60s: I have a store

Chapter 579 Success

Li Chongguang quickly returned to the laboratory with the good news and found that everyone had already gone home after get off work. Li Chongguang immediately felt embarrassed and even forgot the time while chatting with Director Hu.

Since everyone has gone back, I can only inform you of the good news tomorrow. I will go back to the office to pack up my things and then go home after get off work. After all, this little time doesn't matter.

The next morning, before the fog had dissipated, the iron lock of the laboratory made a crisp clicking sound.

Just after seven o'clock, technician Xiao Wang pushed the door open, rubbing his sleepy eyes. He saw Li Chongguang wiping the dusty laboratory table and almost thought he had read the time wrong.

"Director Li? How come you're here earlier than us?" He stared at the irrepressible smile on the other person's face, then looked down at the clock on the wall, "Don't you usually just come from home at this time?"

As more and more technicians arrived at their posts, exclamations were heard one after another in the laboratory.

Old Chen pushed up his glasses, his eyes widened behind the lenses. “Could it be that Director Li is under too much pressure and has a mood problem?”

Even the most taciturn Old Zhao couldn't help but come over, and the wrenches in his work clothes pocket clinked with his steps.

After Li Chongguang saw that everyone in the research room had arrived, he said, "Comrades, do I have some good news for you?"

Everyone began to discuss what the good news was.

You know, since the invention of the air fryer, life in the research laboratory has become more and more difficult.

After such a long time, not even a single practical thing had been invented, and a lot of materials and time had been wasted, so other leaders in the factory began to complain.

If it weren't for Director Hu's strong support and the fact that the air fryer was so popular, they wouldn't have pursued it so hard.

Li Chongguang paused for a few minutes, and when he saw that everyone had finished discussing the issue, he said, "Yesterday, Section Chief Zhou came to me and told me a good idea, which is solar water heaters."

Everyone started talking again, and no one could figure out what this solar water heater was.

However, Li Chongguang did not reveal the answer. The most important thing was that he himself did not quite understand it. It would be better to wait for Zhou Yimin to come and reveal it, otherwise it would be embarrassing.

Then he said: "Let's wait for Section Chief Zhou to come over to discuss this. The solar water heater project has been approved."

At that moment, the laboratory seemed to be thrown into a fire, and the originally dull air instantly boiled.

The enamel pot in Xiao Wang's hand fell to the ground with a clang, and the corn paste splashed on his brand new overalls. But he didn't bother to wipe it off. His eyes were wide open, and he rushed to the podium in two steps: "Director Li! Are you serious? Did Director Hu really agree?"

His voice trembled with excitement and beads of sweat appeared on the tip of his nose.

Old Chen took off his reading glasses and repeatedly wiped the lenses with the corner of his clothes, with excitement flashing in his cloudy eyes.

In the corner, the usually taciturn Old Zhao suddenly slammed the table so hard that the vernier caliper on the table jumped up: "I've been looking forward to making something new!"

Female technician Xiao Zhang jumped up excitedly, her ponytail swinging happily behind her head.

The youngest intern, Xiao Wu, blushed and stammered, "Can I...can I be responsible for data recording? I have learned the latest statistical methods and I guarantee that I can organize the experimental data clearly!"

His eyes were full of anticipation, and he clutched the notebook tightly, his knuckles turning white from the effort.

Li Chongguang looked at the excited scene in front of him, and his eyes couldn't help but get hot. He shouted at the top of his voice: "Everyone, don't be anxious! Listen to me!"

But the boiling crowd couldn't hear his voice at all.

It was not until Lao Chen picked up the gong in the corner and struck it hard with a loud "clang" that everyone calmed down a little.

"Section Chief Zhou will be here soon!" Li Chongguang wiped the sweat off his forehead. "Let's divide the work first! Lao Chen will lead the research on the solar collector, Lao Zhao will be responsible for processing parts, and Xiao Zhang will organize the technical data..."

Before he finished speaking, the technicians had already taken action on their own initiative.

Some people began to wipe the machine tools that had been dusty for a long time, while others were writing down task lists on the blackboard, not even noticing the chalk dust falling on their shoulders.

When Zhou Yimin walked quickly into the laboratory, he was greeted with deafening applause.

Xiao Wang brought the only chair with an armchair, but Zhou Yimin pushed it away with a smile.

He rolled up his shirt sleeves and glanced at the expectant faces, but he was confused.

Xiao Wang couldn't wait: "Chief Zhou, what on earth is this solar water heater?"

Zhou Yimin then realized that it was a solar water heater: "Solar water heater is..."

After hearing this, everyone became more motivated. This kind of thing that benefits the country and the people must not be missed.

Zhou Yimin picked up the chalk and sketched a simple schematic on the blackboard: "You see, this device is like a giant solar cooker, but we have to solve three core problems - efficient heat collection, thermal energy storage, and anti-freeze protection."

His fingertips traced the vacuum tube structure on the blackboard: "Just like the air duct design of an air fryer, every detail determines success or failure."

At this point, he saw Lao Chen nodding thoughtfully, while Xiao Wang had already started to record the key points, with the pen tip rustling on the paper.

When Zhou Yimin drew the first sketch of the solar water heater on the blackboard, the morning light was shining through the mottled glass of the laboratory, reflecting the expectations in everyone's eyes.

However, reality soon shattered this ardent vision like a cold wind in late autumn in the north.

The first and foremost difficulty is the choice of solar collector materials.

According to theoretical design, vacuum tubes require a coating that can efficiently absorb solar energy while minimizing heat loss.

The research team tried more than a dozen material combinations, from special glass in the factory's inventory to recycled optical lenses, and even set their sights on the only remaining coating machine in the laboratory.

Lao Chen and Xiao Wang stayed in front of the laboratory bench for three days and three nights, adjusting the temperature and duration of the coating.

But when the first finished vacuum tube was placed under simulated sunlight for testing, the thermometer pointer seemed to be frozen and did not move at all.

"How is that possible?" Old Chen pushed up his glasses, his bloodshot eyes almost touching the surface of the vacuum tube. "There's clearly no problem with the calculation data!"

Finally, under a microscope, they discovered that there were countless tiny pores on the surface of the coating that were difficult to see with the naked eye. They were like invisible mouths that swallowed up all the hard-earned heat.

The test of thermal insulation performance was even more problematic.

After the water tank filled with hot water was wrapped in three layers of quilts and stuffed into a makeshift insulated box, everyone sat around the instrument, staring at the thermometer without blinking.

In the first two hours, the water temperature dropped at a normal rate, but at three o'clock in the morning, the temperature curve suddenly began to drop sharply.

Li Chongguang lifted the quilt to check, and a chill hit his face. There was actually fine white frost condensed on the surface of the water tank: "It's the gap in the welding joint!" Zhou Yimin squatted down, touched the seam of the water tank with his fingers, and his fingertips instantly became cold.

It turned out that in order to save materials, the thin-walled stainless steel they used shrank at low temperatures, causing tiny cracks to appear in the originally tight welds, like ant holes on a dam, allowing heat to be lost continuously.

Just when the team was struggling with material issues, equipment shortage became another obstacle.

The most worrying thing is the time pressure.

The two-week deadline set by Director Hu was like a sword of Damocles hanging high.

As the days passed, the lights in the laboratory became dimmer and dimmer - in order to save electricity, they turned off most of the fluorescent lights and only left a few desk lamps above the workbench.

The technicians' eyes were bloodshot, their overalls were stained with oil and paint, some were so tired that they could even doze off while standing, but they always held the tools in their hands tightly.

On Li Chongguang's desk, notes urging progress were piling up higher and higher, while in the experimental record book, failed plans crossed out in red pen were so numerous that they almost covered the original design blueprint.

However, these difficulties did not defeat everyone. When another experiment failed, Zhou Yimin stood in the middle of the messy laboratory and held up a deformed vacuum tube: "Comrades, when we made the air fryer fly abroad, it was not all smooth sailing!"

His voice echoed in the empty room, "These failures are not the end. They are God telling us that the correct answer lies in the next try!"

These words were like a heavy hammer, waking up the exhausted people.

They rubbed their sore eyes and plunged into a new round of experiments. The sound of clanging and knocking and the voices of discussion could be heard again in the laboratory.

The early morning mist still shrouded the factory area, but dim lights were already shining through the windows of the research laboratory.

The third day of the assault began with the sound of an alarm clock. Xiao Wang, with dark circles under his eyes, poured a lot of Gaocui into the teacup. The bitter smell mixed with the smell of soldering iron filled the small space.

Old Chen's reading glasses slid to the tip of his nose, and his calloused hands were carefully spraying the newly prepared coating on the vacuum tube. Every movement seemed to be a last-ditch effort.

At exactly eight o'clock, the sound of the workshop's iron door being pushed open startled everyone.

Director Hu was wearing his signature metal safety helmet, followed by Director Zhang from the production department. The sound of their footsteps was particularly clear on the concrete floor.

Li Chongguang hurriedly put down the vernier caliper in his hand, and his overalls were still stained with oil from debugging the equipment last night. "Director, you are here!"

His voice trembled a little. He caught a glimpse of a dozen scrapped vacuum tubes piled in the corner, and his Adam's apple rolled unconsciously.

Director Hu did not respond, but his eyes fell directly on the experimental device that was taking shape in the center of the workbench.

The device is supported by rusty angle steel, and the crooked collector tubes are arranged in a haphazard manner, making it look like an unfinished steel monster.

"Is this the result of three days?" He said in a low voice. He reached out and touched the surface of the collector tube. His fingertips were stained with a layer of silver-gray paint. "It looks like something we picked up from a recycling station."

Zhou Yimin stood up from the welding area, with the protective mask still hanging around his neck, his exposed face red from the welding light.

"Manager, we are testing the coating formula," he explained.

"Yesterday we discovered that the existing material would produce pores at high temperatures, so we improved the composition ratio overnight."

Director Hu took a closer look, his brows still furrowed. Director Zhang of the production department suddenly said, "Chief Zhou, the air fryer production line is still short of two milling machines. Can you move the equipment that is occupied here first?"

These words instantly froze the atmosphere in the laboratory. Several technicians stopped what they were doing and stared at Zhou Yimin nervously.

"Give us two more days." Zhou Yimin's voice was steady, but with unquestionable determination, "These devices are undergoing critical tests. If they are interrupted, all previous efforts will be in vain."

He turned to look at Li Chongguang, who immediately understood and brought a thick experimental record book: "Director, although the appearance is rough, the core data has made a breakthrough.

Yesterday, under simulated sunlight, the water temperature rose to 42 degrees, percent higher than the initial design.

Director Hu flipped through the notebook and saw the shocking traces of changes made by red pen annotations among the densely packed data and charts.

His fingers paused when he saw the experimental records at three in the morning - the page was stained with tea and a few faint sweat marks.

"The two-week deadline cannot be extended even for a single day." He closed the notebook, but his tone softened. "But I will coordinate the equipment issue, and the production department will think of a solution."

Before leaving, Director Hu once again looked at the messy laboratory table, his eyes sweeping across the tired yet stubborn faces of the technicians.

"When we were developing the air fryer, you guys were also desperate." His voice suddenly softened, "Don't let me down."

As the iron door closed again, there was a brief silence in the laboratory, followed by more intense discussions and the sounds of equipment running.

After so many days of hard work, the night of the tenth day was finally as thick as ink, and the incandescent lights in the laboratory seemed particularly dazzling in the cold night.

Zhou Yimin's shirt had long been soaked with sweat, and layers of white salt had formed under the heating. He stared at the thermometer in front of him, his Adam's apple rolling with the ticking of the second hand.

On the experimental bench, the newly assembled solar water heater stood quietly, and the dark black array of collector tubes glowed under the light, like a dormant giant beast waiting to awaken.

"The temperature has risen to 58 degrees!" Xiao Wang suddenly screamed and almost dropped the notebook in his hand to the ground.

This young man in his early twenties had bloodshot eyes and his overalls were worn to a shine at the knees, but at this moment he was jumping on the spot like a child.

Old Chen pointed the infrared thermometer at the water tank with trembling hands. The numbers on the LCD screen kept rising. He suddenly took off his reading glasses, tears welling up in his cloudy eyes: "It worked. It really worked!"

Li Chongguang's Zhongshan suit was wrinkled like dried pickled vegetables, and his tie hung crookedly around his neck. He grabbed the intercom with an incredibly steady hand: "Start the low-temperature test immediately!"

As the order was given, two technicians quickly pushed the equipment into the modified refrigerator.

When the cabinet door was closed, Zhou Yimin noticed that Lao Zhao secretly wiped his face - this usually taciturn fitter still had undried welding slag on the cuffs of his work clothes.

The cold air was raging in the enclosed space. Everyone gathered around the thermometer and breathed cautiously.

Ten minutes later, the temperature curve of the refrigerator stabilized, while the water temperature inside the tank only dropped by 3 degrees.

"The thermal insulation efficiency has reached the standard!" Xiao Zhang excitedly slapped the calculation draft on the table, and the edges of the paper became fuzzy from being rubbed repeatedly by her.

The entire laboratory suddenly erupted in thunderous cheers. Someone threw the herbal tea in the enamel jar high into the air, someone knocked over the toolbox while hugging each other, and the clinking sound mixed with laughter echoed between the walls.

At three o'clock in the morning, Director Hu rushed over after receiving a call.

(End of this chapter)