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Old 10-15-2020, 02:54 AM   #7
johndallman
Night Watchman
 
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Cambridge, UK
Default Re: Steampunk liquified coal

Quote:
Originally Posted by Horatio Hex View Post
While Mr. Stoddard's notes about coal in a Steampunk game are about powdered coal, instead of the liquified coal developed by the German petrochemical industry, it seems that coal-water slurry fuel would be another solution for all the cool steam-powered gadgets of a TL5+1 steampunk world.
The drawback of coal-water slurry is that you waste a lot of heat boiling that water, and using it for steam is dubious, because you then have to inject the slurry against steam pressure.

Petrochemical liquified coal is simply making hydrocarbon liquid fuels out of carbon from coal, and hydrogen from another source. It needs quite a lot of energy input, usually from burning more coal, and is only worthwhile if you need the convenience of liquid hydrocarbons and don't have another source for them.

Powdered coal can be moved on a stream of air, which is potentially useful for providing air to a boiler.
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