Re: Whitewall Fuels

From: Joerg Baumgartner <joe_at_...>
Date: Wed, 2 Mar 2005 13:01:23 +0100 (CET)


drfegg_at_...
>>From every source about WW the place is built on a limestone tor which is

> alkaline. Limestone is very easily drained, again not good for peat
> production.

Hold a moment: The ledge (plateau) Whitewall is situated on is limestone and/or marble. The fellmoor rise needn't be - I remember discussions how we got that special white stone there.

From my time in northern Norway I remember marble caves amid pegmatite (that's granite with larger crystals), so a mix of rock types is possible.

Andreas Pittelkow, a fellow Gloranthan and a trained geologist, pointed out to me a few years ago that the volcanoes in Kethaela produce "acidic" lava (obsidian, rather than basalt). I expect the backbone of Destor's Hills and several other such features to be "acidic" metamorph rock. The Fellmoor is where this backbone sticks out the highest, and only on its "shore" was Helamakt's fight.

> Now the boring technical stuff.
> How much energy it produces is it's Joules per kilo, the higher the value
> the more heat you get. So comparing the most common fuels:
> Coal 30.60 MJ/Kg
> Charcoal 33.70 MJ/kg
> Wood 14-17 MJ/Kg
> Peat 20-23 MJ/kg
> Now I like to clear something up. I *don't* work for the Charcoal
> Promotion
> Agency and I won't get all precious if it don't fit in with the greater
> plan
> but I think cellars of charcoal is the sensible option. Remember that the
> figures above are proportional to weight and peat is 30-40% water and
> therefore
> you would need a greater volume of fuel to produce the same amount of
> heat.
> Coal is a no-no. It is completely crap for metal working as it is full of
> sulphides which makes metal (well iron at least) brittle and unworkable.

Depends on the type of coal. Graphite is more wonderful than charcoal, but brown coal is worse than peat...

> Now *charcoal* is the fuel of the future :)

I suggested either peat or charcoal as a stickpicker's tithe for bad years. Rather than granting complete charity, the king would have gifted those bringing combustibles with the food, and accept coal or peat for tithe.

Only to discover that one subtribe or large clan with a lesser grudge to settle with the king sent all their tithe in peat...

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