Building a Sci-Fi Empire: Starting with Cold Nuclear Fusion

Xiaoyun came over with the data report.

She stepped forward and said, "Engineer Qin, the data report."

Old Qin grunted in agreement, reached out and took the report to look at it.

Chen Yuan stood there, looking down at the data on the report.

This is not test data for a single battery cell, but test data for a large-scale energy storage system.

This is perfectly normal; battery cells are manufactured specifically to serve large-scale energy storage systems.

Natural testing involves not only the battery cells themselves, but also the corresponding large-scale energy storage system.

Generally speaking, a large energy storage system consists of five or six parts, including energy storage units, bidirectional energy storage converters, energy management systems, battery management systems, thermal management systems, electrical components and mechanical supports, etc.

In large-scale energy storage systems like this, if even one part malfunctions, it will essentially affect the entire system.

Chen Yuan did not speak immediately, because after the dozen or so design drawings appeared, the quantum recombination function "recorded" all the information of these design drawings into his mind.

Some of these dozen or so different battery cell designs are quite advanced.

It is impossible to manufacture using current industry technology.

Even the most advanced design could revolutionize the entire battery cell manufacturing process; it's a massive undertaking.

Chen Yuan knew that he needed to analyze which design was best suited to the current situation in order to gain a foothold in the company.

Xiaoyun whispered from the side, "The 1175ah battery cells we designed so far cannot effectively meet the standards. Not only is there a difference in capacity, but the energy storage time, cycle life and other tests also fail to meet the standards."

At this point, her tone turned somewhat bitter, "We've been working on this project for a year. If we don't achieve a breakthrough, the board might be very unhappy. In that case, the project might not be cancelled, but..."

She didn't say the rest of her words, but anyone could understand what she meant.

Old Qin knew very well that, based on his understanding of the board members, if he didn't see results soon, they would most likely disband his project team and then gather others to form a new project team.

At that time, many of the dozens of people in his project team will likely be laid off.

Even if I'm not fired, I'm afraid I won't get a chance to work on any good projects in the future.

However, despite trying every possible method he could think of, Lao Qin was still unable to create Xinghe Company's own 1175Ah battery cell, just like Haichen Company.

He said somewhat agitatedly, "I know, let's call everyone over to discuss and see if we can make some structural adjustments to change the current situation."

Xiaoyun said, "Okay."

Immediately, she turned around, clapped her hands, and said loudly, "Everyone, come here for a moment, we need to discuss something."

A group of people put down what they were doing and came over one after another.

"What's wrong?"

"What else could it be? It must be a problem with the battery cells."

"Sigh, we've been working hard all year, but we haven't achieved anything. We might really be held accountable by the board of directors."

"What should we do? What if we don't produce results and get fired? I'm still paying off my mortgage; I can't afford to lose my job."

When the R&D staff came over, they were still whispering among themselves, their voices full of worry.

Old Qin looked at everyone and said expressionlessly, "The battery cell test data came out yesterday, and I'm sure you all know it. I don't need to elaborate on the problems, do I? It's obvious that our design has major flaws. Does anyone have any good ideas on how to solve the problem at its root?"

One of the researchers, a tall, thin man in his forties, spoke up: "Old Qin, we've thought of every possible solution. What other options do we have? Besides, battery cell design blueprints can't be developed in a day or two. You need to give us time to figure it out."

Old Qin said calmly, "I would like to give you time to think it over, but this project has been going on for a year. How much more time do you think the board will give us?"

Upon hearing this, Xiaoyun, the tall, thin man, and the other R&D staff all fell silent.

Yes.

The board has recently expressed strong dissatisfaction and is unlikely to give much more time.

These people really had no choice. Since the project was started, they had tried more than a dozen different designs, all of which ended in failure.

To be honest, it's a bit unreasonable to ask them to come up with another solution now.

It's not that they lack the ability, but rather that the existing aluminum casing technology only allows them to design such battery cells.

To design battery cells with larger capacity and more cycle life, the aluminum casing process must be upgraded.

The problem is, they have already used the most advanced aluminum shell technology on the market, so upgrading it is not that easy.

For a moment, everyone fell silent.

What else can I say if I can't think of a solution?

Looking at the silent crowd with their heads down, Lao Qin couldn't help but sigh inwardly.

He actually understands everyone's feelings and knows that it is indeed a tall order to rely on this group of people to develop the most advanced 1175Ah battery cell currently on the market.

Old Qin knew that their research and development project was very likely to fail this time, and what would happen next was still unknown.

He pondered for a moment, sighed softly, and prepared to dismiss the group, saying, "If I can't think of anything, then..."

Before the speaker could finish, a voice suddenly rang out from the crowd, "What if we upgraded the width of our existing battery cells, from about 2.5 times that of a traditional 314Ah cell, to 3 times?"

Ok?

Upgraded cell width?

An increase in width means that the capacity can be larger, which does seem quite possible.

Old Qin, Xiao Yun, and dozens of others were startled at first, then quickly reacted and looked in the direction from which the sound came.

There stood a young man who was unfamiliar to most people.

When Lao Qin saw that the person speaking was Chen Yuan, he couldn't help but pause for a moment, and then said in a strange tone, "Xiao Chen, we have actually considered the method you mentioned. Otherwise, the width of the battery cell on the design drawing would not have been upgraded to 2.5 times that of the traditional one. This is already the limit of the current aluminum shell and top cover technology. If we want to continue to widen it, we can only upgrade the aluminum shell and top cover technology. We cannot do something that will disrupt the industry in a short period of time."

Xiaoyun, the tall and thin guy, and dozens of other R&D personnel nodded slightly. What Chen Yuan said was something they had thought about before; otherwise, why would the width of this battery cell be 2.5 times that of the traditional one?

Chen Yuan had already decided to use the design in his mind, and said naturally, "Brother Qin, the problems you mentioned regarding the manufacturing process of the aluminum shell and top cover are actually easy to solve. We just need to redesign it. Our company's current technology should be able to meet the requirements."

The tall, thin man chuckled, "Little...Little Chen, right? You think the manufacturing process for the aluminum shell and top cover is so easy to improve? That's a time-consuming and labor-intensive project. Take the aluminum shell, for example; it involves materials, molding processes, and more. The top cover is equally complex. It's not just a simple cover; it integrates multiple functional components such as positive and negative terminals, explosion-proof devices, and liquid injection holes. Even a tiny change to one of these usually requires a lot of manpower for design and calculation. You think you can just redesign it? It's not that easy!"

Lao Qin, Xiao Yun, and the others all nodded in agreement.

If the manufacturing process of aluminum casing and top cover is so easy to upgrade, why did they only upgrade the cell width to 2.5 times that of the traditional one, instead of 3 times, 4 times, or 5 times?

Chen Yuan confidently stated, "I have an upgraded solution for the aluminum shell and top cover manufacturing process. If you trust me, I can draw up the design drawings now, and you can judge whether it's feasible later. What do you think?"

Everyone looked towards Lao Qin, the project leader, as the decision rested with him.

To be honest, because of Chen Yuan's previous boasting, Lao Qin didn't have a good impression of him, so deep down he didn't think Chen Yuan had any ability to break the current predicament.

Therefore, deep down he didn't want to waste his time on the other person.

The project is currently in trouble, and if it fails to produce results, the project team may be disbanded.

After a moment's internal struggle, Old Qin, with a "nothing to lose" mentality, stood up and gave up his seat, saying, "Okay, you draw up a design and we'll take a look."

"OK."

Under the watchful eyes of everyone, Chen Yuan sat down in front of the computer and began drawing new battery cell designs on the software.

Currently, only Haichen Company in the world is capable of producing 1175Ah battery cells.

This technology is kept strictly confidential, so no other company could possibly know how it was designed.

Therefore, the people present actually shared the same thought as Lao Qin, and did not believe that Chen Yuan could really solve the predicament.

Unexpectedly, as soon as Chen Yuan sat down in front of the computer, he started drawing design sketches as if he had a plan in mind.

A moment later, a small portion of the design drawings appeared before everyone.

Old Qin stared at it for a moment, then frowned slightly and said, "Little Chen, isn't this panel a bit too wide?"

Chen Yuan didn't reply at all, but explained, "It does need to be wider. The typical electrode design might be around 0.4 meters. In my design, the 1175ah cell electrode needs to achieve a uniform coating of an ultra-wide width of 1.2 meters, and the coating thickness and areal density must be guaranteed to fluctuate within the micron range. In addition, during the assembly and welding process, the stack alignment accuracy needs to be controlled within 0.5 millimeters, and at the same time, more than 80 layers of ultra-thick electrode tabs need to be welded, taking into account both conductivity reliability and mechanical strength. You might not understand what I'm saying now, so let's wait until I finish drawing the design and then you can verify it slowly."

Old Qin couldn't help but ask, "Achieving what you described is very difficult..."

Chen Yuan interrupted without hesitation, saying, "It's not that difficult. As long as we use high-pressure isobaric injection and a high-ratio formation condition downstream process synergistic efficiency improvement machine, it will be fine."

Ok?

What he said seemed like a possibility.

Old Qin, Xiao Yun, and dozens of other people present were all professionals. As soon as they heard what Chen Yuan said, they immediately started calculating in their minds and found it to be quite possible.

For a moment, everyone looked at each other in bewilderment, wondering if the problem they had been struggling with for a year could really be solved by this young man in just a few words.

After Chen Yuan finished speaking, he ignored everyone and just kept drawing on the computer.

Although the design of the battery cell is not complicated, even if you copy a design, it will still take 30 to 40 minutes to draw.

Chen Yuan directly "copied" the battery cell design drawing simulated by quantum computing, which naturally took him thirty to forty minutes to draw.

During this time, Zhao Peng arrived with a group of mid-to-senior level managers from his department.

They initially saw Lao Qin, Xiao Yun, and the others standing there doing nothing and wanted to reprimand them.

Upon closer inspection, they discovered that Lao Qin, Xiao Yun, and others were looking at Chen Yuan, who was sitting in front of a computer, drawing up battery cell design diagrams.

So Zhao Peng and the seven or eight mid-to-high-level managers in his department remained silent, simply standing at the back of the crowd and watching.

These people stood there for about forty minutes without making a sound.

Finally, after Chen Yuan finished sketching the last stroke of the design, he said slowly, "Alright, there are absolutely no problems with this design. You can analyze and try it out."

what?

Did you really create the battery cell design drawings all by yourself?

Most importantly, it seems like you don't have any time to think at all; you start drawing as soon as you sit down in front of the computer.

Lao Qin, Xiao Yun, and a group of R&D personnel all felt somewhat incredulous.

Even the most confident person will at least need to think while drawing.

That would take much longer than thirty or forty minutes; it could very well take several days.

As a result, Chen Yuan has reduced the workload of several days to thirty or forty minutes. How can this not be surprising?

Whether the design is feasible or not is still unknown, but everyone is quite impressed with Chen Yuan's ability to draw up the design so quickly.

Of course, while we admire it, the most important question now is whether this design is actually feasible.