Rebirth: Controlled Nuclear Fusion

Part 60：Lead-Acid Battery

The next day, Jiang Fan had breakfast and made his way to Long Lao's laboratory.

Before long, Long Lao arrived as well. After a brief exchange with a few people, he hurriedly left.

Once Long Lao had departed, Xia Xiaoyu turned to Jiang Fan and said, "Jiang Fan, you should suggest to Academician Long that he takes more time to rest and not overwork himself. After all, he's in his sixties, and his health should be a priority."

"Sure. By the way, Senior Sister, why don't you tell him directly?" Jiang Fan asked in confusion.

"I dare not," Xia Xiaoyu replied, "Long Lao has a fiery temper!"

She recalled once when she had casually mentioned something unrelated to the experiment, and Long Lao had scolded her harshly for it.

"But he seems so approachable," Jiang Fan remarked.

"Sigh, it's different for you. You're Long Lao's student, so your position is different from ours. As the saying goes, even a tiger won't eat its own cubs!"

"Alright then," Jiang Fan responded, noticing the unease in Xia Xiaoyu's voice. He couldn't help but wonder if Long Lao was really that intimidating.

"You must keep this in mind. I once saw Academician Long hunched over, clutching his stomach and squatting on the ground for over ten minutes to recover..." Xia Xiaoyu's voice faltered as she spoke, her worry palpable. She feared that if something were to happen to Long Lao, their research lab would be in jeopardy.

When she was in her third year, she had assisted an elderly professor at Long Ke Da, but the professor's deteriorating health had led to the closure of their research. Fortunately, the professor had transferred her to Long Lao's lab, but many other students weren't so fortunate.

For students, securing a position in a research lab was incredibly difficult. Though many professors had research projects and were willing to mentor students, with over ten thousand students at the university, there were far fewer opportunities than there were students.

Seeing that Jiang Fan had agreed, Xia Xiaoyu gave him a final reminder before feeling relieved.

Jiang Fan, however, understood that for researchers, the great achievements that lay behind their work were the result of countless sleepless nights and relentless effort. Most researchers' health suffered as a consequence.

Soon, the group fell into work mode. Their current research task was demanding, as the energy system of the mecha was the core of the entire design.

Every function and movement of the mecha was powered by the energy system, and the design of the other systems had to align with the data from the energy system. Otherwise, even if the mecha's arm was designed to lift a thousand kilograms, without the corresponding power, it would be useless.

As the morning drew to a close, Jiang Fan called everyone over.

"Junior, is there something you need?" Xu Guangyuan asked.

"Senior, I compiled a summary of battery energy sources yesterday," Jiang Fan replied.

"A summary? Let me see what you've come up with, Junior," Xia Xiaoyu said, her curiosity piqued as she grabbed the data from Jiang Fan's hands.

Jiang Fan paid her little mind. After his review of the battery materials from Blue Star, he found that Earth in the parallel world had advanced far beyond Blue Star in this regard. Currently, the most widely used battery on Blue Star was the lead-acid battery. Meanwhile, Earth had already developed cobalt-lithium 18650 batteries, nickel-hydrogen batteries, lithium iron phosphate batteries, ternary lithium batteries, etc., all of which offered performance improvements of more than three times compared to lead-acid batteries.

Seeing Jiang Fan's enthusiasm, Xu Guangyuan decided to let him explain, offering a bit of guidance in the process.

"Jiang Fan, could you tell us more about your summary?"

Jiang Fan nodded and began, "The energy requirements for mechas generally include three key aspects: endurance, output power, and battery life..."

"Currently, the mecha energy system we are studying uses lead-acid batteries, which are stable and technically mature..."

"But, in my opinion, this is far from sufficient for mecha energy. Lead-acid batteries typically have a cycle life of around 300 times, with a maximum of 500, and their energy capacity is inadequate. Furthermore, they are quite heavy..."

Xu Guangyuan nodded, fully agreeing with Jiang Fan's analysis. It was accurate, and it pointed out the challenges they needed to overcome. The current focus of their research was to improve the overall performance of lead-acid batteries.

Jiang Fan continued, "So, I think we need to shift our research direction."

"Shift the direction?" Xia Xiaoyu put down Jiang Fan's summary, surprised.

"Yes," Jiang Fan said with resolve, meeting her gaze. "Lead-acid batteries are made primarily from lead and its oxides, and the electrolyte is a sulfuric acid solution..."

"The chemical reaction for discharging is: PbO2 + 2H2SO4 + Pb → PbSO4 + 2H2O + PbSO4 (discharge reaction) (lead dioxide) (sulfuric acid) (sponge lead)..."

"The structure of this battery, by nature, cannot offer high performance. There is no need to delve further into it—it would only be a waste of time!"

Upon hearing this, the three of them exchanged looks.

Xu Guangyuan's opinion of Jiang Fan quickly soured. The research they were currently pursuing had been guided by Long Lao, and Jiang Fan's outright dismissal of their work as a waste of time was tantamount to rejecting Long Lao's direction. If Long Lao were to find out, it would be hard to imagine how he would react to his own student.

"Jiang Fan, you must realize that lead-acid batteries are currently the best batteries on Blue Star, and their technology is very mature. I believe, in no time, our research team will make significant breakthroughs in lead-acid batteries!"

Xia Xiaoyu was the first to speak out, standing up for their current direction.

"Junior, you're diligent and eager to learn, and we all support that. But research is not as simple as you think!"

"Yes, fortunately, Long Lao isn't here right now, or he would have surely given you a thorough scolding, even if you are his student."

The three of them began to lecture Jiang Fan.

At that moment, they all shared the same view: Jiang Fan was young and reckless.

After they finished, Jiang Fan spoke calmly once again, "For researchers, the direction of their research is critical. A wrong direction will always lead to dead ends and prevent any significant breakthroughs."

Xu Guangyuan, seeing that Jiang Fan was unyielding, grew somewhat displeased. They were third- and fourth-year students, yet a freshman was now lecturing them. His tone became mocking.

"Jiang Fan, if you think our research on lead-acid batteries is a waste of time, why don't you suggest a better direction for us?"

"LiFePO4 (lithium iron phosphate) batteries," Jiang Fan said confidently.

"LiFePO4 batteries?"

The three of them were taken aback. This was the first time they had heard of such a material.

"The performance of LiFePO4 batteries is more than three times that of lead-acid batteries... The cycle life exceeds 2000 cycles, and the thermal peak can reach 350°C-500°C. The working temperature range is broad, from -20°C to +75°C..."

Jiang Fan began to introduce the impressive characteristics of LiFePO4 batteries. The three of them listened in stunned silence, unable to believe what they were hearing. After all, the lead-acid batteries they were studying had a predicted performance improvement of only about 30%.

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