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I was sitting here thinking about how liquids work in 0/low gravity and in the 40k universe the massive variations of planets and combat environments.... how do flamethrowers work in low gravity environments?

Basically Im just trying to figure out how to make a rule for a game type of low gravity and how it affects the ranges/templates.


any physics nerds out there who can help?

http://www.space.com/13766-international-space-station-flex-fire-research.html

Inertia. It's being propulsed forward as it leaves the nozzle, low gravity isn't going to suddenly stop that. Low gravity also won't stop or increase how fast it burns up the fuel. That is more of an atmospheric factor. A vacuum would stop the gas or liquid from igniting, but as the gas is moving from a high pressure system to a low pressure system, it would still work.

Dude it's the same answer to all 40k questions... MAGIC!!!!

skipmcne wrote:http://www.space.com/13766-international-space-station-flex-fire-research.html

neat-o!

thanks

yeah, basically under certain circumstances, it would behave like a water gun in zero-g... but the water would be burning... unless the atomized particles were REALLY small, in which case you wind up with a real flame. the video shows some of this, the nifty bit is that the glowing ball of fuel... is a burning ball of fuel.

oh, and it burns at a lower temperature as well

Yup. if their flamers work like modern flamethrowers, the lower the gravity the better they work, as the stream can fly even further.

Remeber this is GrimDark, a universe where Ork stuff works ( and even flies ! )

If the composition of the athmosphere is more or less the same, I think lower gravity would make virtually no difference.

A liquid or gaseous fuel is ejected from a nozzle and ignited. In theory, the liquid or gas might be shoot a lil' bit further (though there is still drag from the athmosphere, which is likely more relevant for low-mass gases or liquids) without gravity, but even that doesn't matter because most flamers burn up their liquid long before "it falls to the ground" as a result of gravity anyhow. So gravity is not a variable that will greatly change the outcome of a flamer.

Different athmospheric pressure and/or composition, especially a (near-)vacuum would likely have more drastic effects on a flamer (especially, if the fuel burned up by the flamer is gaseous, rather than liquid).

dreadfury101 wrote:I was sitting here thinking about how liquids work in 0/low gravity and in the 40k universe the massive variations of planets and combat environments.... how do flamethrowers work in low gravity environments?

Basically Im just trying to figure out how to make a rule for a game type of low gravity and how it affects the ranges/templates.


any physics nerds out there who can help?

The bigger hindrance than lack of gravity would be a lack of an oxygen-rich atmosphere, since fire needs oxygen to burn. You might think they're unrelated, but the only thing that holds the atmosphere to a planet's surface is gravity. The two actually go together. Then again if the atmosphere is oxygen-poor or isn't saturated with some other combustible molecule, it doesn't matter how much of it there is.

I think the larger issue, though, is that you're taking a disturbingly technical approach to this. Purify your heart, clear your mind of doubt. Then, if the holy omnissiah wills it, and if the immortal God Emperor of Mankind gives you strength, the flamer will work. All these questions about gravity reek of too much thinking.

If the atmosphere is suitable and my physics is correct, the only effect would be the fuel burning slightly faster or something. If promethium has different properties as a gas and the gravity is substantially low to make it evaporate instead of burning then there might be a few problems.

The funny thing comes when some idiot tried to use a flamer on a planet with a flammable gas as a good chunk of the atmosphere. Bwoomph!!