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Pipeline Pumps are buildings used to increase Pipeline pressure (= apply head lift), allowing fluids to rise higher. They are directional, which is denoted with two arrows in their blueprints and also on the structures themselves.

Gases lack head lift requirements and, therefore, it is unnecessary to place Pumps on them.

Construction[]

Pipeline Pumps can be built on:

  • existing Pipelines, similar to how Splitters snap to Conveyor Belts
  • Foundations for precise placement, it can be rotated in 90-degree intervals horizontally
  • Walls for precise placement, it can be rotated in 45-degree intervals vertically

Once snapped to a pipeline, the mouse scroll wheel allows adjustment of the flow direction.

While building, between the first and second click, scrolling with the scroll wheel adjusts the axial rotation of the Pump along the pipeline, keeping the same flow direction.

When placing a new Pump after another Pump, head lift guide rings will appear. These rings will move along the Pipeline until they stop at a larger ring. The new Pump can be snapped to this larger ring, which is at the maximum head lift of the previous Pump. Under some conditions, these rings will disappear. See below for details.

Operation[]

Head lift[]

Main article: Head lift

Mk.1 Pipeline Pumps apply a recommended head lift of 20 meters, but actually provide a head lift of 22 meters (as indicated by the orange area in the UI). The flow rate will quickly drop after these 22 meters, it is, therefore, un-advisable to space the Pumps out in 22-meter intervals.

Mk.2 Pipeline Pumps are 2.5 times as capable, applying a recommended head lift of 50 meters and an actual head lift of 55 meters, while only consuming twice as much power. Thus, it is more power-efficient to use Mk.2 Pumps.

The head lift is measured somewhere near the center point of the pipe inlet (2/2.5 meters towards the rear, from the center point of the Pump).

  • If the Pipeline Pump is built horizontally, its head lift is measured at 2 meters above the Foundation level it is built on.
  • If the Pipeline Pump is built vertically and upwards, its head lift is measured at 2/2.5 meters below its center point.

Flow direction[]

As mentioned, Pipeline Pumps have a direction, as indicated by the arrows on their building hologram. Fluids can only pass through in this direction.

  • While the Pumps are powered, head lift is applied as explained above. Fluids are output at the same rate as they're being received.
  • While the Pumps are unpowered, head lift is reset to 0. The Pump acts as an one-way valve, as it still prevents fluids from flowing backward. Valves can be used for this purpose as well.

Pipeline Pumps can also be utilized to push fluid forward in certain manifold setups. They will not limit the flow rate (e.g. Mk.1 Pumps on a Pipeline Mk.2 will not cap the flow rate at 300 m3/min).

Current issues[]

  • Under some circumstances, the head lift guide rings will disappear before reaching max head lift and no larger ring to snap to will appear. This appears to sometimes happen when there is a horizontal or diagonal section.
    • A workaround is to only have the pipe go straight up when vertical transport of fluids is needed.
    • A QA Site post about the issue can be found here.

Trivia[]

  • The Pipeline Pump Mk.2 was first showcased in a teaser trailer.
  • Before the addition of Valves, unpowered Pipeline Pumps were used to restrict flow from going in the wrong direction.

Gallery[]

History[]

  • Patch 0.3.6.3:
    • Changed Pipeline Pump Mk.2 build cost from 2 Motors, 4 Alclad Aluminum Sheets and 8 Plastic to 2 Motors, 4 Encased Industrial Beams and 8 Plastic
    • Decreased power consumption of Pipeline Pump Mk.2 from 12 MW to 8 MW
    • Moved Pipeline Pump Mk.2 from Tier 7 - Bauxite Refinement to Tier 6 - Pipeline Engineering Mk.2
  • Patch 0.3.6:
    • Now can be rotated before placement
    • Added visual feedback to help placing for optimal head lift distribution and automatic snapping to this indication
    • Introduced Pipeline Pump Mk.2
    • Pipeline Pump renamed to Pipeline Pump Mk.1
    • Made Pipeline Pump Mk.1 shorter by 1 m
  • Patch 0.3.3.0: Added audio feedback when head lift exceeds the maximum
  • Patch 0.3.1.0:
  • Patch 0.3: Introduced


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