The first chief designer of China's nuclear submarine was posthumously awarded as a model of the times

Peng Shilu: "deep dive" for the motherland for a lifetime

  interview target

  Yang Chaoyong, former vice president of China Nuclear Power Research and Design Institute

  Yu Junchong, Academician of Chinese Academy of Engineering, Nuclear Power Expert

  Sun Rongmian, Former Director of Science and Technology Division, China Nuclear Power Research and Design Institute

  Peng Jie Peng Shilu's daughter

  On the banks of Qingyi River, there are high mountains and steep ridges.

  On March 22, 2021, Peng Shilu, the first chief designer of Chinese nuclear submarines and academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, completed his 96-year-old life.

  Peng Shilu is the son of revolutionary Peng Pai. In 1962, Peng Shilu began to preside over the research and development of submarine nuclear power.

Beginning in the summer of 1967, he came to the base code-named "909" deep in the mountains in southwestern Sichuan, and directed the construction of the first-generation nuclear submarine land-based model reactor.

On December 26, 1970, my country's first nuclear submarine was successfully launched, and 46,000 parts and components were all independently developed. China became the fifth country in the world to own a nuclear submarine.

In 1983, Peng Shilu was appointed as the commander-in-chief of the construction of China's first large-scale commercial nuclear power plant, and organized the introduction of my country's first million-kilowatt nuclear power plant, the Daya Bay Nuclear Power Plant.

In 1988, he served as the chairman of the second phase of the Qinshan Nuclear Power Plant, successfully realizing a major leap from prototype reactors to commercial reactors in my country.

  Due to his outstanding contributions, Peng Shilu successively won the special prize of the National Science and Technology Progress Award, the National Science Conference Award, the Certificate of Honor for "Making Outstanding Contributions to National Defense Science and Technology", the He Liang He Li Foundation Science and Technology Progress Award, and the He Liang He Li Foundation Science and Technology Achievement Award , The 13th Guanghua Engineering Science and Technology Award Achievement Award, etc.

  Recently, the Propaganda Department of the CPC Central Committee posthumously awarded Peng Shilu the honorary title of "Model of the Times".

Our reporter interviewed Peng Shilu’s colleagues and family, recalled the life of Academician Peng, and paid tribute to the pioneer of China’s nuclear power industry.

  1 "I only did two things in my life, one is building nuclear submarines, and the other is building nuclear power plants."

  In the middle of the last century, nuclear submarines were considered a "killer" for protecting the country's core interests.

In 1959, the Soviet Union refused to provide assistance for the development of nuclear submarines on the grounds that the technology was complicated and China did not have the conditions.

In this regard, Mao Zedong proposed that "nuclear submarines will be built in ten thousand years!"

  Peng Shilu and other scientific and technological talents have overcome various technical problems and finally built our country's "competitive boat."

Later, Peng Shilu transferred to the civilian field, presided over the construction of the Daya Bay Nuclear Power Plant and the Qinshan Phase II Nuclear Power Plant, and made a lot of pioneering contributions.

  Reporter: Academician Peng once said that he only did two things in his life, one is building nuclear submarines and the other is building nuclear power plants.

What contributions did he make in these two tasks?

  Yang Chaoyong: Peng Shilu presided over the demonstration of the nuclear submarine nuclear power plant scheme, the selection and calculation of main parameters, and the selection and development of important equipment.

Due to my country's independent development of nuclear submarines, there is a lack of important parameter data, and calculations are mainly based on slide rules and hand-cranked calculators. It takes more than one month to calculate a plan to complete.

Peng Shilu used such a simple calculation tool to lead everyone to repeatedly check, verify and revise the collected foreign data, and determine more than 100 main static and dynamic parameters of China's nuclear power plant.

He also led everyone to establish a zero-power reactor at room temperature and a high-temperature and high-pressure zero-power laboratory, and establish a full-scale zero-power experimental device, thus confirming the safety and controllability of the reactor in a cold state.

  Sun Rongmian: The key step in the development of the first-generation nuclear submarine is the nuclear power plant, that is, the model reactor.

At that time, there was a lot of controversy about reactor selection and whether to build an onshore model reactor.

Some people think that the construction of an onshore model reactor will increase the cost of trial production and will delay the launch of the nuclear submarine. It is better to directly load the reactor into the boat for a test, and then directly deliver it to the army after success.

Peng Shilu supports the establishment of a land-based model reactor. He believes that we have never engaged in nuclear power installations on boats. It is too dangerous to ship directly to a boat without a simulation experiment. This is "a small loss and a big gain", and it can be guaranteed to be one-time success.

After repeated research, Peng Shilu's opinion was recognized by the central government. Later, the start-up test of the land-based model reactor reached full power, which also proved that his judgment was correct.

  Yu Junchong: In the 1980s, Peng Shilu followed the organization's mobilization and transferred to the field of nuclear power plant construction.

During his tenure as the commander-in-chief of the Daya Bay Nuclear Power Plant, he put forward the importance of controlling progress, investment, and quality.

He once said that if one day is delayed, one million US dollars will be lost. Time is money, and you must grab time and speed.

Later, he believed that he could not rely on foreign nuclear power technology, put forward the design concept of "self-reliance and self-reliance", presided over the construction of the second phase of Qinshan nuclear power plant, creatively introduced the bidding system, and solved the undesirable phenomenon of relying on the relationship between pulling and fighting for projects, and Proposing a shareholding system and establishing a board of directors system have introduced modern management concepts for my country's nuclear power field.

It can be said that in the construction of nuclear power, he has made great contributions in strategy, technological development and management methods.

  2 "According to the results of the experiment, I will sign and I will be responsible."

  Faced with the dilemma of no blueprints, no authoritative experts, and no foreign aid, everyone including Peng Shilu has never seen what a nuclear submarine looks like.

The only reference materials are two obscure photos of foreign nuclear submarines reproduced from newspapers and a model toy of nuclear submarines brought back from a foreign country.

In addition, most of the R&D team members have a professional background in electric power, chemical engineering, instrumentation, etc., and their knowledge of nuclear power is almost zero.

Therefore, whether in the design or construction process, everyone often argues because of disagreements on technology.

At this time, Peng Shilu would say: "Don't make a noise, do an experiment, use the results of the experiment to speak. According to the results of the experiment, I will sign and I will be responsible!"

  Reporter: At that time, what difficulties did the development of nuclear submarines face?

Facing technical disputes, Academician Peng dared to be responsible and dared to make decisions. He was called "Peng Makes". What stories are there?

  Yang Chaoyong: At that time, there were less than 50 people in the reactor research room, and only five or six people, including Peng Shilu, were specialized in nuclear power.

Most of the foreign-language materials available for reference are in English, but most people only speak Russian, so they have to "start from scratch" and "self-taught". I get up at 5 o'clock every morning to recite English words and read English materials while learning words.

Peng Shilu and other professional researchers taught the knowledge of nuclear power plants.

After learning by doing, the "layman" quickly became a professional in nuclear dynamics research.

  Yu Junchong: Peng Shilu decided to use data to speak. He carried a measuring ruler with him to facilitate calculations.

When initially planning the working pressure of the reactor, someone selected 200 atmospheres based on foreign design experience.

Peng Shilu is not superstitious of foreign data. After calculation, he found that 200 atmospheres of pressure will burn out the components, which is easy to cause major accidents.

So he lowered the parameter value based on thermal efficiency and component safety. Later, some countries also lowered the reactor working pressure to 130 atmospheres.

On another occasion, the designer added a "safety valve" to the steam generator of the model reactor for safety reasons, and the result always leaked.

Peng Shilu found that the maximum pressure is constant based on the thermal calculation principle, and it is impossible to overpressure.

Since the safety valve was leaking a bit, Peng Shilu decided to unplug it.

  Sun Rongmian: For the sake of confidentiality and safety, the first-generation nuclear submarine land model was built in deep mountains and old forests. The living area is dozens of miles away from the working area. The traffic is inconvenient. Peng Shilu and everyone are on the construction site. Lie down on the bench and take a nap.

In summer, snakes and mosquitoes are often rampant, and winter is dark and humid, and life is very difficult.

The base is extremely short of materials, and comrades eat Wowotou for scientific research, and when they can't even eat Wowotou, they dig wild vegetables and cabbage roots to eat.

We often saw Peng Shilu wearing oily and mud-stained work clothes, holding a large porcelain bowl that had fallen out of it, lining up to buy food.

However, the inconveniences of life are not troubled by us. Everyone is immersed in scientific research, and only wants to contribute to the national defense construction.

  3 "It is enough to live to love the motherland, to be loyal to the motherland, and to devote ourselves to the prosperity and strength of the motherland."

  Peng Shilu is the son of Peng Pai, a proletarian revolutionary and martyr.

At the age of 3, his mother, Cai Suping, was unfortunately arrested and died heroically.

The following year, Peng Pai was arrested for justice, and Peng Shilu, who was only 4 years old, became an orphan. He also became the enemy's "eye thorn" and a "wanted criminal" who offered a reward for hunting.

Protected by the blood and lives of many revolutionaries in the party organization, Peng Shilu went to Hong Kong, Macau and Yan'an to study and live. After the victory of the Anti-Japanese War, he was selected to study chemical engineering in the Soviet Union with excellent results, and then turned to nuclear power according to the needs of the country. profession.

  Reporter: Academician Peng once said, "It is enough to live to love the motherland, to be loyal to the motherland, and to dedicate to the prosperity and strength of the motherland." What gives him a deep sense of family and country?

  Yang Chaoyong: I think the first thing is the kindness of the party and the people who nurture Peng Shilu.

He told me that in the revolutionary era, in order to avoid hunting down, he lived a life of "surnames, eats, and wears clothes", and has more than 20 "parents."

When working on nuclear reactors, life was difficult, but he insisted on sending money to "parents" on a regular basis.

He once said, "The bumpy childhood experience has honed my character that is not afraid of difficulties and dangers. I am always grateful to the people. No matter how hard I try, I feel that it is not enough to repay the kindness they gave me."

  Yu Junchong: Studying and living in Yan'an, the sacred place of revolution, cultivated Peng Shilu's communist beliefs.

He said that the revolutionary education he received in Yan'an was the greatest spiritual wealth in his life, and the revolutionary spirit strengthened his sentiment to serve the country.

In 1951, Peng Shilu went to the Chemical Machinery Department of the Kazan Institute of Chemical Technology in the Soviet Union to study. When General Chen Geng visited the Soviet Union in 1956, he secretly asked Peng Shilu, who was about to finish studying abroad, whether he was willing to change to the major of nuclear power and nuclear power.

He said, "As long as the motherland needs it, of course I am willing."

When he returned to China, he brought back all the books he studied and used, and he also purchased a large number of reference materials for nuclear reactors, which greatly helped us to study nuclear power.

  Peng Jie: Communism belief is the spiritual legacy of the father’s inheritance of his father’s generation.

My father once said that grandparents selflessly gave the fields in their homes to the peasants, even at the expense of their lives for the revolutionary cause, and gave him the blood to dedicate everything to the motherland and the people.

There were 6 martyrs in our family in the revolutionary era. Our father always taught us to learn from our ancestors’ selfless dedication and the courage to innovate. Later, I talked about my "three wishes": First, I hope that the motherland will have more Powerful nuclear submarine power; second, hope that the motherland will become a nuclear power power as soon as possible; third, hope that the motherland will realize the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation at an early date and realize the Chinese dream of people living a happy life at an early date.

  4 "As long as it is beneficial to the country and the nation, it is more valuable than a small amount of money"

  "Although the work I have done in my life is a drop in the ocean, but it is to make dedication to the people, quietly and constantly striving to cultivate and open up wasteland." Peng Shilu summarized his life's efforts for the nuclear industry in this way.

He likened himself to "a pioneer in the field of nuclear power" and attributed the credit to the collective.

"I just did what I was supposed to do. I was fortunate enough to participate in the development of nuclear submarines and succeeded. But the credit is not my own, and the success of nuclear submarine development is not a matter of a few people. It needs the collective strength of everyone to complete it."

  Reporter: Academician Peng does not consider honors and losses, and never asks the organization personally. He believes that "as long as it is beneficial to the country and the nation, it is more valuable than a small amount of money."

On the 100th anniversary of the founding of the party, it is of special significance to review his spiritual character.

What kind of person is Peng Shilu in everyone's eyes?

  Yang Chaoyong: Peng Shilu loves work all his life and puts work first.

He never rests while studying on-land model reactors.

Because he was in jail when he was young, he was left with sequelae. After 2000, he was inconvenient and had to take a wheelchair when he went out, but he insisted on going to the office to work.

At the same time, he has a strong party spirit and adheres to principles. He once said that “to be a qualified leading cadre must be political, upright, and upright.”

Peng Shilu's life is a life of fighting for the cause of national defense, and it is also a life of practicing the loyalty and responsibility of a member of the Chinese Communist Party. He used his life to interpret the sincerity in his heart.

  Sun Rongmian: Peng Shilu can endure hardships very much. For the cause of nuclear power, he ignores his own body.

In 1970, the reactor began to increase its power and "sprint" toward full power. Each time the power was increased by one gear, the more dangers appeared.

Peng Shilu did not rest for five days and five nights to solve various faults and problems.

He has been suffering from stomach problems for more than 20 years.

At the critical juncture of an on-site commissioning, he suffered from a severe stomachache and was diagnosed with acute gastric perforation in the hospital. Later, three-quarters of his stomach was removed, and he was recuperating for only one month, and he was overworked again.

  Yu Junchong: Peng Shilu's life is very simple.

When he was the commander-in-chief of the Daya Bay Nuclear Power Station, he lived in a room less than 15 square meters. He ate instant noodles in the morning, or cooked noodles in a rice cooker, and had a quick lunch at noon.

He only knew that he was busy on the construction site, and he didn't even know when to adjust the rank, when to appraise the title, and when to raise the salary.

Other people's houses are getting bigger and bigger, but he himself moved from a large house with multiple rooms to a unit.

Because of his high level of scientific research, he has served as a consultant for many units, but he never gets paid.

  Peng Jie: Father is a selfless man.

In 2017, he won the Ho Leung Ho Lee Foundation Science and Technology Achievement Award with a prize of 1 million Hong Kong dollars.

He said that the money was not mine and was to be given to the country, so I went through the relevant procedures for him.

At that time, I was deeply moved and understood that what he pretended to be like his grandfather was the happy life of the toiling people all over the world.

His life is not for fame or profit, but for building nuclear submarines and nuclear power plants.

He is like a nuclear submarine in the deep sea, "diving deep" for a lifetime, silent but with infinite power.

(Reported by our reporter Zhang Chi and Yang Wenjia from Sichuan)