Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[ivanthe8th]

Here's my setup:

Code: [Select]

▒ ▒ ▒
F . ▒
▒ . ▒
▒ . ▒
▒ % ▒
▒ % D
▒ # ▒
▒ ▒ ▒
To the west is my volcano, the natural level of the lava is z-1 relative to the setup I just sketched. The lava flows into channels to the south of the screw pump, and a floodgate allows me to close off the incoming flow of lava. On this level a screw pump pulls magma through the floor grate and into the space to the north. The magma flows out through the fortification to the west and back into the top of the volcano.

My question is whether or not the lava will continue to be under pressure once it returns to the volcano. Most of the illustrations on the wiki assume the screw pump is pumping directly into a pressurized chamber or u-bend. But in this case the magma will be returning to the level above the normal level of the lava. Would adding "some" potentially pressurized lava end up pressurizing the entire volcano if I wanted to tap it lower down?

[EvilBob22]

Good question (and I don't know the answer).  Can you dig a shaft, that can be completely shut off from the fort, down to the lower level to test it?

[ivanthe8th]

That's one way to test this, a lower-down U-bend would exhibit pressure effects if there were any. And if I blasted most of the volcano out then it would be fully pressurized. That would be entertaining.

I built this so I could pump out the magma in case I wanted to expand the kiln/forge area. It wasn't until later that I realized I could be pressurizing my volcano.

[ImagoDeo]

Magma pressure is a strange animal. It does not follow water's pressure system, but if you run a pump, then that pump will attempt to fill every open space that it can at or below its Z-level with magma connecting through existing magma blocks, so long as it has magma feeding into it.

This means, essentially, that magma pressure can only be effective if the pumping system is full and has plenty of input magma.

So, in short, your pump system would not pressurize the magma. Sorry.

[ivanthe8th]

Well, sorry when it comes to !!Fun!!, but I was actually hoping that it wouldn't result in pressurization. I just want to be able to drain the magma in case I want to excavate more and expand my forge area.

I am aware that since the volcano refills, there will be additional lava in the pipe after pumping. Does anyone know if that disappears with time or not?