Permanthel

A remarkable ore with an even more impressive use! I tell you, without it, there would be no great tsarist Areoflotta nor the great airship cruises that cut the travel time so extensively!
dr Cheslav Sadovsky on Permanthel and Permanthelium

Properties

Material Characteristics

The natural ore has an appearance of a marble-like rock with one consistent colour (these can slightly vary between different shades of white).

Physical & Chemical Properties

Physical

• State - solid; its liquid state is almost non-existent as it instantly changes into gas
• Structure - dense crystaline structure; from the outside appears similar to marble
• Density - even while solid, it is still less dense than air
• Electric conductivity - Permanthel is a good electric conductor and in addition it permanently holds received electrical energy
• Temperature - remains at a steady 20°C in most environments

Chemical

• Flammability - non-flammable; Permanthel does not react in any special way with fire
• Reactivity - reacts only with high temperatures and strong acids

Geology & Geography

Dense-blue lakes

Permanthel as of now has been only discovered on the bottom of a natural phenomenon known as a "dense-blue lake". These are holes in the shape of an inverted truncated cone of around 50 meters in diameter and a varying maximum depth between 70 to 100 meters that are present only in the most northern climatic zone of Aon. Due to geographical differences between the most northern parts of two of the continents that reach this zone, the ability to get to them on each is a different extreme:

• On the Central Continent, they are usually located in small valleys between steep mountains which results in very little knowledge of their presence there.
• On the other Continent, they are spread out across the great frozen plains making it easy to reach, research and exploit them.

The oddity of these lakes lies in the fact that they are not filled with water but rather a substance similar to it, however much denser which results in immense pressure on the very bottom of the hole. It's thanks to this pressure that over the thousands of years the gas compressed to such a state that it became solid.

Origin & Source

After its discovery and first research done on an excavated chunk, it has been confirmed that Permanthel is gas that turned solid due to the long exposure to immense pressure, resulting in its compression.

Life & Expiration

No self-destructive reactions of Permanthel have been observed under changing environment. Its solid consistency appears to be a permanent as no changes to its state were ever recorded outside of the effect the decompression process has on it.

History & Usage

Refinement

Sadovsky's Decompression Method - obtaining Permanthelium

Permanthel is, as was previously mentioned, a structure of dense gas that was immensely compressed and thus formed into a solid object. To melt down the ore and in turn, also boil it into gas (melting and boiling point are exactly the same) it is placed in a specially made tank which is then heated by a series of blast furnaces surrounding it. When the temperature reaches 3000°C, the internal structure of the solid Parmanthel breaks and shifts first into liquid and then immediately into gas, resulting in a very sudden expansion. The gas is then sucked to another chamber where, both at the same time, a special cooling compound is added and the the gas is energized with electricity to replace the thermal energies and keep the gas molecules moving at the same speed, as to not reduce the volume of the gas - Permanthelium.

Manufacturing & Products

Permanthel is the only source from which Permanthelium, a lifting gas used in both civilian and military grade airships, can be obtained from. This is the dominant use for the ore.

Hazards

During the "decompression" process at a certain stage of it, the gas is brought to its melting and boiling point which is around 3000°C. These temperatures are obviously extremely dangerous to humans and thus great precaution must be taken during this specific part of the refinement.

Type

Ore/Mineral

Odor

None

Color

Floral white/Ivory

Boiling / Condensation Point

Boiling - around 3000°C (5432°F Condensation - Unknown

Melting / Freezing Point

Melting - around 3000°C (5432°F Freezing - Unknown

Density

0,(037)[g/cm3]

Common State

Solid ore