Anna circled the prototype twice and accurately described her first impression.
"It's so... small."
"But it's indescribably beautiful," Celine said thoughtfully. "Especially the dense pipes around it. They're like tentacles." "
Roland could not help laughing. Their observations were completely different, but their conclusions were very accurate. They both expressed the features of the new machine in a concise and concise manner.
Compared with the first cast iron steam engine Anna had made, the prototype was more than ten times smaller. This was partly due to the great leap in processing technology, but the main reason was that it did not have to use a boiler.
The current steam engine in Neverwinter had been developed to the fourth generation, but the boiler had not changed much. Whether it was used to burn coke, firewood, or heavy oil, a large combustion chamber and steam furnace were inevitable. Now, it was replaced by a rectangular steel box less than 20 centimeters in thickness, which was one meter long and half a meter wide.
This box was also the core of the whole system.
Although in simple terms, it was like putting the Magic Cube and water in a container to achieve the fusion of combustion and evaporation. But whether it was the harsh sealing requirements or the pipeline shell that could withstand high pressure, it was not something that Border Town could achieve at the beginning. In other words, even if they had obtained the relic of the Radiation Clan at that time, they would not have been able to use it.
One end of the steel box was inlaid with three Magic Ceremony Cubes as the power source of the machine. The bottom of the box was padded with a layer of lead to block excess radiation. More than ten heat pipes were neatly arranged on the top of the smooth shell, passing through the secondary water tank and the cooling condenser before returning to the bottom. The "heating, energy supply, and cooling" cycle was completely closed and did not exchange with the outside world. If the equipment was reliable enough, there was no need to add a new heat conductive medium until it was scrapped.
Of course, this size was not the limit of the new steam engine.
Water was just the easiest and cheapest heat conductive medium. If it was replaced with a more efficient medium, such as liquid alkali metal, the volume could be even smaller at the same power.
However, the prototype was mainly to verify the feasibility of the plan, so Roland finally resisted the urge to complete it in one step. After all, if there was an overheating leakage accident, the entire laboratory would be blown up if the alkaline metal and water vapor were to mix together.
The heat generated by the Rubik's Cube could be continuously transmitted through the pipes that extended from the heating box until the secondary water tank boiled. The following process was no different from that of an ordinary steam engine, using the technology that Neverwinter had long developed.
The part that Celine admired the most was the condenser tubes that were evenly distributed on both sides of the body. In order to obtain a large enough surface area for heat dissipation, each tube was twisted and turned. It would not be wrong to say that they were tentacles.
If the existing steam engines were all big and bulky, then this prototype could be said to be small and exquisite, especially the silver-white core box and the brownish-red heat-conducting copper tubes that were bright enough to reflect one's face. In terms of color and brightness, it was much more dazzling than its predecessor. Even a layman who knew nothing about the industry would be able to tell the difference at a glance.
In terms of craftsmanship alone, it was worthy of being called a work of art.
"Then … shall we begin?" Roland looked at the two of them.
Anna nodded and put her hand on the operating lever. "Let's do it together."
Celine hesitated for a moment, but finally lowered the main tentacle and gently placed it on the hands of the king and queen.
"Rubik's Cube steam engine prototype test. Three, two, one, start —"
Following Roland's countdown, the control lever was pulled to the maximum limit with a click, and the linkage mechanism pressed down on the switches of the three Rubik's Cubes at the same time. The landmark new generation of power source began its first operation.
However, there was only silence as if nothing had happened.
"Uh … did it fail?" Looking at the unresponsive machine, Celine asked hesitantly.
"No, let it burn for a while longer," Roland replied calmly.
About two minutes later, the core box trembled slightly, and an "indicator light" on the pipe also emitted a soft yellow light. It was a pressure gauge made from the remains of the matchstick man, which indicated that the pressure in the pipe was changing.
The heat transfer process was much slower. After waiting for another five minutes, the secondary water tank finally emitted steam, and the piston began to move slowly.
As the temperature in the pipe gradually increased, the steam engine's flywheel spun faster and faster, and at the same time, the condensing system's water pump was activated. The latter's main function was to increase the speed of the fluid circulation in the pipe and to pump the cooled heat conductive medium back to the core box. Finally, the new machine completed a complete cycle and officially entered the operating state.
"Looks like the results are good." Anna let out a long sigh of relief and smiled. "It's just a bit slow to start."
"That's a common problem with steam engines." Roland nodded. Heat transfer took time, and even with a more efficient heat conductive medium, it was still not as fast as an internal combustion engine. In theory, at least three water tanks were needed to maintain the circulation, and no matter how small the new machine was, it was still much larger than an internal combustion engine. Also, the Rubik's Cube consumed a lot of uranium, which made the prototype almost useless.
However, all industrial products had to be developed step by step.
As long as Celine could solve the problem of durability, the new machine's obvious advantages could not be ignored. The mature technology allowed it to be put into production quickly, and its small size could be installed on most vehicles without increasing the fuel consumption. Even if the durability problem could not be solved for the time being, ships built with the new power source could save a lot of space for storing fuel, and thus could carry more goods or weapons.
Half an hour later, the steam engine reached its limit. The whole machine was trembling, and the hissing sound of the exhaust turned into a sharp whistle. Obviously, the power of the core box made up of three Rubik's cubes was a bit too much for this steam engine. Roland pulled the lever back to the first gear, which was equivalent to turning off two Rubik's cubes, and then the prototype stabilized again.
After that, it was a long reliability test.
This step would last about a week, and it was also the part where problems were most likely to be exposed. After all, the new machine was very simple, and it was not difficult to make it move. The difficult part was to keep it running steadily for a long time.
Originally, standing in front of a clanging steam engine was an extremely boring thing, but for Roland, it became a way to relieve his stress. He sat in the yard with Anna, chatting with her while watching the prototype. It was as relaxed and peaceful as when they first met.
Celine quietly left the laboratory, leaving only Roland and Anna in the yard.
Anna leaned her head on his shoulder, and the noise of the machine seemed to be very far away.
"If it succeeds, we will be one step closer to the world you once lived in, right?"
"Yes, it will be a lot shorter. You know, there is no similar technology in that world."
"Can you also make a four-wheeled car that can be driven by one person?"
"Yes, if you like, I can design a simple one for you to try."
"Great!" Anna sounded a lot more excited. "By the way, what are you going to name this machine?"
"Does it have to have a name?" Roland asked with a smile.
"Of course." She looked very serious.
"Well, Black Technology No. 1 or Rubik's Cube Power, which one do you choose?"
"How is it black? Really, I choose the latter one. But how do we distinguish the different models with the name? "
"Simple. One Rubik's Cube represents one cylinder, and the prototype will be called Three Cylinders Rubik's Cube Power. What do you think?"
"Something is strange."
"Don't worry about the details..."
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