CHAPTER 345: CHAPTER 7: OIL REFINING (PART 3)

Some of the gas is redirected back to the furnace below, where it mixes with oxygen blown in by a blower, igniting fiercely to provide a continuous source of heat energy for the entire refining process.

The remaining gas follows the pipeline into a condenser on the side, where it undergoes simple separation based on different temperature gradients, gradually cooling and fractionating, finally condensing into precious industrial liquids like kerosene, gasoline, and diesel.

Zhou Qingfeng stood beside the condenser, watching the fuel slowly flowing from different outlets, turned to Guo Yi, who was wearing oil-stained gloves, and asked, "Once this thing starts, it can’t be stopped at will, right?"

"Yes." Guo Yi adjusted the glasses on his nose, which were speckled with oil, nodded solemnly, and explained, "To be precise, it should not be stopped easily.

Otherwise, the losses would be enormous, at best, causing pipeline blockages that are time-consuming and labor-intensive to clean; at worst, the entire equipment would be completely scrapped due to sudden temperature changes and the solidification of internal residues, a disastrous outcome.

In an ideal state, it is best to shut down every six months or so, thoroughly clean the internal pipelines and residues, and then resume production as quickly as possible to keep it running continuously.

Therefore, this set of equipment requires a continuous input of raw materials and the maintenance of a stable process, as any fluctuations could lead to catastrophic consequences."

Though Zhou Qingfeng was clueless about complex chemical principles, he always respected the opinions of professionals in technical matters.

"There are only a few sets of refining equipment in our camp, and each one is a precious resource that cannot afford any mishaps.

I will talk to Old Xiao later, and we must significantly increase work points for the oil refining work so that those responsible for operation can receive sufficient rewards.

The people doing this work must have a high sense of responsibility; unreliable labor cannot be used, and any low-level operational mistakes are absolutely not allowed, or we won’t be able to bear the losses.

With this equipment, our external communication and winter survival are secured."

The ’playground’ shelter has laid out about ten thousand square meters of photovoltaic solar panels, which can provide five to six thousand kilowatt-hours of clean electricity each day in sunny weather.

However, the fatal flaw of photovoltaic power generation lies in its extreme instability, and electricity is difficult to store on a large scale and efficiently.

Once faced with consecutive rainy weather, the entire shelter’s power supply risks being completely cut off.

"Damn, the weather in the United States is insane!" Zhou Qingfeng couldn’t help but curse under his breath, "In winter, it’s often freezing cold at minus twenty to thirty degrees Celsius.

Last winter, the shelter urgently needed power supply to maintain heating and various equipment operations, but instead, there was back-to-back rainy weather, and photovoltaic generation was almost zero."

Guo Yi recalled and felt a lingering fear, with a hint of gratitude, he said, "If it weren’t for the shelter’s pre-stored diesel and backup generators holding up, our team would have surely frozen to death.

Now that we can refine oil ourselves, although the output isn’t high, we’ve at least taken a crucial step in energy assurance, solving a major potential future problem."

After speaking, Guo Yi looked at Zhou Qingfeng with a strange expression, "President Zhou, everyone says you’re from the future, is that true? Otherwise, how else would you have prepared ’primitive oil refining’ in advance?"

Zhou Qingfeng immediately laughed it off, "Rumors, rumors, don’t let the ’Gray Shark’ speak nonsense. I’m just burning through money as a precaution for the apocalypse, and it happened to come in handy."

Guo Yi whispered, "President Zhou, just admit it, there’s too much evidence proving your extraordinariness. Mr. Congers’ wife has said several times..."

Zhou Qingfeng was shocked and hurriedly interrupted, "Don’t talk nonsense, nothing inappropriate is going on between Julia and me."