At the foot of the Flame Mountain, an industrial revolution regarding "heat" is taking place.
There are 108 hot days exceeding 35 degrees Celsius in a year, the extreme maximum temperature in summer can reach 49 degrees Celsius, and the surface temperature is often above 70 degrees Celsius. Turpan, Xinjiang, known as the "Fire Continent", has extremely unique natural conditions. The average annual precipitation is only 14.7 mm, but the evaporation is as high as 2477.5 mm. The dry air and strong sunshine interweave to form a famous dry and hot area.
The extreme dry heat that ordinary people avoid has now become a hot business. From June to September every year, Turpan becomes a "natural testing ground" for tens of thousands of plastics, rubber, metal products and more than a thousand new energy vehicles. Extreme high temperatures have spawned a high-temperature dry heat testing industry with an annual output value exceeding 100 million yuan.
Build a natural “baking ground”
In the static atmospheric exposure field of the Natural Environment Experimental Research Center in Turpan, Xinjiang, photovoltaic modules, sealant samples, home appliance casings, etc. are continuously undergoing extreme high-temperature "baking" tests. Staff members carry out regular maintenance work on the test samples exposed in the open air in real time. In the laboratory, technicians are busy testing various samples that have passed the high temperature test.
Since last year, Alim Wumer, an inspector at the research center, has been conducting photovoltaic module inspections. Each photovoltaic module that has been exposed to the sun for more than a month is tested in the laboratory for power, voltage, conversion efficiency, etc. "Inspecting 30 to 40 pieces every day will eventually form a photovoltaic module inspection report." Alimu Wumer said.
In the past, many products were tested in artificial simulated environments in laboratories. However, the temperature and simulated lighting in the laboratory cannot fully reproduce the real scene of the coupling effect of multiple environmental conditions such as high temperature, drought, sand and dust, and large temperature differences between day and night. "When conducting outdoor atmospheric exposure tests outdoors, the venue is standardized and normalized, and all instruments and equipment have been calibrated to ensure the consistency and accuracy of the test data." Guo Chunyun, deputy director of the research center, said that nowadays, more and more companies are beginning to pay attention to outdoor atmospheric exposure tests of products. Products sent here have a short-term test cycle of at least one quarter, and the longest observation test span is 50 years.
According to reports, Xinjiang Turpan Natural Environment Experimental Research Center was officially established in 2011. For a long time, the research center has mainly carried out dynamic and static tests of automobiles and outdoor atmospheric exposure tests of other materials. In recent years, it has cooperated with national quality inspection centers to build an outdoor demonstration base for photovoltaic modules and an outdoor demonstration base for HVAC equipment. At present, the exposure samples cover plastics, rubber, metals, coatings, paints, building materials and vehicle parts. Since its establishment, it has accumulated more than 42,000 exposure samples.
Since its establishment, the research center has taken the lead and participated in the preparation of 24 national standards, filling the gap in environmental adaptability testing of industrial products in extreme dry and hot environments in my country. In 2025, the Turpan Branch of the National Materials Corrosion and Protection Science Data Center will be listed here. It will further deepen the integration of industry, academia, research, inspection and application, and play a role in the formulation and revision of standards, industrial transformation and upgrading, platform construction, and the cultivation of new quality productivity.
Guo Chunyun said that in the next step, the research center will target different customer groups and provide enterprises with deeper technical services by solving practical problems as an entry point. "Based on local characteristics and combined with professional expertise, we will focus on carrying out testing and evaluation services on agricultural film recycling and biodegradable mulching film applications to solve industry pain points."
Towards “universal physical examination”
The sun was blazing in Turpan at noon, and test vehicles drove into the professional test track one after another to conduct high-temperature and dry-heat tests. Different from static natural exposure, this test tests the vehicle's operating performance under high temperature conditions.
"When companies land in Turpan, they are interested in the high-temperature, dry-hot climate resources that are scarce in the world." He Ningtang, deputy chief economist of CCCC Huoshan Automotive Inspection Co., Ltd., said that Turpan's special climate conditions, superimposed with normalized dust and wind, and the synchronized effects of various environmental stresses, can verify multiple indicators such as high-temperature aging and sand and dust wear at one time, and completely restore the real usage scenarios of vehicles in high-temperature areas. This is a natural testing ground that artificial constant temperature chambers and test bases in other areas cannot replicate.
From the initial static exposure of materials and products to the dynamic testing of complete vehicles, and then to the testing of new energy and three electric systems, Turpan's testing industry is moving from "single testing" to "comprehensive physical examination."
"In the early days of development, we only carried out static exposure and performance calibration testing services for traditional vehicles. With the rapid development of the new energy industry, we are also continuing to expand new businesses." He Ningtang said. Since its launch in 2019, the company's business has expanded to high-temperature comprehensive testing of new energy vehicles, power battery thermal management testing, vehicle air-conditioning comfort calibration, high-temperature durability road testing, etc. At the same time, the test roads cover various types of professional roads such as performance roads, urban simulation roads, gravel roads, and dust roads. "We have established cooperation with more than 70 car brands from more than 50 car companies, and the proportion of new energy vehicle testing accounts for about 80%."
"This visit is mainly for summer calibration of unmanned delivery logistics vehicles." Zhang Qi, an engineer at Chuanxing Zhiyuan Technology Co., Ltd. in Huizhou City, Guangdong Province, said that they are mainly here to test the stability of the unmanned vehicle's three electricity (motor, electronic control, battery), wire-controlled chassis, intelligent driving perception system and thermal management system in high-temperature environments. "We came here in early August and it will take about a month to test." Zhang Qi said.
"We provide supporting test resources for car companies, including exclusive test roads, test workshops, and accommodation and catering services during the test period. At the same time, we continue to adjust our business according to customer needs." He Yizhi, chairman of Turpan Flame Mountain Materials Natural Environment Aging Testing Center Co., Ltd., said that this year, a 1.2-kilometer off-road road was added to test the comprehensive off-road performance of the car chassis. At the same time, 50% standard slopes and 30% and 40% talc slopes were also built.
At present, Turpan has built 5 high-temperature dry-heat testing bases, undertaking more than 90% of the country's high-temperature dry-heat testing business for automobiles, and its industrial business card as a natural "testing ground" is becoming more and more shining.
Broaden application tracks
"Turpan's unique environment of high temperature, drought, and wind and sand can completely verify the true operating status of the equipment." Drone test engineer Yu Bingzhong of Zhejiang Huashi Intelligent Inspection Technology Co., Ltd. is conducting product testing at the test site. He said that in the past, companies had to go to Haikou, Fujian and other places separately to separate equipment and carry out individual tests of high temperature and high humidity, but now they can complete it in one stop in Turpan.
In 2025, the low-altitude test airspace of CCCC Huoyanshan Company was approved, and the aircraft operation certificate was obtained in 2026. The test airspace is centered on the test site, and low-altitude aircraft testing can be carried out within a radius of 5 kilometers. The test items mainly include the thermal safety of the power battery, the performance of the flight control and motor power systems, and the body structure and sealing.
He Ningtang said that the company will continue to improve the supporting facilities of exclusive high-temperature test sites in the fields of drones, flying cars, embodied intelligence, etc., build joint test scenarios integrating vehicle, road, cloud and air, and create a full-chain service system for collaborative comprehensive testing of air and ground.
The prospects for industrial development are bright, but it also faces difficulties in cultivating talents. "Automotive thermal management and high-temperature testing of low-altitude equipment are subdivided majors. The local practitioners have a weak foundation in related professions, and it is difficult to retain high-tech operators stably in the long term." He Ningtang said.
In addition to automobiles and aircraft, the performance testing of electrical equipment operating in high dry heat environments has also received increasing attention. Zhang Xiaojun, technical director of the Power Transmission, Transformation and Distribution Research Institute of the State Grid Xinjiang Electric Power Research Institute, said that with the development of Xinjiang power grid construction, the use of composite insulators for lines and stations has increased significantly. Composite insulators will undergo irreversible material aging during long-term operation, resulting in reduced electromechanical performance and a serious threat to the safe and stable operation of the power grid.
In 2023, the State Grid Xinjiang Turpan High Dry Heat Composite Materials Long-term Charge Aging Test Station will be officially put into use. At present, the test station has received a total of 192 composite insulators from 6 manufacturers and a total of 1,696 silicone rubber film samples from 7 manufacturers. It has completed the long-term live assessment and release of 87 composite insulators and 706 silicone rubber samples.
Why choose Turpan? Zhang Xiaojun explained that the typical climate characteristics of the Turpan Basin are high solar radiation intensity, high temperature, large temperature difference between day and night, low humidity and strong wind. The natural conditions make it an ideal test site for high-temperature thermal oxygen aging, and it is also a typical representative of the high dry heat environment in the northwest region.
He Yizhen said frankly that facing the future, as smart equipment increases, companies need to expand cutting-edge businesses and are preparing for drone countermeasures tests. "This is the inevitable track." At the same time, the company takes the lead in building a unified industry platform, integrates all-area testing resources, introduces leading domestic automobile testing institutions, takes the lead in formulating extreme testing specifications and car company access standards, and promotes standardized operations in the industry.
