Producer: Popular Science China
Production: Far away
Producer: Computer Network Information Center, Chinese Academy of Sciences
The story of "Iron Man" Wang Jinxi is well known. In order to infuse the country's industry with "black blood", he fought desperately in the front line of drilling. In the face of the accident, he was fearless and resolutely used his body to block the blowout. He represents the fighting spirit of that group of working people who "would rather live less than twenty years and desperately want to win the big oil field."
Oil fields for oil extraction (Source: Sohu.com)
But what many people may not know is that behind this batch of "iron men" stands a "giant".
This "giant" has transformed oil from a simple energy source into a "black blood" that cannot be separated from all walks of life, and pushed the rocket to fly into space. He is the founder of China's petroleum refining technology and the pioneer of petrochemical technology. He is a party member scientist- Hou Xianglin.
Mr. Hou Xianglin (Source: Baidu Encyclopedia)
"Ordinary" teenagers are determined to serve the country and open the "indissoluble relationship" of oil
"I am an ordinary person".
In 2005, Hou Xianglin summed up his life at the Great Hall of the People. However, in the eyes of those who know him, "everyone's demeanor and party member style" is the correct annotation of his life.
Hou Xianglin was born in 1912, which was the era when the Chinese nation rose in blood and chaos. He was a hot-blooded young man who was committed to serving the country, and when he was a young man, he took to the streets to protest against imperialist aggression. From 1931 to 1935, while studying in the Department of Chemistry at Yenching University, he held books in his hands and shouldered national difficulties to collect donations for frontline soldiers. In 1938, Mr. Hou Xianglin became a member of the party, and after that, he continued to pursue progress and contribute to the party with his knowledge. In 1944, Mr. Hou Xianglin went to the United States to study, and six years later, he gave up his position at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and resolutely returned to the motherland where he needed him, thus starting his journey with China's petroleum refining industry and forming an "indissoluble relationship" with oil.
Aviation kerosene (Image source: Sohu.com)
In the decades of his research career, Mr. Hou Xianglin used his sweat to turn oil into a chemical product needed by all walks of life. From 1957 to 1965, Mr. Hou Xianglin led the development of domestic aviation fuel, so that the eagles soaring in the blue skies of China had their own food. Also during this time, Mr. Hou Xianglin refined a variety of lubricating materials from oil, which are necessary for atomic bombs and satellites. At that time, China's most remarkable achievements in the world were indispensable to Mr. Hou Xianglin. After that, Mr. Hou Xianglin also led the research and development of catalysts in a variety of petroleum refining, and explored new processes, new products and new technologies, realizing the transformation of China's refining technology from scratch to the world's leading level, and truly making petroleum refining a Chinese its own technology.
In the new century, Mr. Hou Xianglin has edited a number of monographs on petroleum refining, summarizing and expounding the progress and achievements of China's oil refining technology, and through multi-faceted research, from the strategic level, he has made plans for the exploitation and utilization of China's oil and gas resources. Truly let China's oil resources form a system of development and utilization, pointing out the way for the future oil exploration and oil refining industry.
Mr. Hou Xianglin has used his life to open up the way for China's oil refining technology, let it go to the forefront of the world, and inject indispensable blood into all walks of life. Mr. Hou Xianglin's contribution will surely be remembered for history.
Oil refining is difficult, but he gritted his teeth to overcome the difficulties
The oil refining technology that Mr. Hou Xianglin has worked hard for all his life is actually not as easy as we think, and there are many problems in it.
As we all know, oil is the "black blood" of industry and an important energy source for mankind. In fact, oil is a mixture of very complex composition, and direct combustion is not only underutilized, but also produces many toxic and harmful gases. And the use of oil is far more than combustion, whether it is rockets, the lubricating oil in the atomic bomb, or the asphalt used for paving roads, the gasoline used in cars, all come from petroleum refining.
Petroleum refinery (Image source: Sohu.com)
The principle of preliminary refining of petroleum is not complicated, and only needs to be fractionated after dehydration. Fractionation is the use of petroleum each component boiling point is different, after heating, different components will boil into gas at different temperatures, so as to achieve the initial separation of components. The steps to further refine these initially separated components, including decompression fractionation, catalytic cracking, catalytic cracking and reforming, etc., are the key difficulties of petroleum refining, and it is also the cause of Mr. Hou Xianglin's lifelong efforts.
Petroleum fractionation (Image source: Baidu Encyclopedia)
Only when the right catalyst and the right process are determined can we obtain materials with excellent performance and meet the needs of high-end application scenarios. Because of this, Mr. Hou Xianglin encountered unimaginable difficulties in his exploration.
Take the research and development of domestic aviation fuel as an example, at that time, China's aviation fuel was completely dependent on imports from the Soviet Union, and the progress of independent research and development was close to zero. As Sino-Soviet relations deteriorated, the eagles in Chinese airspace were completely stuck in the neck. It was at this critical juncture that Hou Xianglin provoked the beams, worked day and night, and transformed his home into a laboratory for aviation fuel, and continued to tackle key problems on new year's day. Later, after repeated attempts and explorations, Mr. Hou Xianglin keenly noticed the difference in the sulfur content of crude oil used in China and the Soviet Union, boldly introduced sulfides in the manufacturing process of aviation fuel, and finally broke through the technical difficulties of high-temperature pipeline ablation, so that China's steel eagle had its own aviation fuel.
Repeated attempts and tireless explorations have been exchanged for a solid pace of China's rise. Mr. Hou Xianglin is like this, leading the rise of China's oil refining technology step by step. Do not fear or shrink back in the face of difficulties, showing the spirit of "giants".
He is an oil "giant" and an excellent party member who sacrifices himself for the country
Mr. Hou Xianglin is not only a national soldier in the field of petroleum refining, but also an excellent party member.
He joined the Party at a time when China's survival was in danger and ran for the survival of the nation; he resolutely returned to China when the country needed him most, and fought for the country under difficult conditions; he bravely picked up the beams and rose to the occasion when the country encountered technical difficulties. Mr. Hou Xianglin's deeds are worthy of being an excellent party member. In terms of life style, he is even more an outstanding party member representative who is indifferent to fame and fortune and willing to dedicate.
In the course of arduous research in the last century, Mr. Hou Xianglin was well aware of the country's difficulties, gave up the improvement of his living conditions, and in addition to the necessary funds for living and research, accumulated all other subsidies and donated party fees. In the early 1980s, Mr. Hou Xianglin donated his hometown property to the Shantou Municipal Government for use as a shop and dormitory for the yarn drawing company. The bonuses given to him by the state and donations from companies and research institutes were used by him to set up the Hou Xianglin Fund to support the country's education and talents in the petroleum industry. He is a model of a Party member who struggles hard and does not seek enjoyment.
Hou Xianglin Fund (Source: Baidu Encyclopedia)
The reason why Mr. Hou Xianglin calls himself "ordinary" may be because there are too many party members and scientists like him who give up their small homes to become the country. But these great scientists, for us, are destined to be extraordinary. They are the great predecessors who deserve our deep remembrance and follow-up. On the occasion of the centenary of the founding of the Party, let us jointly sing the praises of these lovely Party members and scientists and for our great Party.
Mr. Hou Xianglin is a "giant" behind the "iron man", he is determined to serve the country as a teenager, and when he is an adult, he boldly devotes himself to oil refining, and the elderly still insist on contributing to the residual heat. He is the representative of the "giant", highlighting the true color of the "giant". Needless to say, his "giant" spirit is worthy of our praise and learning.