Daming: The system rejected my request for salted fish

Now that electricity has been solved and steamships are about to be put into production, if machine tools can be manufactured.

The booming development of Ming Dynasty industry is a foregone conclusion, and it is foreseeable that various mechanical manufacturing products will be everywhere.

As long as it is a mechanical product, it must be assisted by lubricating oil, and the demand is particularly large.

So the question is, animal fats can indeed be used as a temporary substitute, but the question is how long can they last?

Putting aside the disadvantages of animal fats, production alone is a key point that cannot be avoided.

At present, the livestock production capacity of the Ming Dynasty cannot keep up with the speed and demand of industrial development.

If it cannot be resolved as soon as possible, it will inevitably affect the speed of industrial development, but this problem is not so easy to solve.

Motor oil is a by-product of petroleum refining, but the problem is that he doesn't even have the raw materials.

Looking at Wei Wu who was lost in thought, Sun Chang pondered for a moment and then asked:

"Mr. Vice President, since animal fats spoil easily, can we use vegetable fats? For example, rapeseed oil or sesame oil?"

Hearing Sun Chang's voice, Wei Wu came to his senses and shook his head.

"It's useless. Vegetable oils, like animal fats, lack thermal stability and are prone to oxidation and deterioration, and can even corrode metal parts."

"It can only be used as a substitute. We need a stable oil, preferably one that can be produced continuously."

After Wei Wu finished speaking, he fell into deep thought again. Coincidentally, at this moment, Yang Chao from the firearms team also came to him.

I just happened to hear Wei Wu say that he needed a stable oil, so I couldn't help but interrupt.

"Mr. Vice President, if it's grease, would the fierce oil used in firearms be okay?"

"Fire oil won't work. It's just animal fat, and with the resin added, it not only has no lubricating effect, but it also..."

Wei Wu subconsciously shook his head in denial, causing Yang Chao to scratch his head in embarrassment.

However, he did not interrupt, but waited until Wei Wu finished speaking before explaining in a low voice.

"Well, Vice President, you may have misunderstood. The flaming oil used in firearms is not animal fat or resin."

"Ok?"

After hearing what Yang Chao said, Wei Wu's expression froze for a moment.

In his impression, the flammable oil used in ancient times was basically made of animal fats and vegetable fats.

Of course, flammable materials such as resin are also added and then mixed in a special way.

But judging from Yang Chao's answer, this flaming oil seemed not as simple as he thought.

Thinking of this, Wei Wu quickly asked.

"Tell me, how is the fierce incendiary oil used in firearms prepared?"

"Fire oil isn't a blended oil. It's a black oil that comes out of the rocks underground. The Ministry of Industry uses it as..."

Yang Chao was about to explain the purpose of the kerosene, but before he could finish, Wei Wu interrupted him in an excited tone.

"Black oil coming out of the rocks underground!!!"

"Uh, yeah, yeah."

Yang Chao was startled by Wei Wu's sudden excitement, and he was a little unsure when answering.

He was still wondering if he had said something wrong, but Wei Wu walked up to him quickly.

"Where did you get this black oil? And what did you say the Ministry of Industry used it for?"

After Wei Wu finished speaking, Yang Chao realized that he was not wrong, but that this black oil was really useful.

So he quickly told everything he knew.

"This black oil is obtained from Yanchang County in northern Shaanxi. Because it oozes out of the rocks, the locals call it asphalt."

"At first, locals didn't know what this thing was for. Later, they found out it could be used to make fire, so many people used it to light lamps and cook stoves."

"Later, the Ministry of Industry learned of this incident and immediately found clues in ancient books. They sealed off the location and confiscated all the black oil."

"Because this black oil is difficult to extinguish even with water, it is used as fuel for fierce fire tanks."

It has to be said that the knowledge about where oil is produced really touched upon Wei Wu's blind spot.

If Yang Chao hadn't said it now, Wei Wu wouldn't have known that the Ming Dynasty had already started using oil.

This was undoubtedly a huge surprise for him.

So after Yang Chao finished speaking, Wei Wu immediately continued to ask questions.

"According to what you said, there should still be quite a lot of stock in the Ministry of Industry's warehouse!"

"There are indeed a lot, and every once in a while, some are shipped over from Yanchang County to supplement it."

Hearing Yang Chao's answer, Wei Wu immediately showed a satisfied smile on his face, and then ordered:

"Very good, Lao Yang, go to the Ministry of Industry and get some oil. That's the black oil you mentioned."

After Wei Wu finished speaking, Yang Chao turned around and left without asking anything. At this time, Wei Wu turned around and looked at Sun Chang and said:

"Old Sun, we have the mechanical lubricant. Not only that, but we can also solve the insulation problem of the wires!"

"what?"

Sun Chang was stunned for a moment when he heard this, then his expression brightened and he quickly asked:

"Mr. Vice President, are you saying that this thing called petroleum can not only be used to refine lubricants, but can also be used to insulate electrical wires?"

"That's right!"

Wei Wu smiled and nodded, then continued to explain:

"The oil is first filtered to remove large particles of impurities and solids, and then it is heated in a container using a distillation method."

"The lighter oil in the oil evaporates first, and then these vapors are collected by condensation and allowed to sit for a period of time."

"Wait until the impurities settle at the bottom, then filter the oil several times. This is the mechanical lubricant we need."

"Wait for Yang Chao to bring the oil back to the Institute of Science and Technology, and then you can arrange for people to refine it according to the method I specified."

The craftsmen at the Academy of Science and Technology developed the habit of taking notes very early on.

So when Wei Wu spoke, Sun Chang immediately took out a pen and paper and wrote down everything he said.

After all the records were correct, Wei Wu continued:

"After heating and distilling, the remaining oil is heated and stirred until it becomes thick and sticky. This is asphalt."

"Add asbestos to the asphalt, which is called fireproof cloth, and then continue to heat it and stir it evenly."

"Finally, we use the dipping method, immersing the wire in asphalt and slowly pulling it out, allowing the asphalt to evenly cover the surface of the wire."

Seeing that Sun Chang was still writing furiously, Wei Wu stepped forward and interrupted him.

"Okay, forget about it for now. Let's go back and wait for Yang Chao to bring back the oil. Trying it out with our own hands is better than anything else."

After saying this, without waiting for Sun Chang to answer, Wei Wu dragged him away.