Chapter 3

"Ah, it's not as easy to answer as I imagined..." Instead, Hao Shuai, after thinking for a long time, finally started to write.

Zhang Yifu shook his head, cleared his mind of external distractions, and stared straight ahead, thinking. Although he was clear about everything, he needed to simplify the language and description, focusing only on the key points. After all, the person grading the papers was a leader in human resources, who might not understand overly technical content. Some people in the room had even started drawing diagrams and writing formulas, showing off their extensive reading, which was clearly unscientific.

On the podium, the old professor smiled slightly and said to Liu Jianwang beside him, "They've all started writing, Director Liu. Wasn't this question too simple?"

"Hehe, I'm not an expert in this field, so I can't come up with too difficult questions," Liu Jianwang scanned the room and happened to see Zhang Yifu with a blank look. He subtly nodded his head and whispered, "Professor Chen, isn't there someone who hasn't started writing over there?"

The old professor looked in the direction and saw Zhang Yifu, and could only sigh, "Speaking of Zhang Yifu, his admission score wasn't low, but he has been lax since then. He always manages to pass exams by the skin of his teeth. He's smart but lacks effort. When it comes to crucial moments, he can't just scrape by anymore. What a pity."

"Indeed, what a pity..." Liu Jianwang, looking at the rather outstanding Zhang Yifu, also sighed. He had seen too many people who were only clever but unwilling to work hard and lacked ambition. Even in the ministry, there were people who just got by, and such people should never be given a comfortable environment; they must be forced to work hard.

Zhang Yifu didn't know that the simple conversation between the two leaders on the podium had basically sealed his fate. The only thing that could solve his predicament was probably the paper in his hand.

After about half a minute of deep thought, Zhang Yifu finally started writing, using the simplest language to describe the working principle of a thermal power plant—

[Thermal power plants generate electricity through the combined action of boilers, steam turbines, and generators.]

[1: Coal is fed into the boiler via a conveyor belt, where it is burned to produce high-temperature, high-pressure steam, which drives the steam turbine.]

[2: The steam turbine drives the generator, which generates electricity based on the principle of cutting magnetic field lines.]

[3: The three-phase alternating current generated by the generator is transmitted to the power grid through terminal leads, completing the power generation process.]

[4: The used steam is purified and liquefied through condensation and deoxygenation, and then reintroduced into the boiler to be reheated to a steam state, repeating the cycle.]

[Supplement: Depending on the energy source, thermal power plants can also be classified as oil-fired power plants, natural gas power plants, etc. The principle remains the same, but the boiler design varies according to the fuel used.]

It took less than three minutes to answer the question. Zhang Yifu glanced around and saw that most people were still writing furiously, unsure whether they were writing thermodynamic formulas or generator circuit diagrams.

While he was lost in thought, he heard a cough and turned to see that Xia Xue had also finished. She deliberately pushed her paper closer to Zhang Yifu's view.

Still grateful, huh.

Zhang Yifu cleared his throat and shook his head slightly, indicating that he didn't need it.

"Seems like he's given up," Xia Xue murmured, took back her paper, and thought for a moment before making some necessary additions.

On the podium, Liu Jianwang looked at his watch and heard the sound of some people tearing the second sheet of paper. He shook his head helplessly. No one had asked them to draw circuit diagrams, and even if they did, Liu Jianwang wouldn't understand. Technical people were often a bit rigid and obsessed with details.

He couldn't help but look at Zhang Yifu, whom he had just paid special attention to. This guy was the opposite; he started writing the latest and finished the earliest. It was unclear whether he was clueless or had immediately grasped the purpose of the test. He would have to take a good look at his paper later.

At exactly five minutes, Liu Jianwang no longer cared about the students who were still writing and said clearly, "Alright, it's fine if you haven't finished. This isn't an exam; it's just to get to know you all a bit better."

After that, he directly posed the next question: "Please listen carefully to the second question—suppose a city is facing a power shortage. Please propose a solution and briefly explain the reasons and advantages and disadvantages."

People's minds were still stuck in the basic concepts of power generation, but the second question was already coming at them. Unlike the first question, the second one didn't seem to be in the textbook. It was more of a common sense and management question. You might be able to answer it even if you missed a day of class, while someone who studied hard every day might still give a mediocre answer.

Some people quickly started writing, while others were lost in confusion.

On the surface, Zhang Yifu seemed to be one of the confused, but he was actually thinking about more things. People of this era were quite honest; after a question was posed, they would only try their best to think of the solution steps. However, Zhang Yifu knew that Liu Jianwang was in human resources and not a technical expert. To answer his questions, one should think more about the purpose of the test from the perspective of the questioner, rather than the technical details.

The first question was to see if you understood the basics and if your mind was clear, and that was all.

The second question was to see if your common sense was up to par and if you could easily handle practical application knowledge not covered in textbooks. It seemed simple, but there was a hidden question. Liu Jianwang had clearly stated, "Please briefly explain the reasons and advantages and disadvantages." The advantages and disadvantages were comparative, meaning that there was more than one way to solve the power shortage problem, and you needed to compare several methods and make a judgment.

At this level, it was already a professional question, and a practical one at that, a professional question in management and a broad perspective. Even students in the power major would find it difficult to answer perfectly; on the contrary, an old electrician with only a primary school education might handle it with ease.

Zhang Yifu suddenly felt a bit embarrassed. He had worked in a power plant for so many years, and now he was answering such a question with the green students. Wasn't that cheating?

[There are three conventional solutions]

[First, increase power supply capacity by building new power plants to make up for the power shortage. The advantage is that it is a one-time solution that directly increases power generation, and any excess power can be fed into the grid to help other cities in need; the disadvantage is that the construction of power plants takes a long time and cannot immediately solve the current problem, which will delay production and life in the power-short city.]

[Second, regional power transmission. The advantage is that it is quick to implement; once high-voltage transmission lines are set up, power can be immediately obtained from nearby power plants; the disadvantage is that the national power supply is already tight, and it may be difficult to favor one city over another.]

[Third, orderly power use, balancing power supply through peak load shifting and power rationing, especially during peak hours. The advantage is that it can be implemented immediately without external assistance; the disadvantage is that it is a temporary solution that is detrimental to economic development and significantly affects production and life order.]

[In summary, each single solution has its drawbacks. A combination of the three methods—building new power plants, increasing power transmission, and limiting some power use—can smoothly solve the power shortage problem until the new power plants are completed.]

After finishing the question, Zhang Yifu still had a lot of time left and started to feel a bit self-indulgent. He was only worried that he had used too many professional terms, making it too highbrow for the leaders to understand.

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