Chapter 811 - Tapping Iron
Foreman Li immediately led several workers carrying prepared refractory mud up to seal the slag notch. Ji Wusheng gave a sharp tug on the steam whistle—the piercing shriek warned everyone around the blast furnace that material was about to discharge from the hearth. All personnel needed to clear the area for safety.
Several workers began agitating the furnace bottom with iron rods. As they worked in unison, sparks shot from the taphole like fireworks, dancing through the air. This was the charcoal ash from the furnace bottom being expelled.
Ji Wusheng directed the workers to maintain the agitation, ensuring ash was continuously blown clear. Removing it prevented contamination of the slag and the dreaded "bottom buildup."
Once no more ash was being expelled, he instructed workers to seal the taphole. Then came full blast. The blowers emitted a howling whine as the workshop temperature climbed ever higher. Sweat slid continuously down Ji Wusheng's forehead—his thick work uniform trapped the heat—but he remained motionless before the furnace, observing. Occasionally he checked his watch, timing each phase of the process.
"All right!" Ji Wusheng judged the conditions were within parameters and turned to Foreman Li. "From now on, keep close watch on the stockline position. When the coke layer drops to the specified level, start adding blank coke gradually. Add slag-forming materials too—I've taught you the quantities for each charge. If you forget, consult the process manual."
"I haven't forgotten!" Foreman Li recited a string of figures without hesitation.
"Good. From now until morning shift takes over, don't add ore. Wait until I return to begin adding ore. Keep charging coke continuously. Maintain furnace temperature."
The second drying period would require approximately twenty-four hours. Only when the entire blast furnace achieved sufficient temperature could they begin adding small batches of iron ore. All of this was to ensure proper heat—maintaining temperature was the paramount concern in blast-furnace smelting. Insufficient heat not only affected iron yield but could trigger cascading malfunctions, ultimately necessitating a shutdown for major repairs.
Ji Wusheng returned to quarters and snatched some sleep. When he woke, evening had arrived, and the middle shift had taken over. He reviewed the handover logs, then used a steel rod inserted through the spyhole to check coke combustion and wall temperature.
"Continue adding small batches of coke and maintain the blast." Ji Wusheng judged the heat still slightly lacking and decided to wait until the morning of the 7th to begin adding ore.
At noon on February 7, following Ji Wusheng's command, the first batch of refined iron ore powder and slagging materials was finally charged into the blast furnace, marking the formal commencement of pig-iron smelting. Ji Wusheng found himself more nervous than the workers—they were merely following technical documents and his instructions with precision, but no one truly knew whether this oversized knockoff built from knockoff parts could withstand the rigors of normal operation. Ji Wusheng understood that the blast furnace's success or failure would determine how quickly they could climb the technology tree.
On February 8, the blast furnace finally tapped its first heat of molten iron. The main runner was constructed of sand and stone, its channel filled with yellow sand. The casting bed employed pig-iron molds. After the first batch of pig-iron ingots was produced, Ji Wusheng ordered someone to transport an iron brick by vehicle to the chemical laboratory at Bopu for composition analysis.
The analysis results returned quickly via telegraph. The pig iron quality was excellent; levels of phosphorus and sulfur—the elements most detrimental to quality—were extremely low, far superior to the various scrap and pig irons they had acquired from the mainland. The combination of high-quality iron ore and the "divine artifact" of modern blast-furnace smelting had produced premium pig iron.
Ji Wusheng's face beamed. "Fantastic! With premium pig iron, making good steel will be far easier."
After tapping the iron, they began the first slag tap. The slag discharged into a large pool filled with river water from the water plant after basic sedimentation. The cooled slag would become raw material for cement. As for the water heated by contact with the slag, it was piped away to utilize the waste heat.
"From now on, tap iron every two hours. Tap slag every fifteen minutes!" Ji Wusheng commanded. He collected a sample of the first cooled slag and handed it to a clerk to rush to Bopu for composition analysis, enabling real-time adjustment of the slagging ingredients.
"Without a laboratory here, people are going to run themselves ragged." Watching the high-spirited clerk trot out with the sample jar, Ji Wusheng sighed. Ma'ao's only land connection was a road; walking or cycling proved too slow. To accelerate urgent deliveries, the Planning Commission had allocated a motorcycle to the Ma'ao Industrial Zone. Time-sensitive items now traveled by motorcycle courier.
Soon the slag composition analysis returned by telegraph. The figures fell roughly within Ji Wusheng's predicted range—the feed formula and calculations had been precisely determined by him, a distillation of over a century of modern blast-furnace experience. Ji Wusheng now possessed sufficient confidence that the blast furnace could produce iron stably over the long term. But he still refused to relax, remaining in the workshop around the clock—napping in the office when exhausted, then rising to check furnace conditions again. He dared not slack off with the naturalized workers under his supervision. After all, the longest-serving among them had been a proper industrial worker for only a year and a half. Old habits and mindsets still dominated their thinking. With many new workers and few veterans, vigilance remained essential.
Under his day-and-night surveillance, the blast furnace ran completely normally after forty-eight hours. Based on iron ore and coke input figures, Ji Wusheng calculated the conversion rate at approximately 0.79—not high; modern blast furnaces could generally achieve 1.0. But he wasn't worried. With continued refinement of the feed ratio and slagging process, he was confident of reaching approximately 0.90. Even at the current 0.79 level, daily pig-iron output far exceeded fifty tons. The furnace's actual capacity proved considerably higher than estimated.
To celebrate the official commencement of production at Number One Blast Furnace, the Council of Elders ordered extra rations for the students at Fangshaodi, including their favorite fruit candies. Many years later, the "Children of Fangshaodi"—who had matured into the backbone of the empire—would often recall the wonderful days of receiving "special rations." Whenever extra rations were distributed, students would stand in classrooms, dormitories, and playgrounds cheering "Long Live!" Everyone understood this signaled another step forward for the empire under the correct, glorious, and great leadership of the Council of Elders.
~
Meanwhile, on February 9, the Lingao Times published a red-letter headline story in both its internal and external editions. The naturalized citizens understood immediately, and even locals who dealt frequently with the Elders knew that a large red headline meant the Elders had accomplished something major—invariably happy news. The members of the County Consultative Council couldn't fully comprehend the articles packed with "Newspeak," but the council had a dedicated "Female Aussie" liaison officer who explained newspapers and documents at every meeting. When Tang Tang explained that this meant a great furnace capable of producing over a hundred thousand jin of iron, the council members grasped from the Elders' solemnity—if not the specific implications—that this matter was extraordinary. They composed a "congratulatory letter" in the name of the County Consultative Council, inscribed it on large red paper, and delivered it to East Gate Market with gongs and drums. Zhang Youfu also instructed his subordinates to purchase firecrackers, which crackled and popped festively at the council entrance.
Wu De closed the window—the firecrackers outside were particularly noisy, interfering with the Executive Committee's standing working meeting.
This standing meeting had been convened at his request. The topic: solving the power-coal supply problem. Of course, the so-called power-coal problem was, in reality, the Hongji problem.
"...All right, the coal supply situation is laid out here," Wu De began. "I assume everyone understands our current status. Coal channels haven't increased, but consumers have multiplied considerably. If we don't solve the coal problem once and for all, I fear maintaining the industrial system's operation will become problematic."
As if to underscore his point, the warning whistle of a boiler venting steam sounded outside—a reminder to the assembled Elders of how many boilers throughout Lingao were burning, driving how many steam engines tirelessly providing the endless power for Lingao's industrialization. And in Sanya, Hong Kong, and Leizhou, many more boilers awaited high-quality coal to feed their enormous appetites.
"Expecting Guo Yi to restore the coal transport route immediately isn't realistic—besides, the Pearl River Delta isn't close to Lingao. At best, he can solve Hong Kong's power-coal problem in the near term. Zhanjiang coal from Leizhou remains our primary power coal—that's our most stable supply at present."
He didn't include Qiongshan's Jiazi Coal Mine or Lingao's Nanbao Coal Mine in the power-coal statistics. The former was reserved for the Chemical and Metallurgical ministries for coking; the latter's calorific value was so low it served only as fertilizer.
"Is the Danzhou coal mine worth developing? I recall there are oil sands there too?"
"Yes, Danzhou has the Changpo Coal Mine, considered one of the larger mines on Hainan," said Bai Guoshi, attending on behalf of the exploration department. "But it's deep and requires significant upfront investment. The coal quality isn't ideal either—Changpo actually shares a mineral belt with Nanbao."
As for the Danzhou oil sands, the burial depth was great and extraction difficult. Furthermore, extraction would require accompanying refining equipment. Right now demand for fuel oil wasn't high, making the investment not worth the return.
"Ah De, we understand what you're driving at!" Ma Qianzhu interjected. "You want us to directly intervene in developing Hongji, rather than relying on sporadic purchases through the Vietnam Trade Company as we do now."
Wu De nodded. "Yes, exactly. The time has come for direct intervention in Hongji."
(End of Chapter)