Safehold's coal sources

There's Glacierheart, obviously. I was wondering if anyone else recalled major coal mining locations, or had reasonable speculations about them. The steam engines are going to be mighty hungry for them.

Well - assuming they're all running on coal, anyway. Safehold's got a variety of oil fuels too, including as I recall one that's grown. Would any of them be practical alternatives anywhere?

JeffEngel wrote:There's Glacierheart, obviously. I was wondering if anyone else recalled major coal mining locations, or had reasonable speculations about them. The steam engines are going to be mighty hungry for them.

Well - assuming they're all running on coal, anyway. Safehold's got a variety of oil fuels too, including as I recall one that's grown. Would any of them be practical alternatives anywhere?

I seem to remember a reference to Harchong having sources but limited transport. H'mmmm.

Glacier heart could be a potential source of coal, but what about undeveloped sources off of the mainland. Merlin found good locations for vaulable sources of metals, could there be great locations for coal in the empire or in one of the islands out there.
We know that charis has collected numerous navigational charts over the years, they could claim that in those charts and records, there was a survey about a place with potential coal.
WHile coal is useful, we know there is potentially oil they can harvest and they could make bio fuels as well. Due to their increasing energy demands due to steam, they wont be dependant on a singular source of fuels, they will attempt to diversify.

How about oil tree wood or fire vine runners chopped into suitable lengths.

Glacier Heart is the source of premium anthracite, highest quality coal. Coal is available locally in Old Charis. It may be lower quality coal, more impurities dirtier smoke ect. In peace time you use the best you can afford in war you use what is most accessible

saber964 wrote:How about oil tree wood or fire vine runners chopped into suitable lengths.

I think oil tree oil (it comes from the seeds) might serve some purpose that way. But when it's traditionally used for lamp oil only in the mainland realms (LAMA references by way of the wiki), I get the hunch that it may be too hard to keep up a good enough crop of it to sustain major fuel usages. Still, it may be a useful niche element and the fact that it's renewable warms my heart. (Although Safehold isn't going to exhaust or badly dent any fossil fuels before they can resume the safe use of fusion power or even wide-scale solar, hydroelectric, wind, and geothermal.)

Fire vine does grow very quickly, so it's likely to be far more easily, cheaply, and practically renewable than oil tree products. But it's also dangerously flammable and toxic. If they could make semi-safe use of it as a fuel source, it'd be awesome - that's just one big and horrible if.

Forestfire wrote:Glacier Heart is the source of premium anthracite, highest quality coal. Coal is available locally in Old Charis. It may be lower quality coal, more impurities dirtier smoke ect. In peace time you use the best you can afford in war you use what is most accessible

Hi Forestfire welcome to the party.

Only quibble with your post is that Glacierheart is 'a' source of anthracite, I don't think there is textev it's the only or even the main source. Though Zion typically seems to get its coal from there.

DUe to the air polution and waste product produced by fuels and industrial process, there will be a need to compensate for the conditions. AIr purifiers, air conditioning, and filters, gas masks.
THey will need a wide network and logistics of potential fuel sources to supply their steam ships and their outposts around the woprlds.

JeffEngel wrote:

saber964 wrote:How about oil tree wood or fire vine runners chopped into suitable lengths.

I think oil tree oil (it comes from the seeds) might serve some purpose that way. But when it's traditionally used for lamp oil only in the mainland realms (LAMA references by way of the wiki), I get the hunch that it may be too hard to keep up a good enough crop of it to sustain major fuel usages. Still, it may be a useful niche element and the fact that it's renewable warms my heart. (Although Safehold isn't going to exhaust or badly dent any fossil fuels before they can resume the safe use of fusion power or even wide-scale solar, hydroelectric, wind, and geothermal.)

Fire vine does grow very quickly, so it's likely to be far more easily, cheaply, and practically renewable than oil tree products. But it's also dangerously flammable and toxic. If they could make semi-safe use of it as a fuel source, it'd be awesome - that's just one big and horrible if.

As volatile as fire vine is supposed to be, I could see a use in steam powered vessels. Load your boilers with coal then top them off with fire vine "fireplace logs." The heat from them would bring the coal and water temperatures up much faster than normal. Storage on-board ship could be handled in a manner like tank shell storage. Individual spaces surrounded by water with blowout vents if needed. Manufacture would be handled in shops spaced like munitions bunkers instead of the "Big Shop" layout.

doug941 wrote:As volatile as fire vine is supposed to be, I could see a use in steam powered vessels. Load your boilers with coal then top them off with fire vine "fireplace logs." The heat from them would bring the coal and water temperatures up much faster than normal. Storage on-board ship could be handled in a manner like tank shell storage. Individual spaces surrounded by water with blowout vents if needed. Manufacture would be handled in shops spaced like munitions bunkers instead of the "Big Shop" layout.

It's a use and it addresses volatility issues. But the smoke from it is going to be especially poisonous. Blowers help, but you'll still have a portion of it stuck in a small steel box with your crew day in and out.