| Hydrogen Engine | |
|---|---|
| |
| Category: | Energy Source |
| Status: | Functional |
| Function: | |
| Produces power from hydrogen gas. | |
| Fits small ship | |
| Mass: | 1,005 kg |
| Power: | 0.5 MW |
| Fits large ship and station | |
| Mass: | 3,253 kg |
| Power: | 5 MW |
| Data Controls: | [edit] [purge] (?) |
The Hydrogen Engine is a functional block that is used to power grids and machines by consuming hydrogen gas. Hydrogen Engines need to be connected to a powered conveyor system in order to pull hydrogen fuel (see also troubleshooting).
Construction[]
This engine is available for small grids and large grids. The large-grid version is a 1x1x2 (Height x Width x Depth) block. It has 2 conveyor access ports, one on the bottom of the tall face and the other on the smallest surface mount. It has 3 control panels. This large version has a mass of 3,253 Kg. It can hold 500,000 liters of fuel.
The small-grid Hydrogen Engine functions the same way, with 2 conveyor ports on opposite ends for inline deployment. Its mass is 1,005 Kg. It can hold 16,000 liters of gas. Its dimensions are 2x3x2 blocks (Height x Width x Depth).
Fuel Consumption and Power Output[]
The Hydrogen Engine works similarly to a Reactor in the sense that it stops burning hydrogen if the grid idles and uses up no fuel. If built on a grid with blocks that use power constantly, the Hydrogen Engine burns fuel constantly. It produces 1 kWh per 360 liters of hydrogen or 1 MWh per 360.000 liters. This means it takes for example 1.350.000 liters hydrogen to charge a large grid battery (3 MWh with 20 % power loss) or 1.080.000 liter to charge a jump drive. This is equivalent to passing 67.500 kg ice and 54.000 kg ice, respectively, through O2 H2 generators at 20 liters per kg.
| Grid | Power Output | Fuel Consumption |
|---|---|---|
| Small | 500 kW | 50 L/s[1] |
| Large | 5 MW | 500 L/s[1] |
Recipe[]
 Hydrogen Engine | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Component | Large Ship/Station Required | Large Ship/Station Optional | Small Ship Required | Small Ship Optional |
 Power Cell | 1 | — | 1 | — |
 Computer | 4 | — | 1 | — |
 Motor | 12 | — | 4 | — |
 Small Steel Tube | 20 | — | 6 | — |
 Large Steel Tube | 12 | — | 4 | — |
 Construction Comp. | 60 | 10 | 18 | 2 |
 Steel Plate | 80 | 20 | 20 | 10 |
Troubleshooting[]
If the Hydrogen Engine does not produce any power, first make sure it is conveyored to filled hydrogen tanks that are not set to stockpile (or to active O2/H2 Generators) and that the conveyor line is intact.
Second, ensure the Hydrogen Engine is not the sole source of power on the grid: Despite the Hydrogen Engine being a power producing block, it depends on the conveyor system which itself needs power to pull fuel. You will therefore need a Small Battery (or Solar Panel, or other connected powered grids, etc.) to kickstart the conveyor system!
Third, try switching it off and on again.
Trivia[]
The Hydrogen Engine is one of the few blocks whose recipe lists Power Cells. However, unlike Batteries, grinding down Hydrogen Engines yields their power cells intact without them turning into scrap. This is because Hydrogen Engines don't start out with stored energy as batteries do, and the scrapping is only the cost for free power.
