Haider walked into the restaurant, his eyes lighting up at the luxurious decor, but he didn't pay much attention to it. He turned to Mai Ge and smiled, saying, "Boss Mai, thank you for taking the time to chat with me."
"Please have a seat. Actually, I'm quite interested in these things too." Mai Ge said with a smile. He put the water glass he was holding on the table next to him, went into the kitchen, poured another glass of water, and gently placed it in front of Haider, who had just sat down. He then pulled out a chair and sat down in front of him.
When it comes to steam engines, it's no exaggeration to say that Mai Ge knows them inside and out. After all, for his graduation project, he independently completed an improved design of a two-stroke reciprocating piston internal combustion engine. Although this improvement was proven difficult to apply in practice in the final experiment, but it could theoretically improve thermal efficiency by three percentage points. With this graduation thesis, he received one of the limited spots for outstanding graduates.
This was the only thing he did seriously during his four years of university. In the process, he also studied steam engines, internal combustion engines, and steam turbines. He remembered their structures and principles clearly, and even the model numbers of some classic parts.
It's unrealistic to expect him to make these things himself, but if someone asked him to draw some diagrams and explain the principles, he'll have no problem at all.
Simply put, if someone gives him a skilled blacksmith who can make parts that meet the standards, he can build a steam engine all by himself and kick the world into the steam age.
However, Mai Ge hadn't been very interested in doing this before. Whether it was Thomas Savery and Thomas Newcomen who invented the steam engine, or James Watt who improved it, they had only left their names in the history of steam engine development. He wasn't very interested in making a name for himself in history, but he was quite curious about the level of mechanics in this world.
"Thank you." Haider put the water glass aside, opened the cloth bag beside him, took out several diagrams and placed them on the table. Looking at Mai Ge with a serious expression, he said, "It's like this, we've been researching for years how to convert water vapor into kinetic energy and then use it in production and daily life to replace animal power and improve production efficiency. Now, we have successfully converted it into kinetic energy. Although the output is not yet very stable, but we have a plan to make it more stable. The problem we need to solve now is how to transfer this energy to other objects so that this energy can be used."
"A very bold and interesting idea." Mai Ge glanced at the somewhat rough drawings on the table, his eyes lighting up. He looked at Haider with a hint of respect. Unlike him, Haider did not have the shoulders of giants to stand on. To think of using steam was already a brilliant idea, and to persist in doing it was an even more admirable spirit.
Mai Ge has great respect for scientists who are dedicated to research and invention. Their ingenious ideas and years or even a lifetime of research have continuously propelled human society forward.
From the Industrial Revolution to the modern world, only two hundred years have passed. It can be said that a steam engine ushered in this great era and accelerated the development of human society.
The man in front him was almost about to accomplish this.
The charcoal drawing was somewhat rough, but the overall structure was clearly defined: a single-cylinder design where steam pushed a piston inside the cylinder, and then, through external water cooling, created a low-pressure environment within the cylinder, pushing the piston back, thus forming a reciprocating motion. The connecting rod to the piston thus gained kinetic energy.
This steam engine model is very similar to Newcomen's steam engine. As Haider said, they had successfully turned steam into kinetic energy.
However, they are still about one James Watt away from applying this kinetic energy to production and daily life.
However, given that they were able to achieve this level of accomplishment from scratch, Mai Ge had great respect for Haider and his team.
After all, in this world of swords and magic, people still worship knights who can ride griffins and soar into the sky. Mechanics can be said to be a new and unpopular major. If people were told that one day ordinary people could also fly into the sky and be faster than leopards on land, they would probably just be considered crazy.
"Thank you." Haider looked at Mai Ge with gratitude. He heard recognition in Mai Ge's eyes and words, unlike the perfunctory expressions of most people, or even the undisguised sarcasm. He had experienced many such things in the past twenty years.
From a full head of black hair to his current bald state, no one knows what kind of pressure he and his team have endured over the past two decades.
Others envy their high salaries and subsidies, but few know that these core members have poured almost all their savings into this project. He and his wife still live in the old house that the school allocated to them more than 20 years ago. He walks to class everyday because he really can't bear to spend the money to hire a driver and keep a horse. In a year, that's enough to make another model.
These things, apart from his wife who had lived a life of poverty with him, were not understood by even his two children, who only came home once a year.
"You're welcome, but I'm curious why you want to study this?" Mai Ge said with a smile, Mai Ge • Alex's memories almost entirely revolving around sword practice and combat.
"After a century of relatively peaceful development, commerce on the Nolan Continent has flourished, with many trading companies even spanning the entire continent emerging.
Human and animal power are beginning to be insufficient to meet production needs. Although magic is a very powerful force, but its high cost limits the workshop owners' use of it. Of course, magic is still widely used in some expensive and exquisite products.
Therefore, we believe that the world urgently needs a low cost and highly efficient power source. This idea has been recognized and supported by the City Lord's Mansion, which is why this project, which has not yet yielded any effective results, has been able to persist until now." Haider replied earnestly.
"Yes, this is the best of times." Mai Ge nodded. According to Haider, capitalism had already developed to a certain extent on the Nolan Continent, and people were beginning to urgently need something that could effectively improve productivity.
If a mature steam engine could be developed at this time, it could definitely be promoted and applied in a short period of time. This should also be the reason why the City Lord's Mansion has been able to patiently support a money-burning project for more than 20 years.
"At this rate, even in twenty years, the first industrial steam engine won't be produced." Mai Ge looked at the diagrams, thinking with some regret, then suddenly a flash of inspiration struck him, and his eyes lit up. "How much can a complete steam engine diagram sell for?"