Help with shortage of power (fuel) ?

[iMatrix7]

I'm obliged to ask for help. Because I'm so confused.

I have this situation > https://i.imgur.com/iiupiLc.png

Right now, the power I produce is enough for everything I built, but do you see those.. downfalls? That's the problem. Because when the level is too low, this happens > https://i.imgur.com/BI4O3Ww.png

Now, the help I need, is to find the exact problem and how to solve it for good (and I'm talking about those downfalls, not really how to make more electricity).

All I can tell you, is that I receive energy mainly from FUEL and GEOTHERMAL generators. A little part also from COAL.

My suspects go to the FUEL generators, because I noticed something strange. Let me explain how the situation is: the oil extractors are VERY FAR. 1 minute hyperloop. At the begin, I noticed that the flow was constantly at max rate (300), but in some points were lower (I do use pumps). So I thought that maybe building everything with MK 2, could be better! And so I did... I replaced THE ENTIRE PIPELINE system with new pipes and pumps mk2. But nothing changed. At the start of the pipeline, the flow is 600, so it's good, but after a long distance.. halfway let's say.. I notice that the flow goes up and down. In some points not even more than 300. That has to be the problem. (I checked fuel generators on the other end.. but they seem fine.. so I'm confused, but I did notice that the oil is not coming at the same flow rate of the extractors).

Now I'm going to check again the Fuel generators.. but I really have no idea how to solve this flow rate. It seems it doesn't matter how many pump I install. It's impossible to keep it stable. :(

Any tips? Thank you!

[Vectorspace]

Check your fuel production. Are you making enough fuel for the number of generators you have? Are any of your fuel producing machines running short of resources, or have backing-up outputs?

[Fenix]

pumps only control head lift, and are only need for going up (mk1 is 20m and mk2 is 50m)
You should only need a single mk2 pump in most cases.
Liquids are weird, gravity plays a part, as done sloshing, as such the work better full.
Try to keep pipes short, package for long distances.

[iMatrix7]

I checked all the coil and fuel generators again. They are all plenty of resources.

Oh gosh I'm soooo confused! :'(

EDIT: the downfalls are causing a loss of around 600MW.

[Vectorspace]

What about the machines that make the fuel? Did you check all those?

[iMatrix7]

Originally posted by Vectorspace:

What about the machines that make the fuel? Did you check all those?

Do you mean Refineries? Yeah they are all good. Also because fuel generators are with 100% productivity. And they are all stable.

[Da_Higg]

Originally posted by iMatrix7:

All I can tell you, is that I receive energy mainly from FUEL and GEOTHERMAL generators. A little part also from COAL.

Are you sure this isn't the Geothermal generators cycling up and down? Geo power isn't consistent.

[dj8472]

Originally posted by Da_Higg:

Are you sure this isn't the Geothermal generators cycling up and down? Geo power isn't consistent.

You can see the geothermals on the first image, its the grey bar going slightly up and down between the large dips

[iMatrix7]

Yeah in this exact moment I'm monitoring the second of the three geothermal generators I have. They are causing the up and down in the graph, but not the downfalls. It's really like something shut down for a moment, and then goes up again. But trust me.. It's not that I build generators around the world and I forget about them. I have everything in specific places. But still... no idea yet of where I'm losing those 600W.

Also, sometimes it happens after 30secs, sometimes it only needs 15... it also can happens after 10 secs (rarely). Usually 30 secs.

[dj8472]

Try separating groups of generators from the power grid and watch them to see which set is causing the problem

[Kage Goomba]

Step 1 - Isolate your Geothermal gens off the grid with a switch - that will help find the culprit faster. (I did this when I started building them - one master circuit breaker switch for the entire network) (If you don't have enough power - you may want to take care of that first)

Step 2: Check your fuel gens for any that are running below 100% Eff. - those will be the start of your problems there. Back trace from there.

Step 3: Check your coal gens - same as Step 2.

The above will hopefully narrow down your target suspect list.

[iMatrix7]

Solved.
Look now how beautiful is my graph > https://i.imgur.com/jOSKKIG.png

It was crazy. I found out that I had 2 problems.

1) One little segment of my 8737619 kms of pipes (crude oil), was still MK1, so it was limiting EVERYTHING. But still, since it wasn't the main cause of the problem, there is number 2!

2) One of my refineries was functioning with an alternate recipe. This refinery was using not crude oil in order to make fuel, but the residual. And the input of this residual was pretty random (but reason I can't explain in a few lines... it's a mess guys. It's a mess.).
Anyway, short story, I optimized everything here and there.. and puff. I have now that beautiful graph.

This game is getting me INSANE.
Thank you everyone for the help, it wasn't easy. XD I just moved to TIER 8 meanwhile.. and I'm f****d up. :D

[Kage Goomba]

Originally posted by iMatrix7:

Solved.
Look now how beautiful is my graph > https://i.imgur.com/jOSKKIG.png

It was crazy. I found out that I had 2 problems.

1) One little segment of my 8737619 kms of pipes (crude oil), was still MK1, so it was limiting EVERYTHING. But still, since it wasn't the main cause of the problem, there is number 2!

2) One of my refineries was functioning with an alternate recipe. This refinery was using not crude oil in order to make fuel, but the residual. And the input of this residual was pretty random (but reason I can't explain in a few lines... it's a mess guys. It's a mess.).
Anyway, short story, I optimized everything here and there.. and puff. I have now that beautiful graph.

This game is getting me INSANE.
Thank you everyone for the help, it wasn't easy. XD I just moved to TIER 8 meanwhile.. and I'm f****d up. :D

Nice - at least it was an easy fix.

[iMatrix7]

Originally posted by Vectorspace:

What about the machines that make the fuel? Did you check all those?

You were right at the end... I didn't apparently. I missed one. haha