A genius? I just love studying.

Chapter 229 A Critical Moment of Life and Death
"This is a force balance, this is a particle imaging velocimeter, this is a pressure sensor and a temperature-sensitive coating..."

At the Chengdu Aircraft Industry Group Research Institute, in the laboratory, Chief Engineer Duan Xiaofei led Chen Hui on a tour. He patiently explained any instruments or equipment that Chen Hui was interested in, and he also reminded Chen Hui of any things he didn't understand.

"Next, we will visit the wind tunnel system. Chengdu Aircraft Industry Group has a relatively complete system. In addition to the shock tunnel, we also have the electric arc tunnel and the hot shock tunnel. Simply put, the operating time of the shock tunnel is usually in the millisecond range. It is mainly used to verify some instantaneous phenomena, such as shock wave-boundary layer interference."

In addition, we also have an electric arc wind tunnel and a hot blast wind tunnel for stable operation experiments of the scramjet engine combustion chamber.

Duan Xiaofei proudly introduced that Chengdu Aircraft Industry Group (CAC) possesses the best experimental equipment in the country, and of course, they have also achieved the best results, so they can be proud.

"This is a low-speed wind tunnel, typically with speeds less than Mach 0.3. It is mainly used to simulate the low-speed airflow characteristics during the take-off, landing, and cruise phases of fighter jets, and is equipped with a smoke/oil flow visualization system to observe the flow field distribution."

Chen Hui followed Duan Xiaofei's finger and saw a huge, all-steel structure in front of him. It was more like a building than a piece of equipment.

"This wind tunnel features an open-type design, measuring 12m x 3.5m x 18m in length, width, and height. It utilizes an all-steel frame structure, and the inlet section is equipped with a honeycomb rectifier grid or screen to reduce airflow turbulence..."

It wasn't just a simple introduction; they explained all the detailed parameters to Chen Hui, making him feel like he wasn't there for a visit, but rather to take over the laboratory.

Continuing forward, Duan Xiaofei continued, "This is a supersonic wind tunnel, with speeds between Mach 0.3 and Mach 5..."

It took a whole day just to walk around the laboratory.

This gave Chen Hui a general understanding of the Chengdu Aircraft Industry Research Institute.

"It's okay. I'm just giving you a general introduction today. You'll get used to it as you use it more."

As they walked out of the lab, Duan Xiaofei smiled and said to Chen Hui, not expecting Chen Hui to remember all the equipment and precautions after hearing him explain it only once.

Finally, the group arrived at the conference room.

There were already seven or eight people sitting in the conference room.

A refined middle-aged man stood up and walked towards Chen Hui. "Hello, Professor Chen. I am Zhao Yundong, the head of graduate students at Chengdu Aircraft Industry Group."

The middle-aged man stood up and introduced himself, warmly extending his hand to Chen Hui, "Welcome, Professor Chen, for your guidance. From now on, we'll rely entirely on you for engine-related issues."

"For the country and the people, we will never fail in our mission!"

Chen Hui didn't mince words; he was here specifically to do this.

Zhao Yundong gave Chen Hui an approving look and said with a radiant smile, "Good, I'm relieved to hear you say that."

"Please sit down,"

Zhao Yundong gestured for everyone to sit down, "I won't take up any more of your time. Xiaofei, please introduce him to Professor Chen."

"Professor Chen probably doesn't need much introduction, right?"

After everyone was seated, Zhao Yundong stood up, glanced around the conference room, pointed to the person at the head of the table on the left, and said to Chen Hui, "This is Shi Peng, the head of the overall design department..."

"This is Liu Qiwei, the head of the Aerodynamics and Structures Department..."

There were more than twenty people in the conference room, including heads of almost all the important departments of the institute. The level of this welcome meeting was quite high.

After the introduction, Zhao Yundong spoke again, "From now on, Professor Chen will be in charge of the Power Systems Research Department, and everyone should fully cooperate with Professor Chen's experiments!"

"?"

These words came so suddenly that not only were the other people in the conference room taken aback, but even Chen Hui himself was completely stunned.

He's just here as a scientific advisor; there's no need to give him so much power.

"Professor Chen, there's no need to worry. Our research institute is different from a company; we follow the rules. There's no need to worry about any other problems."

Zhao Yundong raised his hand to stop Chen Hui, and said with a serious expression, "Since the Hall Master of the War Hall has asked you to come, we will naturally provide you with sufficient convenience for your research. Not only the Power System Research Department, but if you need the cooperation of other departments, please feel free to ask, and we will try our best to meet your needs."

"clear."

Chen Hui nodded solemnly. Power and obligation are interdependent. He could feel the other party's sincerity, and at the same time, he could feel that the burden on his shoulders had become heavier.

But he is confident!

"I didn't expect you to be here too!"

As soon as I stepped out of the conference room, Academician E Weinan greeted me with a smile and said, "Now that you're here, I feel that the problem is not far away!"

"Mr. E, you flatter me. I heard you've made a new discovery recently?"

Chen Hui also had a big smile on his face. He had enjoyed several collaborations with Academician E Weinan and respected this senior very much.

"A ceramic-based material has indeed been discovered, but there is still a long way to go before it fully meets the standards."

The smile on E Weinan's face disappeared, and his brows furrowed slightly. Clearly, they had encountered some tricky problems.

"How about it, would you be interested in visiting our lab?"

After a moment's thought, Chen Hui accepted the invitation.

……

In the following days, Chen Hui went in and out of the laboratory every day to collect various data for modeling. Occasionally, he would also visit the materials department where Academician E Weinan worked to help Academician E solve some mathematical problems.

Time flies, and half a month has passed in the blink of an eye.

"Congratulations!"

On this day, Chen Hui had just stepped out of the laboratory when Academician E Weinan came over and said with a smile.

"Has Dr. E made a new breakthrough?"

After Chen Hui arrived at the research institute, although he would assist in adjusting the model, he did not participate much in the research and development of high-temperature resistant materials, and focused more on the construction of fluid models.

E Weinan shook his head, "Not everyone can do scientific research as fast as you."

"It's not that easy to break through just like that."

"However, we're not in the business of commercial manufacturing. If we don't care about the cost, we can still build it."

"What's there to congratulate me about?" Chen Hui asked, puzzled.

“Of course, it’s that paper you wrote with Professor Dennis,” Evinan said matter-of-factly. “I have a feeling that you will solve the NS equation, this century-old problem, before long.”

Chen Hui suddenly realized that the paper had been submitted half a month ago, and he had been focused on experiments and model research these past few days, completely forgetting about it. However, the paper's publication was inevitable, so there was no surprise in it.

"Professor E, Professor Chen, there's some big news lately!"

Yang Chi jogged over from the corridor and said mysteriously.

When Professor E and his team came, they also brought Professor Xiao Meng's team with them. Professor Xiao Meng had already left Jiangcheng University, but Chengdu Aircraft Industry Group also offered postgraduate places, so Yang Chi and his team came directly after their vacation. After graduation, they would most likely stay here as researchers, saving them the trouble of finding jobs, so they naturally had no objections.

"What big news? Stop keeping me in suspense."

After working together for several months, Academician E Weinan and Yang Chi had become quite familiar with each other. He also had a good impression of this clever graduate student and thought he was a promising young man worth cultivating.

“An Indian plane recently crashed.”

Yang Chi took out his phone and brought up the news.

After reading the news, Chen Hui and Academician E Weinan both looked rather somber. This accident was undoubtedly tragic and serious.

"It's said that the local temperature was too high, and the warm air density was insufficient to provide enough lift..."

Yang Chi chatted idly, recounting rumors he had heard.

"I never expected that even Boeing would have something like this happen."

Chen Hui sighed, "If I remember correctly, this should be the first accident involving a Boeing 787, right?"

"What's so surprising about that? Boeing is just an assembly company; they don't even manufacture their own engines."

E Weinan shook his head, "Our domestically produced C919 is the same; its engine is also imported."

Chen Hui nodded.

Although China's fighter jet engines have caught up with the world's leading level, there are still many differences between commercial aircraft engines and fighter jet engines, and it is impossible to transfer this technology from military to civilian use in a short period of time.

However, high-temperature resistant materials and multi-scale fluid models are usable, and if their development is completed, they will also greatly improve civil aircraft engines.

In that time, flying will not only be safer, but also cheaper.

Meanwhile, in the Chengdu Aircraft Industry Group's conference room not far from Chen Hui and his team, Zhan Tang, the leader of the Zhan Tang, flew in from Beijing and said with a solemn expression, "At the Blue Star oil depot, our pilots played a game with the pilots from the United States. Although they won in the end, on the return flight, due to the long and intense battle, their engines experienced thermal blockage. Fortunately, our pilots are experienced and managed to avert disaster."

Thermal congestion occurs when the heat released during combustion cannot be effectively diffused, leading to abnormal pressure propagation and a decrease in airflow velocity. When the hydrogen equivalence ratio exceeds 0.61 or the combustion chamber structure is poorly designed, the isolation section cannot regulate excessively high pressure, forming a pressure wave that propagates upstream and causes flow congestion.

Simply put, the flames "reverse" directly into the air intake, which is an extremely dangerous situation.

"Send ginkgo leaves directly over there!"

Chengdu Aircraft Industry Group's chief engineer, Duan Xiaofei, stated firmly that although the Ginkgo Leaf fighter jets have not yet been fully deployed, their combat effectiveness is beyond doubt. Even if there are only a few, they are enough to change the situation on the local battlefield.

He shook his head. "That's not something we should be concerned about. What we should be concerned about is how to solve this problem. It's not only about the safety of the pilots, but also about the future of China!"

In many cases, he did not explicitly tell these researchers.
However, the attempt to steal the country was like child's play and failed. The battle between India and Pakistan was a huge embarrassment. They wanted to show off, but instead exposed their true colors. They were defeated 6-0 by China's equipment, which also thwarted America's intentions. But it did not give up and continued to provoke trouble in the oil depot region of Blue Star.

At this point, powerful equipment becomes extremely important.

"Professor Chen has been researching this issue recently and has made some progress, but it will probably take a long time to completely solve it."

Zhao Yundong, the person in charge of Chengdu Aircraft Industry Group, spoke up. Although he also came from a technical background, he was no longer as impulsive as Duan Xiaofei.

The Hall Master nodded, "You all need to fully cooperate with Professor Chen, increase resource investment, give him whatever he needs, and spare no expense to resolve this issue as soon as possible."

"But we can't put all our hopes on Professor Chen alone. You can set up a special research group to study this issue at the same time and enjoy the same treatment as Professor Chen."

This has always been the Chinese tradition: saturation-style rescue and saturation-style research and development.

History is forged by the people; unity is strength. This is not the time to talk about individual heroism.

"Guys, we've reached a critical juncture!"

He said with a solemn expression.

……

At six o'clock in the morning, in the shock tunnel control hall of the China Aerodynamics Research and Development Center, fluorescent lights cast a cold white light on the metal control panel.

Chen Hui stood in front of the holographic projection, his fingertips quickly tracing the aerodynamic simulation diagram. The blue flow field projected the afterimage of mathematical formulas into his pupils—the correction terms of the LES turbulence model he had derived last night.

"Professor Chen, the wind tunnel pre-extraction is complete, the total pressure is stable at 80 atm, and the total temperature is 2980K." Researcher Lin Zhengze leaned over the control panel, his forehead stained with sweat from staying up all night. "The combustion chamber model has been installed into the nozzle, and the PIV laser and LIF system have passed their final self-test."

Chen Hui nodded, his gaze sweeping over the countdown screen on the wall—00:05:00.

Today we will verify his improved CFD model, focusing on the coupling relationship between the combustion chamber shock wave location and fuel mixing efficiency. If successful, the thermal efficiency prediction error of the scramjet engine will be reduced from 12% to less than 5%.

"Start the wind tunnel." Chen Hui's voice was as calm as a precision instrument.

He has been here for almost a month. He already had experience in conducting experiments, and this month of frontline experience has allowed him to quickly adapt to life in the research institute and the transition from a theoretical mathematician to an experimental scientist.

The control panel emitted a low rumble, the arc heater began to consume electrical energy, and pale blue plasma pulsed within the vacuum chamber. Chen Hui glanced at the data acquisition screen out of the corner of his eye; the pressure sensor curve was approaching the target value with an accuracy of 0.1%.

Everything was progressing as predicted. Chen Hui nodded in satisfaction. In his vision, after completing this experimental verification and making the final model correction, the multi-scale fluid model would be completely solved.

In the past month, Academician E Weinan has also made new discoveries. With the help of Chen Hui, after making simple adjustments to the model, a ceramic matrix composite material has emerged that can withstand temperatures up to an astonishing 4000K and can resist oxidation for more than 1000 hours at a high temperature of 3000K!

The only problem now is that the preparation process is still difficult. Once this is overcome, the problem of high-temperature resistant materials will be solved. Right now, it is his multi-scale fluid model that is lagging behind.

Beep...beep...beep...

A sudden alarm pulled Chen Hui back to reality.

"Warning! PIV system synchronization signal lost!" Wu Zhiwei's voice trembled as he spoke. "The camera array is not receiving trigger pulses; we can only take still images now!"

The air in the hall froze instantly.

Particle image velocimetry is a core device for measuring three-dimensional velocity fields. Without obtaining flow velocity data, the turbulence verification of CFD models will lose its key support.

Chen Hui strode to the console and stared at the timing diagram of the PIV system—the trigger signal suddenly collapsed in the last 1ms, like a string of a musical instrument being snapped by an invisible hand.

(End of this chapter)