Fluid handling - Friday facts topic?

[Ratzap]

With some fluid work coming in 0.15 and the whole fluid mechanics area being largely undescribed, could we get a Friday Facts dedicated to talking about fluid handling in Factorio?

Like how does the game engine model fluids? Does it use level differences? Simulate pressure? How are tanks different to pipes. All that sort of thing.

[ssilk]

Good idea, but I think it makes no sense now, cause they want to rewrite the fluid handling from ground up for nuclear energy. That's what I interpret into some devs-remarks.

[Ratzap]

Good idea, but I think it makes no sense now, cause they want to rewrite the fluid handling from ground up for nuclear energy. That's what I interpret into some devs-remarks.

That's why I said in conjunction with the 0.15 work (which has the nuclear and railtanker penciled in). Some time when that's getting close to done and it's clear how it will work. Up till now fluid mechanics has been a case of try things out and try to guess how it works. Belts have been fully explained so once the new fluids are ready it would be good to have a write up of them.

[bobingabout]

Fluid simulations do need some work... as a Modder, I've tried playing with some values before.

Use a pipe with a fluid box smaller than 1 (10 units) EG 0.5 (5 units) like my copper/bronze/brass pipes, or... change a fluids values (EG, make it flow better, like a gas would) and it undulates back and forth at insane speeds along the length of the pipe, causing an "Unstable simulation" to quote one of the Devs.

Using larger pipes, or thicker fluids does work though. (I modded crude oil, heavy oil, and added Tungstic Acid that are all twice as thick as water)