Magma Well
From OPU Wiki
| Missing image Place_image_name_here Eden's Magma Well | |||
| Common Metals Cost: | None | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Rare Metals Cost: | None | ||
| Build Time: | Short | ||
| Tube Connection Required: | None | ||
| Power Required: | None | ||
| Size: | Medium-Small | ||
| Workers Required: | None | ||
| Hit Points: | Medium | ||
| Scientists Required: | None | ||
| Armor: | Light | ||
Description
The Magma Well begins its life as a specialized transforming vehicle, a Robo-Miner. Like the off-shore oil-platforms on old Earth, colony mining structures are designed to be built in one location, then moved to a promising site to put down roots and fulfill their main function. The Robo-Miner is also capable of being deployed in a conventional mine configuration used for both Common Ore and Rare Ore Mines. These are described elsewhere.
The Magma Well process is an exotic and dangerous method of extracting Rare Metals directly from the planet's molten mantle. Magma Wells take advantage of naturally occurring magma vents in New Terra's crust. More important than the vent itself is the thin spot in the crust that it represents.
Dutch miners, crab-like mining heads connected to the magma tap by long umbilicals, open the upper parts of the vent to allow for free flow of molten material, while nuclear drill charges liquefy rock in the deeper crust, providing the initial flow. This begins a siphon effect that, in ideal conditions, provides a constant and uniform flow of mineral-rich molten rock. The process is imperfect, however. The molten flow can go out of control or become blocked, causing an explosive pressure buildup. The hot-cracking process used to purify ore is subject to various kinds of instabilities and reaction run-aways. Though there are many failure modes, they have one thing in common. They are all violent.
