How do fluids work in Factorio? | Factorio Space Age

[@hypercrafting]

Pipes are just really long fluid tanks now

[@annonym8990]

there is one more thing with fluids: the ports at a machine are limited to 6000/s. That usualy doesn't matter, but it can in late game for ex beaconed cryo plants with steam/water

[@exj6257]

I really like the tests you run to understand the actual operation. Fluids have always been the worst part of the game for me to get working, to the point I'd just give up and use infinity pipes. Thank you! Keep your content coming - it's really good.

[@TheJarGames]

Thnx exj! That means a lot!

[@Onif02]

One thing I don’t like about the new fluid mechanics is that the fluids at the output of a pump gets de-prioritised. So if you have multiple branches of pipes to different machines, don’t put a pump to a machine that you want working all the time.

[@michaelhackman3195]

I'm not sure I understand - I thought a pump created priority output from the pump - as in, it will empty to the pump output side before filing other machines. Can you give an example?

[@Onif02]

@ There is a T intersection of pipes, one goes to 10 chem plants and the other to 10 assembling machines. If your light oil supply is only enough to support 15 machines, then the side without a pump has 10 working machines and the side with a pump will only have 5 working machines instead of a 7.5 split.

[@thetute59]

very interesting, didnt know many of the things. In the last part, you say one of the most important parts: Pipes have infinite throughput, but pumps dont.

[@TheJarGames]

Glad you enjoyed, thetute59!

[@BinarySecond]

Yeah! Science!

[@callinglarry]

That was interesting about the distance. IDK. I actually haven't even had any long enough to hit the limit, but that's good to know.

[@TheJarGames]

mostly important when I end up making a turret wall with flamethrower turrets

[@EXOgreenMC]

You were thinking with fluids!

[@TheJarGames]

my brain is full of them

[@Logically_Fallacious]

​@@TheJarGames Interestingly, our brains are ~95% _cholesterol_ by dry weight. That's why our overlords don't want us to eat eggs, and why they give as many old ppl as possible Statins that suck the cholesterol out of the body like there's no tomorrow, because without your brain having enough cholesterol, the myelin sheaths (that's the insulation for nerve impulses in da' brain similar e.g., to insulation on copper wires irl) aren't made, and you short circuit like Joe Biden.* (no /jk) ________________________________ * In 1988 ol' Joe had half his brain scooped out by his surgeon that gave him a 50/50 chance at survival, until the 2020 presidential "election" where he was forced to recant his professional opinion he made in 1988... So technically, Joe only has half a brain, so the analogy isn't completely accurate. I'm still impressed given if us plebs get a hemorrhagic stroke (NOT a STEMI or a blood clot type of stroke) the death rate is over 95%. That's directly from classes taught to me by my Medical Director, so if that's wrong, i.e., the "science" now says some horseshite, I'm sorry, I still believe Dr. Gonzalez. We never do get the "good" healthcare I guess.

[@Foxbat131]

So.. Can I use a fluid tanker to connect two branches of separate pumping systems? How do I abuse this mechanic?? If I connect two sources at different lengths, why doesn't the length of pipe reset (instead of turning into red Xs)? There are still so many questions

[@TheJarGames]

Great questions! You got me thinking. Maybe we'll have to have a part 2 👍

[@sirseven3]

I was able to connect 2 seperate oil fields together eith a train pickup in the center. I chained the systems together with a pump from the field to another collection area Oil---->@@@---->@@@@@

[@alexanderjanke1538]

Does that work? I think they also add the fluid tanks to the 320 length in total. Even though I don't really get why you would transport fluids for that long. 320 in a radius of the source is pretty much. I only had problems with that in my biggest save game on my power plant of ~160 reactors. All turbines where connected and I had to rework them to get it under 321 length again

[@Foxbat131]

@alexanderjanke1538 Yeah I wonder, can I just pump into a fluid wagon, then immediately pump out..? Would that increase the length of the fluid network?

[@alexanderjanke1538]

@@Foxbat131 Edit: you want to connect 2 systems. Ohhh. But yeah, just use pumps. Pump it into some tanks and you are fine. And from there you should be able to go new 320 spaces. For example you can also extend it by placing 2 or more pumps facing in opposite direction and pump from E system - pump - P system and P system - pump - E system so fluids can pass more then 320 tiles but still flow in both directions. Thats how I fixed my power plant. it works, but you are limited by the throughput of the pumps so you need extra space for them

[@Logically_Fallacious]

Tyvm for this explanation. I understand it completely now. Interestingly, I think I'm one of very few ppl that took the overextension of the piping system for an issue of trying to get pipes over lava pipes cause "too long" is the same color to me as "too hot." I lived the saying, "ppl see what they are, not what is there..." Thanks for the BPs too. I will study the circuit logic of everything until it becomes obvious and easy for meh. Now, I'm gonna verify I'm a wingnut and redo the pipes over troubled lava (underground pipes) and verify I was drawing false inferences based on my 20th century male bias(es) (oh no, I have my own blue haired girl insulting me in my head...! but only making jokes cause I think "her" objections are _hilariously inconsistent with reality..._ if only I was one of those human NPCs that have no internal monologues this couldn't happen... but I'll take the bad with the good 🙃)

[@TheJarGames]

Lol. But you can't make underground pipes through lava, right?

[@Logically_Fallacious]

@@TheJarGames No, you can't make underground pipes thru lava, but I thought lava pipes behaved like lava patches... they most likely don't. I've gotten distracted playing Empyrion for some reason, but I finished for the day, went grocery shopping and will get back to vulcanus to make your pump manifolds and see how much I can push thru infinite pipes after all (mostly sulfuric acid, I just can't get enough (!) or so I thought with only one pump limiting my infinite pipe thruput!)

[@Logically_Fallacious]

@@TheJarGames k, I verified I was a man who mistook his hat for his wife.* You _can_ cross the streams of sulfuric acid and lava no problemo. Now with the pump manifolds I'm making mucho plastico and nothing else downstream of the oil production chain really is an issue anymore. Ty for that. _______________________________ * "The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat [the original phrase], and Other Clinical Tales is a 1985 non-fiction book by neurologist Oliver Sacks