Chapter 902 What to do about the severe oil shortage
Yang Shufeng from the Air Force put down his wine glass, smiled wryly and said:
"Comrade Sanqi, the new J-7 fighters you brought here are truly useful. Based on our records of combat with foreign fighters, we can feel that they are not overwhelmingly superior, but at least on par with them, and even slightly superior.
Just now Lao Cao said that we have shot down a total of 80 enemy planes in the past six months, but we have damaged even more enemy planes. It can be said that we have dealt a heavy blow to the arrogance of certain countries that relied on air supremacy.
If our airspace were not too large and the number of J-7 fighters was not only 500, we could have directly covered several small islands in the southeast and bombed their military bases to pieces.
but……"
After Yang Shufeng finished speaking, he glanced at Lin Sanqi secretly and said embarrassedly:
"However, we found that the fuel consumption of the J-7 aircraft was too high. On average, one aircraft can carry 2 tons of aviation fuel, but this amount of fuel can only fly for a maximum of 2 hours and no more than 2,000 kilometers.
Considering that we have to return, the time left for our fighter jets to stay in the air is only about 50 minutes at most.
In addition, we usually need to conduct flight training, daily patrols, and take off to meet enemy aircraft. The aviation kerosene consumed every day is calculated in thousands of tons, which is a great test for logistics.
Finally, the aircraft also uses a large amount of aviation hydraulic oil for system lubrication and energy transmission. The large amount of aviation kerosene you got us last time is now almost gone. This, this..."
Commander Cao reminded:
"Don't be so picky, Xiaolin. The difficulty we're facing right now is that we're out of fuel and the plane can't fly.
This is just a worry for the Air Force, and it's the same for us. For example, the hundreds of plateau-version trucks you provided to Lao Xu are now only half on the road due to gasoline shortages, and they cannot be fully utilized.
Although the Shandong Cat we have has low fuel consumption, it is in large quantities. You have received 50,000 vehicles in total, which is definitely a gas guzzler.
So Xiaolin, I, Lao Cao, have a thick skin and am not afraid of you making fun of me. Can you help us think of a solution? We can't do without oil."
Lin Sanqi was a little puzzled:
"That's not right. Wasn't our Daqing Oilfield discovered in 1959? If I remember correctly, just last month, on New Year's Day 1964, the newspapers reported that 11 million tons of crude oil had been produced.
If we assume that one ton of crude oil can typically produce about 450 liters of gasoline or about 250 liters of diesel, the total is quite substantial, so how can there be an oil shortage?
Yang Shufeng was at a loss whether to laugh or cry.
"The key is that the refining technology for aviation kerosene is quite high. Our domestic refineries are currently unable to produce it, so we have to rely on imports. You are also aware of the current international situation. Aviation kerosene has been embargoed by the government."
Lin Sanqi thought that this was indeed a headache.
Our relationship with the Russians has completely become strained. It is almost impossible to import, and even if we sell it, the price is sky-high.
As for the United States, Japan and other countries, we are attacking their planes. It is naturally impossible for them to sell aviation kerosene to you, so as to restrict your planes from taking off.
Commander Cao also said helplessly:
"The whole country is a chessboard. It's impossible to give all the gasoline and diesel to the military, right? If that happens, how can the country continue to develop its economy?
The key issue isn't oil. We have oil in our country. In fact, the Yumen Oilfield was already operational before the Daqing Oilfield was discovered, so there's no shortage of oil.
For example, the Lanzhou Refinery, which is part of the Yumen Oilfield, was a modern refinery built using Russian technology and used advanced Russian technology.
But Blue State refineries can only produce 400,000 tons of gasoline and diesel a year, which is really just a drop in the bucket.
Oh, and the Blue State Refinery can theoretically produce aviation kerosene, but ever since the Russian experts withdrew, the quality of this aviation kerosene has been substandard and it is completely unusable.
As for the Daqing Oilfield Refinery, its current output is lower because we built it completely independently without the technical and industrial assistance from the Russians.
They still use some old-fashioned thermal cracking refining unit, which is very small in scale. Currently, their annual output is only 150,000 tons of gasoline and diesel."
Lin Sanqi calculated silently in his mind and was shocked. If that were the case, the total gasoline and diesel production in the country was less than 1 million tons?
If anyone has no idea about this data, then compare it with the data from 2015.
In 2015, my country's gasoline consumption was 142 million tons and diesel consumption was 174 million tons, which was not even a fraction of the amount in 1963.
Although the two eras are completely incomparable, it also reflects from another aspect how low my country's gasoline and diesel production was in the 1960s.
No wonder the streets are full of cars carrying "big bags", even cars that burn firewood.
Fortunately, Lin Sanqi was a time traveler, so he could refuel his car at will. Otherwise, he could only go to the gas station with his "gas purchase book", and the amount of gas he could use was fixed, not unlimited.
Lin Sanqi calculated again in his mind. Not to mention other untapped oil fields, the oil production of the two largest oil fields in the country alone is not small.
For example, the annual output of Daqing Oilfield was 50 million tons of oil at its peak, and the peak output of Yumen Oilfield reached several million tons in the 1960s.
Even if the oil production was only one-third, it should have been enough for use in the 1960s. So why is there still a shortage of oil in the country?
Oil shortage? Record oil exports every year?
Even in 2015, China still exported more than 4 million tons of gasoline abroad? What a strange export.
Lin Sanqi didn't want to think about those things and concluded:
"So, we don't lack oil in the country right now, but we lack refineries. We have no way to turn oil into usable gasoline and diesel, is that right?"
Yang Shufeng couldn't wait to add: "And aviation kerosene."
Leader Jing then spoke leisurely:
"Yes, we lack an oil refinery. It's shameful to say that ever since the Russian experts withdrew and stopped supporting our large industrial projects, our heavy industry has been stagnant.
Now it's not just the army that's short of oil, all walks of life across the country are short of oil.
Comrade Sanqi, do you remember that you once brought more than 200 diesel locomotives to the Ministry of Railways? At that time, the Ministry of Railways was ecstatic because the trains would run faster and the efficiency of railway transportation would be improved.
But now they can't laugh anymore, because there is no diesel, the locomotive can't move, and they have to rely on the old method of burning coal. They are embarrassed to tell you. "
Lin Sanqi suddenly burst into laughter after hearing this:
"Speaking of coal, it was I who provided the national coal resource distribution map and data. No wonder there's no shortage of coal now. This is all thanks to me."
Commander Cao also smiled and said, "There is no shortage of electricity."
Lin Sanqi nodded, because he had obtained tens of millions of watts of generator sets in one go, which was enough to provide electricity for the entire country for the time being.
Leader Jing stood up at this time and personally poured a glass of Fenjiu for Lin Sanqi:
"So, Comrade Sanqi, we called you here urgently because we want your help in finding some urgently needed gasoline and diesel, and oh, even some aviation kerosene for the Air Force."
Lin Sanqi scratched his head:
"Commander, it's not that I'm stingy, it's just that we need to transport gasoline in large quantities and we don't have the means to do so."
Gasoline is mainly transported over long distances through three methods: pipeline transportation, road transportation, and rail transportation. Pipeline transportation is the main method, which did not exist in China in the 1960s.
As for the railways and highways that can be provided, the problem is that Lin Sanqi cannot get them in large quantities from another time and space.
The key point is that even if he solved the transportation problem, he couldn't become a "cash cow", right?
The consumption of gasoline and diesel is very high and a large amount of supply is needed every day. So Lin Sanqi doesn't have to do anything else and just becomes a professional oil dealer.
Then how would I have the time to monetize the time-travel traffic?
It seems that it is better to teach a man to fish than to give him a fish.
Lin Sanqi pondered for a while and suddenly asked:
"What is our current talent pool in oil refining?"
Everyone in the room looked at each other, not knowing how to answer.
After all, the generals present were only responsible for fighting. They had heard of oil refining, but they were not professionals.
Leader Jing immediately understood what Lin Sanqi meant and asked excitedly:
"I'm not sure about the talent involved in oil refining. If you need anything, I'll have Minister Zheng Tuo from the Ministry of Petroleum Industry come over and explain it to you."
(End of this chapter)
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