O2/H2 Generator | |
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Category: | Functional Block |
Status: | Functional |
Function: | |
This generator produces oxygen and hydrogen from ice. | |
Fits small ship | |
Mass: | 298 kg |
Power: | -0.100 MW |
Fits large ship and station | |
Mass: | 2587 kg |
Power: | -0.500 MW |
Data Controls: | [edit] [purge] (?) |
Description[]
The Oxygen/Hydrogen Generator is the main source of both Oxygen and Hydrogen gas, which it generates from Ice. The Generator is a keystone block for Engineers planning on long periods of survival in space:
- Oxygen is used by engineers to survive outside planets with breathable atmospheres when Oxygen is Enabled in the World Settings.
- Hydrogen is used by Jetpacks to fly, by Hydrogen Engines to create power, and by Hydrogen Thrusters to propel ships.
The small-grid landing pod in which players start the game comes with a build-in O2/H2 Generator that is connected to the Survival Kit.
The Oxygen Farm is a slower, alternative source of Oxygen.
Construction[]
Building a O2 H2 Generator is affordable early on as soon as you have access to Large Steel Tubes (either salvaged, or produced in a Basic Assembler or better).
The large-grid variant is 1x1x2 in size. It has four large conveyor ports, one on each of both 1x1 ends, as well as two on opposing 1x2 sides.
The small-grid variant is 3x3x2. It is similar in port layout to the small-grid oxygen tank, having two small conveyor ports on the same side (spaced one block away from each other), and one large one on the other side -- this means you need to plan ahead how to connect it before placing it. Gas by itself can be piped through small ports, but you will also be using it to refill gas bottles which need large convenyor ports.
Energy Use[]
The block converts ice into oxygen and hydrogen gas while drawing electrical energy at 100 kW for the small-grid, or 500 kW for the large-grid variant, respectively, regardless of actual conversion rate.
When idle, both the large-grid and the small-grid variant draw energy at 1 kW.[1]
How to store gases[]
The generator draws Ice through the connected Conveyor system in much the same way the powered Refinery pulls ore through the corresponding Conveyor circuit, and it outputs gases into the conveyor system.
Although not required, gathering the gas in conveyored Hydrogen Tanks and Oxygen Tanks helps with sudden demand spikes.
- Set the tank to "Stockpile" in order to store gasses.
- Disable "Stockpile" to transfer gases out of tanks, for example, to allow hydrogen to be used by hydrogen thrusters.
How to fill your Oxygen and Hydrogen bottles[]
- Fill the Generator inventory with Ice or conveyor it to an inventory with Ice.
- Power the Generator for it to pull and melt the Ice.
- Insert empty bottles into the generator.
Tip: Tanks fill Hydrogen and Oxygen Bottles automatically if you enable "Auto Fill bottles" in the conveyored tanks.
Yield and conversion rate[]
The block produces hydrogen and oxygen from ice at yields of 10 L/kg and 5 L/kg, respectively, provided there is drain (ie. storage or consumption) available for both products. If either product has no drain, the production capacity goes to the other: Without hydrogen drain, the block produces 10 L/kg oxygen instead of five, and without oxygen drain, the block produces 20 L/kg hydrogen instead of ten, or anything inbetween if a drain becomes available or unavailable during production.[1][2]
- The large-grid O2/H2 Generator produces 500 L/s Hydrogen, or 250 L/s Oxygen, or 250 L/s Hydrogen and 125 L/s Oxygen.
- The small-grid O2/H2 Generator produces 100 L/s Hydrogen, or 50 L/s Oxygen, or 50 L/s Hydrogen and 25 L/s Oxygen.
These are theoretical, averaged figures. In practice, the generator consumes ice in integer chunks of 25 kg (small-grid) and 125 kg (large-grid), producing gas in equally chunked increments. Notably, these chunks are rounded up, meaning that any non-zero amount up to the chunk size converts to the same amount of gas or gasses, as does anything larger than one chunk up to two chunks, and so on. (Reported as bug: [1])
Combination with Hydrogen Engines and Thrusters[]
Large grids[]
- One O2/H2 Generator is enough to fully supply exactly one Hydrogen Engine.
- One Large Hydrogen Thruster consumes 4820 L/s, requiring ten O2/H2 Generators to run at full power.[3]
- One regular Hydrogen Thruster consumes 803.31 L/s, requiring two O2/H2 Generators.[3]
Small grids[]
- One O2/H2 Generator fully fuels exactly two Hydrogen Engines.[1]
- One Large Hydrogen Thruster consumes 385.6 L/s, requiring four O2/H2 Generators.[3]
- One regular Hydrogen Thruster consumes 80.33 L/s, requiring one O2/H2 Generator.[3]
Use in airtight rooms[]
If you have connected up an Air Vent <-> Oxygen Tank <-> Conveyor system <-> O2/H2 Generator, the Generator will melt Ice until all airtight rooms are pressurized and tanks filled. If a Hydrogen Tank is conveyored to the same Generator, Ice will be melted until the Hydrogen Tank is full as well. Hydrogen Tanks require vast amounts of Ice to fill completely, and filling them will use up Ice even after all Oxygen Tanks have already been filled. So if you're short on ice, optimally, keep the oxygen conveyor system and its generator separate from the hydrogen conveyor system and its generator, so can switch the generators on/off to produce one or the other, without the wasteful overproduction that comes with attempting to produce both in parallel. This is essential to understand when making efficient air locks.
Recipe[]
O2 H2 Generator | ||||
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Component | Large Ship/Station Required | Large Ship/Station Optional | Small Ship Required | Small Ship Optional |
Computer | 5 | — | 3 | — |
Motor | 4 | — | 1 | — |
Large Steel Tube | 2 | — | 2 | — |
Construction Comp. | 5 | — | 8 | — |
Steel Plate | 110 | 10 | 6 | 2 |