Other Jimness > Cinder Spires Spoilers

Steam Power

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knnn:

--- Quote from: raidem on October 09, 2015, 06:03:46 PM ---Imagine lift crystals that raise water, then harness the energy of that water falling.  That would be great applications in line with hydroelectric dams.

--- End quote ---

It's partially a matter of efficiency.  Why use crystals to lift water to create dams when you can just use their energy to create elertricity directly (as shown in the electric teapot on the Predator)?

knnn:
Honestly though, you'd expect more steam in a steampunk novel.  Maybe the genre should be called "crystalpunk" or "vatpunk".    ;)

Quantus:

--- Quote from: raidem on October 09, 2015, 06:03:46 PM ---In a world where crystals can act against the force of gravity, I think it is sensible to believe that crystals would be included in their energy production industries.

Imagine lift crystals that raise water, then harness the energy of that water falling.  That would be great applications in line with hydroelectric dams.

--- End quote ---
As Knnn said it's a matter of efficiency and purpose while on an Airship.  In the Spire itself perhaps, for any energy production that is not already built into the Spire's automated systems.  But on the airship it doesnt make sense to have 3 cores to provide power directly and then another to provide what is more indirect, and so almost inevitably a less efficient, mean's of locomotion.  The steam is typically supposed to be employed only when the other systems have failed iirc.  While using both to get any scrap of power is always an option,  it doesnt make as much sense from a design standpoint if all energy onboard is sourced in Crystals.

Quantus:

--- Quote from: knnn on October 09, 2015, 05:57:56 PM ---Remember that the various crystals heat up when they get used a lot.  Maybe "Steam engine" just means you use the excess heat to create steam, essentially making your whole propulsion system more efficient.

--- End quote ---
That's would make a ton of sense, actually.  They do that almost everywhere else they use steam today, at least the places Ive seen.

But then the Steam engine is more of a supplemental recovery system, not truly a back-up propulsion.  It would need to be run almost any time the Core Crystals are, to improve efficiency with the additional cooling effect.  But conversely it could not be run if the Crystals had failed, so it couldnt operate as a backup/redundant system, because it could not operate independently. 

knnn:

--- Quote from: Quantus on October 12, 2015, 01:44:49 PM ---Then the Steam engine is more of a supplemental recovery system, not truly a back-up propulsion. 

--- End quote ---

True, but it seemed to me that the original reason they had steam/sails was because there were places where they couldn't use their aethernet propulsion system, not because the crystals didn't work (otherwise I assume the ship would have just dropped out of the air).  Is this sense, the steam is a back up.  Your power never fails, but if you are "becalmed" then you just use your steam.

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