Chapter Fifty-Eight: Does This Count as Success?

Watching this little fellow run so smoothly, everyone involved in the test was full of admiration and wonder. Who would have thought a turbojet could be so simple? Today was truly an eye-opener. The designers of the little engine hugged each other in excitement—this was the result of their month-long effort, and their hard work had finally paid off.

“Yes, the first stage of ignition has succeeded. Now it’s just a matter of switching to liquid fuel. If it can transition to liquid fuel and run smoothly, then we’ll truly have achieved something.” After calming down the still-excited young men, Yang Hui continued to watch the engine test. There could be no premature celebration until final success was declared.

The excitement did not disturb the testing staff; they continued to follow the established procedures, testing the little engine as it roared away on the test stand.

“Alright, all temperature indices have reached the requirements for liquid fuel conversion. Prepare for fuel transition.” At Director Chen’s command, the test personnel slowly opened the fuel valve, allowing the diesel-gasoline blend to flow through the supply line into the combustion chamber. When the fuel reached the vaporizer, which was already at a high temperature, it instantly evaporated. The vaporized fuel in the chamber then combusted together with the oxygen in the air.

During combustion, the supply of propane was gradually reduced while the supply of vaporized liquid fuel was increased. Finally, the propane was cut off completely, and the engine’s combustion chamber was fueled solely by the liquid diesel-gasoline blend.

The first to speak at this point was not Director Chen but a technician responsible for the propane supply, who was the first to know when the engine had fully transitioned away from propane.

“It’s done. The engine is now running entirely on liquid fuel—the startup process is complete.”

“Good. Continue to monitor operational status.” With the startup complete, there was no longer any need for so many people to crowd around the workbench. Director Chen dispersed the onlookers and continued to monitor the running engine. If a problem arose, he would immediately cut the fuel supply—now he stood right by the fuel control panel.

The personnel leaving the control area came over to the six designers, offering routine congratulations. “Congratulations! The engine shouldn’t have any issues now. Its maximum designed continuous run time is only forty minutes—there shouldn’t be a problem.”

“Thank you. This is the result of everyone’s joint efforts. We’ll still be relying on your test results going forward—it’s a team effort.” Not only in the field of aviation engines but in all complex industrial design, achievements are the result of teamwork. The legendary days of a single engineer designing an entire piece of industrial machinery, as in the first and second industrial revolutions, are nearly impossible now.

“Absolutely. We’ll hurry with the follow-up tests—that’s our job. We must strive to finalize the design as soon as possible.”

The forty-minute test passed quickly, though for the six designers, it felt like an eternity. Fortunately, the test concluded smoothly. When time was up, Director Chen decisively shut off the fuel supply.

With no more fuel, combustion ceased, and the little engine gradually spun down until it stopped completely, never experiencing a single fault. From startup, through sustained running, to final shutdown, the entire test run was flawless—and it met design specs for continuous operation on its very first test. This was clear proof of an excellent design.

The test concluded perfectly. Director Chen approached Yang Hui with a broad smile, shaking his hand firmly and offering unstinting praise. “An excellent design—such a stellar performance on its first run.”

He then fell silent, deep in thought, before his face relaxed as if some decision had been made. He spoke again: “In fact, this little turbojet that you young people have designed is the first truly original engine ever produced at our institute. If it succeeds in being finalized, it’s destined for a place in our institute’s history—no small accomplishment.”

That was high praise, but it was true. All previously designed engines at the second institute were copies; this little turbojet was about to claim the honor of being the first independently designed engine.

“We were a bit lucky. Ours can’t compare with the institute’s larger projects—there’s still a long road ahead.” Yang Hui’s words were half humility, half genuine feeling.

Hearing the young yet mature project leader, Director Chen wasn’t sure what more to say and shifted the topic to the follow-up testing.

“The temperature should have dropped by now. Come on, let’s take down the engine and check the condition of its components.”

A successful test run didn’t mean the work was done; many tests still lay ahead. Now, disassembling the engine to check for component wear was next on the list.

Yang Hui was the first to act, removing the engine and deftly taking it apart with the tools at hand. As soon as he opened the starter motor, he caught a whiff of burnt odor—a bad feeling rushed over him. Had the starter motor burned out?

Nervously, he opened the motor housing. Instantly, the smell of burned rubber filled the small space, prompting those nearby to wrinkle their noses at the acrid odor.

Upon closer inspection, Yang Hui was relieved. It wasn’t the motor itself that was burned—the problem was at the connection between the motor and the main shaft. The rubber there was so scorched it no longer resembled its original form; the entire connection was nothing but two lumps of charcoal.

“Burned this badly—this is a major problem. If we don’t solve this, the engine becomes a single-use item. Any further use would mean the hassle of replacing the rubber coupling after every run.” The man speaking was Old Wen, a seasoned technical expert renowned for his sharp eye. He immediately grasped the design principle and understood the turbojet’s starting method.

“That’s the issue. For the sake of simplicity, we used rubber bushings—two bushings moving back and forth to grip and drive the main shaft. We didn’t expect a problem here.” Since everyone was curious, Yang Hui explained Long Derong’s design concept to clear things up.

Hearing the rationale, everyone began to ponder the matter. Some were impressed by the ingenious approach; others were puzzled. In theory, this design shouldn’t have failed—so what went wrong?

“Let’s strip everything else down and take a look. Maybe the root cause isn’t here.” Years of testing experience had taught Director Chen to take a holistic view when looking for problems. Disassembling the entire engine was the prudent course.

Prompted by Director Chen, Yang Hui set aside the starting system and continued to dismantle the little turbojet, determined to find the culprit.

To his disappointment, even after reducing the engine to its components, he found nothing amiss. The problem with the starting system remained a deadlock, stalling all subsequent testing.

At this point, Long Derong, holding the entire starting mechanism, was deeply troubled. The coupling method between the starter’s output shaft and the turbojet’s main shaft was his own proud innovation. Thanks to his design, the engine no longer needed a bulky clutch—the lightweight rubber coupling reduced overall weight. But now, contrary to expectations, the only problem was with the coupling.

It was a setback for the project. In hindsight, he regretted not using a mechanical coupling, which would never have failed in this way. For the first time since joining the workforce, Long Derong was experiencing the sting of having his own radical design hold back the project, and he regretted his choice.

With everyone staring at each other, unable to pinpoint the cause of the failure, Yang Hui knew he needed to step up and organize his design team.

“Enough—standing around won’t solve anything. Design team, back to the office! Time is tight. We’re all working overtime tonight. We must solve this problem.”

With Yang Hui’s order, the young designers snapped back to attention, quickly packing up all the engine parts to take back for further analysis.

Watching the six young men who had designed the little turbojet depart, Old Wen and Director Chen stood together, a sense of hope rising in their hearts. With such determined and capable youngsters, the institute’s future looked bright.

“The institute has a promising future—these young people are full of ideas and creativity. There’s real hope here.”

Standing by the door, Director Chen echoed Old Wen’s sentiment, “Yes, and not only are they technically skilled, but there’s a real leader among them.”

Old Wen nodded in agreement.