Chapter 458: Modular Manufacturing

Especially that professional knowledge regarding nuclear physics and reactors—he actually plucked it from the air, so precise, so detailed, as if he were born knowing these things.

"As for the safety issue," Li Mingyuan continued, "we are adopting a multi-layered protection design. First is the sturdy pressure vessel, then the independent containment shell, and finally the external shielding layer. The cooling system uses a dual-loop design, with the primary loop and secondary loop completely isolated to prevent the leakage of radioactive materials."

"Regarding the control system, we have designed three independent control mechanisms—the Active Control System, the Passive Safety System, and the Emergency Reactor Shutdown System. Under any abnormal circumstances, the reactor can stop operating quickly and safely."

The precise cooling loops, compact reactor core design, and powerful output parameters on the blueprints seemed to prove to everyone the feasibility of this incredible concept. Every technical detail, every safety measure, had been meticulously considered, showing extraordinary professional competence and forward-thinking.

Chen Gong repeatedly scrutinized the blueprints and the design on the blackboard, the expression on his face shifting from doubt to shock, and then to a near-reverent amazement. He took off his glasses and rubbed his sore eyes hard, as if he could not believe what he was seeing.

"This... this is simply..." Chen Gong muttered to himself, his voice trembling, "If this can truly be realized, it will be a miracle in the history of engineering!"

Professor Zhang from the Seventh Institute also slumped in his chair, staring wide-eyed at Li Mingyuan, as if looking at a visitor from another world who had descended from the sky. A nuclear-powered aircraft carrier was the ultimate dream of the Star-Spangled Country; even Beijixiong Guo was still racking its brains over it, and Li Mingyuan actually wanted to stuff a nuclear reactor into an aircraft?!

"Chief Engineer Li," the voice of Deputy Commander Liu broke the brief silence, his tone becoming incomparably solemn, "this plan... is there really any certainty?"

Li Mingyuan put down the chalk, looked around the room at these experts and officers who were shocked into speechlessness, and the corners of his mouth curled up slightly.

"Brother Liu, do you remember how I answered when you asked me a year ago if I was certain about the 'Changfeng' Missile?"

Deputy Commander Liu was stunned for a moment, then nodded: "You said, 'How will you know if you don't try?'"

"That's right," Li Mingyuan smiled, "how will you know if you don't try? But this time, I can tell you clearly—I have eighty percent certainty."

He paused, his gaze sweeping over everyone present: "Because this time, we are no longer starting from zero. The 'Changfeng' project has accumulated valuable technical foundations and a talent pool for us, and the preliminary results of the Northwest Nuclear Power Plant have also proven that our nuclear technology is advancing by leaps and bounds."

"More importantly," Li Mingyuan's voice was low and firm, "we have a team that dares to think and act, and does not fear hardship. There is no technology in the world that is truly insurmountable; the key is whether we have the courage to take that step."

The conference room fell into silence again, but this time the silence was no longer filled with doubt and worry, but with contemplation and admiration.

Deputy Commander Liu took a deep breath and suddenly straightened his posture, his soldierly temperament instantly revealed: "Chief Engineer Li, I believe in you! If the 'Kunpeng' plan can succeed, it will completely change the landscape of global naval warfare! I will fully support this plan and report it to my superiors personally!"

"I support it too!" Chen Gong stated unexpectedly, a strange light flickering in the eyes of this stubborn old engineer, "Although the challenge is huge, this is exactly the opportunity we technical personnel pursue for our entire lives!"

"The Seventh Institute will cooperate fully!" Professor Zhang also stood up, his voice firm, "We can form a specialized nuclear power research group to coordinate with the Northwest Nuclear Power Plant project and focus on tackling the technology for miniaturized reactors!"

The atmosphere in the conference room boiled over again, and the experts began a heated discussion surrounding the various details of the Nuclear Power System. Engineers pointed at the blueprints, while the Military Representatives excitedly described the future combat scenarios of the "Kunpeng." This atmosphere reminded Li Mingyuan of the brainstorming meetings during his internet startup days in his previous life—except this time, they weren't discussing some App feature, but a nuclear-powered flying aircraft carrier capable of changing the world's military landscape.

"A nuclear-powered aircraft carrier!" Deputy Commander Liu's voice drowned out the noisy discussion, "Those grandsons in the Star-Spangled Country would never dream of this, right? They are still tinkering with nuclear-powered naval vessels in their labs, and we are going straight for a nuclear-powered aircraft!"

Several engineers from the Seventh Institute were already frantically calculating various parameters on paper, occasionally exclaiming: "This power density... it's simply unbelievable!"

"The response speed of the miniaturized reactor control system must be increased by at least three times..."

"The emergency shutdown mechanism needs to be redesigned, taking into account the attitude changes during high-speed flight..."

Amidst the heated discussion, a dull and weary voice suddenly interjected.

"Wait, everyone."

The voice came from the end of the conference table, and everyone's eyes immediately turned in that direction. The speaker was General Zhao, the Logistics Department Head of the Navy, a general in his fifties known for being rigorous and pragmatic. He was rubbing his temples, his face full of helplessness and worry.

"What's wrong, Old Zhao?" Deputy Commander Liu asked, his face still flushed with excitement, "You aren't going to pour cold water on us again, are you?"

General Zhao gave a bitter smile, put down the pen in his hand, and stood up.

"Chief Engineer Li," he looked at Li Mingyuan, his tone heavy, "the nuclear power scheme is indeed earth-shattering, solving the problem of the power source, and I express my heartfelt admiration for this."

He paused and looked around at the excited crowd, "However, if I may be blunt, the new problem may be even trickier—construction!"

The heated discussion in the conference room instantly subsided, and everyone looked at this veteran logistics general.

General Zhao walked to the projection screen and pointed to the dimension parameters of the "Kunpeng": "Everyone, look at these numbers. 170 meters in length, 90 meters in wingspan, and the height also far exceeds that of conventional ships."

He turned to face the crowd, his expression grave: "None of our existing shipyards, factory buildings, or even secret bases have the space to accommodate its overall construction and outfitting!"

This sentence was like a giant boulder, crashing heavily into the just-calmed water, stirring up a ripple of astonishment.

"Are you suggesting we build it in the open?" General Zhao continued, his voice full of helplessness, "Then how can we guarantee secrecy and construction precision? Enemy agents and reconnaissance satellites are not to be trifled with!"

Deputy Commander Liu's excitement was thoroughly dampened. He frowned: "What about building a new large shipyard?"

General Zhao shook his head: "Time, funding, and site selection are all major problems. Building a special shipyard capable of accommodating the 'Kunpeng' would take at least two years, and the cost would be staggering. Not to mention, a project of such scale would be hard to keep from attracting outside attention."

He sighed and added: "Besides, even if it were built, could our lifting equipment handle such a behemoth? The maximum lifting capacity of our existing gantry cranes is only a few hundred tons, while a single component of the 'Kunpeng' could exceed that figure."

Following General Zhao's analysis, the smiles on the faces of the crowd, who had just been in high spirits, gradually disappeared, replaced by the frustration and confusion brought by reality. The excitement brought by the nuclear power scheme was being extinguished bit by bit by the cold water of reality.

"Perhaps we could consider sectional construction?" a young engineer from the Seventh Institute suggested tentatively.

General Zhao shook his head: "Sectional construction for conventional ships is based on mature hull structures and standardized interfaces. But for an unprecedented aircraft like the 'Kunpeng,' the structural precision requirements are far higher than those for ordinary ships. Once there is a deviation in the sectional interfaces, the entire aerodynamic shape will be affected, and the consequences would be unimaginable."

"Then what if we reduce the size?" another officer proposed, "Build a smaller prototype to test it first?"

"Reducing the size would fail to meet the requirements for aircraft capacity and range," Chen Gong immediately pointed out, "and then it would lose its significance as an aircraft carrier."

The conference room fell into silence again; the construction site had become a chasm lying between the blueprint and reality. Everyone looked at each other, as if the enthusiasm and hope from just a moment ago were all a dream.

Deputy Commander Liu sighed deeply and cast his gaze toward Li Mingyuan: "Chief Engineer Li, this problem... is there a solution?"

Everyone's eyes were focused on Li Mingyuan, expecting this "miracle creator" to provide an astonishing solution once again.

To everyone's surprise, the smile on Li Mingyuan's face did not disappear; instead, it deepened, as if all the difficulties were within his expectations. A mysterious light flickered in his eyes, just like a magician about to reveal a treasure box.

"Department Head Zhao's concerns are perfectly valid," Li Mingyuan nodded, acknowledging the severity of the problem, "Under conventional thinking, construction is indeed a major difficulty."

He paused for a moment, his gaze sweeping over everyone present: "But who said the 'Kunpeng' must be built as a whole?"

"Hmm?" Deputy Commander Liu looked confused, "Not built as a whole? Then how do we build it?"

Li Mingyuan did not answer directly, but gestured to the assistant behind him. The assistant immediately stepped forward and changed the slide in the projector.

An incredible exploded-view diagram appeared on the screen—the massive "Kunpeng" was precisely divided into twelve major functional modules, each with detailed dimension markings and interface descriptions.

"This is..." Professor Zhang from the Seventh Institute squinted, trying to understand the blueprint before him.

"Modular Manufacturing!" Li Mingyuan's voice was resonant and full of confidence, "We will adopt the most advanced modular design philosophy."

He walked to the screen and pointed his finger at the different modules: "The main frame module, the left and right wing section modules, the power compartment module, the command tower module, the hangar module, the weapon module... these core modules can be built secretly and simultaneously in different high-security factories across the country."

The conference room was in an uproar; everyone opened their eyes wide, unable to believe what they were hearing.

"You mean, break the 'Kunpeng' into a dozen pieces and manufacture them scattered all over the country?" Deputy Commander Liu's voice was full of disbelief.

"That's right," Li Mingyuan nodded with a smile, "By utilizing existing large factory buildings or with slight modifications, we can fully accommodate these individual modules. Key subsystems can be pre-integrated into their respective modules; for example, the Nuclear Power System is installed in the power compartment, and the navigation system is installed in the command tower module."

He switched to the next slide, showing a series of detailed interface standards and assembly diagrams: "Finally, at a selected secret coastal final assembly base, we will perform high-precision rapid final assembly, just like putting together giant building blocks!"

General Zhao walked closer to the screen, his brow furrowed: "This... can this work? The precision requirements for such a large structure are extremely high; after decentralized construction and subsequent assembly, how can we control the errors?"

Li Mingyuan was full of confidence: "We will adopt precise standardized interfaces and Adaptive Connection Technology. The edges of each module are designed with high-precision positioning mechanisms and flexible connection devices, which can perform fine-tuning during the assembly process to ensure the accuracy of the overall structure."

He pointed to the details on the blueprint: "Look here, each interface has a specially designed compensation mechanism that can absorb a manufacturing error of ±5 millimeters without affecting the overall performance."

"But this scale of assembly requires special lifting equipment," General Zhao still would not give up, "Where would we get such large cranes?"

Li Mingyuan switched the slide again, displaying an innovative assembly plan: "We will not use conventional gantry cranes, but instead adopt a Multi-point Synchronous Lifting System. Each module is designed with specialized lifting points, with multiple small and medium-sized cranes working in coordination, ensuring synchronous lifting and precise positioning through a sophisticated electronic control system."

As Li Mingyuan explained, the atmosphere in the conference room gradually shifted from skepticism to shock, and then to irrepressible excitement. This concept of modular construction was almost unheard of in the shipbuilding and aircraft manufacturing industries at the time; it completely overturned the traditional approach to large-scale structural manufacturing.

"This not only solves the site limitations," Li Mingyuan continued, "but also brings three additional advantages: first, it significantly shortens the construction cycle because all modules can be built simultaneously; second, it disperses risk, so even if a problem occurs with one module, it will not affect the overall progress; third, it enhances confidentiality, as even if the enemy discovers the manufacturing activity of a certain module, it would be difficult to infer the true appearance of the entire project."

He looked at General Zhao, his tone firm: "Simply put, it is to let 'Kunpeng' assemble into shape 'silently' right under the enemy's nose!"