rubik's cube until the secondary water tank boils.
The part that Celine admires most is the condenser pipes that are evenly distributed on both sides of the body. In order to obtain a large enough heat dissipation area, each pipe is twisted and twisted, and it is not even a tentacle. Violate.
If the current steam engines are all stupid, big and black, this prototype can be called small and exquisite, especially the silver-white core box and the brown-red heat-conducting copper tubes that are enough to reflect the face. To a certain extent, it is much more dazzling than its predecessors. Even a layman who knows nothing about the industry can tell the level of it at a glance.
In terms of craftsmanship alone, it is enough to deserve the title of art.
"So... let's start?" Roland looked at the two of them.
Anna nodded and put her hand on the operating lever, "Come together."
Celine hesitated for a while, but finally lowered her main beard and gently placed it on the hands of the king and queen.
"The principle prototype test of the Rubik's cube steam engine, three, two, one, start-"
With Roland's countdown, the operating lever was pulled to the maximum limit with a click, and the linkage mechanism simultaneously pressed the switches of three Rubik's cubes, and the landmark new generation of power source started its first operation.
However, the scene was silent, as if nothing had happened.
"Uh... failed?" Celine hesitated, looking at the unresponsive machine.
"No, let it burn for a while." Roland replied calmly.
About two minutes later, the core box trembled slightly, and a "indicator" on the pipe also emitted a soft yellow light - it was a pressure gauge made of stickman relics, which indicated that the pressure inside the pipe was changing. .
The heat transfer process was obviously much slower, and after waiting for another five minutes, steam finally poured out of the secondary water tank and pushed the piston to run slowly.
As the temperature in the tube gradually increases, the speed of the steam engine flywheel is also getting faster and faster, and it also drives the water pump of the condensing system - the main function of the latter is to increase the speed of fluid circulation in the tube and re-pump the heat transfer medium with reduced temperature. core box. At this point, the new machine has completed a complete cycle and officially entered the running state.
"It seems that the effect is not bad," Anna let out a long breath, with a slight smile on her face, "it's just that the startup speed is a little slow."
"This is also a common problem with steam engines," Roland nodded. Heat transfer takes time, and even if it is replaced with a more efficient heat medium, it is not as good as an internal combustion engine that can be powered on fire. In addition, since at least three water tanks are theoretically required to maintain the cycle, no matter how small its volume is, it is much larger than that of an internal combustion engine. Coupled with the rapid consumption of uranium chips by the ritual cube, this principle prototype has little practical value.
But any industrial product has come this way step by step.
As long as Celine can solve the durability problem, its distinct advantages cannot be ignored - mature technology allows it to be quickly put into production, light enough to fit on most vehicles, popular without increasing the fuel burden, etc. . Even if the durability problem cannot be improved temporarily, ships built on the basis of new power sources can save a lot of space to store fuel, so as to carry more cargo or weapons.
Half an hour later, the speed of the steam engine reached its limit, the whole body was shaking, and the chi chi sound of the exhaust port turned into a sharp whistling sound. Obviously, the core box composed of three Rubik's Cubes is a little too powerful for this steam engine. Roland pulled the operating lever back to the first gear, which is equivalent to closing the two Rubik's Cubes before the prototype was stabilized again.
What followed was a lengthy reliability test.
This step will last for about a week, and it is also the link that is most likely to expose problems. After all, the principle of the new machine is very simple. It is not difficult to make it move, but it is difficult to run it for a long time and stably.
Originally, it was extremely tedious to stay in front of a steam engine that was clanging and clanging, but for Roland, it became a means of decompression. Sitting in the yard with Anna, chatting while paying attention to the dynamics of the prototype, just like the time when the two first met, relaxed and peaceful.
At some point, Celine quietly left the laboratory, leaving only him and Anna in the yard.
The latter rested his head on his shoulder, and the noise of the machine seemed very distant.
"If it can be successful, can we be one step closer to the world you used to be?"
"Well, it's going to be a lot shorter -- you know, that world hasn't implemented similar technology yet."
"Can the kind of four-wheeled car that you say that one person can drive, can it be realized?"
"Okay, if you like, I can design a simple one for you to try out."
"Okay!" Anna's voice jumped a lot, "By the way, what name are you going to name this machine?"
"Does it have to be a name?" Roland laughed.
"Of course." Her expression was extremely serious.
"Alright then, Black Tech No. 1 and Rubik's Cube Power, which one do you choose?"
"Where's it black... Really, I'm picking the latter one. But how does the name tell the difference between models?"
"Simple, a ritual cube represents a cylinder, and the principle prototype is called a three-cylinder cube power, how about it?"
"It always feels a little strange."
"Don't worry about those details..."
The laughter of the two mixed with the sound of the machine, forming a long-lasting melody in the yard.