Siheyuan: I eat melons while doing scientific research

Chapter 1313 He is qualified to know these things (5k)

"Zhendong, is there something special about this thing?" If Comrade Zhendong, who has little concept of or pursuit of money, is so insistent, then there is only one explanation from the leaders of the National Defense Industry Committee.

Gao Zhendong shook his head: "No, it's mainly for my wife. This one is definitely going to go into your warehouse now, and it might even end up in a museum someday, so I can't take it back. But to be honest, my wife really likes this wood carving. It represents her appreciation for my work, so if possible, I'd like to get a real one to replace this one."

Actually, it would be very easy to destroy the current bugging device itself, whether by making the diaphragm solid or by jamming the vibrating needle. However, without a doubt, this thing will end up in the warehouse of some organization.

The leader of the National Defense Industry Committee laughed: "You're quite magnanimous, not bothering with a young girl like that. Alright, I'll have them pass on the message."

He knew that Gao Zhendong's words also implied another layer of meaning: that the matter was now essentially over on the surface.

Whether intentional or unintentional, Gao Zhendong didn't even bother to investigate the instigator. So, the relevant departments would have to bear the blame for dereliction of duty, and naturally, he made it clear that it wasn't a big deal.

However, Gao Zhendong probably didn't want to say it directly, so by demanding that the wood carving be genuine, he both pleased his wife and subtly expressed his attitude.

The colleagues from the relevant units were also very moved by Gao Zhendong's words: "Okay, Committee Member Gao, thank you. We will definitely pass on the message. This gift should be delivered by her in person to show her the most sincere sentiment."

Just as Gao Zhendong was about to leave, the leaders of the National Defense Industry Committee called him back when no one was around.

"Zhendong, how about we go somewhere else?"

Gao Zhendong was stunned. After all these years, was this day finally coming?
"No need for now, it's not a big deal today. I personally don't think it's a big problem," he said with a smile, adding that going back every 60 days is still a bit short.

After hearing his words, the leader of the National Defense Industry Committee didn't say much, just nodded: "Alright then, take it easy, take it easy."

As Gao Zhendong's position rose, he knew that the possibility of Gao Zhendong continuing to stay in that courtyard was becoming increasingly slim, and this had nothing to do with Gao Zhendong himself.

It's unclear why Gao Zhendong likes staying there; perhaps he's developed an attachment to the place. Or maybe he hasn't even considered it. But since he wants to stay, let him stay for now.

We haven't reached the critical point yet, so things are alright.

Although he knew that this hurdle might be getting closer, he figured it hadn't come yet, so he could deal with it when the time came; it wasn't a big problem.
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In fact, if we were to calculate where Gao Zhendong spent the longest time, it would probably be the territory of the National Defense Commission, the Third Rolling Mill, and the Twelfth Ministry of Machine Building. Apart from resting, the courtyard house was not where he spent the longest time.

Sure enough, Gao Zhendong was invited back to the National Defense Commission after only two days away because of the previous incident.

This incident appears to have involved a very small number of people. Gao Zhendong sat in the leader's office, looking at two unfamiliar comrades.

"Boss, isn't this about the micro turbojet engine?" Gao Zhendong asked his boss quietly.

He originally thought it was about the comrades from the Qianyang Aerospace Research Institute coming to Beijing, but now it doesn't seem like it. Generally speaking, the fewer people involved, the bigger the matter. There are only a few people, the leader, the chief engineer, two unfamiliar comrades, and himself. It doesn't seem like something a small turbojet engine could achieve.

The key point is that we didn't see the key players in the microjet engine here—the comrades from the Qianyang Aero Engine Research Institute.

"Yes, but this matter concerns you," the leader said with a smile.

Gao Zhendong was completely bewildered. What? It has something to do with me? I've never met these two comrades before.

"You'll find out soon enough," the leader laughed.

Gao Zhendong immediately knew what it was about. With only a few people, there was no need for a long opening speech; instead, they went straight to the point.

"Comrade Zhendong, we want to thank you. The chelating resin you and your colleagues from Sichuan Province and Jincheng University developed has found a new way for the extraction of our sensitive special materials." As soon as the two comrades spoke, Gao Zhendong knew what it was about.

However, the leader of the National Defense Industry Committee laughed: "What sensitive special materials? Stop with the nonsense and just say it directly! Zhen Dong made this himself. Doesn't he know what it can do? All this pretense and cover-up is too vague. Just say it. He is qualified to know these things."

The two comrades, who themselves felt awkward talking about it, laughed when they heard this. If that's the case, then it's easy to handle.

Upon hearing this, Gao Zhendong realized that chelated resin had indeed yielded significant results!

Initially, Professor Gan and his team at Jincheng University found that the chelating resin U adsorption capacity was 1.9 mg/g, while Gao Zhendong gave an upper limit of expectation of 7 mg/g.

Gao Zhendong was not unaware that there were even higher values, but given the current level of technology, 7mg was a more realistic indicator.

This is a significant value for those working in this field.

This means that, if we consider it in an extremely simplified way, soaking some resin in seawater for a period of time can yield "U ore" with a U content of 0.7%, which is a very high grade from a mineral perspective.

Theoretically speaking, the abundance of U in the Earth's crust is not particularly low, roughly the same as lead, which sounds like quite a lot.

However, U is extremely dispersed in the Earth's crust, which makes it very valuable. Generally speaking, a ore deposit with a U content of 0.05% is worth mining, and 0.7% is an extremely rich deposit.

Gao Zhendong smiled happily: "What is the adsorption capacity?"

"10.1 mg/g. Hmm, that's a bit higher than your earlier estimate." It might sound like Gao Zhendong's estimate was inaccurate, but actually, the opposite was true. The person who said this was full of admiration for Gao Zhendong's technical expertise.

Relying solely on theory and calculations to extrapolate adsorption capacity from scratch is a huge success, as long as the order of magnitude is the same, let alone achieving a value of 7 to 10.1, which is remarkably precise. The chelating ability of chelating resins is an extremely complex matter; even now, many people don't know exactly how Gao Zhendong derived the remarkably precise value of 7 mg/g.

Sure enough, Gao Zhendong, knowing that his prediction was "inaccurate," showed no dissatisfaction whatsoever. Instead, he smiled happily. Higher than the data he had given? That's right, the comrades are really awesome!

For Gao Zhendong, the higher the number, the better. Although it was still far from the highest number he knew, the highest number was currently very difficult to achieve, and that number was related to the concentration of the U solution, which could not be reached in seawater.

In any case, let's first come up with some data that will appeal to our comrades and start using it.

"That's great!" Comrades, as long as we have a way, we'll be no worse than foreigners decades from now! Gao Zhendong was so happy that he could only say this one sentence.

No wonder they specifically called him over; the path of adsorption and extraction of U by amine oxime resin is now officially on track! As for what to adsorb and extract from, Gao Zhendong has something to say: seawater is very light, but some things are very concentrated.

"Comrade Zhendong, we want to thank you for the success of this project you promoted, which has opened up a new path for our U resources. The reason we invited you here today is to ask if you could give us some advice on how to use this amylopectin chelating resin. You are the leader of this resin, and we feel that we still need to consult you on this matter."

The comrades thought that extracting U from seawater was definitely necessary, but it would be best to consult Gao Zhendong on the specifics.

Speaking of this, Gao Zhendong was no longer sleepy. Since Professor Gan and his team at Jincheng University were so helpful, he had other ideas.

“Seawater extraction, at this stage I don’t really recommend it…” Gao Zhendong’s words stunned his comrades.

Seawater extraction is not recommended at this stage, so why are you doing this? It's way too advanced! And it's so tempting that it's hard to resist.

It's like introducing a delicious dish, but not only introducing it, you also bring the dish to the table, making everyone drool, and then saying, "This can't be eaten yet." Isn't that ridiculous?

"Why?" "The investment is high, the returns are slow, and it wastes resin. At this stage, we have a clear mine, and the usage is not that high. The resin production has not increased and the price has not decreased, so it would be a waste to extract seawater." Gao Zhendong laughed.

"Is extracting seawater a waste?"

"Yes, the adsorption capacity of the resin is related to the concentration of the target substance. If the seawater concentration is too low, it will not achieve the best effect. Although it can be desorbed and regenerated, desorption and regeneration do affect the adsorption capacity, so overall it is not worthwhile."

As expected of a technical leader, his understanding of this resin is far more profound than our superficial understanding; he can see many things that we cannot. At this moment, the two comrades felt that they had made the right choice in coming to see Comrade Zhendong.

Moreover, Gao Zhendong's words revealed a lot of information, and the two comrades were also very perceptive: "You mean, this resin is to be used directly for the mining and refining of U ore?"

Gao Zhendong nodded: "Yes!"

This puzzled the two comrades: "But there is a mature refining method for U ore now. We have also considered it, but adding chelating resin into this method either doesn't work well or is just a waste of time. We really can't add it in."

Mature processes are not easy to modify, especially since chelating resins follow a different approach than previous methods, making it difficult to simply insert them.

This made the comrades feel like they had come to a treasure mountain but returned empty-handed, which was very disheartening. This was one of the reasons why they were in such a hurry to find Gao Zhendong.

Gao Zhendong was in a dilemma. At this moment, he was in an awkward situation where he knew a lot of things, but he couldn't let you know what he knew.

After thinking it over, he decided to ignore it. After all, by some twist of fate, he had made a lot of groundwork in the field of mineral resources, and could be considered to have a "small" status.

Moreover, didn't the leader of the National Defense Industry Committee just say that "he is qualified to know these things"?

What's with the embarrassment? Just ask!

"Comrade, if I may ask, do we have any known sandstone-type U-type deposits?" This question points out something, but it is not entirely certain, so that there is no way out.

The two comrades were immediately stunned. This comrade's foot had really gone far! Only those comrades in charge of mineral exploration within their organization would be able to ask such a question.

He didn't ask about granite mines, such as those in Jiangxi Province, which are the most famous in the system. Instead, he specifically asked about sandstone mines. This question alone shows that he has an extraordinary understanding of this area.

But they couldn't answer that question.

The leader of the National Defense Industry Committee laughed: "Go ahead and speak, don't hold back. Didn't I say he's qualified to know these things, and knowing them would be a great help to you? In terms of mineral resources... well, just tell me."

The National Defense Industry Committee is well aware of Gao Zhendong's deeds in this regard.

Hearing their leader's words, the two comrades suppressed their shock and nodded, saying, "Yes, there are some, in the grassland province, and they're quite large, but..."

Gao Zhendong picked up the conversation directly: "But it's buried quite deep, making it difficult to mine, right? I have some research on this."

He finally admitted that he had done research in this area, instead of being "unfamiliar" with it, and the two leaders of the National Defense Industry Committee almost burst out laughing.

It seems there's more than just a little research involved, but the two comrades had slightly different opinions: "Yes, that's right. Due to geological reasons, the mineral deposits are buried at a depth of less than 400 meters, making them very difficult to mine."

This means that to obtain the U resources here, one would need to dig through a 400-meter-deep layer of soil to get even a small amount of precious U. This depth is nothing for coal mines, because coal seams have extremely high coal content, but for U mines where the content is far below 1%, it's a real problem.

This is another example of them "entering a treasure mountain and returning empty-handed," seeing the discovered minerals but being unable to use them.

Gao Zhendong said, "I have a way to mine these ores, and it's perfect for chelating resins, so we can refine them on the spot!"

Not to mention the two comrades who were engaged in related work, even the two people in the National Defense Working Committee were overjoyed!
If we can solve this problem, then we can do much more than just use it to build some big bombs; it's a big deal to apply it to the national economy and people's livelihood!
"Hahaha, good! Good!" The leader of the National Defense Industry Committee laughed loudly, without any doubt that Gao Zhendong's approach was viable.

He had no doubt, but the two comrades who were involved in related work were somewhat incredulous: "Committee Member Gao, are you telling the truth? You can extract underground minerals and refine them on-site?"

The leader of the National Defense Industry Committee smiled and took over the conversation: "Don't worry about that. He's a real expert in materials and mineral refining, the top kind!" It was only at this moment that he remembered that Gao Zhendong was from the 17th Ministry of Machinery Industry.

Gao Zhendong didn't say much. Actually, this stuff is extracted using chelated resin, which is completely different from what he used to do.

"Committee Member Gao, please give us some guidance." The two comrades looked at each other with great enthusiasm.

Gao Zhendong asked his boss for a set of paper and pens, which made the boss wonder if he should put a blackboard in the office to make work easier.

But that's a story for later. Gao Zhendong started drawing on the paper, explaining as he drew: "You should know the characteristics of the sandstone deposits in the grassland province, right? It's the most permeable layer among the surrounding strata, containing groundwater..."

"Yes, that's right. You want to inject chelating resin?"

"How is that possible? Chelated resin is a solid; it doesn't flow at all in sandstone. We need to pump water in!"

"Water? Water can't dissolve much U, right? Otherwise, we can just pump the groundwater from the sandstone layer."

Gao Zhendong laughed and said, "Of course it's not pure water, let's just call it leachate, it sounds more professional, haha. A certain proportion of carbon dioxide and oxygen are added to the leachate at the same time!"

"Carbon dioxide and oxygen?"

"Yes, carbonic acid, formed by carbon dioxide dissolving in water, can increase the solubility of U. At the same time, oxygen can oxidize tetravalent U in sandstone to hexavalent U, making it more soluble in water."

It sounds simple, but that's exactly how U ore was mined in the Prairie Province, and that was decades later. Actually, we weren't as lacking in U as it seemed on the surface; it was just a matter of mining technology.

"I understand! We'll extract the dissolved U water and treat it with chelating resin? This 'high' concentration of U solution will better utilize the effectiveness of the chelating resin!" At this point, the comrades knew exactly what Gao Zhendong was planning and became excited.

The key point is that, theoretically, this method is not difficult and the cost is acceptable.

Compared to oil, drilling a well several hundred meters deep is nothing! Filling it with water and gas and pumping it out isn't difficult either. Believe me, they could go back and start drilling today, and without considering anything else, they could reach the sandstone layer in just a few days.

This method is completely ineffective against granite, igneous rocks, and bitumen-type U-ores, but it works wonders against sandstone U-ores – one thing can subdue another! It cleverly utilizes the stratigraphic structure and inherent characteristics of grassland sandstone U-ores, making it a surefire way to spot the problem!

What a brilliant approach! And theoretically, it's not difficult at all. If I had to say, filling it with air might be a slightly troublesome thing, but only slightly.

"Yes, that's the general process. You see, we drill wells like this, this is the injection well, this is the pumping well. I've calculated that this distribution and spacing can well take into account the flow state of the water after injection, as well as the time process of injection-reaction-dissolution-pumping." This is all copied, but for U-mine mining in the grassland province, don't care if I copied it or not, just ask yourself if you've mined it or not.

Hearing that Gao Zhendong had even calculated the general mining process, the two comrades who were involved in related work were full of admiration. To be honest, they couldn't have calculated it, because what seemed like a simple distribution map and spacing layout actually involved the integration of multiple disciplines such as geology, chemistry, and hydrodynamics.

As the old saying goes, drawing a line is easy, but knowing where to draw it is difficult.

(End of this chapter)