Chapter 297 Studying Chemistry

The liquid launchers that Mr. Cai and his team are currently using must be filled before launch and cannot be pre-filled and stored for a long time.

The reason is simple. Their missiles use a cryogenic oxidizer: liquid oxygen.

This stuff has a boiling point of -183℃ at normal pressure, which means it is doomed to be impossible to store in a missile for a long time. Putting aside whether it is technically possible, the dead weight of the extra liquid oxygen long-term storage equipment is unbearable.

Even if the pressure is increased to 50Mpa, the boiling point is as low as -118℃, which is still unacceptable, not to mention what the hell a 50Mpa pressure vessel is.

Therefore, the preparation time of missiles that use liquid oxygen as an oxidizer is calculated in hours. In this case, the time required to set the parameters is not a big deal.

After hearing what Mr. Cai said, Gao Zhendong hesitated to speak out. He was thinking whether he should tell others about the "poison attack".

President Cai was very perceptive. Seeing Gao Zhendong's expression, he said solemnly, "Director Gao, do you have anything to say? Just say it. It's okay. We have obtained sufficient permission and we can talk openly today."

He thought Gao Zhendong was worried about confidentiality and it was difficult to ask, but he didn't expect that Gao Zhendong was not worried about this at all.

Gao Zhendong thought about it for a while and finally figured it out.

Whether it is poisonous or not is not important at this stage. What is important is to have something that can quickly counterattack the enemy while meeting various indicators such as the range. Without this, everything is meaningless.

Moreover, things like unsymmetrical dimethylhydrazine or mixed hydrazine can still be used safely as long as they are managed properly, protective measures are taken, and safety construction is complete.

Both the Russians and the United States have used this thing extensively at this stage, which shows that this thing is irreplaceable in the current technological environment. In other words, its advantages are so obvious that they have to use it even at the cost of management and protection.

The most famous weapon of the Russians should be RS-20/R-36M/SS-18. This thing has long been the symbol of Big Ivan. It has a long range and great power. Even the Oceanic Pact, which has long been accustomed to giving disgusting names to the equipment of the Red Camp, has given this thing a name that is a bit disgusting but also carries a sense of fear, such as "Satan".

Of course, the old problem of the Russians is still there. The development of their technology actually has certain defects, so submarine-launched things like R-29RM/RSM-54/SS-N-23 still use liquid launch and are huge in size. In the end, they came up with super freaks like the "Shark" class ballistic missile nuclear submarine.

The shark mentioned here is not the 971 attack nuclear submarine, but the 941 ballistic missile nuclear submarine. The real name of 941 in the Russians is Акула (shark), not "Typhoon". On the contrary, the "shark" of 971 was given by the Oceanic Treaty Organization. In its hometown, its real name is "pike/barracuda".

Done! The important thing is to do a good job of protection and management and implement the relevant work in a practical manner.

Instead of being like the Citigroup guys, stuffing depleted uranium bombs under the buttocks of "Warthog" pilots and behind tank crews who have no targeted protection and then lying that it is safe.

As for why the Citigroup guys are keen on using this thing, in addition to its good performance and self-sharpening property, there is a less important reason - it does not have much tungsten. The Russians, who rank second in the world in terms of reserves of this stuff, have about 10%, while the Citigroup guys cannot even make it into the top 5. As for production, the gap is even greater.

"Boss Cai, I have accidentally discovered a combination of fuel and oxidizer. I calculated that the specific impulse and thrust are quite good. Moreover, at room temperature, the fuel and oxidizer are both liquid, and their properties are relatively stable, making them relatively easy to store. The only big problem is there."

After hearing what Gao Zhendong said, President Cai's heartbeat quickened dramatically and he threw all the "big problems" aside. The specific impulse and thrust were both good, and it could be stored in liquid form at room temperature. Isn't this the innate liquid missile fuel holy body?

As for why it is not a liquid rocket fuel body? Because at this time, most rockets do not have a quick response requirement.

As long as it can be stored at room temperature, its properties are relatively stable, and its thrust-to-specific impulse are up to standard, then other issues will not be a big problem. Even if this stuff is highly corrosive, then at a certain cost of isolation and regular testing, it is possible to store the fuel on board the missile to a certain extent.

"What is the combination? Tell me quickly!"

Seeing that Mr. Cai was not interested in the shortcomings for the time being, Gao Zhendong had to talk about the compatibility first: "Hydrazine and nitrogen tetroxide!"

He did not say the slightly more professional term "hydrazine", and he didn't even know whether there was such a name in China. In order to make it easier for Mr. Cai to understand, he said "hydrazine", a name related to common ammonia, and wrote it down on a piece of paper.

He didn't even say the final answer, "undimethylhydrazine". This was mainly because in the current technological environment, unsymmetrical dimethylhydrazine was really an unconventional thing. If hydrazine could still be imagined out of thin air, then 1-dimethylhydrazine (undimethylhydrazine) was not something that people who were not majoring in chemistry could imagine out of thin air.

It's funny to say that the element nitrogen is very lazy. It is almost an inert gas. Under normal circumstances, it does not get along well with most elements and does not react.

However, the chemical bonds of nitrogen are extremely violent, such as the common ammonium nitrate, not to mention the "all-nitrogen anion", the most powerful known conventional energetic material, except for the slightly sci-fi metallic hydrogen.

However, Mr. Cai still doesn't understand this thing. After all, this thing was not developed in China until 8 years later, and Mr. Cai is an engine expert, not a chemist.

"What is this? How did you find it?" Mr. Cai asked immediately. It's not shameful to learn.

Gao Zhendong had to explain: "This is a strong reducing agent with the structural formula NH2-NH2. It will spontaneously combust when it comes into contact with strong oxidants. I discovered it by accident. Some time ago, I was producing special steel for the industrial production of urea, so I did a lot of research on ammonia substances. In the process, I accidentally discovered the properties of this thing." Gao Zhendong wrote as he spoke, and he used the urea steel issue as an excuse to talk nonsense. Ammonia and hydrazine are family, there's nothing wrong with that.

I'm working on special steels related to ammonia, and by the way, I also figured out hydrazine. This makes sense, right?

Anyway, as long as this matter seems to make a little sense, don’t ask. If you ask, you are a genius!
When Mr. Cai and Mr. Zhang heard this, they threw all the fuel issues aside: "What? You made urea steel too?"

Gao Zhendong nodded: "Yes, that's right, our 17th Ministry of Machinery is engaged in materials."

The tone and expression made it seem as if this was a very normal thing, as natural as eating and drinking.

The two CEOs suddenly felt a little itchy and a little stressed. Wouldn’t they have to report to the relevant department and sign a confidentiality agreement when they walk out of this door today?

The comrade in front of me can’t just be called a talent, he is simply a genius.

President Cai reacted and became even more excited by the information in Gao Zhendong's words: "Are you saying that this thing will spontaneously combust when it encounters a strong oxidant?"

Gao Zhendong nodded: "Yes, this is the characteristic of this material."

President Cai was delighted: "This is simply natural rocket fuel. It doesn't even require an ignition device."

Don't underestimate the ignition device, as it also requires careful design and will increase the complexity and weight of the system.

There is an interesting fact that does not sound so high-sounding: rockets are really ignited with torches. For example, the Russian Soyuz rocket has 32 nozzles, which means there are 32 electrically ignited wooden torches. The torches are first ignited with electricity, and then the fuel is sprayed to ignite them. It is a combination of Chinese and foreign technologies.

In his joy, he just remembered that Gao Zhendong said there was a big problem with this thing: "You said there was a problem with this fuel, what was the problem?"

Gao Zhendong smiled bitterly and said, "This thing is extremely poisonous!"

When Mr. Cai heard this, hey, it’s not a big deal. It’s just poisonous. Liquid oxygen can freeze people to death if sprayed out. Kerosene is flammable, and alcohol is flammable and can easily kill people if drunk.

"Well, haha, in our line of work, there are few things that are not dangerous. We can always prevent them, right? As long as management and safety are kept up, and operating procedures are standardized, this is not unacceptable."

Gao Zhendong said: "It's not difficult to protect yourself, but it might be a bit uncomfortable for people to wear protective clothing."

In other words, this thing has average permeability. If it were replaced with dimethylmercury, protection would be a big problem.

However, the airtight protective suit also needs to be filled with gas, so it would be a lie to say that it is not uncomfortable.

"It's not bad, but I should be able to overcome it. It's easier than staying in the tank all the time."

Tanks these days don't have air conditioning. Staying inside at that temperature, coupled with the constant vibration and noise, is extremely uncomfortable.

Gao Zhendong agreed and directed the topic to another direction: "By the way, I have done theoretical analysis. If some of the hydrogen atoms in hydrazine are replaced by methyl groups, some properties should be further improved. For example, 1-dimethylhydrazine should be good."

Gao Zhendong drew the structure of unsymmetrical dimethylhydrazine as he spoke. Although I couldn't say unsymmetrical dimethylhydrazine directly, I could introduce this thing in the name of theory. I am so smart!

Unsymmetrical dimethyl hydrazine has more advantages than hydrazine. Apart from other things, the boiling point under normal conditions is 63°C compared to 37°C, which is a big difference. The Russians basically use unsymmetrical dimethyl hydrazine, and the Citigroup guys use mixed hydrazine 50, which is at least a mixture of the two things.

Gao Zhendong added: "But my chemistry is just average. I can only say that I have this direction and idea, but I don't know how to synthesize these things. I can only ask the colleagues in the chemical industry for help."

You call this average? You are refreshing my understanding of this word.

Mr. Cai has become a little numb to his operations. Whatever you say is what it is. I can't let these pieces of paper in your hand, even a fiber of them, be lost today!

"Director Gao, how come your thinking is so broad? It would be an understatement to say that you can draw inferences from one example."

Gao Zhendong smiled and said, "I learned it from studying chemistry."

(End of this chapter)