Coal Liquefaction to solid fuel worth it for trains?

[Blaank]

If someone has done, or would do the math. Is turning coal into solid fuel via coal liquefaction a net energy gain for burning solid fuel in trains versus burning the straight coal. Assuming all factories are run on solar.

[Fel]

If you don't count energy for the processing (because of solar), you turn 10 coal into 5 solid fuel.

Coal is 8MJ (16 for 2 coal), solid fuel is 25MJ, so unless I missed something, you gain a fairly substancial 9MJ each time, which means an increase of about half from your starting coal.

The only thing is that you have to make sure to not send more of the heavy oil towards the solid fuel each cycle or you will eventually run out, but that's very easy to solve with a tank for heavy oil and a pump before the solid fuel crafting, disabled if the heavy oil goes bellow a certain amount in the tank.

[Blaank]

Heavy oil is set to pump into a heavy>light cracker when tank has 20k in it. Heavy cracked to light then turned to solid fuel is more efficient.

[Fel]

20 coal => 20 heavy oil => 15 light oil => 15 solid fuel
You are transforming 20x8 = 160MJ into 15x25 = 375MJ, that's a conversion ratio of just above 2.3 when your energy is free, so there is not even a question on if it's worth it I think, the only question is if you want to dedicate the machines, space and energy for it

[AlexMBrennan]

4 cycles cost 40 coal, and you gain 40 heavy oil (=30 light oil = 3 solid fuel) + 60 light oil (=6 solid fuel) + 80 petroleum (=4 solid fuel).
Before: 40x8MJ=320MJ; after 13x25MJ = 325MJ

Edit to add: of course, if power is free then the main reason to do this would be to add three processing steps with PM3 in every building.

[saturn__7]

Publicado originalmente por Fel:

20 coal => 20 heavy oil => 15 light oil => 15 solid fuel
You are transforming 20x8 = 160MJ into 15x25 = 375MJ, that's a conversion ratio of just above 2.3 when your energy is free, so there is not even a question on if it's worth it I think, the only question is if you want to dedicate the machines, space and energy for it

You no longer get 1 solid fuel per 1 light oil, but only per 10 light oil, as all fluid values have been multiplied by 10.

[Fel]

Publicado originalmente por saturn__7:

Publicado originalmente por Fel:

20 coal => 20 heavy oil => 15 light oil => 15 solid fuel
You are transforming 20x8 = 160MJ into 15x25 = 375MJ, that's a conversion ratio of just above 2.3 when your energy is free, so there is not even a question on if it's worth it I think, the only question is if you want to dedicate the machines, space and energy for it

You no longer get 1 solid fuel per 1 light oil, but only per 10 light oil, as all fluid values have been multiplied by 10.

That will teach me thinking that the wiki was updated when double checking the rates, sorry about that.

[Blaank]

So the answer is a very slight gain unless you use production modules? In which case it's a slightly larger gain.

[Gamer]

30% gain: 1 cycle: 10 heavy, 15 light, 20 petrol. 10 heavy = 7.5 light, we change 20 petrol for 20 light whit normal refinery= 7.5 light + 15light + 20 light= 42.5 light.... 42.5 light/10 = 4.24solid fuel x 25Mj = 106.25Mj... 10x coal = 80Mj
+ normal refinery get 20 petrol..... + moduls = win (not for few trains)


EDIT: 20 petrolium = 30 light, even better :)

[Diesel]

You all have to consider if you're playing 1.5 that solid fuel and rocket fuel now get vehicle bonuses, trains with solid fuel will accelerate 120% faster (or just 20% idk) and rocket fuel by 180%, meaning it's a direct upgrade from coal in two ways now.

[shorpzo]

Publicado originalmente por Diesel:

You all have to consider if you're playing 1.5 that solid fuel and rocket fuel now get vehicle bonuses, trains with solid fuel will accelerate 120% faster (or just 20% idk) and rocket fuel by 180%, meaning it's a direct upgrade from coal in two ways now.

Do you know if this change applies only to the acceleration?
I mean, is the energy used by the vehicle per unit distance traveled the same for any fuel?
Or even: does a car with 8 Rocket Fuel (=1800 MJ) travel the same distance as a car with 225 Coal (=1800 MJ)?

[saturn__7]

Publicado originalmente por shorpzo:

Publicado originalmente por Diesel:

You all have to consider if you're playing 1.5 that solid fuel and rocket fuel now get vehicle bonuses, trains with solid fuel will accelerate 120% faster (or just 20% idk) and rocket fuel by 180%, meaning it's a direct upgrade from coal in two ways now.

Do you know if this change applies only to the acceleration?
I mean, is the energy used by the vehicle per unit distance traveled the same for any fuel?
Or even: does a car with 8 Rocket Fuel (=1800 MJ) travel the same distance as a car with 225 Coal (=1800 MJ)?

Since the train is faster, but the energy usage is the same, it should use less energy. I haven't tested it, though.

[AlexMBrennan]

Using a simple test track (236 rail pieces long), I managed 461 laps using 225x coal, and 530 laps using 8x rocket fuel going at full speed.