Episode 40: Not Enough Oil
The boarding investigation of the Wrecked Ship concluded successfully. No Skeleton Crew or Wraith Crew were found, and the five little sisters seemed satisfied. That night, they were too excited to sleep, clinging to Commander (Eve) and earning a scolding from ＜Ringo＞, a valuable experience indeed. It was all the more endearing that Commander (Eve) was scolded along with them. (＜Ringo＞ apologized profusely later.)
Afterward, the Wrecked Ship was towed to ＜The Tree＞. It was useful as research material, and there was also the objective of recovering Iron Resources such as the Cannons it carried.
That was fine for the Wrecked Ship, but a separate issue had emerged that needed to be addressed.
It was necessary to detect ships that might approach ＜The Tree＞ as early as possible. Judging from the expected level of technology, the existence of ＜The Tree＞ could be kept secret by annihilating them all, at worst. However, understanding of this world was almost non-existent.
For example, the technological system of magic. Knowledge of this was zero. Rather, scientific knowledge might even be negatively impacting things. So far, information obtained from Telek Port City suggested that there was no technology similar to long-distance communication.
However, it could not be asserted that countries with technology superior to Telek Port City did not possess long-distance communication technology using magic.
We shot down a ship approaching ＜The Tree＞. They reported the attack to their home country—that would be the worst. Being recognized as a hostile organization would make it very difficult to move. If possible, peaceful negotiations were desired.
Incidentally, this “peaceful” did not mean without military force, but rather without armed conflict. Gunboat diplomacy would be actively pursued.
“Investigating ocean currents is a top priority, I suppose. I’m really glad the situation in Telek Port City has stabilized…”
“Yes, Ma’am. We have roughly established a patrol network there. We can determine that it is stable for several months. Let’s allocate some resources to ocean surveys.”
Some of the resources poured into the Telek Port City area were recovered and allocated to surveying the waters around ＜The Tree＞. First, the number of Solar-Powered Reconnaissance Aircraft (Swift) deployed was increased, and the observation equipment was replaced to investigate ocean currents. Ideally, buoys would be released to conduct detailed surveys, but releasing artificial objects was avoided for the time being. Even minor information was not to be handed over to other forces.
“Satellites… still impossible. Building a launch site is out of the question, and rocket manufacturing is resource-intensive…”
“Yes, Ma’am. There are also technical issues. We haven’t investigated whatever upward resistance effect occurs above an altitude of 5km since then.”
“Come to think of it, there was such a problem…”
The problem of observing anomalies in the ascent speed of the High-Altitude Plane (Plane) launched immediately after the transfer also remained. There were still fixed rocket Boosters in stock, but additional manufacturing was difficult. Besides, to launch a satellite safely, repeated launch tests would be necessary. Nothing was yet known about the space around this world, this planet.
For the time being, it was necessary to continue observations using Solar-Powered Reconnaissance Aircraft (Swift).
“But Swift has severe payload restrictions…”
“Yes, Ma’am. It is a difficult problem to solve due to the structure of Swift. Most of the weight is occupied by the motor, battery, and power generation equipment.”
Due to the function of continuing to stay aloft with solar power generation, the Solar-Powered Reconnaissance Aircraft (Swift) had restrictions on the equipment it could carry. Naturally, heavy equipment could not be loaded, and there were also severe restrictions on the energy source for the observation equipment.
During the day, it was necessary to charge the battery for nighttime flight, and at night, the battery was consumed to turn the propeller. It was necessary to use the small surplus sparingly.
“Hmm… After all, a large aircraft is needed…”
In that case, a large propeller plane would be desirable if possible. Jet planes were not considered because of their poor fuel efficiency. However, large planes required a runway, so they could not be operated at ＜The Tree＞ in its current state.
“The design of the flying boat is almost complete, so shall we allocate resources?”
“Yes. Let’s change the resource plan a bit. Prioritize testing the flying boat. And, we need to seriously consider fuel prospects soon…”
Currently, there was no sign of oil resources. Although there were reserves, they would dwindle as things stood. If aircraft were to be operated in addition to this, consumption would increase accordingly.
“Hmm, hmm… Hydrogen has low calorific value and is unsuitable for aircraft fuel…”
“There is also the saying, ‘Needs must when the devil drives.'”
“Yes, well, what’s the actual situation?”
＜The Tree＞ currently had surplus energy. This could be used to produce hydrogen and use it instead of petroleum fuel.
“Yes. The calorific value of hydrogen is approximately 13 megajoules per standard volume. For comparison, jet fuel is approximately 37 megajoules per standard volume. It is difficult to make a simple comparison because they are gas and liquid, but it is safe to assume that the calorific value is about one-third.”
“Simply put, the range will also be one-third, I suppose?”
“Yes, Ma’am. If we start talking about strict details, there is no end to it, so there is no problem with that understanding. With a method of burning hydrogen fuel, the range is narrower compared to jet fuel. There is also the problem of a low output limit.”
“Are there methods other than combustion?”
“Yes, Ma’am. We use Fuel Cells to convert electricity.”
While explaining, ＜Ringo＞ displayed the data. Comprehensive data such as the amount of power generated by the Fuel Cell and the motor output. However, what Commander (Eve) focused on was the manufacturing resources and maintenance resources.
“The initial cost is high, and the running cost is high…”
“In order to ensure the necessary performance, all high-performance materials are used for electrode catalysts, separators, electrolytes, control equipment, etc. Electrodes and other parts are consumed with use, so regular replacement is also necessary.”
“High-performance materials… Rare metals and special compounds. Even if the compounds can be manufactured with a molecular array machine (printer), this is…”
Although it was more efficient than a hydrogen gas turbine, it required resources (costs) that were difficult to obtain in sufficient quantities. It was so costly that it seemed better to invest resources in oil field exploration rather than continuing this.
“Ships can be equipped with large gas turbine engines, so switching to hydrogen fuel is an option, but aircraft have various restrictions, so the Fuel Cell wins out in the end.”
“Ugh, hmm…”
Rare metals could be recovered from seawater, albeit inefficiently. However, even when calculated based on running costs alone, the current production volume could not cover it. The number of operating aircraft would have to be reduced, which would reduce exploration efficiency.
“…No good. For the time being, let’s use oil for aircraft. Is it okay to switch the ship’s fuel to hydrogen?”
“Yes, Ma’am. If we only use oil for the flying boat, there will be no problem for the time being. Let’s look for oil fields in parallel, or consider other energy sources.”
The ships needed for trade were ready. From the perspective of cruising range and engine output, all the ships that had been built used diesel engines, but these would be replaced with hydrogen gas turbines. The flying boat would continue to be developed based on the currently designed aircraft, with a focus on energy conservation. The direction was shifted to suppress the consumption of oil stored at ＜The Tree＞.
“If we could build large-scale facilities, it would solve a lot of problems…”
“Building facilities requires a large amount of Iron, so we can’t start yet.”
“If only the ground was solid.”
“Although it’s a shallow sea, it’s all sea around us. Just setting up the foundation is very difficult. What should be prioritized in the current situation is…”
“…Building a platform for an undersea mine. Since we can’t find a mine on land, we’ll put our hopes on the seabed.”
“Yes, Ma’am. At this time, it is assumed to have the highest probability of success.”