Heat damage to pipe from metal refinery?

[Mr W]

Is there something I am missing? Every time I use the metal refinery, I get heat damage to the pipe immediately at the output. I have tried doing this in very cold temperatures as well as using ceramic pipes. Is it that I am using polluted water as a coolant?

[Strygald]

Originally posted by Mr W:

Is it that I am using polluted water as a coolant?

Most likely, polluted water has a relatively low boiling point of around 120c ..if the refinery adds enough heat to the polluted water flowing in then it will turn to gas when it comes out, damaging the pipe due to state change.

[Tseudonym]

It is recommended to use petroleum as coolant for the metal refinery.

[GD]

If you hover over the "Heat" entry of the product selection you get a ToolTip showing you how much the current coolant is heated up. If you reached the boiling / condensation point it's likely the pipe directly bursts due to state change. Please be aware that different items have different heat amounts, Steel has the largest increases of over 120°C for e.g. Petroleum.

Check the temp values/temp gains and use Isolated Ceramic pipes to contain the heat until better material comes along. To be save install a temp sensor on the intake and filter out anything above the max save temperature.

[Ainsleigh]

In short, cool down your coolant before piping it in.

[SKull]

You don't need to cool it down if you use either petroleum or crude oil. Water has a tendency to turn to steam in the pipes if you use it, which is what happened to you. Very cold water can work though, but not room temp or higher. The metal refinery will add too much heat then.

[Tseudonym]

Originally posted by SKull:

You don't need to cool it down if you use either petroleum or crude oil. Water has a tendency to turn to steam in the pipes if you use it, which is what happened to you. Very cold water can work though, but not room temp or higher. The metal refinery will add too much heat then.

You still need to let oil and petroleum cool or else it will overheat. That's why cars have a radiator, to remove heat from the coolant because if you don't the coolant will reach the same temperature as the engine and stop cooling.

[SKull]

Originally posted by ProDude:

Originally posted by SKull:

You don't need to cool it down if you use either petroleum or crude oil. Water has a tendency to turn to steam in the pipes if you use it, which is what happened to you. Very cold water can work though, but not room temp or higher. The metal refinery will add too much heat then.

You still need to let oil and petroleum cool or else it will overheat. That's why cars have a radiator, to remove heat from the coolant because if you don't the coolant will reach the same temperature as the engine and stop cooling.

I disagree. Usually I just send all my oil through metal refineries, and then from those into an oil refinery to be turned into petroleum. Then from there into petroleum generators/misc. I have never had any need to cool either the oil or the petroleum when doing it this way.

[Mr W]

Thanks all for the advice

[ghostrider]

are you using a reservoir? liquids in a reservoir don't exchange heat, so they don't get any chance to cool. also, keep in mind that different metals put out different amounts of heat. 9 times out of 10 you should stick to gold.

other than that, pwater is an excellent coolant

[Mr W]

IIRC, I was making steel when the pipes got damaged

[SKull]

Not sure if it matters what you are making in it, just the temperature of the coolant. The refinery heats the liquid up a lot, which is why water is risky unless properly cold. It will turn to steam at 100 degrees, right? Oil has a boiling temperature of ca 300 degrees. In real life this value is indeterminate, because crude oil is a composite liquid. Some things in it boil at one temperature, others at another. But in a game I'm pretty sure they stick to 300, which gives you a lot more leeway with the refinery when you use oil as a coolant. Even if it's at 100C when you pump it in, it'll still be well below its boiling point when it leaves.
And I think the refinery has a set maximum output temperature, and will kill excess heat for you. At least it seems to, because I have had few overheat problems even with very hot oil. So it's like the water sieve in that way.


PS: Remember to insulate the pipes...

[madcow]

It absolutely matters what you are making and so does the coolant.

Go here to see the chart on making material X will raise the temperature of coolant Y:

https://oxygennotincluded.gamepedia.com/Metal_Refinery

[Tseudonym]

Originally posted by SKull:

Originally posted by ProDude:

You still need to let oil and petroleum cool or else it will overheat. That's why cars have a radiator, to remove heat from the coolant because if you don't the coolant will reach the same temperature as the engine and stop cooling.

I disagree. Usually I just send all my oil through metal refineries, and then from those into an oil refinery to be turned into petroleum. Then from there into petroleum generators/misc. I have never had any need to cool either the oil or the petroleum when doing it this way.

If you intend to use the same coolant in a closed system you need to cool the coolant. Many people use petroleum as a coolant and send it through a wheezewort room and back into the refinery.
Also you could use your method as an advantage because oil boils into petroleum, so if you send the oil through multiple refineries (or the same refinery multiple times) it will turn into petroleum an thus you won't need the oil refinery.

[Milo de Vries]

https://oxygennotincluded.gamepedia.com/Metal_Refinery


Helpful chart. Making steel adds a ridiculous amount of heat.

Using crude oil like SKull suggests works great if you intend on using the oil for petroleum, and therefor are always supplying the refinery with fresh oil. Just be aware steel will up your oil temps by a lot, so make sure your pipes can handle it.

If you plan on having your coolant on a loop, heating up in the refinery and cooling down elsewhere, then polluted water is by far the best choice prior to super-coolant, as with it's high heat capacity it will only raise by 55C.

So really it depends on how your base is set up and how much steel you are making versus low heat metals to determine which coolant is best for you.

[Milo de Vries]

Be warned:

If you aren't the sort of disturbed engineer in the basement who spends more time making plans on excel sheets then actually playing the game, you're about to be. The metal refinery is a slippery slope.