Traveling through the sword to engage in military industry.

Chapter 81: Can open-hearth steelmaking be done this way?
"Okay, everyone, now that we've seen the iron-making, let's go to the steel-making area. Our steel plant has just been built, and the first batch of steel failed. The strength is far from what steel should be. We need to make adjustments and optimizations before we can produce qualified steel." Ren Zhong saw that everyone was getting excited, smiled, and began to take everyone to another place.

I knew it! I knew it! Gao Kaiming thought frantically in his heart.

Even though Ren Zhong said he had not succeeded yet, what he saw before had completely conquered this dark middle-aged man.

This is a real industrial miracle!

What Yangcun has now was completely unbelievable before Gao Kaiming came, because Yangcun has basically begun to complete the closed-loop production of a real arsenal!
In a mountain village, without any modern industrial base, which relies entirely on folk traditional methods, this is undoubtedly a miracle on earth!
Gao Kaiming didn’t know that in another time and space, real Eighth Route Army workers also built an arsenal from scratch on this basis!
Although their production capacity and technological content are far inferior to those of Yangcun today, this is not because they did not work hard, but because Ren Zhong stood at the end of their achievements in advance to give back to them!
On the other side, Xu Jiucheng, who seemed a little distraught because he couldn't find his position, seemed to come back to life after hearing this. Steelmaking requires a higher level of technology than ironmaking. After all, the conditions required for ironmaking are mainly to raise the temperature, burn the iron ore, and then use coke and other auxiliary materials to produce molten iron.

But steelmaking is different. The fact that Guoxuan produces only 1500 tons of steel a year is proof of this. Guoxuan manages tens of millions of people and has tens of thousands of metallurgical talents under it, but how many of them can successfully produce steel?
Many college students studying metallurgy don’t understand what kind of reactions are required to produce steel. Even though foreigners have built so many steel mills in China, they don’t tell anyone about the core process. Even core technical talents like Xu Jiucheng in the steel plant cannot access these key things!

"You have also figured out how to make steel. Take me to see it now!" Xu Jiucheng said impatiently.

Ren Zhong smiled and said nothing more.

They were taken to the open-hearth steelmaking site a few hundred meters away, which was also ordinary and simple.

The fire here has been stopped and the process has been cooled down. The half-refined ore and iron blocks have been taken out, waiting for Ren Zhong to analyze the cause and find the problem and start again.

Xu Jiucheng looked at the waste products, picked up a piece, smelled it, and then went to look at the steel ingots condensed from the molten steel.

"This has been formed into steel. Boss Ren, what process did you use?" Xu Jiucheng said excitedly, "The sulfur content in the raw materials should be too high. In addition, the phosphorus content of the local iron ore is also high. Is it because the phosphorus removal is not done well, resulting in the brittle steel produced?"

After all, Xu Jiucheng is an old technician engaged in front-line steelmaking. After taking a quick look at the raw materials and samples on site, he combined his own experience and came up with a very reliable idea.

"Xu Gong, I am still analyzing the reason. What you said is just one of the considerations. After I check the relevant information, I can confirm what exactly caused the serious lack of steel strength." Ren Zhong said vaguely. He didn't know much about this aspect. Only after Hu Rentao came out with the analysis conclusion would he know the specific reason.

Ren Zhong had no way of explaining this matter to anyone, so he could only muddle through for the time being.

"Boss Ren, we can change the formula and try more. We are very close to success now. I suggest that we solve the sulfur and dephosphorization problems first." Xu Jiucheng stared at Ren Zhong with a burning gaze.

"Can you let me know the steelmaking process? If there is a detailed design process, I want to know." Xu Jiucheng said impulsively. He just realized that he was being too reckless. The steelmaking process is the core secret of the steel plant. He looked at the pipes of the steelmaking device and had a bold idea in his mind that he couldn't believe.

"Xugong, if you choose to stay, you can certainly learn about our steelmaking process. This is a set of steelmaking equipment we built using the open-hearth method. The conditions are a bit simple, but in terms of functional principles, there is no difference from the Martin furnace." Ren Zhong said.

"Is this really open-hearth steelmaking? Can open-hearth steelmaking be done this way?" Xu Jiucheng said in a lost voice after hearing Ren Zhong confirm the almost impossible idea in his mind.

He was an old steel technician and had seen open-hearth furnaces and converters before, but he had never seen a open-hearth furnace like the one in Yangcun.

You should know that open-hearth furnace is the most mainstream steelmaking process in the world today, representing world-class standards.

But in Yangcun, everything here is very strange.

The most mainstream craft methods are used in the most rudimentary facilities, and it seems that everything here is designed to break the rules.

"It is indeed the open-hearth steelmaking method, Xugong, you see the other place where the pipeline is connected is a gas generator. Of course, it has stopped now. Our furnace is completely designed according to the Martin furnace. Of course, we have used local materials and built the heat storage chamber with local refractory clay bricks. In terms of service life, it is far different from the regular open-hearth heat storage chamber." Ren Zhong went on to explain.

There was nothing secret about these things. Without the drawings and without opening the furnace to inspect them on site and measure the dimensions, Xu Jiucheng would definitely not just look at them from outside for a while.

"Boss Ren, I have decided. I will stay and learn the open-hearth steelmaking from you. Here I can have the opportunity to learn and grow, and also a place for me to make a small contribution." Xu Jiucheng finally made up his mind.

He has already understood that although the equipment in Yangcun is simple, the relevant technical skills and knowledge are definitely one of the best in the country today!

Let’s not talk about anything else, just the open-hearth steelmaking process, you will definitely not be able to learn such detailed knowledge outside.

"No problem, welcome to XCMG. I think, here, we can create a new history for the base's steel production." Ren Zhong was not polite at all. Even though the other party was a technical staff at the chief engineer level, in the face of the huge technological gap between the times, he was like a primary school student compared to the era represented by Ren Zhong.

But this elementary school student can grow quickly. Under the enlightenment of the knowledge brought by Ren Zhong, he will soon grow into a qualified tool man. This open-hearth steelmaking process will be carried forward in the future. Ren Zhong will certainly not copy it himself. For such a thing, it is best to find a tool man to replace him. Now, Xu Jiuchen is the best tool man!
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(End of this chapter)