Chapter 218 Return to the North
After flying for about a day or so, the Behemoth arrived in the North.
The flight time on the road was much slower than originally expected, mainly because the Behemoth encountered strong cold air on the way back from land, and the entire surface of the airship was drenched. A layer of freezing rain formed an ice shell, affecting the airship's flight.
This situation was also the first time for the navy on the Behemoth to encounter, and they did not dare to risk continuing to fly.
If it were a warship in the past, it would not be a big problem. A layer of ice shell is really insignificant for a warship. At most, it will have a certain impact on navigation, which is within the controllable range.
But for airships, no one can guarantee whether this layer of ice shell will cause any damage to the airship's airbag, or have a negative impact on the airship's engine.
So Lieutenant Colonel William ordered the airship to lower its altitude while asking Perfectcott for instructions on how to handle this matter.
"Why did you decide to lower the flight altitude?" After listening to Lieutenant Colonel William's explanation, Purficott asked him a question.
"The temperature at high altitude is lower than that on the ground. If we continue to rise, the hull will only freeze more seriously." Lieutenant Colonel William still has a relatively clear understanding of the situation currently facing the Behemoth. With his understanding, he explained to Purficott: "Although it is possible to continue to rise to get rid of the influence of strong cold air, this may also aggravate the icing situation on the outer layer of the airship, causing the hull to be overweight and cause severe weather conditions. Consequences.
So for the sake of safety, I ordered the flight altitude to be lowered, and at the same time organized a part of the crew to carry out de-icing operations on the hull.
It's just that we really don't have much experience in the use of airships. If an accident occurs in such bad weather, it may be difficult to deal with it. ”
One of the major advantages of the airship is that it can increase the flight altitude. The airship can be raised above the clouds and reach the stratosphere. Flying in a relatively stable environment in the stratosphere can avoid severe weather in the troposphere. The impact.
But with a layer of ice already forming on the hull, Lieutenant Colonel William, as the captain, still did not dare to take the risk of forcing the Behemoth to break through the troposphere
After all, this is likely to make the icing situation worse and cause an accident to the airship.
“So why not fly to the stratosphere when taking off from Xinshak City? "Perfect complained helplessly, and then said: "But since this is the situation now, don't take risks and fly slowly close to the ground. I'm not in a hurry anyway.
In addition, you can report this matter to the military and ask them to remember to remind the shipyard to equip subsequent airships with high-altitude de-icing devices, which can directly draw high-temperature steam from the steam boiler, which will cause ice to form on the surface of the ship. Effective de-icing can be achieved by purging the area. ”
Perficott ignored this point when she designed the airship. After all, according to her idea, the airship should fly in the stratosphere and there was no need to consider de-icing.
But thinking about the extremely cold weather we will face in the future, the issue of de-icing must be considered.
Fortunately, the airship now uses steam power, and high-temperature steam comes out of the contacts to purge and remove it. The ice problem was not big, and it was very simple. It was just a matter of laying a few more pipes.
This matter passed quickly, and Perficott also arrived at the base of Eagle Beak Cliff successfully, but it was just on the way. It took more time than normal.
When the Behemoth landed on the Eagle Beak Cliff, it was already the afternoon of the next day. "Miss, you are finally back." The old housekeeper Foster rushed to greet you immediately. After not seeing you all winter, the old man has aged a lot.
Obviously, after Purficott returned to Langton due to the war, all kinds of affairs in the north fell on the old steward, making him very troubled.
"Thank you for your hard work while I was away in the North, Grandpa Afu." Purficott greeted the old butler, and then became concerned about the affairs of the North: "I am not here. Have there been any major events in the north recently?”
“Although there were a few blizzards in the winter, there were generally no problems. According to the arrangements you left before you left, there were a few snowstorms. The snowstorm was passed safely," Foster reported to Purficott. Although this winter was not easy, as he said, although there were problems, they were not difficult to deal with.
Hearing what Foster said, Purficott nodded with satisfaction.
Although Purficott has made arrangements for matters in the north, the level of technology in this era is here, and even if she is present, she cannot guarantee that there will be no problems at all. , let alone in her absence?
Foster's ability to avoid any major incident that was difficult to deal with was beyond Purficott's expectations, and she was naturally very satisfied with it.
"Miss, I have prepared a dinner party for you. You can take a rest first. I think you must be exhausted along the way." The old housekeeper still cares more about Perfectcott. In good health.
Perfect nodded, and then glanced at Lieutenant Colonel William and others who got off the airship, and then ordered the old butler: "Cousin William and the others have also worked hard all the way, let people Treat them well, I want to take a bath first.”
"Please rest assured, I will make arrangements." Perhaps it was because the hostess from the north was back. The expression on the old housekeeper's face looked so kind at this moment, and he also smiled for the first time in a long time.
Perfect turned and walked towards his laboratory, while the old butler, after asking people to entertain Lieutenant Colonel William and his party, turned around and followed Purfict again.
"How is the progress of various scientific research projects during my absence in the north?" Purficott asked the old housekeeper.
Now that he knew that nothing major happened in the territory, Purficott's focus naturally turned to the projects she left behind before she left.
"Mr. Al has completed the preliminary mass production of nitroglycerin and has now set up a simple production line to produce nitroglycerin explosive." The old housekeeper naturally has some knowledge of these things and reported to Purficott Regarding the relevant progress: "Because of the explosives, the mine you asked to dig at the coal mine before leaving has been completed this winter, and now the deep underground coal can be mined.
No one in the territory froze to death this winter, all thanks to the timely mining of enough coal from the coal mines, which provided sufficient fuel for the territory. ”
“Sounds good, but what about new steam turbines? Did Professor Archibald achieve anything? "Perfect asked as he walked into the elevator accompanied by the old butler.
(End of this chapter)