turbines / steam engines in space

[TopPredator]

Hey folks
Shouldn't turbines and steam engines work on space platforms? Since they work because of the pressure difference, there is no technical reason why they don't should work.

Is there a balancing reason for that?

greetings

[Yess]

Steam engines and turbines do work in space. Neither the steam engine nor the steam turbine have any construction surface conditions, so they can be placed anywhere, even in space.

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[eugenekay]

Is there a balancing reason for that?

The boiler and heating tower require an atmosphere to produce combustion, which is absent in space. You can still create Heat using a Nuclear reactor to drive a Heat Exchanger. This forces you to use Solar Panels for the initial setup of a platform, and encourages a nuclear supply chain to be built before leaving Nauvis for good.

Steam consuming / power-producing entities (Engine and Turbine) work fine, as shown above.