Chapter 382: Chapter 380 Tunnel Boring
The construction of the second heating hub went very smoothly, but even after completion, this heating hub cannot immediately be put to use like the first one.
Due to limitations from the return water well below that injects water underground, this heating hub cannot directly extract geothermal energy. It can only rely on the heat water delivered via pipeline from the first heating hub at the train station to function.
As for whether the heat water extracted from the first heating hub, after its own evaporation loss and pipeline transport, can still supply the second heating hub, that depends on the total amount of heat energy carried by the groundwater extracted from the first hub.
"As long as the hot water extracted from the first hub can provide enough heat, supplying two heating hubs is absolutely fine," Chen Xin explained, while planning the pipeline construction route in response to Wang Hai’s question. "Additionally, each heating hub is equipped with an Isotope Thermoelectric Battery, and its output power not only maintains the hub’s operation but also has spare capacity. The electric heating mode can be activated if necessary."
Listening to Chen Xin’s explanation, Wang Hai was somewhat confused. He is just a soldier, half-understanding such matters, asking casually.
Chen Xin naturally knew Wang Hai half-understood such things but explained casually, adjusting his mood during work.
Otherwise, working so dull all the time can be very tiring.
"In that case, are the heating hubs to be built later set up in pairs?" Wang Hai looked at the standardized points on the map in front of Chen Xin, made a brief analysis, and judged that these points are where future heating hubs will be built.
"Not necessarily, I might adopt a more effective approach later," Chen Xin shook his head, opened the projection on the Power Armor, and projected the blueprints of the heating hub and Energy Tower.
But this time, Chen Xin projected not a planar map but a three-dimensional image.
"This is the Energy Tower I plan to build for extracting deep geothermal resources. It will tap geothermal resources from depths exceeding 3000 meters underground, transmit substantial heat energy to the surface, then redistribute it to various heating hubs via pipelines, and reinject it underground through pipelines below the hubs," Chen Xin explained while demonstrating the projection, allowing Wang Hai to intuitively comprehend the system and its operation: "This is the heating network I designed; currently, these two heating hubs are merely experimental units to verify the feasibility of my concept. Once the related issues of this technology are validated, only then will the genuine heating network begin construction."
Watching the projection demonstration, Wang Hai raised his eyebrows. Although he didn’t quite understand, he somehow knew such a heating network could bring many benefits, giving him an inexplicable feeling of admiration.
However, Chen Xin communicating these to Wang Hai was not merely to show him.
Faced with the troubles and headaches caused by pipeline construction, Chen Xin spoke these ideas to Wang Hai to sort out his thoughts, hoping to figure out a way to complete pipeline installation swiftly without employing large numbers of personnel.
Of course, part of it is also because Chen Xin inherently has a strong desire to perform, belonging to a performative personality who enjoys demonstrating his ideas and concepts to others, giving him great satisfaction.
Just like a performer on stage needing an audience to appreciate, as a novelist, even just a web novelist, Chen Xin hopes for more people to read and enjoy his work.
Even though he has stopped writing, he still wishes his creations could be recognized and praised by others.
Besides the boastful demonstration, Chen Xin is earnestly pondering how to resolve the pipeline installation dilemma.
Currently, there are only a few kilometers of distance, using substantial manpower for digging is a means of solving the problem, but it’s indeed a crude method.
If possible, Chen Xin hopes for a more efficient and smarter way to solve the issue.
Since if one wants to construct a genuine heating network later, pipeline installation will inevitably become one of the challenges in the construction process.
Rather than leaving the hassle to be resolved later, he might as well think hard now about how to solve the problem once and for all.
The optimal solution to this issue is certainly using a tunnel boring machine. Though such machines have high costs and aren’t suitable for snowy terrains, in tunnel construction, they are indeed the best solution.
As for the problems associated with tunnel boring machines, these are easily resolved by Chen Xin using system-specific upgrades.
As long as there is a system, Chen Xin is confident he can modify an appropriate tunnel boring machine.
Chen Xin was just thinking this, when he suddenly realized that if he can upgrade and modify existing machines, why not design a tunnel boring machine suited for here?
True tunnel boring machines are used for tunnel construction, large in size, facing complex geologies like rock layers, requiring extraordinary material quality, naturally leading to high costs.
But what Chen Xin needs isn’t that; he faces not hard rock or complex soil but only homogeneous and soft snow, so much so that he could dig snow with a wooden tunnel boring machine.
Moreover, Chen Xin doesn’t need the tunnel to be large, just large enough for pipeline installation. Even considering installation issues, merely a diameter accommodating two people working inside is sufficient.
Chen Xin doesn’t even need the tunnel to be sturdy, as long as it supports installation completion. It can collapse afterward, which is of no consequence to him.
Digging such a tunnel naturally doesn’t require high-standard excavation tools.
Simply put, Chen Xin doesn’t need to build a genuine tunnel boring machine; he only needs a tunnel digging tool, which isn’t difficult to build.