Conveyor System Is Too Slow For The Refinery

[j_carguy]

My main source of iron at the moment is stone, since the landscape is too hilly for large travel. I've just been digging massive holes with a big drill and refining all the stone into iron. However, the cargo container I have connected to the refinery can't feed stone in fast enough and the refinery keeps turning off and on again as it gets stone. Any ideas on how I can put the stone in the refinery faster?

[Nightwing]

The conveyors don't actually simulate throughput. They have an effectively infinite carrying capacity.

Can we get more details of your situation? I'd love to help you figure this out, but there just isn't enough information in your post.

[krzosu18]

Originally posted by Nightwing:

The conveyors don't actually simulate throughput. They have an effectively infinite carrying capacity.

Can we get more details of your situation? I'd love to help you figure this out, but there just isn't enough information in your post.

I think what op means is that his refinery is making "Ommf" and "Auuf" sounds as it works - aka it will cycle once (aka Ommf sound) and then it stalls due to lack of more stuff in its inventory (hence the Auuf" sound.

That said it is curious since the refinery should be pulling a lot more stuff to make more than one cycle at a time and keep refiling as it goes (with the use conveyors option set as on ofc).

This kinda makes me think maybe its actually the lack of aviable power - aka there is not enough power to work continously - aka it will maka cycle - then wait for enough power to become aviable.

This can ealsy happen early game - when you have to many machines and not enough power generation (esp if there is no battery present to act like a sort of a buffer to even the load).

This can lead to random work stoppage when various refineries/ assemblers - fight for power to run.

So either add more batteires to the system - to make sudden spikes of power usage not max out your power grid - or place way more turbines/solars/ reactors etc.

[Doffer]

2 Sorters per refinery on Whitelist *ores* and drain all will do the trick :)
Just don't foreget to make a secundary exit-tube for your refineries otherwise the ingots won't have a way out (I often do this by a third sorter facing the other way, put to blacklist *ores* and drain all to get all the ingots out swiftly)

[RoofCat]

Put refinery before any container, have container after. Probably avoid sorters. While drain all on some might actually improve the feed. Depends.

Basically you are fighting computer problem here. It works with packages over your network. The larger the network, the more problems you can run into. Or like Java vs C. One uses automated garbage collectors, other option is to manage the flow all by yourself. You can define shortest paths designing your base properly. Or you can just use safe network which will do all on its own, but in predefined cycles. Often containers introduce all that tiny jitter.

[krzosu18]

Like i said - from the op's description it is actually just a lack of power issue - aka not enough power to keep the refinery along side with all of the other stuff working at the same time.

the refinery keeps getting shorted out due to not enough power aviable and thats why its turns on and off. Simple as that :) Cheers

[Doffer]

Originally posted by krzosu18:

Like i said - from the op's description it is actually just a lack of power issue - aka not enough power to keep the refinery along side with all of the other stuff working at the same time.

the refinery keeps getting shorted out due to not enough power aviable and thats why its turns on and off. Simple as that :) Cheers

No, most probably that's not hte issue OP's facing.

Refineries process stone faster then they pull it through the conveyor system. This is why I suggested adding 2 sorters facing the refinery and 1 away from it. 2 since for 1 refinery with 4 speed modules only having 1 won't even get enough stone in to keep it running.

[Jel]

Originally posted by Doffer:

Originally posted by krzosu18:

Like i said - from the op's description it is actually just a lack of power issue - aka not enough power to keep the refinery along side with all of the other stuff working at the same time.

the refinery keeps getting shorted out due to not enough power aviable and thats why its turns on and off. Simple as that :) Cheers

No, most probably that's not hte issue OP's facing.

Refineries process stone faster then they pull it through the conveyor system. This is why I suggested adding 2 sorters facing the refinery and 1 away from it. 2 since for 1 refinery with 4 speed modules only having 1 won't even get enough stone in to keep it running.

Conveyors do not have any speed limitations in which they handle any material. At least none we ever will encounter.
If the refinery wants 100 BillionTrillionMegazillion stone it gets 1 BillionTrillionMegazillion stone at once.
The only reason this may not work is of there is lack of power in the system. Then the refinery goes shutdown, restart, shutdown, restart, ...
I suggest you follow krzosu18´s advice and check for energy issues.

[RoofCat]

Originally posted by Doffer:

Originally posted by krzosu18:

Like i said - from the op's description it is actually just a lack of power issue - aka not enough power to keep the refinery along side with all of the other stuff working at the same time.

the refinery keeps getting shorted out due to not enough power aviable and thats why its turns on and off. Simple as that :) Cheers

No, most probably that's not hte issue OP's facing.

Refineries process stone faster then they pull it through the conveyor system. This is why I suggested adding 2 sorters facing the refinery and 1 away from it. 2 since for 1 refinery with 4 speed modules only having 1 won't even get enough stone in to keep it running.

Exactly.

In SE default packet size in conveyor networks with containers and sorters included is exactly 1ooo L. That's the volume of sorter and default packet for many other cases. Which is 2700kg ore.

Advanced refinery with just one speed module will process stone faster than that already. Not to mention refineries with multiple speed modules. Also the bigger your network, the longer it might take for each cycle to complete - eventually. Network requires sent-received-confirmed type of communication. It's not just send something somewhere and forget. It must be double checked so your system doesn't lose or add something just because your PC is slower. Like in real life networks or money transfers. That system requires default packets, feedback and extra time in predefined cycles. So you need multiple sorters or direct force feed to avoid too many "middleman".

[Doffer]

Originally posted by Jel:

Originally posted by Doffer:

No, most probably that's not hte issue OP's facing.

Refineries process stone faster then they pull it through the conveyor system. This is why I suggested adding 2 sorters facing the refinery and 1 away from it. 2 since for 1 refinery with 4 speed modules only having 1 won't even get enough stone in to keep it running.

Conveyors do not have any speed limitations in which they handle any material.
If the refinery wants 100 BillionTrillionMegazillion stone it gets 1 BillionTrillionMegazillion stone at once.
The only reason this may not work is of there is lack of power in the system. Then the refinery goes shutdown, restart, shutdown, restart, ...
I suggest you follow krzosu18´s advice and check for energy issues.

Funny since I'm running into the same problem even with megawatts to spare and sorters solve the problem _instantly_ without adding more power.

Like roofcat said: it doesn't pull an infine amount of ore like you said but 1000l at a time.

[Jel]

Hm interesting indeed. I got huge networks of conveyors and they do not have any issue with transferring items fast enough, even though all refineries have the maximum of speed modules installed. And all this on a dedicated server...
SE just won´t stop lecturing me about something new.

[RoofCat]

Originally posted by Jel:

Hm interesting indeed. I got huge networks of conveyors and they do not have any issue with transferring items fast enough, even though all refineries have the maximum of speed modules installed. And all this on a dedicated server...
SE just won´t stop lecturing me about something new.

Because it is not about mass. It's about volume. Try to send 1000 antenna components around not using drag and drop manually.

[krzosu18]

Originally posted by Doffer:

Originally posted by Jel:

Conveyors do not have any speed limitations in which they handle any material.
If the refinery wants 100 BillionTrillionMegazillion stone it gets 1 BillionTrillionMegazillion stone at once.
The only reason this may not work is of there is lack of power in the system. Then the refinery goes shutdown, restart, shutdown, restart, ...
I suggest you follow krzosu18´s advice and check for energy issues.

Funny since I'm running into the same problem even with megawatts to spare and sorters solve the problem _instantly_ without adding more power.

Like roofcat said: it doesn't pull an infine amount of ore like you said but 1000l at a time.

Well if thats the case and it works then imho that is cool - take into consideration OP didnt mention any upgrade modules or even what type of refinery he uses (aka basic or upgradable one) But since he mentioned he couldnt get to any other ores i assumed hes very early game so basic one seemed quite natural conclusion.

Either way its cool to know - (aka in my case my miner ships auto dump stone in flight so ive never bumped onto issue with processing stone with fully upgraded refineries since there was no stone to process - only ores :P -> and ive bumped onto those power issues i've mentioned ealy game very very often - and it behaved exactly as the OP described. Cheers.

[Nightwing]

Honestly, barring very early game, I can't think of a single potential use for stone, except maybe ballast...

[krzosu18]

Originally posted by Jel:

Hm interesting indeed. I got huge networks of conveyors and they do not have any issue with transferring items fast enough, even though all refineries have the maximum of speed modules installed. And all this on a dedicated server...
SE just won´t stop lecturing me about something new.

basically both of you are right - the conveyors have no Upper capacity limit how much at once it can transport (well i guess the upper limit would be the capacity of the box you try to pull it from (and that can depend on world settings as well - so technically while there is no limit there kinda actually is (sorta)).

The other guy is right as well - since its the pull command from the refinery (in this case) which limits the amount of (rock in this case0 being pulled into the refinery (so yes in theory the reff could pull as many rocks in as its internal capacity would allow (which also depends on world settings and the actuall capapcity already being filled atm)..

So in essence yes there are no hard limit (so to say) on the conveyor network but the main factor can be how much (requested) pull was issued.

[RoofCat]

Originally posted by Nightwing:

Honestly, barring very early game, I can't think of a single potential use for stone, except maybe ballast...

You can make nickel faster from stone right now than from nickel ore. In case you are building 10ooo atmospheric thrusters, that might be handy as nickel is most needed while building motors afaik. Or if you intend to build some glass palace, you might be able to use all that silicon too. Though silicon is processed much faster from ore compared to nickel iirc so not sure stone is profitable for silicon as much.