Post by Dunwik on Aug 11, 2021 0:14:09 GMT
Manfred Goldsmith took in a deep breath of the uncomfortably dry volcanic air, finding it too crisp in his nostrils for his liking. He much preferred the more humid airs of his homeland, for his inhalation habits were slightly more enjoyable with a nose not constantly on the risk of bleeding from dryness. The crude invention he had scraped together, consisting of a bulb not unlike a turkey baster, with a nozzle full of small holes. By pressing water into his nose, he could moisten it to a sufficient degree to ward off discomfort, and allow for his afternoon snuff and cocaine to be taken with comfort. An engineer by trade, he fiddled in his white suit, his hands missing the spanner as he scanned over the peak ahead of him with an academic curiosity. He was a man with a heavy, square jaw, a massive nose, and permanently squinting eyes.
His companion, Julius Flint, was a more austere man, not taken by any one drug, claiming that only force of will and a cold shower in the mornings were necessary for men to be productive. Thinner and slimmer, his head was oval and oblong, his eyes were wide and bright, and his short brown hair was meticulously combed. He was a geologist by trade, and the two men looked back and forth.
"Julius," Manfred said after a pause, "remind me again, what the volcano is and does, and how do you think we can generate energy from it? We need to have that proposal-"
"I know, Manfred. You've told me a dozen times by now. The volcano is a point close to a thinner point in the Earth's crust, whereupon, occasionally, by mechanisms currently unknown, the volcano erupts, releasing lava, fumes, and oftentimes ushering in other catastrophe."
"Lava, right?" Manfred said, rubbing his large chin, "well, we need to generate energy from this place, according to the deal. Let's think about a coal plant. We heat coal to boil water to perform tasks. Or a foundry, where we heat coal to generate heat to smelt ores. Well, think about it. We have heat, it's the hot rock beneath the volcano, right?"
"Right," said Julius "I don't think I need to explain to you that magma is hot."
"Right," said Manfred, "and I must say this. If we have the heat, all we need to do is introduce the process, whether it's electrical, or industrial, to the magma's heat, and we can then engineer it just like coal from there. The challenge will be engineering something that can withstand this particular heat, and get the heat when and how we want it - but such a thing can surely be done!"
Julius rubbed his own chin in consideration. With five years and a large enough grant, perhaps this would be true...
His companion, Julius Flint, was a more austere man, not taken by any one drug, claiming that only force of will and a cold shower in the mornings were necessary for men to be productive. Thinner and slimmer, his head was oval and oblong, his eyes were wide and bright, and his short brown hair was meticulously combed. He was a geologist by trade, and the two men looked back and forth.
"Julius," Manfred said after a pause, "remind me again, what the volcano is and does, and how do you think we can generate energy from it? We need to have that proposal-"
"I know, Manfred. You've told me a dozen times by now. The volcano is a point close to a thinner point in the Earth's crust, whereupon, occasionally, by mechanisms currently unknown, the volcano erupts, releasing lava, fumes, and oftentimes ushering in other catastrophe."
"Lava, right?" Manfred said, rubbing his large chin, "well, we need to generate energy from this place, according to the deal. Let's think about a coal plant. We heat coal to boil water to perform tasks. Or a foundry, where we heat coal to generate heat to smelt ores. Well, think about it. We have heat, it's the hot rock beneath the volcano, right?"
"Right," said Julius "I don't think I need to explain to you that magma is hot."
"Right," said Manfred, "and I must say this. If we have the heat, all we need to do is introduce the process, whether it's electrical, or industrial, to the magma's heat, and we can then engineer it just like coal from there. The challenge will be engineering something that can withstand this particular heat, and get the heat when and how we want it - but such a thing can surely be done!"
Julius rubbed his own chin in consideration. With five years and a large enough grant, perhaps this would be true...