1novels #251 - The beginning of converter steelmaking and new military upgrades
#251 - The beginning of converter steelmaking and new military upgrades
"We succeeded! We succeeded!" In a workshop of the Northwest Steel Plant, Xu Jiucheng couldn't help but burst into tears of joy after testing the latest batch of molten steel.
As the old director of the Yangcun Iron and Steel Joint Factory, which had an annual output of 100,000 tons of steel, Xu Jiucheng was a veteran of Ren Zhong's early industrialization efforts.
He had been organizing the production and development of the steel industry in Yangcun and Heyuan, while also teaching steel smelting technology, effectively serving as the head of the Yangcun Technical College.
After the recovery of Taiyuan, Ren Zhong remembered this former deputy chief designer of the Taiyuan Steel Plant and directly transferred him back to serve as the chief designer of the Northwest Steel Plant.
This was because Ren Zhong had a new smelting technology that needed Xu Jiucheng's help to refine and put into industrial production.
This was the research work on oxygen top-blown converters.
According to the technical data provided by Ren Zhong, Xu Jiucheng needed to convert a side-blown small converter into an oxygen top-blown converter. The oxygen lance was a key piece of equipment in the top-blown converter steelmaking technology. Ren Zhong provided relevant design reference materials, and Xu Jiucheng needed to organize manpower to overcome the welding challenges, trial-produce the first oxygen lance, and then improve the converter structure and blowing process.
Thanks to the complete reference process, Xu Jiucheng lived up to expectations. In less than two months, he converted No. 1, a 3-ton air side-blown alkaline small converter on the production line, into a 3-ton oxygen top-blown converter for process testing and research. The result was a complete success, and the first batch of qualified molten steel was produced.
In terms of time, it took less than 40 minutes!
It should be known that the main steelmaking method at this time was open-hearth steelmaking. Even in the mainstream of the main world's steelmaking, 85% of the world's steel production in the 1950s came from open-hearth furnaces. The real shift only began in 1953 when Austria's Voest-Alpine developed the Linz-Donawitz process (LD process) of oxygen top-blown converter steelmaking.
Open-hearth steelmaking took nearly 8 hours per batch, but the converter steelmaking method guided and improved by Ren Zhong only took about 40 minutes, which was an astonishing increase in efficiency.
For Xu Jiucheng, an old-timer in the steelmaking industry, this was a history-making event. How could he not be excited?
"The 3-ton one is a success. Once all six 3-ton furnaces in the current steel plant are converted, we will transform into converter steelmaking and improve efficiency with technology.
As for your side, take a bigger step next time and build a 30-ton one. We have the conditions now, so don't be afraid of failure. Success is certainly gratifying, but failure is nothing to be afraid of. Summarize the experience and try a few more times, and you will succeed. With the experience of the 3-ton converter, I think you can handle the 30-ton one," Ren Zhong suggested directly after listening to Xu Jiucheng's test report, now that the improved converter could basically produce stably.
In the historical timeline he had researched, Shougang had developed in this way.
Ren Zhong had this information, so he directly increased the capacity of the converter tenfold, which made Xu Jiucheng gasp.
However, he immediately became excited again. Who wouldn't want to do something big that could be written into the family tree and history books? The 3-ton converter had already made history, and when the 30-ton converter came out, it would be a new history!
"No problem, Mr. Ren. With your technical guidance, we have absolute confidence and will complete this task with 100% effort," Xu Jiucheng said loudly, like a soldier.
If the 30-ton converter was successfully tested, then one 30-ton converter could stably produce more than 140,000 tons in 300 days, and if it stably produced for 320 days, the capacity would be nearly 160,000 tons! This seemed very close to the million-ton steel production capacity that Ren Zhong had mentioned.
As long as 6 sets of 30-ton converters were developed, a million-ton capacity could be achieved. For an old-fashioned figure like Xu Jiucheng, if he could really lead the Northwest Steel Plant to a million-ton capacity industry, it would be worth dying for!
Therefore, holding the latest 30-ton converter information provided by Ren Zhong, Xu Jiucheng was as motivated as if he had been injected with chicken blood.
In fact, Ren Zhong had reserved some data from Xu Jiucheng. According to Shougang's experience, in the historical timeline of the main world, Shougang designed and built China's first 30-ton oxygen top-blown converter steelmaking equipment based on the basic process research, equipment process flow, basic operating system, technical and economic indicators, and other parameters of China's first 3-ton oxygen top-blown converter industrial production test in 1962. The production capacity reached more than 10 times that of the open-hearth workshop!
After the realization of Shougang's 30-ton oxygen top-blown converter steelmaking, the annual production capacity reached 200,000 tons. Then, in 1965 and 1967, the second and third 30-ton oxygen top-blown converters were put into operation one after another, and Shougang's converter steelmaking plant with an annual output of 600,000 tons of steel was fully completed.
As a wartime state, Ren Zhong's method of copying homework could greatly shorten this process.
At most one year, the 30-ton converter would complete research and testing and be put into production.
However, Ren Zhong would not wait for Xu Jiucheng to complete the research before investing.
On the basis of the 3-ton converter, expanding the 6-ton small converter by one time could be directly produced and built, continuing to increase the production capacity of the Northwest Steel Plant.
When the 30-ton converter is researched in one year, in addition to the 5 sets in Northwest Steel, directly install 3 sets in Jiuyuan and 2 sets in Luan, first create a new production capacity of 2 million tons!
Thinking about it this way, 3 million tons of steel production capacity in 2 years and 5 million tons in 3 years doesn't seem particularly impossible.
It's just that the mining, transportation, and smelting of crude iron now need to be planned. Such a huge smelting scale, the upstream mining of tens of millions of tons, transportation, and preliminary smelting, all require massive amounts of manpower and material resources. It is very difficult, but not impossible.
This is just a place developing in a down-to-earth manner. Ren Zhong thought of the current expansion speed of the base area. By next year, it will not only be a corner of Jin.
I just don't know what extent they can achieve.
Next year, if we take down the Great Northeast...
Ren Zhong's heart surged. That is the resource-rich Great Northeast.
The change of ownership in Hedong has intensified friction between the border area and the GMD. Director Hu was ordered to create friction and prepare for a blitzkrieg against the border area.
A force of 130,000 troops is eager to try.
Having deciphered the telegram exchanges of the Eighth War Zone and gained a thorough understanding of the movements of the Guofu troops, the Border Region issued a stern statement exposing the Guofu's conspiracy and warning of the consequences of invading the Border Region.
To dispel any notions the Guofu might have about the Border Region, the Eighth Garrison Regiment, which had long protected the Dawn Research Institute and possessed a foundation of comprehensive weapons and mechanical training, was ordered to reorganize into the Eighth Mechanized Infantry Brigade of the Border Region (less two tank company), and deployed to Heshui and Qingyang for警戒 duty; the Ninth Garrison Regiment was reorganized into the Ninth Mechanized Infantry Brigade of the Border Region (less two tank company), and deployed to the Fuxian area for 警戒 duty.
The original Guanzhong Garrison Command (under the jurisdiction of the 1st and 3rd Security Regiments, Type B regiments) was upgraded to two Type A regiments, and additionally equipped with one tank company and one 107mm artillery battalion.
Seven days later, a division of Hu's troops entered the Guanzhong Garrison Area for friction. The 1st Security Regiment was ordered to counterattack. With the assistance of the tank company and the 107mm artillery battalion, they decisively defeated the friction division. Almost simultaneously, a cavalry brigade of Ma's troops entered Qingyang. The Eighth Mechanized Infantry Brigade counterattacked, and the tank company and jeep machine gun company annihilated the entire cavalry brigade!
The two battles were clean and decisive, shocking the Guofu. From then on, the emerging friction troops all retreated to their original positions. The Border Region exposed the conspiracy with detailed images, and achieved a courteous and restrained victory against stubbornness. The Guofu was subjected to strong pressure from the Allied forces, especially General Shi, and all sectors strongly called for unity against the enemy.
This allowed the Border Region to defuse an unprecedented friction campaign.
According to the Border Region's deployment, the three regiments under the Security Command were also upgraded to Type A regiments, and the Security Command was equipped with one tank company and one 107mm artillery battalion to ensure the security and defense of the southern Border Region.
Among the nine garrison regiments of the Border Region, the remaining seven garrison regiments were all upgraded to Type A regiments. The original 1st Garrison Brigade was abolished, and the Special Service Regiment was upgraded to a Mechanized Infantry Guard Brigade. In addition, 23 Type B regiments were organized in the 23 counties of the Border Region, forming a Border Region garrison force of over 90,000 people consisting of 3 mechanized infantry brigades, 12 Type A regiments, and 23 Type B regiments.
Together with the three Type A regiments and five Type B regiments of the Saibei Military Region in the Ik Zhao League and Jiuyuan, and the three Type A regiments and seven Type B regiments of the Suiyuan-Mongolia Autonomous Army, the Border Region and Saibei supported each other, enough to cope with any unexpected event.
This ensured that the Border Region base and research institute were safe and free from external interference.
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Turning a crisis into nothing.
In the Jin area, now that it was connected into one piece, the Eighth Route Army Headquarters carried out a reorganization. The original Jinxi (Northwest Shanxi) troops were reorganized with the goal of forming 2 mechanized infantry brigades (Lvliang and Fenyang), 9 Type A regiments, and 12 local Type B regiments, responsible for Lvliang and Fenyang, strategically supporting the development and security of the Border Region and Saibei.
The goal for the Wutai area was to reorganize into 1 mechanized infantry brigade (Yunzhong) and 7 Type A regiments, 13 local Type B regiments, responsible for the Wutai and Yunzhong areas, and strategically supporting the Jin-Cha-Ji Military Region in the Zhangbei area.
The Taihang area would have 5 mechanized infantry brigades and 13 Type A regiments, 21 Type B regiments, responsible for the defense line from Taiyuan and Jinzhong to Shijiazhuang and the development of the Taihang Mountains.
The Taiyue Jin Southeast area, the brigade commander wanted 5 mechanized infantry brigades, 15 Type A regiments, and 30 Type B regiments, responsible for the Hedong, Henan, Shangdang, and Wei areas, and strategically supporting the development of Jizhong.
Although there was a serious shortage of tanks in the mechanized infantry brigades, according to the headquarters' plan, the base areas had already transferred troops to build mechanized infantry brigades according to the framework of Li Yunlong's Mechanized Infantry Independent Brigade, and had begun large-scale training of automobile drivers and tank combat teams, artillery combat teams, and other special technical arms.
This was in terms of the field army. The garrison regiments, Type C regiments, originally reorganized from each county in the locality, were now gradually increasing their allocation of a 107mm artillery company to increase the mobile firepower for local counterattacks on the basis of 120mm mortars, thereby enhancing the mobility of the local garrison.
According to this completely new reorganization plan, when the equipment was in place, an elite force that could fight when called upon and win every battle could be formed immediately.
The current plan to reorganize 15 mechanized infantry brigades basically met Ren Zhong's requirements for the initial preparation for attacking the Northeast.
It was just that the production of 900 tanks was estimated to take some time.
The success of the converter steelmaking could shorten this time somewhat, after all, the production capacity of special steel had increased several times at once.
According to the successful experience of the Taiyuan Northwest Steel Plant, the Border Region's steel plant and the Jiuyuan Steel Plant almost simultaneously carried out the transformation of the converter, which increased the production capacity several times at once!
This brought forward the explosion of tank production capacity. After all, a T34 required more than 30 tons of steel. The original daily production capacity of Northwest Steel was only more than 30 tons, and a part of it had to be used to make mechanical equipment, machine tools, and other rigid needs. Only 20 vehicles could be produced in a month at most. Now that it had exploded several times, the daily production capacity of special steel reached about 300 tons, enough for seven or eight T34 tanks a day, even for such a large consumer.
If production was carried out according to the configuration of one T34 and two M3 tanks, a maximum of 200 tons of steel could be allocated per day to support the raw material supply for nine tanks.
Of course, a certain share must now also be allocated to automobile production. According to the ratio of one truck to three jeeps, 50 tons of steel can be allocated per day to support the raw materials for 60 vehicles.
In this way, the major heavy machinery factories in the Jin area could produce tanks and automobiles at full capacity, greatly shortening the time to accumulate 15 tank battalions, and the preliminary mechanized main force could be completed in more than three months.
When the summer of 1944 arrived, the strength of the reorganized Eighth Route Army would inevitably soar to a new height.
Not only would there be fully mechanized mechanized infantry brigades, but in the Type A regiments, heavy weapons such as 107 artillery and mountain guns would also be jeep-towed, and logistics transport would also be truck-based, which would be equivalent to freeing the mobility of the Type A regiments from the limitations of mules and horses.
Mobility will also rise to a new height compared to the present.
Of course, all of this will make oil extraction very important, but all of this was expected by Ren Zhong. At the beginning, when the oil refining equipment and mining equipment were produced, reserves were left. According to 100,000 tons as the first phase of construction, with the increase of the Border Region's strength, the first phase of 100,000 tons of mining and refining construction has been basically completed, and the second phase of 300,000 tons project has already started.
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