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[foop]

It took me far too many attempts to make a well without drowning dorfs.  I should have realised that messing with magma pipes would be a bad idea.  But I read the wiki page on magma and I thought I understood...

If I have a magma pipe that reaches the surface, and a fortress about 4 Z levels under the surface, what is the best way to get magma into channels at Z-5, below my forges?  I thought I'd worked it out, but I'm suffering a little overspill problem, as you can see:

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

I thought that as magma is "chunky", it doesn't level in a U-bend like water does.  So I channeled magma from the top of the pipe, dropped it down a shaft, and then channeled again at Z-5.  The magma then goes to fill the moat round my trade depot (not shown) and the workshop channels.   The odd thing is that the moat (which is closer to the source) isn't overspilling but the forges are.

[Fuerte]

If I'm reading your picture correctly then I see your problem

Here is what I think I see:

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Code: [Select]

MMMMM#########
MMM#M#########
MMM#M#########
MMM#M#########
MMM#M         Lava will eventually fill up this space
MMM#MMMMMMMMM

Code: [Select]

MMMMM#########
MMM#M#########
MMM#M#########
MMM#M#########
MMM#M#        extra wall will stop lava overflow
MMM#MMMMMMMMM

What is happening is that lava will never go up a level. So you thought that if you made a channel it would keep the lava from spilling. But in reality once the channel is full the lava doesn't keep going into the channel, it will sit on top of the other lava and flow as if there was no channel at all.

[foop]

But in reality once the channel is full the lava doesn't keep going into the channel, it will sit on top of the other lava and flow as if there was no channel at all.

Aha!  Yes, that makes sense.  And that explains why my moat isn't overflowing - it goes through a tunnel first.

Now you've explained, I understand what's happening: I can see little level 1 blobs of lava flowing along the top of the other lava in the channel and then overflowing into the workshops.

Right, once my dorfs have finished walling off the new "hot zone", I shall put that knowledge to good use.  Thanks.

[Time Kitten]

Yeah, you've got no wall stopping it on your workshop level, it's just flowing out onto that level of the tunnel.

[coldstone]

correct me if im wrong,
ramps cause slight/great spillover depending on just how much pressure there is.
if this guy just had his first channel ending in stairs, or just a channelled tile, he wouldnt have those little 1s spilling out.
am i right? or is pressure pushing stuff above anything?

[Derakon]

Just wait for the current workshop level to fill with magma, and then put your workshops one level higher.

Ramps do not affect fluids, to my knowledge.

[Koboldbard]

Also, are you using pumps? They Pressurize the magama.

[Untelligent]

Also, are you using pumps? They Pressurize the magama.

If by that, you mean they cause magma to overflow walls and eventually flow up to its source z-level, no. Magma will never flow up. Just down and sideways.

[Core Xii]

If by that, you mean they cause magma to overflow walls and eventually flow up to its source z-level, no. Magma will never flow up. Just down and sideways.

Wrong. Magma WILL rise up to a pump's level if it's being pumped. I just had this happen in my last game.

[sneakey pete]

It wont if it goes under a U bend.
eg

Code: [Select]

%%MM#       
M##MMMMMMMMM
Won't overflow.

[kaypy]

I just built a Screwpump and Ubend, "For SCIENCE!", and can confirm that magma will be pressurized (ie flow upwards) after being pumped:

Code: [Select]

############
######## ###
### %%~#~###
~~~~##~#~###
######~#~###
######~~~###
############


[sneakey pete]

Wait... wha?

[Skanky]

Nice work Kaypy

[Fossaman]

Oh my.

I shall have to consider this...carefully. Oh my yes, very carefully indeed.

Muahaha.

Muahahaha.

MUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
[/maniacal]
So yeah, that's pretty cool. All sorts of fun things you could do with that.

[kaypy]

Science! has demanded a followup study, with results now on the wiki. Executive summary: Only magma actually being pumped into a 'full' tile exhibits pressure effects. I suspect what is happening is that the code for the screw pump includes 'if the target tile is full, place fluid elsewhere as per pressure' and doesn't check for what fluid is being pumped.

Oh, and in case my earlier diagram didnt make it clear- the "pressurized" magma only rises to the level of the pump. This still leaves possibilities for things like 'magma fountains' given the right pump and tunnel setup, though 8-)