I need oil refining help

[Trinity 5150]

It was about last week when I unlocked oil production. I noticed that there seems to be a lot of things on the side needed to keep plastic and rubber production going. It seems very inefficient. Not even sure where to begin if I want to make a lot of plastic and rubber with a side product of packaged heavy oil residue. I know at some point soon I'll need to make packaged fuel too. Is there a way to make a lot of plastic and rubber while still keeping everything going?

[Flash✪Gordon]

There are so many oil nodes on the map. Till end of tier 6 have not used more than 2 or 3.

Instead of making it complicate; Dedicate one oil node for one product. And sink what you don't need.

[kLuns]

You can make petroleum coke from the heavy oil residue.
This can be used in coal generators or sent to awesome sink.
Later down the line petroleum coke can be used in alternate recipes.
You find the recipe when you interact with a refinery.

If you want your refineries to operate full time make sure you deal with all products a recipe provides.

When you research hard drives and unlock more milestones in Tier 5 & 6 you can make more plastic/ rubber from less oil and more fun stuff.

I like to make 100 plastic, 100 rubber and 450 petroleum coke.
This uses exactly a full mk 1 pipe.

This ratio works with any quantity you like as long as rubber and plastic numbers are equal: 1 plastic + 1 rubber = 4,5 petroleum coke.

Note you need 2 mk 3 belts for the petroleum coke.

[Trinity 5150]

Right now I have an oil extractor on a pure oil node with 4 refineries for plastic and 4 more for rubber. I may have to do like suggested above and dedicate an oil node to a certain production. The awesome sink idea is definitely one I'll be using. I know that when I unlock fuel generators at some point I'll need to produce fuel for those and the jet pack too.

[tdb]

Initially you'll have to turn the heavy oil residue into either petroleum coke or fuel. Later on, as you find alternative recipes, you can make plastic and rubber cleanly. Some steps of the process will still create byproducts, but they'll be consumed by later steps. I prefer this method because I can build more production of either one independently of the other.

[Flash✪Gordon]

About (unwanted) Heavy Oil Residue:

I found (to my surprise) that if I lead it in some big or small tanks, that it flows to and fro between these tanks and somehow evaporates - in other words: the refinery does NOT stop because of full Heavy Oil Residue tanks and that is lucky because the HOR can't be sinked directly without packaging it.

This effect effect seems to be quite conistent also with other fluids.

[info]

Originally posted by Gordon✪Gekko:

About (unwanted) Heavy Oil Residue:

I found (to my surprise) that if I lead it in some big or small tanks, that it flows to and fro between these tanks and somehow evaporates - in other words: the refinery does NOT stop because of full Heavy Oil Residue tanks and that is lucky because the HOR can't be sinked directly without packaging it.

This effect effect seems to be quite conistent also with other fluids.

This is confusing to me, you are saying an unlimited amount of fluids can be placed into storage tanks without taking any out? If so that sounds like a bug and something I have not encountered.

[Spocks Toupee]

Originally posted by Gordon✪Gekko:

About (unwanted) Heavy Oil Residue:

I found (to my surprise) that if I lead it in some big or small tanks, that it flows to and fro between these tanks and somehow evaporates - in other words: the refinery does NOT stop because of full Heavy Oil Residue tanks and that is lucky because the HOR can't be sinked directly without packaging it.

This effect effect seems to be quite conistent also with other fluids.

That's not how it works in my game.
When the tanks and pipes fill up, everything shuts down, and I have to go flush them again.

[kLuns]

Originally posted by Trinity 5150:

Right now I have an oil extractor on a pure oil node with 4 refineries for plastic and 4 more for rubber.

you can use 3 refineries for 360 petroleum coke.

Originally posted by Gordon✪Gekko:

About (unwanted) Heavy Oil Residue:

I found (to my surprise) that if I lead it in some big or small tanks, that it flows to and fro between these tanks and somehow evaporates - in other words: the refinery does NOT stop because of full Heavy Oil Residue tanks and that is lucky because the HOR can't be sinked directly without packaging it.

This effect effect seems to be quite conistent also with other fluids.

This surprise is a bug

[Flash✪Gordon]

Originally posted by Spocks Toupee:

Originally posted by Gordon✪Gekko:

About (unwanted) Heavy Oil Residue:

I found (to my surprise) that if I lead it in some big or small tanks, that it flows to and fro between these tanks and somehow evaporates - in other words: the refinery does NOT stop because of full Heavy Oil Residue tanks and that is lucky because the HOR can't be sinked directly without packaging it.

This effect effect seems to be quite conistent also with other fluids.

That's not how it works in my game.
When the tanks and pipes fill up, everything shuts down, and I have to go flush them again.

If it doesn't work with two tanks then try 3 or 4 big tanks and connect each tank with each other tank. This is almost sure going to work.

I would like to get a feedback from you once you tried.

[Flash✪Gordon]

Originally posted by info:

This is confusing to me, you are saying an unlimited amount of fluids can be placed into storage tanks without taking any out? If so that sounds like a bug and something I have not encountered.

Hi Info

Yes, exactly that. The tanks are "full" but still get all the HOR from the reffinery.
We talked before about this and you commented it with "alien math".
It always works for me.

It could be something simple like little adjust downward errors that sum up. However, it works.

[Schlappspaten]

The way I handle this: Oil to fuel and resin, fuel to power and resin with water to plastic, rubber or fabric. Some fuel goes through packaging for jetpack and cars (or could fire another generator).

In numbers (from head, Not at the game now) 2 Oil wells, 11 refineries for fuel+resin, 56 generators, 7 refineries for plastic, rubber and fabric, one constructor for empty canisters and one packaging unit. The 7 refineries all go onto 1 belt and smart splitters divide the goods. Since all 3 recipes work with resin and water it's quite easy to adjust production to demands. I normally run 4 plastic and 3 rubber and fabric only when needed, but can simply switch any refinery to any good without having to rethink supply lines. Some wells and refineries are overclocked to match supply and demands, of course.

And I do it so, as I don't like fiddling with heavy oil residue. It may not be the most effizient production, but then it's fairly small, easy to manage and once set up easy to forget about. It will provide lots of power and a steady stream of products.

[Flash✪Gordon]

Resin goes immediatley down the toilet resp in the sink. I don't like to add water to all the other pipelines.

I'd handle it different at the north coast, Spire Coast: There oil is next to water.

I find recipes, that require water, not comfortable as there is generally not a lot of water on the map and I don't like building long pipelines. I was reading that the early coal generators didn't require water. That was heavenly.

[Ultima]

There are a lot of options to manage oil.
One node for one ressource is a very good start.

EARLY way, first stocks:
1 normal node, 3 slugs, 10 refineries.
You need some plastic and rubber for early quests and some buildings, so 10 refineries (5 for plastic / 5 for rubber) is a great way to begin with, you can then transform the heavy oil residue into petroleum coke and either sink it or save it.

MIDGAME way, fuel production:
1 normal node, 3 slugs, 6 refineries.
At some point, you already know you need fuel.
Personally I like 5 refineries making fuel. This will make fuel and also resine.
Create a 6th refinery to transform a part of the resine to plastic (by adding water).
This plastic will help for the packaged fuel.
Then either create other refineries to create more plastic/rubber with resine+water, or just sink the extra resine.
All extra fuel created will help you in many ways.

LATEGAME factory:
I don't want to spoil anything.

[Flash✪Gordon]

IMO one refinery @250% is enough for any product (end of tier 6)

[Spocks Toupee]

Originally posted by Gordon✪Gekko:

If it doesn't work with two tanks then try 3 or 4 big tanks and connect each tank with each other tank. This is almost sure going to work.

I would like to get a feedback from you once you tried.

I always start with 10 small tanks until I have enough materials for the big tanks.