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Ships need to refuel - what do the the ships of the Imperium use for fuel?

They have plasma generators.
They use plasma.
Not sure how though so go figure...

They also have warp engines, and for emergency ration - promethium.

Aldo I saw them in "Fire Warrior" that they use coal?

No.
The Warp engines get them through the Warp.
They are powered by the plasma generators.
I have no idea how promethium would be used since a space ship running of an internal combustion engine would be really f**king stupid.
Coal would be even stupider to use.

See 4:02, if I am not mistaken that is where coal goes...

Those furnaces could be for anything.
Given the nature of Imperial religion and the fact that is would be stupid to use coal especially since you would have plasma generators you could easily argue they are to burn heretical material/waste material/bodies/xenos material.

This is not proof of the fact that they use internal combustion to allow for travel (which in space travel would be nearly impossible due to the amout of matter needed).

Coal or some form of compressed solid fuel could be used in the heating of the ship, but would not be of any use in propulsion.

As always there are energy sources and energy storage devices.

Oil and coal are energy sources that are also fairly efficiernt energy storage mediums. Still we refine(put energy in) to either to make gasoline which is a far better energy storage device that we use for fuel.

The imperium probably uses all sorts of things for energy sources. Wood, coal, oil, solar, hydro, fission, or fusion depending on what is availible and then uses a variety of storage mediums again depending on the application.

3 plasma generators can run a fortress for over 3 million soldiers and more civilians.
The Leman Russ for example does use an Internal Combustion engine which manages to run off nearly anything so yeah the Imperium probably does use other energy sources but plasma generators seem to be the main thing for installations, fortresses and starships. Probably due to the amount of power they use.

According to the "Rocks Aren't Free" posting, ships run on hydrogen peroxide.

wittybanter wrote:What do the the ships of the Imperium use for fuel?

Skulls and screaming bald space marines

BluntmanDC wrote:This is not proof of the fact that they use internal combustion to allow for travel (which in space travel would be nearly impossible due to the amout of matter needed).

Coal or some form of compressed solid fuel could be used in the heating of the ship, but would not be of any use in propulsion.

I would agree with heating, when you control as many worlds as the Imperium does you will find energy reserves that we know and love here on earth today in nearly limitless amounts throughout the galaxy. So you might as well use them for something.