The Fox of France

Chapter 298: The Transformer Experiment

The advent of electricity into daily life was nothing short of lightning speed. Just a few days after the grand opening of "The Moulin Rouge," the library at the University of Paris was the first to be illuminated.

The lighting of the university not only meant that the library could now stay open at night, but it also introduced a new challenge for the police – catching cable thieves. Due to the lack of transformer technology, a significant amount of electricity was lost during transmission. To reduce these losses, there were two main solutions. The first was to build power plants in close proximity to the consumers.

Paris, with its abundant Seine River, appeared to be a perfect location for navigation, but it posed challenges for hydroelectric power. Therefore, the only solution for Paris was thermal power. However, this approach came with its own set of problems.

One issue was the source of coal. The coal from the Saar mines had to be transported to Paris, and there were no suitable waterways (cross-basin canals hadn't been developed yet). The only option was to use heavy horse-drawn carts to transport coal to the banks of the Seine River and then onward to Paris, but France's heavy draft horses were already in short supply. Additionally, laying a railway from the Saar mines to the Seine River would also take time.

Considering international trade, it was easier to import coal directly from England, load it onto ships, and transport it along the Seine River to Paris. In terms of transportation costs, it was even more economical than bringing Saar coal. As a result, many power stations along the French coast were using coal from England.

To account for the instability in their relationship with England, Napoleon had established coal depots at various coastal ports to store a portion of coal, thereby enhancing resilience.

Constructing multiple power stations in Paris to meet the city's growing electricity demands had a downside – it would result in severe pollution. If things went awry, Paris might even have to compete with London for the title of "fog capital."

Apart from building power stations nearby, the only other option was to work on the transmission lines. Generally, the larger the cross-section of the cables, the lower the resistance. Even though the power demand at the time wasn't particularly high, the transmission cables were made thick to minimize resistance.

Thick copper cables, combined with the high cost of copper, attracted many potential thieves. As the saying went, "Where there's copper in cables, there's usefulness in theft." Stealing cables became a burgeoning criminal activity, especially for those who refused to work or couldn't find employment. Despite the frequent reports of thieves being electrocuted while stealing cables, this criminal activity persisted. Back when electricity was introduced for agricultural purposes, cables were closely guarded. Whenever outsiders appeared, people became alert, suspecting them of being cable thieves.

In Paris, this issue was particularly pronounced. The electricity supply for the University of Paris originated from power plants that provided electricity to factories in Saint-Antoine, a less affluent area with a history of poor security. Providing power to factories was one thing, but as cables left the power plant's boundaries, crossed a narrow road, and entered the factories, they were vulnerable to theft. Protecting these cables became a daunting task for the police.

To address this issue, the responsibility for cable protection was given to the Department of Public Safety. Monthly allocations were made for this purpose, though the amount was not substantial. Upon receiving these funds, Minister Fouché promptly issued orders. The funds were distributed to precincts in proportion to the length of cables running through their areas, adjusted for the level of security challenge. Fouché's directive was clear, "If there are no cable issues in your precinct this month, consider this money your bonus. If, however, there is any damage to the cables in your area, these funds will be reallocated in proportion to precincts that had no issues."

The amount was not large, but for higher-ups, this "not large" sum was significant. Additionally, the funds allocated to Fouché came with the customary budget for "operating expenses." Fouché was not one to meddle too much with what his subordinates did with these "operating expenses," as long as they didn't go overboard and exceeded the standard amount. But Fouché himself refrained from using these "operating expenses." Consequently, when these small sums reached specific precincts, the final amount was more than one might expect.

In light of this, the young officers working in these precincts put in extraordinary effort, patrolling along the cables tirelessly, day and night. Even some small local criminal groups were cautioned, "My intention isn't just that you should stop such activities, but that if any cable damage occurs in this area, causing us to lose money and face penalties, we'll make you work to recover our losses!" As a result, those criminal groups that needed to stay in the area for the long term became, in a sense, protectors of the cables.

This concentrated effort ensured the safety of the cable running to the University of Paris. However, it was clear that this was a short-term solution. If electricity was to be widely promoted throughout the city, the police department simply wouldn't have the manpower to protect all the cables. In the long run, it seemed that crimes against the power system might remain difficult to control.

Joseph stated during the "City of the Night" planning meeting, "From a long-term perspective, transmission technology has become a bottleneck for us. If we intend to promote electricity throughout the entire city, relying solely on copper cables, the sheer quantity will become overwhelming."

And so, the challenges of bringing electricity to Paris continued, with Joseph and Napoleon Bonaparte at the helm, steering the course of progress.

"Fortunately, the military doesn't need copper as much these days," Napoleon sighed in relief. Otherwise, competing with the wonders for resources would indeed be quite troublesome.

"By the way, the last time you told me about resistive heating, you mentioned that you were working on a machine to increase the voltage. How's the progress?" Napoleon inquired.

"We've made some progress, and things have been going rather smoothly," Joseph replied. "However, there are still some experimental steps to complete. The experiments are currently being conducted in the south, where we have abundant hydroelectric resources, although the conditions are less favorable, and not all power stations are operating at full capacity. So, we've arranged the experiments there. An experimental transmission line has been set up, and if everything goes well, we should have results in a few days..."

"Then it'll take another half year to transition into industrial production, right?" Napoleon asked.

"Yes, that's correct. My friend, you shouldn't always expect to wake up one morning and see the wonder complete. Think about it, the Great Pyramid, the Temple of a Thousand Gods – which wonder didn't require time?" Joseph remarked.

"I actually think 'The Moulin Rouge' is already quite a wonder," Lucien chimed in, "and it's a wonder that keeps bringing us endless profit. It adds both smiles and gold coins – it's truly perfect..."

At the same time, in the south, construction of the new experimental transmission line was in progress. Workers erected tall electricity poles at intervals, hanging a string of ceramic bowls-like objects on top. These poles were all set up, and now, under the guidance of engineering technicians, the new wires were being hung on the poles.

Compared to the commonly used thick cables, these wires were much thinner, not even much thicker than a thumb. What made them even more peculiar was that they were entirely bare, without an insulating layer.

Unlike typical cables, these wires couldn't be mounted directly on the poles but had to be hung beneath the string of "ceramic bowls." On each pole, there was a string of "bowls" on both sides, with a bare wire suspended beneath them.

This wire extended all the way into a peculiar machine nearby, where it split into two thicker cables with insulating coatings. In this era, plastic had not yet been invented, so the insulating coating of the wires was usually a composite structure. The innermost layer, in direct contact with the metal, was asbestos. In later times, asbestos was banned in many countries due to its strong carcinogenic properties, but during this period, no one paid much attention to these matters.

Outside the asbestos layer, there was a thick layer of oiled paper, and the outermost layer was made of asphalt.

The responsibility for the experimental task in this area was entrusted to Joseph's student, André-Marie Ampère. At this moment, he was making final preparations for the experiment.

He checked the condition of the transformer: the iron core, coils, and the cooling oil they were immersed in were all in good shape. He carefully inspected other equipment and then said to the people around him, "Well, it's time to start the experiment."