novelSusiti Chapter 57 Generator Electrolytic Aluminum and Coal Mine Exploration
Chapter 57 Generator Electrolytic Aluminum and Coal Mine Exploration
Chapter 57 Generator Electrolytic Aluminum and Coal Mine Exploration (Please Subscribe)
Just as Yuan Guang and his men were attacking Wild Wolf Town.
San Francisco, inside Chinatown.
Several scientists from the electrical engineering team were standing in front of Zeng Tai, proudly introducing their painstaking new invention—a self-excited DC generator!
It was a massive structure made of brass and cast iron, wrapped with thick insulated wires, and its structure looked very complex.
Zeng Tai blinked and asked, "I know what a generator is, but what does 'self-excited' mean?"
One of the scientists in the electrical engineering group scratched his head and said, "How can I explain this to you?"
Since Faraday created the first experimental model of a permanent magnet generator in 1831, all generators in the world have required an external power source, such as a battery pack, to power them and generate a magnetic field before they can start producing electricity.
If the external power source fails, the generator will immediately lose its magnetism and shut down; this type of generator is called a separately excited generator.
He walked over to the machine and pointed to several key coils and armature components: "But the self-excited type doesn't need any external power source at all."
We utilize the residual weak magnetism in the generator's iron core, and through a specially designed circuit, we allow the initial tiny induced current to amplify its own magnetic field. A stronger magnetic field results in a larger current.
This cycle repeats itself, like a snowball rolling downhill. Eventually, the generator will be able to start running on its own.
Zeng Tai blinked again, seemingly only half understanding.
Su Song, who was standing nearby, coughed and asked, "What about the advantages?"
The electrical scientists stated, "The structure is simple, reliable, and low-cost. Furthermore, the voltage is more stable. The use of electrical energy can be further applied and industrialized, making it possible to replace various machines powered by steam engines."
He paused for a moment and said, "For example, arc lamps, electric motors, and wired telegraph systems are all electrical devices that cannot be used for long periods of time because they lack a stable high current. Therefore, they are just expensive toys."
Now, with the addition of our generators, it's absolutely commercially profitable.
"If you had said that earlier, I would have understood."
Zeng Tai nodded.
As Su Song said, electrical equipment in this era was basically an expensive toy.
Arc lamps rely on battery packs, have short operating times and high costs, and can only be afforded by royalty and nobility in various countries.
The electric motor, which was invented in 1830, had a power cost per horsepower hour that was dozens of times higher than that of the steam engine because it used battery packs, making it completely uncompetitive in the industry.
Even the telegraph, the true god of communications that effectively facilitated the global flow of information, has now hit a ceiling.
It has low power, weak signal, and requires frequent maintenance and replacement, resulting in high costs.
Suddenly, a thought struck him, and he asked, "Speaking of which, once our generator is running, could we directly start the industrial production of electrolytic aluminum?"
Aluminum, a metal as precious as gold in this era.
At its most expensive, it was worth $34 an ounce, 1.8 times the price of gold.
In 1852, after Napoleon III ascended the throne, he held a grand banquet for his guests. He wore an aluminum crown and used a complete set of aluminum cutlery. His favorite members of the royal family and nobility were also fortunate enough to use aluminum spoons and forks.
The reason for this is that refining is too difficult.
Aluminum has an extremely strong affinity for oxygen, and it exists almost entirely in nature as aluminum oxide. Common carbon reduction methods are completely ineffective against aluminum, failing to extract metallic aluminum.
A few years ago, French chemist Deville achieved the first industrial production of aluminum using chemical displacement, but the cost was still as high as $132 per kilogram.
Therefore, once electrolytic aluminum production is completed, it will be an immeasurable source of wealth.
Su Song frowned and said, "My lord, the melting point of alumina is around two thousand degrees Celsius, while the highest temperature of molten salt electrolysis is only a little over one thousand degrees Celsius. Electrolytic aluminum is not very possible."
"No, it's possible."
Zeng Tai said confidently, "This has already been verified. I just forgot what needs to be added in the middle, but it can lower the melting point of alumina."
After thinking about it, he still couldn't remember, so he simply applied today's [Lord of Humanity] skill to Su Song.
Soon, a flood of chemical knowledge rushed into his mind, and he finally remembered what he needed to add.
"It's cryolite; we added cryolite as a solvent!"
"Cryolite melts at around 1000 degrees Celsius, releasing fluoroaluminate ions. These ions can destroy the Al3+ in alumina crystals."
The strong interaction between 0 and - causes alumina to "dissolve" in the molten cryolite, forming a homogeneous ionic liquid.
Upon hearing this, Su Song's eyes lit up, and he continued, "I see. After aluminum oxide dissolves, it is further dissociated by fluoride ions to form more mobile aluminum-fluorine-oxygen complex ions. Al3+ can then gain electrons at the cathode and be reduced to metallic aluminum."
"If this is the process, then electrolytic aluminum is indeed feasible."
As he spoke, he took out a pen and paper and did some calculations.
"According to the chemical formula, it takes about 50 kilograms of cryolite as a solvent to produce one ton of aluminum. The total cost of transporting one ton of cryolite from the Ivitut mine in Greenland to here is about six hundred US dollars."
Adding in the cost of generating electricity, as well as the purchase of bauxite and the manufacture of new equipment—our electrolytic aluminum production cost is approximately $15 per kilogram!
Zeng Tai was taken aback: "The cost is fifteen US dollars per kilogram? Based on the current price of aluminum at $249 per kilogram, the gross profit margin must be over 90%."
"To be precise, it's 93.98%."
Su Songdao said, "If we acquire bauxite and cryolite mines later, and our colleagues in the electrical team further improve the power generation efficiency, the gross profit margin can be even higher."
When the scientists in the electrical engineering group heard that the two were talking about themselves, they quickly patted their chests and said, "No problem, we are already thinking about the iteration of generators."
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Zeng Tai waved his hand and laughed, "There's no need to be in such a hurry. Even with the current costs, we'll have the final say on aluminum prices for the next few decades."
He paused, then said, "Speaking of mines, you've reminded me that the people we sent to Contra Costa County to explore for coal should have some news by now."
Contra Costa County, Mount Diablo.
Strictly speaking, there were two teams sent here to explore.
One team, led by a suicide squad named Charles, along with several people knowledgeable in geology and mining, conducted on-site surveys; the other team, led by Zhan Tianyou, investigated where the railway would be most suitable to be built around the coal mine at the lowest cost.
It was nearly evening when several simple tents were pitched at the foot of a sheltered hillside, with two horse-drawn wagons loaded with exploration tools and supplies parked nearby.
"Mr. Charles, I never imagined that in this age of such a gold rush frenzy, there would still be people willing to pay to explore for coal mines."
One of the invited geologists sat in front of the tent, drinking freshly brewed coffee, and said, "Even many of my colleagues can't resist the temptation and are traveling around the Sierra Nevada Mountains every day, trying to get rich overnight."
Charles smiled slightly: "For a port city and an industrial city, coal is like black gold."
"Alright, Mr. Osborn, after these few days of exploration, can you tell me the data?"
"I absolutely need to know the exact location of the coal seam, the approximate estimate of its reserves, its burial depth, the difficulty of mining, and the specific analysis of the coal quality."
Osborne put down his coffee, got up, and led Charles straight up the hillside.
The hillside is sparsely vegetated, and the exposed rock layers present a mixture of yellowish-brown and grayish-black colors under the setting sun.
They stopped at a section of the earth that had been cleared by human hands, where the structure of the ground beneath their feet was clearly visible.
Osborne pointed to the cross-section and said, "The coal seam is about five feet thick, which isn't thin. But Mr. Charles, I need to remind you that its orientation isn't very good."
He gestured with his hands and said seriously, "A good coal seam should be flat, but the coal seam we are standing on is sloping downwards at an angle of nearly 20 degrees."
This means that if a coal mine is to be mined, it will soon encounter the problem of increased pressure from the upper rock strata. If it is not reinforced, it may collapse and directly crush the tunnel.
Furthermore, due to its downward orientation, gas and groundwater tend to flow downwards, easily leading to gas accumulation and groundwater flooding of the tunnels.
As Osborne spoke, he walked forward and soon stopped at a spot where the rock strata were uneven.
"That's not the most troublesome thing. The most troublesome thing is the fault."
This means the continuity of the coal seam has been disrupted, breaking it into segments. After excavating one segment, it is necessary to continue drilling exploration holes to find where the remaining coal seams are.
If you're unlucky, you might even need to dig an additional alleyway to search, which would greatly increase both the cost and time.
Charles crouched down, touched the broken rocks of the fault line with his fingers, and nodded.
"And what about the quality of the coal?"
Osborne took out several coal samples of varying sizes from his canvas bag; some were dark black with a good luster, while others were loosely textured brown coal.
"It's mostly lignite and sub-bituminous coal, of medium quality. High-quality bituminous coal suitable for coking has not been found, at least not within our current exploration area."
"It wouldn't be a problem to supply this coal to various workshops and households in San Francisco, or even to some steamships that want to save money. After all, California hardly produces any coal locally, and bituminous coal imported from the East Coast or Britain is expensive, so not everyone can afford to use it."
However, if the goal is to export to other states or countries, the competitiveness is limited. Shipping costs, coupled with the generally low quality of the coal, result in a price that is not competitive.
Charles nodded; all of this was expected.
However, these coals were never intended for export. Even if the coal mine only contained lignite and sub-bituminous coal, it would still be usable for the coal tar plant, given the cost.
"What about the reserves? Can you give a rough estimate?" he pressed.
Osborne took out his notebook, turned to a page with a simple topographical map and borehole locations, labeled with some numbers.
"We drilled a total of seven shallow holes, each over thirty feet deep. Based on our observations and my deductions about the geological formation, we conservatively estimate that the recoverable reserves should be over three million tons."
Charles shook hands with him and said, "I understand. Thank you for your hard work, Mr. Osborne."
"I will settle the remaining fees with you when I return to San Francisco."
Meanwhile, a few miles away, another group of people were also busy at work.
Zhan Tianyou, wearing a wide-brimmed hat, was standing on a high mound. He held an old-fashioned brass level in his hand, squinting with one eye as he observed the distant St. Joaquin River flowing through the eyepiece.
"Record: The straight-line distance from this point on the ground to that obvious bend in the riverbank is 5,800 meters."
The companion beside him quickly jotted down the data, saying at the same time, "Looking at it this way, it's not that far."
"This is the straight-line distance; you can't just fly over coal like that!"
Zhan Tianyou rolled his eyes and said, "Considering the terrain, to get from here to the river, we need to avoid a seasonal wetland and find the gentlest path through the gully in the middle."
"Based on this calculation, we need to build at least a 10-kilometer-long railway."
His companion was taken aback: "Ten kilometers? How much would that cost?"
Zhan Tianyou thought for a moment: "If we adopt the federal government's standard, the cost of building one kilometer of railway would be around ten thousand US dollars."
"However, once the coal is mined out, this railway will be abandoned, so we don't need to be so picky about the quality."
He muttered to himself and began to calculate.
"Use lighter rails, such as those weighing around 30 pounds per yard, instead of the 60 pounds or heavier rails commonly used on main lines."
"The roadbed doesn't need to be compacted as solidly as the main line; it just needs to be able to withstand the weight and frequency of coal trains."
The turning radius can also be smaller, sacrificing some speed for better terrain adaptability and reducing the amount of engineering work required for building bridges through mountains. Local timber can be used for sleepers with simple processing, and in some sections with hard soil, gravel roads can even be used directly.
After calculating to the end, he said, "Based on this standard, the cost per kilometer is five thousand US dollars, which is half the price."
night.
Fires were lit between the tents, and beans and salted meat simmered in hanging iron pots, emitting a simple food aroma.
Charles and Zhan Tianyou exchanged their intelligence.
Charles said slowly, "Based on that calculation, the initial investment will be around $100,000."
"Money is not a problem. The lord approved the budget when he sent us here, and we can apply for more if it is not enough."
Zhan Tianyou brought his hand closer to the fire and said, "The key is speed. The construction of the railway and the mine needs to be carried out simultaneously, and we should strive to produce coal in the shortest possible time."
"Let's go back to Chinatown and recruit people; this is a huge project!"
While Zhan Tianyou and Charles were chatting.
The other side of Mount Diablo.
"Boss, we've figured it out. Those people were also here to explore the coal mine."
Inside the simple wooden house, a red-haired white man with soot on his face said, "Not only that, they also seem to be planning to build a railway."
The one referred to as the boss was a middle-aged man dressed in hunting attire, with an unfriendly expression.
"We've been exploring here for so long, we've even dug out mine shafts and pits, and a bunch of outside bastards just want to rush in because they see potential profits. Aren't they afraid of breaking their teeth?"
The red-haired white man asked, "Should I bring some men over tomorrow and drive them away?"
He sneered, "Don't act like a thug, Finn. We're legitimate businessmen now, and we have plenty of ways to deal with them."
"Come with me to the county office tomorrow to see the sheriff. This land is mine, and no one can take it away!"