Water Extractor and efficiency

[LeNUTRIE Metanolo]

I've set 6 Coal Generators running, at 45 mc/min water each it would take 270 mc/min total.
The supply of water is given by 2 Water Extractor, for a total inlet of 240 mc/min total.

I was expecting the generators to shut down but it is not happening, all of them are functional (approx 70% efficiency).

So the information that water is always taken for full 100% efficiency is wrong, efficiency DOES matter even for fluids.

As result, a Fluid Buffer big enough will take care of energy peaks, and I will not need to build the third water extractor (for now).

[Suzaku]

Always plan for 100% usage. All a buffer will do is delay the inevitable. Your power usage is going to rise, and that 30 water/min that you're under will eventually shut you down.

[Bobucles]

Power generators only consume fuel and water depending on their power draw.

There's no reason to have less than 100% water supply. Just build the extra water pump.

[sansee]

I always use buffers where ever I can because water extractors needs a litlle spinn time anyway (just like miners) and a buffer with a pump is faster to compensate.

Also, those coal generators won't consume up to their max until your power grid demands it.

[Bobucles]

Tank buffers are cute, but not necessary. Pipes, coal gens and water pumps all have internal buffers that last more than long enough for the water pump to activate. It works fine, don't worry about it. The only serious issue is having less water pumps than the coal power needs. Ramping up enough water is trivial, don't cut corners on your first major build.

Storage tanks reset the head lift in your pipe network; their maximum output is equal to the liquid level inside the tank. I wish they had windows so you could see the liquid inside, it'd be really handy.

[Ccrack]

Originally posted by Bobucles:

Tank buffers are cute, but not necessary. Pipes, coal gens and water pumps all have internal buffers that last more than long enough for the water pump to activate.

im actually using the water tanks to load balance the water pumps. can run 6 generators off 1 storage tank but it needs more than 1 pump to fill unless you overclock and i refuse to harm my cute slug companions for something so trivial

[Ragnaman]

Originally posted by Bobucles:

Tank buffers are cute, but not necessary. Pipes, coal gens and water pumps all have internal buffers that last more than long enough for the water pump to activate. It works fine, don't worry about it. The only serious issue is having less water pumps than the coal power needs. Ramping up enough water is trivial, don't cut corners on your first major build.

Storage tanks reset the head lift in your pipe network; their maximum output is equal to the liquid level inside the tank. I wish they had windows so you could see the liquid inside, it'd be really handy.

Storage tanks act like semi pumps ?

[cswiger]

You can directly connect the pumps to your generators and be fine most of the time. Likewise, you can take a belt of coal to Coal Generators directly without adding a storage container.

However, if you have a brownout, having a water tank/fluid buffer already filled and a storage container full of coal handy sometimes makes restarting power a little easier.

[sansee]

Originally posted by Bobucles:

reset the head lift in your pipe network. Don't cut corners on your first major build.

Right, don't cut corners. That's exactly why buffers are usefull. CS haven't added them just for fun either, you know, they have a purpose.

[Bobucles]

Brownouts aren't really a thing in this game. There's no death spiral like in Factorio where the miners slow down until the whole factory can't sustain itself. When the satisfactory shuts down, everything halts down at the same time, both production and consumption. Your generator's max sustainable load will always be consistent, if you have enough water for 450MW of coal then 500MW of drain will eventually kill your network.

Storage tanks act like semi pumps ?

Quite the opposite, storage tanks act like anti pumps. They only fill as high as the strongest lift height, and they lose lift height as they drain out. The air bubble in the top of the tank destroys any surplus lift height, which is kind of true to life really.

There is no reason to store water inches away from the source. Buffers only ADD extra problems, they don't solve any. Don't cut corners, not on a resource as easy to satisfy as water. Build enough water pumps to handle 100% load, that's the only way to ensure 0% problems.