Doomsday: Humanity shrinks 100 times

Chapter 74 Steam Pump

After some discussion, everyone had a general understanding of the water system.

"So how do we build the water pump?" Zou Yunxin asked.

"I'm not very clear about this either. You should ask Xinyue." Lu Yuning shook his head.

The knowledge base of their team is quite complementary. Lu Yuning's knowledge range is slightly broader. In summary, he knows a little bit about everything.

Zhang Qian has a deep understanding of house construction, including the functions of various facilities and construction methods.

Zhang Xinyue has a better understanding of some professional knowledge of physics, and can even be said to be more professional.

"Actually, there are quite a lot of methods and devices for using steam." Zhang Xinyue thought for a while and then spoke.

"Steam engine?" Zou Yunxin asked
"The steam engine is just a mechanical device. There are actually many ways to implement it, and different types correspond to different application scenarios."

She paused and continued, "For example, the earliest steam engines were piston steam engines. As the name suggests, their working principle involves steam pressure pushing a piston back and forth within a cylinder. Early steam trains and certain power plants in factories used piston steam engines."

Lu Yuning nodded. The impression of steam engine in his mind was mainly this kind of piston-type steam device.

"Another common type is the steam turbine, which is a device that can convert the kinetic energy of steam into the rotational kinetic energy of the turbine. Its design is more efficient and can adapt to high-speed rotation. It is generally used in ships and some large power plants." Zhang Xinyue continued.

"In addition, there are steam jet engines, reciprocating steam engines, and so on. Each type has different efficiencies and involves different mechanical principles."

Everyone seems to understand but not understand.

"These all fall under the category of steam engines. In fact, in addition to steam engines, our main power source in the future may be steam engines. Compared with steam engines, steam engines are simpler in structure, quieter in noise, and do not require water. Their energy mainly comes from external combustion heat, while steam engines require more auxiliary devices."

Zhang Xinyue paused after speaking, as if considering the application scenarios of these two devices.

Everyone was confused. They hadn't figured out the steam engine yet, and now a hot air engine came out.

Lu Yuning probably understood some of what he said and said, "Can we make the steam generator now?"

Zhang Xinyue shook her head. "No, although the steam generator is simple to implement, the main problem for us is that it requires a lot of heat, at least around 700 degrees Celsius. Yun Xin's current abilities probably won't be enough."

"Okay." Lu Yuning understood a little.

In short, according to Zhang Xinyue, their main source of power in the future should be based on a steam generator, but due to the heat requirements, it cannot be done now.

However, since steam engines require water, they are not very convenient to use in practice. For example, if you are making a car that can be used by the public, you cannot install a water tank on the car.

Of course, steam engines also have specific application scenarios, such as some fixed production equipment, as well as occasions with heavy loads and high power requirements.

"Then how do we get this water pump?" Lu Yuning asked the key question.

"Well, after much thought, I realize that with our current technology, even a slightly more complex steam engine would be difficult to realize. There are two main problems."

Zhang Xinyue paused, and seeing everyone's curious eyes, she continued, "Piston and airtightness."

Lu Yuning was stunned for a moment, thinking about something, and then he understood.

Most steam engines require the participation of a piston, which drives the connecting rod through its movement, thereby converting it into kinetic energy.

However, the requirements for the piston are very high. Since it has to make reciprocating motion in the cylinder for a long time, the friction and air tightness must meet the standards.

Generally, pistons are equipped with piston rings. The material of the piston rings must have good elasticity and wear resistance to ensure the airtightness between the piston and the inner wall of the cylinder. The material of the piston rings is usually alloy cast iron and steel.

Obviously, this is not possible for them yet.

"But if it's just about pumping water, maybe we can use a Savery steam pump." Zhang Xinyue thought for a long time, and finally said a term that Lu Yuning didn't understand.

"Savery steam pump?" "Yes."

A few minutes later.

Zhang Xinyue drew a simple diagram on the ground.

"This is actually one of the earliest steam engine concepts. Its characteristic is that it has no piston, but it also loses the ability to convert into kinetic energy. Later, it was eliminated due to efficiency issues, but it is a good choice for us," Zhang Xinyue gestured.

"The working principle is mainly through the control of valves. Water vapor is first injected into the two containers, and then cooled to create a vacuum state. Since cooling takes time, the two containers are cooled separately. This allows for a cycle of operation. Then, river water is sucked into the system through pressure, and the water is then pressed into the drain pipe through valve control."

Zhang Xinyue briefly explained the origin and basic principles of the device.

Lu Yuning frowned and looked at the sketch in front of him for a while. After a long while, he nodded: "I think I understand the principle. I think I can give it a try."

Zhang Xinyue nodded and continued, "Yes, but before that, we need to calculate the water consumption and then decide on the size of the water pump."

She thought for a moment and continued, "Based on our current water usage, for example, if we were to build a bathtub, we'd need a container at least a bit larger than a person, which translates to about 0.5 milliliters of water."

"Each trip to the toilet uses about 0.1ml of water. If you calculate this three times a day, that's 0.3ml. Add in water for washing, etc., and the total is about 1ml. This is the amount used by one person. If you calculate it for six people, that's 6ml. Add in water for cooking, drinking water, etc., and it's about 6ml a day. Of course, this is just an estimate."

Zhang Xinyue wrote and drew on the ground, roughly estimating the daily water consumption.

"That means the water consumption per month is 240 ml, which is almost half a bottle of water?" Lu Yuning said.

Zhang Xinyue nodded. "Well, if it's just for daily use, it's enough. This is pretty much the maximum amount. After all, it's impossible to take a shower every day."

Lu Yuning thought for a moment and said, "In addition to domestic water, we may also need to build an irrigation system in the future. We also need to keep warm in winter, which may also require some water."

"That's not included, but we don't grow many plants, so we don't have to worry too much about irrigation. As for the issue of keeping warm, are you thinking of doing something like geothermal heating?"

"Um"

"Okay, I didn't take that into consideration, but this type of device should only use a single amount of water, so that's fine."

Lu Yuning nodded and then thought of another question: "250 milliliters, if I ask Old Wu to fill it with water, it will take..."

"It takes about thirty runs." Zhang Xin replied, obviously having calculated it before.

"Thirty times is still acceptable." Lu Yuning thought for a while.

If they wanted to fetch water manually, they could only let Wu Xiao be responsible for the transportation. The capacity of his current space was actually not small, so it was a solution.

"It is indeed possible. It will just take a little more time. However, this steam system is an experiment for us. It has good research value for the future use of steam. Mechanical automation is a matter of time, and we have the ability to do it now." Zhang Xinyue gave her opinion.

Lu Yuning nodded, having the same idea.

Although many things can be solved by manpower, technological development is the primary productive force.

Using this water pump device to unlock technology is a good choice.

"Although this steam system has a simple structure, it still poses two difficulties for us." Zhang Xinyue interrupted his thoughts.

"Ok?"

"Cooling efficiency and valves."

　The collection of this book is increasing, and the reading speed is always like an electrocardiogram, neither going up nor down. I guess it is because there are many poisons =_=. However, there are quite a few recommendations and monthly tickets, which is my only motivation.

　　Anyway, I would like to express my gratitude to the readers who have read this far.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)