1900: A physics genius wandering around Europe

Chapter 701 The Three Great Departments of Mountains, Waters, and Thunder! The Pangu Plan is finally revealed in its entirety! Gentlemen, listen to the dragon's roar!
In the conference room.

Li Qiwei began to explain the main contents of the Pangu Project.

"These three steps are not done sequentially, but simultaneously."

"The first step is the separation of uranium-235."

"The [Water Department] is in charge; the factory there has been completed and is ready to go into operation immediately."

"I have decided to use gas centrifugation to purify uranium-235."

"According to theoretical calculations, in order to make an atomic bomb, the concentration of uranium-235 must reach more than 90%."

"This is a very difficult task!"

Generally speaking, uranium enriched to 3% is sufficient for use in nuclear power plants.

A purity of 80% or higher can be classified as highly enriched uranium.

In future generations, anyone producing uranium enriched to a level exceeding 20% ​​must report to the International Atomic Energy Agency.

Yu Yin and the others breathed a sigh of relief.

The dean had privately discussed the matter with them several times before, and they came up with several feasible separation plans.

But it's impossible to do both at the same time, otherwise the cost would be too high.

Now that the dean makes decisions unilaterally, it actually saves everyone's time and energy.

This is the role of those in charge and leaders.

He needs to make a clear decision.

A wrong decision is better than hesitation.

"Besides, how could the dean be wrong?"

At this moment, Li Qiwei asked:

"Old Hu, are there any problems with the electricity and workers?"

Hu Xizhong is not a researcher and does not understand the principles of centrifugation, but that does not hinder their management work.

"Please rest assured, Dean."

"I have purchased hundreds of the latest ultra-high-power generators from Europe and the United States, which can meet the factory's requirements."

"Ordinary workers are mainly recruited from local Chinese in Southeast Asia, while senior workers are directly recruited from China at high salaries."

"The Water Division has more than 5 centrifuges. With each person responsible for 10 centrifuges, working in three shifts, a total of 15000 workers are needed."

"The needs for other types of workers, such as managers, production staff, and processing personnel, have also been compiled, and 70% of the recruitment work has been completed."

"."

Li Qiwei nodded as he listened to Hu Xizhong's detailed report.

The water-related part of the Pangu Project was modeled after the Oak Ridge uranium plant in the Manhattan Project.

However, the former is obviously easier to manage than the latter.

Li Qiwei believes that Hu Xizhong can manage it well.

"The scientific leadership of the [Water] section is Huzhou."

Although the centrifugation method is simple in principle, it still requires a leading scientist to oversee it.

Qian Huzhou has a deep foundation in both classical and modern physics, making him a suitable candidate.

He solemnly stated:

"Okay, Dean."

Then, Li Qiwei said:

"The second step is to build a nuclear reactor."

"To study the atomic bomb, a controlled nuclear chain reaction is first required."

"By studying nuclear reactors, we can understand the process of an atomic bomb explosion."

"Therefore, this step is equally crucial!"

"Huaining, you are in charge of building the reactor."

Its location is in the [Thunder] section.

The advent of nuclear reactors signifies humanity's transition from chemical energy to nuclear energy, giving us the right to explore the cosmos and truly marking humanity's "first sound."

In mythology, Pangu's voice transformed into thunder, hence the location of nuclear reactors is called "Thunder".

Deng Huaining was the person present who had the most in-depth research on nuclear fission.

He said calmly and excitedly:

"Okay, Dean."

Li Qiwei said:
"Over the past 20 years, Huangpu Polytechnic has produced many physics students."

"They are the most valuable researchers in the Pangu Project."

"Perhaps their scientific research and innovation capabilities are insufficient, but building a nuclear reactor involves more technical details."

"Therefore, we should make good use of these people."

"And I will also join the discussion."

Wow!
Deng Huaining was immediately filled with confidence.

He knew what a nuclear reactor was; in layman's terms, it was about controlling the speed of neutrons to slow down nuclear fission.

Therefore, the key lies in reducing the speed of neutrons.

In addition, it is necessary to be able to stop the nuclear reaction at any time, which requires the use of cadmium rods.

Cadmium has a very strong ability to absorb neutrons, so as long as a cadmium rod is inserted into the reactor, fission will stop immediately due to the reduction of neutrons.

These details didn't require experimentation; Li Qiwei provided them directly.

The cost of building a nuclear reactor is very small.

In real history, Fermi spent only $2 million to build Chicago Reactor 1 (excluding the heavy water plant).
Then, Li Qiwei said:

"Yuan Li, you are responsible for managing the nuclear reactor laboratory and ensuring the smooth progress of the experiments."

Nuclear reactors are extremely important, so they need to be managed both technically and physically.

He's imitating the combination of Fermi and Compton.

Xia Yuanli nodded. His abilities were not yet sufficient for research work, but management suited him well.

At this point, Li Qiwei continued:

"The final third step was the design and manufacture of the atomic bomb."

"The 'Mountain' division we are in now is dedicated to achieving this goal."

"I will personally serve as the chief engineer for the atomic bomb design."

Wow!
Everyone looked excited!

This is the true core of the Pangu Project.

"I already have a specific design in mind."

"Next, I will hold a special R&D meeting."

"The 'Mountain' division comprises several departments, including the Theory Department, the Computing Department, and the Manufacturing Department."

"The director of the Theory Department is Yu Yin, the director of the Computing Department is Wu Shi, and the director of the Manufacturing Department is Xu Qitai."

Xu Qitai comes from a renowned scientific family in China, dating back to his grandfather's generation, and is skilled in various inventions.

Therefore, he has a deep talent in the field of mechanical manufacturing and also has connections.

After the atomic bomb is designed, it still needs to be actually manufactured, so this is also an important department.

Anyone with experience working in a manufacturing company knows that the R&D department and the production department often don't get along.

R&D Department: You guys are producing real garbage; you can't even make this!

Production Department: Your R&D is garbage. How could you possibly manufacture something with this level of design precision?
Therefore, when designing important components, R&D personnel must also involve production personnel.

Upon hearing this, all three nodded emphatically.

Li Qiwei looked at Qian Wushi and said:
"Fifth Division, in addition to serving as the director of the Computing Department, you will also continue to serve as the head of the bomber design."

"I estimate that the atomic bomb weighs at least 4 tons, which is impossible for ordinary aircraft to carry."

"The bomber must not only be able to carry it, but also have a range of 4000 kilometers."

In the field of combat aircraft, range generally refers to the round trip distance.

In other words, the bomber needs to be able to fly continuously for 8000 kilometers.

Everyone was utterly shocked.

This distance is ridiculously long; you can imagine how difficult it must be.

Moreover, the bomb weighed 4 tons, which was simply horrifying.

Ordinary artillery shells weigh only a few hundred kilograms. However, in a 4-ton atomic bomb, only about 1 gram of uranium-235 actually plays a role.

Master Qian said:
"Dean, please rest assured."

"The bomber's current payload is sufficient, but its range is still a bit lacking."

Li Qiwei understands this very well.

Carrying such a heavy atomic bomb would naturally consume a lot of fuel, thus affecting the flight range.

However, the demands he made for Qian Wushi were achievable.

In real history, a decade or so later, American-made bombers were even capable of reaching 6000 kilometers per hour.

However, the United States took off from a small island in the Pacific Ocean and headed straight for the Sakura tribe.

As for why it's 4000 kilometers?

Because Borneo is 4000 kilometers away from places like Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

At this moment, He Yujie's eyes burned with passion.

Everyone else has been assigned tasks related to science, except for him.

Seeing this, Li Qiwei smiled slightly and said:

"The security and confidentiality of the entire Pangu Project are extremely important and require dedicated personnel to be in charge."

“My eldest brother, Li Bokai, served as the commander-in-chief of the security team, responsible for the security of various places such as mountains, rivers, and mines.”

"Yu Jie serves as the director of the disciplinary committee, responsible for background checks and disciplinary reviews of all personnel involved in the Pangu Project."

Wow!
Everyone was shocked.

Li Bokai's appointment was without issue and proceeded as expected.

However, He Yujie, the director of the disciplinary committee, was no ordinary person.

In some ways, this was equivalent to the former head of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, wielding immense power.

He Yujie was stunned at first, then his breathing became rapid.

He originally thought he would be in charge of science-related content, but he didn't expect to be in charge of classified work.

He was certainly aware of the significance of this position.

It's impossible for someone who isn't the dean's most trusted and reliable person to get this task.

"Dean, please rest assured."

"Yu Jie will absolutely guarantee that not a single piece of information about the Pangu Project will be leaked!"

Li Qiwei looked at He Yujie and felt a surge of emotion.

He had witnessed the other party's work over the years.

In his heart, He Yujie's status was even higher than that of others.

The other person was the first person to follow him.

His loyalty is as clear as day.

The reason for separating security and secrecy was also an experience Ridgeway gained from the Manhattan Project.

The Pangu Project was not a purely military project; many of its participants were researchers.

Compared to Li Bokai, He Yujie has a greater advantage in dealing with them.

After all, he is a university president, a big name in the education and science fields.

This so-called disciplinary committee is certainly not the kind of institution that has the power of life and death; rather, it relies more on conversations and heart-to-heart talks.

After all, it's bound to make a researcher uncomfortable if they don't even know the significance of their work.

At this point, guidance and intervention are needed.

If counseling doesn't work, then I'm sorry, please go as far away as possible.

"If you won't do it, plenty of others will!"

Then, Li Qiwei added:
“Brother Sheng, you are responsible for representing the Pangu Project from a macro perspective and dispelling the doubts of external personnel such as the British envoy Summers and King Venus.”

"In addition, you should keep a close eye on the research on atomic bombs in various countries around the world."

"If we can think of using it to make weapons, there will always be smart people who can think of it too."

"These are all pieces of information that we need to pay attention to."

As a seasoned veteran, Sheng Jingran immediately understood his responsibilities.

He was in charge of external social relations.

After all, the Pangu Project was a huge undertaking, involving more than 100,000 people in the early stages of infrastructure construction and the later stages of uranium plant production.

These things will always be noticed by certain people with ulterior motives.

Once these things happen, Sheng Jingran needs to take immediate action to remedy the situation.

Unfortunately, Borneo is not entirely under Ridgeway's control now, and it doesn't have the same advantages as the United States.

Therefore, it is necessary to increase investment in security and confidentiality.

Sheng Jingran's work also falls into this category, except that it is external.

He solemnly stated:

"Dean, please rest assured."

Then, Li Qiwei added:
"My second brother, Li Zhongxing, is still in charge of the entire Pangu Project, including resource mobilization, funding allocation, and land use arrangements."

Li Zhongxing said with a smile:

"Dean, don't worry, I guarantee I'll handle everything perfectly."

Historically, the department that manages money has always been the most important department.

Li Qiwei smiled knowingly; his second brother was still as carefree as ever.

Then he added:
"Zhengyang will continue to serve as my secretary, responsible for relaying my orders to various units."

"Jing Qing is the chief financial officer, responsible for the financial work of the Pangu Project."

"Furthermore, he will also serve as my personal spokesperson, the Pangu Project, and even the Borneo Academy of Sciences."

Wow!
Everyone was curious.

This is a rather unusual title for a press spokesperson.

In fact, everyone has seen similar jobs before; they are usually done by secretaries.

However, the spokesperson gave off a more sophisticated vibe.

Looking at Shen Jingqing's incredibly handsome face, everyone sighed inwardly that only he was suitable for this job.

Given Ridge-Wei's status, he will have fewer and fewer opportunities to appear in the public eye in the future.

His will will be conveyed to the world through Shen Jingqing.

Upon hearing this, Shen Jingqing was excited, his heart pounding with passion.

Only after participating in today's meeting did he finally understand how shocking the dean's plan was.

The atomic bomb is a force capable of overturning everything!

It represents a leap forward in human civilization.

And they were the first force to gain control.

What an amazing achievement!

Shen Jingqing imagines the day of the press conference, when he will say to the world:
"Gentlemen, listen to the dragon's roar!"

With this, all personnel arrangements and research and development work for Project Pangu have been completed.
-
Manhattan Project vs. Pangu Project
Los Alamos Laboratory vs. the Mountain Division;
Oak Ridge Uranium Separation Plant vs. Water Department;
Chicago No. 1 pile vs. Thunder pile;
With Ridgeway as the stabilizing force, the heavy water plant and plutonium production plant were no longer needed, saving countless manpower and resources.

Finally, he said:
"At this point in time, the world has not yet completely descended into chaos, which is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for us."

"I have a feeling that this opportunity will not last long."

"At that time, the world may be more chaotic than during World War I."

"In that case, the Western powers would be frantically trying to build the atomic bomb, and our Pangu Project would face even greater resistance."

"Therefore, while we have the peace we have now, we must speed up our progress."

Strictly speaking, the secrecy surrounding Project Pangu was certainly not as tight as that of Project Manhattan.

But there was no other way; Li Qiwei had already pushed himself to the limit.

Fortunately, the urgency of European and American countries for atomic bombs at this time was not as great as it would be more than a decade later.

Given this ebb and flow, the Pangu Project should proceed relatively smoothly.

Wow!
Everyone was moved and agreed with this analysis.

Just look at our eastern neighbors; they have not only occupied our land, but are also stirring up trouble and plotting something big.

People have already started fantasizing about the day the atomic bomb is released, and how they will give the other side a good beating and put an end to its arrogance.

(End of this chapter)