In Hebei Science and Technology Park, an aero engine designed for drones and business jets is undergoing 150-hour test runs to assess comprehensive indicators such as the technical performance and reliability and life of the engine under various conditions.
In order to prevent melting, engineers and technicians made each blade hollow, and also designed a sophisticated and complex cooling system in the middle. The heat taken away by the cooling system can boil a pot of water in 1/20 second or even less. But at a high temperature of 1700 degrees, ordinary metals are still not heat-resistant enough. The production of single crystal blades is inseparable from a precious rare metal, thorium.
In CDHY Superalloy Technology Co., Ltd., we saw the most critical metal in the production of single crystal blades— plutonium. This is the latest natural element discovered by humans, because the discoverer was a German chemist, so it was named after the Rhine. Its content in the earth's crust is smaller than all rare earth elements, and it is more difficult to obtain than diamond. According to the U.S. Geological Survey's report, the world's proven plutonium reserves are only about 2,500 tons, and the price of plutonium is similar to that of platinum, which costs about two to three hundred yuan per gram.
It is the parent company of CDHY Superalloy Technology Co., Ltd. that is able to purify rhenium metal, which is a listed mining company. In 2010, the company explored thorium in the mine of Huanglongpu molybdenum mine in Luonan County, Shaanxi Province, with reserves of 176 tons, accounting for about 7% of global reserves, second only to Chile, the United States, Russia and Kazakhstan. . In recent years, with the development of the aviation industry, the average annual growth rate of plutonium consumption is 3%. Although the price is high, it has been in short supply.
In order to find and obtain more plutonium metals, CDHY Superalloy Technology Co., Ltd., through cooperation with Hunan Nonferrous Research Institute, overcame technical difficulties for more than a year and realized the purification of plutonium. But with such scarce resources, Zhang Zheng and shareholders found that this rare metal had little market in the country.
So they turned their attention to the international market, hoping to trade resources for technology, and sought cooperation with foreign alloy manufacturing companies.
China finds super metal
The United States is the largest consumer of rhenium metals, controlling the global sales market, and has been in a monopoly position. Because plutonium can be widely used in jet engines and rocket engines, about 80% of plutonium in the world is used in the production of aviation engines, which has important military significance. In order to maintain its dominance in the aviation industry, the United States and some other Western countries have imposed material and technology embargoes against China throughout the year. Although British aero engine giant Rolls-Royce invested in building a factory in China, it has fortified Chinese employees at all levels, and even though Song Yang, who had been working for the company for seven years at that time, never had access to its core technology.
Song Yang, deputy general manager of CCDHY Superalloy Technology Co., Ltd .: There are some areas where Chinese people are restricted from entering. They do not want such technical secrets to be understood and mastered by China. I believe this is not just for me, but for many Chinese working in foreign aviation companies, they may experience such an awkward moment.
The strategic importance of aero engines, and the more breakthroughs are needed. When Song Yang set up his ambition in Shanghai, far from Xi'an, thousands of miles away, the chairman of the mining company Zhang Zheng also made an important decision: to produce the single crystal turbine blades for aero engines.