180: Chapter 180 An Unsolvable Problem!

Time flew by in the blink of an eye, and three months passed.

During these three months.

The aircraft carrier construction task at the Changxing Shipyard proceeded according to plan.

A hundred teams worked together, solving problems as they arose, all united in their efforts to build the aircraft carrier.

Overall, the construction tasks at the Changxing Shipyard encountered no major issues.

Xu Hao's daily routine involved going down to the workshops to discuss problems with the workers and assist in research and development.

However.

While tasks at the Changxing Shipyard progressed smoothly, the nuclear technology research far away in Longdu hit a snag.

At the Nuclear Technology Research Institute.

The Nuclear Technology Research Institute was an independent facility, isolated from other Research Institutes and civilian infrastructure.

This was a necessary precaution.

Nuclear technology research carried inherent risks, particularly regarding nuclear radiation.

If an accidental leak occurred, it could cause severe harm to the human body.

To ensure safety, the Nuclear Technology Research Institute had to be located far from urban areas.

Furthermore, the institute's buildings were constructed with thick concrete walls to maximize safety measures.

At this moment.

Inside the Research Institute, Professor Qian Wenwen, Professor Du Zhongshu, and a group of researchers all wore troubled expressions.

"Is it still not working?"

Professor Qian Wenwen asked.

An experimentalist shook his head. "Reporting to Elder Qian, in the simulation, the control rods vibrate violently, with the amplitude exceeding the upper limit of the rated value."

The experimentalist was dressed in a heavy protective suit, his muffled voice echoing from within.

Upon hearing this, sighs broke out one after another in the laboratory.

They had heard this answer far too many times over the past few days.

Every attempt ended in failure.

This setback left the researchers present feeling disheartened and devoid of confidence.

"Why are we encountering such a problem?"

Professor Qian Wenwen couldn't help but ask, his wrinkled face filled with incomprehension and confusion.

After carefully studying the design plans and concepts provided by Xu Hao, they had already initiated several rounds of Nuclear Reactor R&D.

However.

During the actual development stage, they encountered various problems.

For example.

When simulating an aircraft carrier navigating at sea and the hull experiencing turbulence, the control rods in the reactor would sway violently.

This caused the reactor's reaction to become extremely unstable.

The reaction process became chaotic.

Not only that.

They had significantly reduced the reactor's volume according to Xu Hao's design.

But to ensure the output power reached the original levels, they compressed the fuel concentration to 98.99% based on the enrichment ratio given in the plan.

However.

This caused the impact force sustained by the reactor's component materials to increase exponentially.

If they hadn't performed an emergency shutdown of the Nuclear Reactor, it likely would have exploded.

Aside from these issues.

Xu Hao might have assumed that since they were the Nuclear Technology Research Institute, they had already made achievements in biological shielding for nuclear-powered ships.

Therefore, the plan did not include instructions regarding this aspect.

This left the institute's researchers at a loss regarding biological shielding for nuclear-powered vessels.

Professor Qian Wenwen originally thought they could solve these problems.

But as the issues accumulated, they gradually became overwhelmed.

By now, the project's progress had been completely impacted.

"Engineer Xu's design plan definitely has no issues; we studied and simulated it with Elder Zhou and Elder Shen back then."

"The only possibility is that we haven't truly grasped this design plan."

Professor Du Zhongshu analyzed from the side, then let out a sigh.

They never expected to encounter such problems.

Because during previous discussions and research, these situations never arose.

Now that they had actually begun construction, they realized it wasn't as simple as they had imagined.

"Knowledge gained from paper is always superficial. No wonder breakthroughs in nuclear technology remain a difficult problem worldwide to this day."

"Never mind lacking relevant experience and guidance; even when we have them—like now, with a complete set of design plans and principles—we still can't build it."

"Sigh..."

Professor Qian Wenwen sighed, his face full of worry.

"What should we do now?"

Professor Du Zhongshu asked.

Sighing here wouldn't solve the problem.

The urgent priority was to find a way to solve all these problems as quickly as possible.

Otherwise, if the subsequent progress of the project was delayed, they would be held accountable.

Professor Qian Wenwen thought for a long time and gritted his teeth.

"Let's test it one more time. If it still doesn't work, we'll have to invite Engineer Xu to help!"

Originally, he didn't want to trouble Xu Hao, as Xu Hao had his own tasks.

But if it still failed, they would have no choice but to bother him.

Thinking of this, Professor Qian Wenwen's face felt hot, and he felt a sense of unease in his heart.

As a professor at the Dragon Academy of Sciences' Nuclear Technology Research Institute, he hadn't expected to be so incompetent.

Hearing this, Professor Du Zhongshu also nodded helplessly.

"Then let's try one more time!"

Following the previous procedure, the testing personnel conducted another simulation test.

However, the results remained the same.

When the Nuclear Reactor encountered violent turbulence, the control rods would sway uncontrollably and violently.

The problem... was still not solved!

The expressions of Professor Qian Wenwen and Professor Du Zhongshu became very unsightly.

They weakly took the test report handed over by the personnel, staring blankly at the data on it.

"Sigh... Call Engineer Xu and ask him to come over!"

"If this continues, we won't be able to complete our task on schedule at all."

Professor Qian Wenwen said.

Although he had already known in his heart that this would be the result, seeing it with his own eyes...

The disappointment in his heart was magnified infinitely.

Professor Du Zhongshu nodded. "Then let's contact Engineer Xu and invite him to come to Longdu!"

...

At the Changxing Shipyard.

After Xu Hao finished today's 'teaching' task, he headed toward his office.

To make Xu Hao's work more convenient, Zhang Weizhi had specially prepared a luxurious office for him.

It faced the sea, and the scenery was pleasant.

It couldn't have been more comfortable.

Xu Hao returned to the office, and just as he sat down, the phone in his pocket rang.

He picked up his phone and saw that it was actually a call from Professor Qian Wenwen.

Xu Hao was puzzled.

"Could something have gone wrong with the R&D?"

Without thinking further, he immediately answered.

"Hello, Professor Qian," Xu Hao said.

"Hello, Engineer Xu."

Professor Qian Wenwen's aged and weary voice came through the phone.

Xu Hao sensed that Elder Qian's mood wasn't right, and his brow instantly furrowed.

"Professor Qian, did you encounter some difficulties with the nuclear technology R&D?"

Xu Hao asked.

"Sigh, you're right, Engineer Xu. We've run into a bit of trouble with the nuclear technology R&D."

Afterward, Professor Qian Wenwen gave Xu Hao a brief summary of the problems they had encountered during the development process.

Xu Hao's frown deepened.

The problem... seemed quite serious.

"Engineer Xu, could we trouble you to come to Longdu? we're out of options."

Professor Qian Wenwen asked, at his wit's end.

Xu Hao nodded.

"Of course, I'll head to Longdu right away."

After hanging up, Xu Hao gave some instructions to Professor Shen Hongcai and the others.

Then he called Wang Qian and immediately took a plane to Longdu.

When problems arose with nuclear technology, there was no time to waste.