Chapter 339: Centrifugal Test

The Director of the Military Department was so excited he became incoherent: "This... this is too important! Di Guo threatens us with biochemical weapons, and now we have a more powerful countermeasure!"

The two experts from the capital could hardly wait to surround the Centrifuge to examine it closely, their faces filled with professional curiosity.

"Chief Engineer Li, could you explain the working principle of this equipment in detail?" one of them asked.

Li Mingyuan walked to the control panel: "The core of this Centrifuge is a high-speed rotor made of a special alloy. It can rotate at a speed of 90,000 revolutions per minute, generating powerful centrifugal force. When gas passes through, the heavier parts are thrown toward the outer wall, while the lighter parts remain in the central area, thereby achieving separation..."

He explained the working principle and key technology of the Centrifuge in detail, and the experts present listened, completely enthralled.

Although some details were overly technical, everyone could understand one thing—the significance of this equipment was indescribably great.

"Now, I will conduct an experimental demonstration," Li Mingyuan announced, walking to the console and pressing the start button.

The Centrifuge began to start slowly, emitting a low humming sound.

As the rotation speed gradually increased, the sound became higher and higher, but strangely, the noise was not as loud as imagined.

"This is because we adopted a special magnetic levitation bearing design," Li Mingyuan explained,

"reducing mechanical friction while also greatly lowering noise and vibration."

The numbers on the control panel climbed continuously: 30,000 rpm... 50,000 rpm... 70,000 rpm...

"It's incredible," one expert muttered to himself, "rotating at such a high speed, yet there is almost no vibration..."

When the number on the display screen broke through 90,000 rpm, the Centrifuge was still running smoothly, with only a slight hum proving it was working.

"Everyone, the rotation speed has now reached 90,000 revolutions per minute. At this speed, the centrifugal force is equivalent to one hundred thousand times the Earth's gravity," Li Mingyuan announced proudly. "According to theoretical calculations, the separation capability of this Centrifuge should reach 3 separation units, which is 20% higher than the highest level known internationally."

Minister Zhang could not understand these technical terms at all, but he could feel the shock and excitement of the two experts.

"Chief Engineer Li, this is simply a miracle!" the white-haired elder said excitedly. "Di Guo and the Polar Bears invested billions of funds and tens of thousands of scientists into this technology, and you actually... actually did it single-handedly..."

He could not continue, his voice trembling with excitement.

Everyone present understood what this meant—Long Country finally had the possibility of possessing its own weapons, no longer having to look to others for support, and never again being wantonly threatened by Di Guo.

"The Centrifuge is just the first step," Li Mingyuan said calmly. "To truly achieve independent research and development of weapons, we still need to solve many technical difficulties. But the most critical bottleneck, we have already broken through."

Minister Zhang took a deep breath to calm his excited mood: "Chief Engineer Li, this news is too significant; it must be reported to the highest level immediately. Can you write a detailed technical report?"

"It is already prepared," Li Mingyuan took out a thick folder. "Here is all the technical data for the Centrifuge, including design blueprints, material lists, and production processes. With these, plus the precision manufacturing capability of the Iron Arm-11 Robot, we can mass-produce the Centrifuge and build our own enrichment factory."

Although the preliminary demonstration of the Centrifuge shocked everyone present, Minister Zhang and the two experts soon raised a key question:

Can this equipment truly achieve enrichment? Theoretical calculations are one thing, but practical application is another.

"Chief Engineer Li, we need to conduct actual testing," the white-haired elder—whom Li Mingyuan later learned was Dean He of the Long Country Institute of Atomic Energy—said seriously. "Only by confirming that it can effectively separate isotopes can we prove the feasibility of this technology."

Li Mingyuan was prepared: "I have already designed a small-scale test plan. For safety considerations, we can first use other stable isotopes for the experiment, such as xenon gas. Its isotopic properties are similar to 【redacted】, but it has no radioactivity and is safer."

Dean He's eyes lit up: "Good idea! We can use a Mass Spectrometer to detect the separation effect."

That afternoon, Minister Zhang urgently brought in a batch of experimental equipment, including a high-precision Mass Spectrometer. At the same time, Dean He also contacted the capital, requesting the secret transport of some special gas samples to the laboratory.

Three days later, everything was ready, and the official test began.

This time, there were more people participating in the test. In addition to the previous few, several nuclear physics experts and technical personnel were added. A tense yet excited atmosphere permeated the laboratory.

"Everyone," Li Mingyuan stood beside the Centrifuge, his voice solemn, "today we will conduct the actual test of Long Country's first high-performance gas Centrifuge. The purpose of the test is to verify the separation capability and stability of the equipment."

He pointed to the Gas Storage Tank beside him: "This contains natural xenon gas, which holds 9 stable isotopes. We will process it through the Centrifuge and then use the Mass Spectrometer to detect the changes in the isotope ratio of the output gas to evaluate the separation effect."

Dean He added: "Theoretically, the Centrifuge will cause lighter isotopes to enrich in the central area, and heavier isotopes to enrich on the periphery. If the equipment performance is good, we should be able to observe a clear concentration difference."

The test procedure began. The technical personnel carefully injected the xenon gas into the Centrifuge and then started the equipment. The Centrifuge gradually accelerated and soon reached the design speed.

One hour later, the first batch of samples was collected from different positions of the Centrifuge and sent into the Mass Spectrometer for analysis.

The time spent waiting for the results seemed exceptionally long. Dean He and other experts gathered around the Mass Spectrometer, nervously staring at the constantly changing data on the screen.

Suddenly, Dean He slapped his thigh and shouted excitedly: "It's a success! It's definitely a success!"

Other experts also crowded around to look, their faces showing expressions of disbelief.

"The light isotope concentration has increased by nearly 30%!" a young expert exclaimed. "This separation efficiency... is simply incredible!"

Li Mingyuan walked over to check the data, the corners of his mouth slightly raised. The result was even better than he had expected.

"Let's test it one more time to confirm the reliability of the data," Dean He said, though excited, still maintaining the rigorous attitude of a scientist.

The second round of testing was completed quickly, and the results were almost identical to the first—the Centrifuge demonstrated separation capabilities beyond imagination.

"Chief Engineer Li," Dean He's voice trembled with excitement, "do you know what this means? We have not only mastered Centrifuge technology, but we are at a world-leading level right from the start!"

The Director of the Military Department interjected: "Specifically, if used for enrichment, how is the efficiency?"