The train driver in the courtyard

"This is very similar to the technology of Xiaomei's Boge Chemical, but there are big differences in the details."

For example, sodium dodecyl sulfate dissolves to a 2% concentration in hot water at 50°C, while the data in the Boger Chemicals article states 80°C.

"The ratio of styrene to acrylonitrile added to the seed emulsion also varies."

"I've calculated it, and the data in Patriot's document is accurate."

"It seems that the data released by Borg Chemicals is incorrect, no wonder the theoretical analysis failed."

"I feel that Boger Chemicals did it on purpose, producing incorrect data and leading us astray."

Like Professor Liu, several chief engineers from the Ministry of Chemical Industry had conducted in-depth research on the emulsion grafting method and drew conclusions after carefully analyzing the materials.

In fact, Borg Chemical's practices are quite common.

Besides keeping key technologies secret, many large companies in later generations have adopted a basic practice of fabricating data to create pitfalls for later generations in order to maintain their leading edge, relying on the advantages of being a pioneer.

They did it cleverly; the technical principles were sound, they just manipulated the key data.

If you're not careful, you can get dragged into a ditch; we've learned that the hard way before.

The chief engineers discussed the matter for a while, and it took them quite some time to calm themselves down.

They came to their senses and reported to Leader Liang: "Based on the data and process details on paper, the emulsion grafting method is theoretically sound, but whether it is truly feasible still needs to be verified through laboratory practice."

Leader Liang nodded: "That's easy. Come on, Comrade Aiguo, let's go to your laboratory and see for ourselves."

This kind of energetic work style is very common in this era. As soon as they see a glimmer of hope, they can't wait to get to work as fast as they can.

The laboratory of the meteorological station preparatory office belongs to the military industry and cannot be opened to the public. When Leader Liang learned of this, he was slightly surprised.

But I soon felt relieved.

"There are not many laboratories in China that can legally produce emulsion grafting and doping, and only those classified laboratories have the capability."

Li Aiguo was unaware that Leader Liang had actually imagined the legal origins of emulsion grafting.

"If it's just for verification, it doesn't need to be so complicated. A simple synthesis can be carried out with just a three-way reaction vessel, a centrifuge, and a vacuum drying oven."

The Ministry of Chemical Industry has no shortage of laboratories.

Leader Liang had his secretary make a phone call, and soon the Beijing Chemical Research Institute vacated a laboratory.

The laboratory is preparing the necessary equipment and materials, which is expected to take half a day.

While waiting, Li Aiguo, Professor Liu, and a group of chief engineers optimized the experimental procedure and determined the method for testing purity.

When they arrived at the laboratory, it was already past dinner time. Leader Liang and the chief engineers declined the Chemical Engineering Institute's invitation to have dinner first and went straight to the laboratory.

The leaders of the Chemical Engineering Institute had no choice but to have the canteen keep the food warm while waiting for the experiment to end.

The experiment was conducted by Professor Liu and several chief engineers, who wore full protective masks.

Li Aiguo and Leader Liang stood outside, watching the entire experiment intently through the window. Leader Liang would occasionally ask a few questions, which Li Aiguo answered one by one.

As the experiment progressed, smiles appeared on the faces of Professor Liu and his colleagues, as the chemical reaction observed by the naked eye was as expected.

After Professor Liu used a 5% magnesium chloride solution to coagulate and centrifuge the ABS particles, the chief engineers knew that this time they had a sure thing.

"This is the last step, everyone, pay attention!" The chief engineers carefully operated the machine to mechanically mix the dried grafted granules with SAN resin in the correct proportions.

Finally, the mixture is melt-blended and granulated using a twin-screw extruder.

"Done?"

"It's done!"

"Don't rush, we still need to test the strength. Bring the toluene over."

As toluene was added, Professor Liu stared intently at the reaction values ​​on the instrument.

Professor Liu cheered when he saw the intensity of the characteristic peak change dramatically.

The chief engineers cheered even louder.

Leader Liang set the tone: "Comrades Aiguo and Lao Liu! Good! You have made a great contribution this time. Now that there are no problems with the experiment, the next step is large-scale production. Engineering plastics are a great thing, and they are very useful in industries such as aerospace, chemical industry, and building materials."

"Hey, Lao Liu, why are you crying?"

Professor Liu's tears had already fallen, they really had fallen. He took off his glasses and rubbed his sore eyes.

"I'm sorry to make you all laugh. You have no idea how long we've been looking forward to this."

"We at Lanzhou Petrochemical have been working on engineering plastics for quite some time now."

"For this project, our factory's chief engineers worked day and night, eating and sleeping in the laboratory. Some of them even had family conflicts."

"No matter how much we study those papers or how many experiments we conduct, we can't improve the grafting rate. It's less than 10%, which is far from meeting the requirements for large-scale production."

"The biggest challenge is still the suspension polymerization of SAN resin. It is low-cost and easy to scale up. We know it is a good thing. The same material can produce at least five times the amount of engineering plastics, and the purity is also higher."

"With SAN resin suspension polymerization, even without increasing the cost-saving rate, the most conservative process can meet production needs."

"But we don't have any."

"Comrade Patriot's emulsion grafting and blending method is far superior to that of Boge Chemical."

"We're all in the chemical industry, and I assure the leaders and colleagues that with the emulsion grafting and blending legalization process in place, Lanzhou Petrochemical is confident that we can complete production this year, and double our output next year. We will absolutely not let such a valuable resource go to waste!"

Everyone can understand this feeling, and some have even experienced it firsthand.

Everyone is not afraid of hardship or fatigue, and they are willing to risk their lives for their work, but without skills, they can only fumble around aimlessly.

It's like having a lot of enthusiasm but no opportunity to use it.

Upon hearing Professor Liu's speech, everyone couldn't help but applaud immediately.

After the applause subsided, Leader Liang turned his attention to another issue: "Patriotism, the confidentiality of the legality of emulsion grafting must be well maintained. This technology is currently at the international leading level, and this aspect must be strictly controlled."

When it comes to secrecy, Li Aiguo is wide awake: "Don't worry, leaders. The technology itself was born in a military laboratory. We've always been very strict about keeping it secret. Only Professor Liu, the chief engineers here, and I know the specific details and data."

I will also contact the weather station later and have them send someone to Lanzhou Petrochemical to ensure strict confidentiality.

Professor Liu nodded in agreement: "We only know the details and data; the complete large-scale production process is only mastered by Comrade Aiguo."

Leader Liang nodded in satisfaction: "Hmm, not bad. As expected of a comrade from a classified unit, it seems you have done a very thorough job. Let Lao Liu be in charge of the production of this thing, and Comrade Aiguo will serve as the consultant and be in charge of the process."

Upon hearing this, neither Professor Liu nor the chief engineers objected, since successful experimental production of chemical products and successful large-scale production are two different concepts.

Currently, only Li Aiguo has mastered the complete set of technologies.

Li Aiguo knew that his superiors were giving him more responsibility, so he straightened his back and said, "Leader, please rest assured, I will do my best to cooperate with Chief Engineer Liu."

For large-scale production, Lanzhou Petrochemical's equipment is somewhat lacking, and it may need to provide a large number of polybutadiene latex synthesis reactors, preferably those with temperature and pressure control systems.

Grafting reactors, devolatilization towers, and twin-screw extruders are also necessary equipment.

After all, without the equipment, large-scale production is just wishful thinking.

Li Aiguo actually wanted a distillation tower, but considering the current level of technology, he decided to wait for a more suitable time to bring it up.

Professor Liu found it quite pleasing to hear. This patriot has only just taken office and he already knows how to bring things into his own home. Young man, not bad, not bad.

After considering the matter, Leader Liang said, “You don’t need to worry about the equipment. Engineering plastics is a key project in China. Now that we’ve developed it, we should prioritize large-scale production. Even if we are poor, we can’t let production suffer. Everyone, let’s work hard and make our chemical industry proud.”

Everyone applauded enthusiastically again, their smiling faces flushed with excitement under the dim light.

After the initial excitement subsided, Li Aiguo realized he was hungry. He looked at his wrist and saw that it was almost midnight.

The chief engineers, including Leader Liang, also started rubbing their stomachs.

"Everyone's still hungry, right? I'll have the canteen send over some food." The leader of the chemical engineering institute was glad he had been so prescient when he saw this.

"Today is a good day, but it's the middle of the night, and there's nothing good left. Old Zhou, get two bottles of wine over here," said Leader Liang.

The leader of the chemical engineering institute smiled and agreed, then arranged for someone to notify the canteen. He himself went back to his dormitory and brought over two bottles of wine.

The meal was simple, just boxed lunches (food in aluminum lunchboxes), but it was still warm, and everyone ate it with relish.

After dinner, everyone was in high spirits and no one wanted to go to sleep. They stayed together, drinking and chatting.

Professor Liu and Li Aiguo talked a lot.

After all, the two would be working together in the future, and this technology was developed under Li Aiguo's leadership, which made Professor Liu's impression of him even better.

Li Aiguo has always been interested in chemical engineering. From matches, kerosene, and polyester to rocket fuel and giant mushroom detonators, he has always relied on this stuff.

Now I've met some senior colleagues and humbly learned a lot from them, gaining a better understanding of the current level of chemical technology in China.

Professor Liu was indeed more satisfied with Li Aiguo. Taking advantage of a break in the toasting, he walked over to Leader Liang and whispered, "Leader, Lanzhou Petrochemical is really short of people. Talented people like Aiguo are extremely rare; he's definitely a great chemist. How about..."

Before he could finish speaking, Director Liang smiled and refused outright: "Teacher, stop. Comrade Aiguo is the principal's darling. If you take him away, the principal will probably be furious."

Professor Liu had no choice but to give up.

The working lunch ended amidst laughter and cheerful conversation. As Director Liang was leaving, he stopped by his car and said to Professor Liu, "The department is planning to hold a meeting soon to discuss the review of the project. You and Aiguo should prepare the materials."

Professor Liu nodded excitedly, and the leader got into the jeep and left.

Professor Liu returned to the ministry's guesthouse and, disregarding the fact that it was already past midnight, dialed the factory's phone number to report to the factory leaders about the upcoming engineering plastics project at Lanzhou Petrochemical.

The factory leaders were particularly excited and said they would send a working group to Beijing to assist with the preparatory work, urging Professor Liu to seize this opportunity.

The next day was the weekend, and Li Aiguo originally planned to take Chen Xueru boating in the park, but Professor Liu pulled him into his office.

"Aiguo, our factory's work group has already set off. We need to make the preliminary preparations. We can't be careless about getting this project approved."

Li Aiguo understood Professor Liu's concerns.

Whether a project can be successfully implemented is not only related to millions of dollars in investment, but also to the development direction of China's chemical industry. The Ministry of Chemical Industry is extremely cautious about this.

In later generations, the approval process for a project might take several years, which is indeed a waste of time, but there's nothing that can be done about it.

After all, no one can guarantee that a project won't run into problems.

“The project’s prospects are not a problem. The key issue is its feasibility, which is also what the higher-ups value most,” Li Aiguo said.

"You make a good point," Professor Liu nodded in agreement.

There are actually many excellent projects these days, but the key is that they can't be built with the current level of technology, or the cost is too high.

In the following days, Li Aiguo worked with Professor Liu to develop a complete set of production processes based on practical considerations.

After arriving in Beijing, the working group from Lanzhou Petrochemical also joined the effort.

The work progressed quickly, and a week later, Professor Liu took the complete set of production processes to the ministry.

After review, the ministry ultimately decided to launch a 200,000-ton-per-year engineering plastics production line and its supporting facilities at Lanzhou Petrochemical. Although this amount is only a fraction of what it would become in later years, the fact that the ministry made the decisive decision and invested millions of dollars demonstrates the boldness and determination of the Ministry of Chemical Industry's leadership.

As the order was given, trucks loaded with supplies headed to Lanzhou Petrochemical, and young people waved goodbye to their families and boarded trains bound for Lanzhou Petrochemical.

Li Aiguo also reported the situation to the meteorological station, requesting that the station send a confidential team to Lanzhou Petrochemical.

The farmer was not surprised when he heard the news; he was already used to Li Aiguo's ability to cause trouble.

Given the importance of this mission, the farmer personally selected an experienced secret agent from the second team. This man, surnamed Chen, had previously worked with Li Aiguo on Wu Han's case.

After the security team was dispatched, Professor Liu and the working group returned to Lanzhou Petrochemical.

Li Aiguo held two positions, helping with the design and production process while continuing his research on four-cylinder motorcycles.

Since the Lanzhou Petrochemical plant won't be operational until the end of the year at the earliest, by the time we get the engineering plastics, it will be too late.

Li Aiguo applied for a batch of chemical equipment and had it installed in the workshop.

These days, equipment is very expensive; even if you have money, you can't buy it.

Li Aiguo had previously wanted to set up his own chemical laboratory, but even with the help of the Ministry of Railways, he couldn't get the key equipment.

After the application was submitted, Leader Liang personally wrote a comment on the report: "Comrade Aiguo has made contributions to chemical production!"

With this approval, and the fact that the Qianmen Locomotive Depot workshop was well-funded, within a few days, advanced equipment, including a high-pressure reactor with mechanical stirring, a gas chromatograph, and a constant-temperature oil bath, was delivered to the workshop.

After the equipment arrived, Li Aiguo continued to work with Professor Zhang Qingdian to conduct materials experiments. Using simple methods, they first manufactured some engineering plastics to meet the needs of the four-cylinder motorcycle development.

This is an era where no living person can be killed by holding in their pee.

If you always try to go through the formalities, by the time someone prepares the materials for you, it'll be too late.

As pioneers, we must find a way to carve out a path in the wilderness.

The materials produced in the laboratory are indeed expensive and have relatively low purity, but they are not a problem when used to build prototype vehicles.

In addition, Li Aiguo also wanted to take this opportunity to cultivate a group of chemical engineering talents.

Given the level of industrial development at that time, in order to utilize all the technologies within the system and manufacture advanced aircraft and missiles, talent from all fields was indispensable.

The commotion caused by Li Aiguo also alerted Section Chief Xing and a group of leaders.

Section Chief Xing has been quite troubled lately because of the issue of positioning his studio.

I originally thought that Li Aiguo was just setting up a studio out of personal interest, but it has become larger and larger and involved a wider range of areas.

They've even started a chemical engineering lab, which has made Section Chief Xing a little scared.

This thing is extremely dangerous; it's too easy for it to explode. If someone with ill intentions were to pin a label on it, it would be a real problem.

The world is full of envious people.

Out of concern for Li Aiguo, Section Chief Xing planned to report the situation to his superiors.

The leader was receiving comrades from the Ministry of Agriculture at that moment.

"Principal, we really have to thank you, our big brother in the railway industry, this time." Leader Zhao seemed very excited.

"How is the construction of water conservancy facilities progressing locally?" the leader inquired.

"The planned water conservancy facilities are now 80% complete, thanks in large part to the drilling rigs you provided," said Leader Zhao.

The railway department not only provided the drilling machine free of charge, but also helped train the operators. Leader Zhao must remember this favor.

“Water conservancy facilities are a great thing for the country and the people, and this is what we should do.” The leader pondered for a moment, then straightened up: “In fact, we are also planning to drill some wells in remote areas, especially along the railway line, which we can share. We will need your cooperation then.”

"This is great news!" Boss Zhao exclaimed excitedly.

"As for Comrade Aiguo, I heard he's been getting quite close to the Ministry of Chemical Industry lately."

"This kid just likes to mess around with all this random stuff. It's a good thing that young people have interests and enthusiasm."

Upon hearing this, Leader Zhao felt as if the leader was in Versailles (of course, this is not the case yet).

There's nothing we can do about it; they really do have someone who can produce good stuff.

After Leader Zhao left, the assistant led Section Chief Xing into the leader's office.

Section Chief Xing didn't mince words and directly voiced his concerns.

After listening, the leader remained silent for a moment before saying, "Since he's interested in patriotism, let him pursue it."

Patriotism is a responsibility of railway workers, but I am a railway leader. If he is at fault, I share the blame. Anyone who has a problem with this should come to me.

With those words, Section Chief Xing felt relieved.

Leader Teng is known for being fiercely protective of his own.

In terms of this regulation and this noble character, even the most decorated emperors of Russia should be ashamed.

Back at the Qianmen Locomotive Depot, Section Chief Xing relayed the ministry's opinions, which put the depot's leaders at ease.

The leaders in this section now treat Li Aiguo like their own child; none of them want anything to happen to him.

Li Aiguo was unaware of these things, and even if he had, he wouldn't have paid attention.

The motorcycle's outer shell is almost finished after all the recent work.

The engine, exhaust pipe, and chassis were already prepared.

Li Aiguo originally planned to assemble it tomorrow, but the wild car expert and Director Zhang were so excited that they didn't want to leave work.

"Patriotism, how about we work overtime tonight and assemble this thing?"

"Yeah, I definitely won't be able to sleep when I get home tonight."

Li Aiguo was also itching to try it out.

Which man could resist such a treasure?

So he asked Yan Jiecheng to pass on a message to Chen Xueru, saying that he would be working overtime that night and wouldn't be going home.

"Don't worry, Brother Aiguo," Yan Jiecheng happily agreed.

The young man and Yu Li have almost finished discussing their marriage, and he's been in a good mood lately.

After Yan Jiecheng left, Li Aiguo led the group to the canteen for dinner, and after returning to the studio, they all rolled up their sleeves.

Li Aiguo could assemble a motorcycle even with his eyes closed, having studied it countless times.

However, the Red Star Double R motorcycle has a complex structure and requires advanced assembly techniques, especially the engine assembly, which requires the assistance of master assemblers.

At 2 a.m., the motorcycle was finally assembled.

The Red Star Double R is twice the size of a mountain bike, with its fuel tank bulging like a shark's spine, and its body gleams with a cold, hard metallic luster under the lights.

The four exhaust pipes on the side are arranged in a stepped pattern, and the muffler at the end is etched with the inscription "Red Star". Li Aiguo specially hired a carpenter to carve these two characters.

The rear swingarm is forged from aluminum alloy with a hollow frame, and the chain stretches out a taut arc between the gears.

Especially the 255mm wide tires, which look very imposing and powerful.

"It's done?!"

"We succeeded?!"

The wild car expert was so excited that he hugged Director Zhang tightly, their bromance palpable.

"Let's try lighting it first." Li Aiguo lit the fire.

Twisting the throttle with your right hand, the inline four-cylinder engine emits a roar similar to a raptor diving, and the tachometer needle on the instrument panel jumps rapidly.

"It looks fine. We'll do a road test tomorrow morning." Li Aiguo was also exhausted at this point. He told the wild car experts to rest first, and then he strolled over to the staff dormitory.

Since marrying Chen Xueru and taking on the work of the studio, Li Aiguo has rarely slept here, but the bed has always been reserved.

Old Zheng from the 131st crew didn't go home to sleep that night either. He was woken up by Li Aiguo in his sleep. He yawned and asked, "Aiguo, why are you so late?"

"The studio had to work overtime a bit." Li Aiguo lifted the covers and lay down in bed. There was even a smell of sunshine in the blankets.

"Old Zheng, who touched my blanket?"

"Ah, is that Comrade Zhang Yazhi? I often see her coming over to air out your quilts," Old Zheng replied casually.

"Really?" Li Aiguo turned over and prepared to go to sleep.

Old Zheng got out of bed and came to his bedside: "Aiguo, I have something on my mind."

"Then don't hold it in."

"But I can't say it."

"Then don't say it."

"."

After a moment of contemplation, Lao Zheng turned his back and said, "Aiguo, you didn't sleep in the dormitory today."

Li Aiguo: "."

He felt that Lao Zheng was putting on a show, but when he heard what Lao Zheng said to himself, he didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

"People from the ministry came to investigate Li Aiguo today. It's said to be about the selection of national model workers. Chief Bai told us to keep it a secret."

This matter wasn't really a secret; it's just that Chief Bai is such an upright person that he issued a gag order to prevent gossip.

"Old Zheng, go to sleep."

"Weren't you not in the dorm?"

“.” Li Aiguo.

The next day.

Sunny turning cloudy.

Cloudy to sunny.

When Li Aiguo arrived at the studio early in the morning, Section Chief Xing had already heard the news and rushed over with a group of leaders.

"Patriotism, I heard the Red Star Double R assembly is complete?"

(End of this chapter)