[Suggestion] Steam engines

Suggestions that have been added to the game.

Moderator: ickputzdirwech

Post Reply
User avatar
rk84
Filter Inserter
Filter Inserter
Posts: 556
Joined: Wed Feb 13, 2013 9:15 am
Contact:

[Suggestion] Steam engines

Post by rk84 »

I hope in future steam engines will work with steam instead water. Making 100°C too low temperature for engine to work. Maximum temperature could be 500°C.

I also would like to suggest adding higher tech steam turbine. Steam turbine would output more power than steam engine, but would require more heat. Steam engine's maximum effiency could be at 250°C (happy medium?) and steam turbine's at 500°C.

For extra flavor for power management. Generators could take small damage when used in wrong temperature (Steam engine's materials can't take the extra heat. Droplet condensation in lower temperature would wear down turbine's rotor).
Test mode
Searching Flashlight
[WIP]Fluid handling expansion
[WIP]PvP gamescript
[WIP]Rocket Express
Autofill: The torch has been pass to Nexela

kovarex
Factorio Staff
Factorio Staff
Posts: 8171
Joined: Wed Feb 06, 2013 12:00 am
Contact:

Re: [Suggestion] Steam engines

Post by kovarex »

The higher tech steam turbine is something we surely want, everything should have tiers in the future :)

Having higher maximum temperature? Why not, but keep in mind, that the 100 cap is just a number, we don't even write °C there, it could also mean % of the maximum heat, where maximum heat is 500.
What I wanted to say is, that it is just question of changing the way the player is informed about the temperature.

If the steam generator needed some minimum heat to work, it would be logical, but it would create some strange problems.
You set some setup, boilers + steam engines it all works fine. Then, your energy consumption increases, those steam engines start working faster, they use more water, so the water goes faster through boilers, so it doesn't heat enough, so the whole system breaks.

I like the idea, that boilers could heat up to some temperature (250), while some nuclear reactor could heat more, while steam generator couldn't handle the higher temperature.

User avatar
rk84
Filter Inserter
Filter Inserter
Posts: 556
Joined: Wed Feb 13, 2013 9:15 am
Contact:

Re: [Suggestion] Steam engines

Post by rk84 »

kovarex wrote:The higher tech steam turbine is something we surely want, everything should have tiers in the future :)
Yay. Good to hear.
kovarex wrote:Having higher maximum temperature? Why not, but keep in mind, that the 100 cap is just a number, we don't even write °C there, it could also mean % of the maximum heat, where maximum heat is 500.
What I wanted to say is, that it is just question of changing the way the player is informed about the temperature.
ah. Wiki uses °C and "water temperature: 100" in game makes you think its 100°C.
kovarex wrote:...If the steam generator needed some minimum heat to work, it would be logical, but it would create some strange problems.
You set some setup, boilers + steam engines it all works fine. Then, your energy consumption increases, those steam engines start working faster, they use more water, so the water goes faster through boilers, so it doesn't heat enough, so the whole system breaks. ...
I take your word for it :)
kovarex wrote:I like the idea, that boilers could heat up to some temperature (250), while some nuclear reactor could heat more, while steam generator couldn't handle the higher temperature.
nuclear reactor! gimme!
Test mode
Searching Flashlight
[WIP]Fluid handling expansion
[WIP]PvP gamescript
[WIP]Rocket Express
Autofill: The torch has been pass to Nexela

Rapio
Burner Inserter
Burner Inserter
Posts: 9
Joined: Sat Feb 16, 2013 8:57 am
Contact:

Re: [Suggestion] Steam engines

Post by Rapio »

While we are being technical and shit: Nuclear reactors actually generate cooler steam("wetter") than combustion power plants. pressurised are better than boiling reactors but they are both shit and ruin their low pressure turbines.

Mysteria9
Fast Inserter
Fast Inserter
Posts: 122
Joined: Sat Feb 16, 2013 9:05 am
Contact:

Re: [Suggestion] Steam engines

Post by Mysteria9 »

I like the idea of different generators, but there should be no damage in my opinion.
Also, I don't think our pump and pipes could maintain the pressure required to get a water temperature of 500°C... ;)

User avatar
rk84
Filter Inserter
Filter Inserter
Posts: 556
Joined: Wed Feb 13, 2013 9:15 am
Contact:

Re: [Suggestion] Steam engines

Post by rk84 »

Mysteria9 wrote:I like the idea of different generators, but there should be no damage in my opinion.
Also, I don't think our pump and pipes could maintain the pressure required to get a water temperature of 500°C... ;)
haha yea. You would need alot of pressure to keep water from vaporizing in that temperature. But if we use steam we don't need that kind of pressure. Since pressure of pipes should not depend on temperature, but from load of the generator.

Is noone else botherer by "water temperature"? Because there is difference between water and steam. Water is liquid and steam is gas. Steam engine should use steam, right?
Test mode
Searching Flashlight
[WIP]Fluid handling expansion
[WIP]PvP gamescript
[WIP]Rocket Express
Autofill: The torch has been pass to Nexela

Mysteria9
Fast Inserter
Fast Inserter
Posts: 122
Joined: Sat Feb 16, 2013 9:05 am
Contact:

Re: [Suggestion] Steam engines

Post by Mysteria9 »

rk84 wrote:Is noone else botherer by "water temperature"? Because there is difference between water and steam. Water is liquid and steam is gas. Steam engine should use steam, right?
I did note that too, but I didn't reflect any more on the subject. You are right, of course.
I assume that when the water gets into the steam engines it vaporises, this would of course only work when the water is hot enough... ;)

Bigspanners
Burner Inserter
Burner Inserter
Posts: 14
Joined: Sat Feb 23, 2013 9:59 am
Contact:

Re: [Suggestion] Steam engines

Post by Bigspanners »

If a power station get destroyed I think is should have some sort of explosion and damage the surrounding area. Especially Nuclear :o

Oh and steam is a hot vapour not a gas, sorry its the engineer in me.

Rapio
Burner Inserter
Burner Inserter
Posts: 9
Joined: Sat Feb 16, 2013 8:57 am
Contact:

Re: [Suggestion] Steam engines

Post by Rapio »

Vapour is gas. What you might be thinking of is mist. Mist is droplets of water and is not steam.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/steam
Read the three first sentences.

I for one would prefer a more realistic system of explosions and damage. So beating on a boiler untill it breaks would cause a big steam explosion. But beating on a nuclear reactor would just break it and then you have to deal with the radiation. Oil burns, hydrogen explodes, fertilizer explodes. There are alot of shit that explodes when you mess with them nuclear reactors generally don't.

User avatar
cube
Former Staff
Former Staff
Posts: 1111
Joined: Tue Mar 05, 2013 8:14 pm
Contact:

Re: [Suggestion] Steam engines

Post by cube »

The way steam / liquids work is one of the things I find the most annoying in this game, so I'm planning to fix this. Soon. Much more important than boring stuff like multiplayer, right? (you people have to talk kovarex into this first, though) :-D
I have no idea what I'm talking about.

User avatar
rk84
Filter Inserter
Filter Inserter
Posts: 556
Joined: Wed Feb 13, 2013 9:15 am
Contact:

Re: [Suggestion] Steam engines

Post by rk84 »

cube wrote:The way steam / liquids work is one of the things I find the most annoying in this game, so I'm planning to fix this. Soon. Much more important than boring stuff like multiplayer, right? (you people have to talk kovarex into this first, though) :-D
You are my hero. I made special cube for you. :D
cube's cube
cube's cube
cube.png (13.45 KiB) Viewed 17120 times
Test mode
Searching Flashlight
[WIP]Fluid handling expansion
[WIP]PvP gamescript
[WIP]Rocket Express
Autofill: The torch has been pass to Nexela

Post Reply

Return to “Implemented Suggestions”