Difference between revisions of "Guide to Atmospherics"

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[[Atmospherics]] (or Atmosia) is the land of pipes and air, a peaceful place often left to its automatic work. To the untrained eye, it might appear to be entirely impenetrable and useless, just a mess of pipes that should be left alone to do their own work while the [[Atmospheric Technician]]s goof off in the break room. But this is far from the truth. In the hands of a competent technician, Atmosia can just as easily save the station as it can horribly destroy it. Also check out the [[Gas Turbine]] page to learn how to use it.
{{Rewrite|reason=This is due for a rewrite, it's rather short for explaining easily one of the most complex department/collection of mechanics we have available. Content is pretty much there but it could be laid out for new players a bit better and distinguish atmospherics between stations other than the NSS Cyberiad.}}
{{JobEngineering}}[[Atmospherics]]. To the ignorant, a mystical art indistinguishable from actual magic. To the (hopefully) educated [[Atmospheric Technician]]s of the station, a glorified network of conveyors for moving gases about. Either way, Atmospherics holds great and terrifying power in the hands of the initiated.  


==Pipes and Gases, the Basics of Atmos==
If you aren't working with pipes and gases, you aren't doing atmospherics.


==Atmosia==
===Where to Get Pipes===


===Content===
Meet your two new friends. One never returns the money they borrow, you aren't really sure why you hang out with them. The other one is kind of awesome.


Atmosia contains several notable things that every Atmospheric Technician should know about:
[[File:rapid_pipe_dispenser.png|64px]] Rapid Pipe Dispenser - A handheld tool that can print, place and recycle pipes for you. Fits in your backpack and doesn't need ammo.


* '''Atmospheric Alert Computer:''' This computer console will tell you where your attention is needed. A green indicator signals everything is alright, a yellow indicator signals something went wrong, and a red indicator means you should get your ass in gear and move out;


* '''Central Atmospherics Computer:''' From this computer, you have complete control of every air alarm on the station, allowing you to change vent, scrubber and mode options. By default, every air alarm has their remote access enabled, so you can theoretically do your job without ever leaving Atmosia, assuming you have competent [[Engineer]]s;


* '''The Atmospheric Pipe System:''' This system takes in the station's waste air, filters it, and provides fresh air for everyone (except Vox and Plasmamen) to breathe;
Beneath are all the things your dispenser can make. Learn them well, for they are the fabric from which atmos is woven.


* '''The Distribution Computers:''' These computers allow you to see how much of a certain gas you have in storage, in addition to letting you change the rate at which they output;
<tabs>
 
<tab name="Atmospheric Pipes">
* '''The Gas Containment Areas:''' These are small, walled off areas containing large amounts of all gases. Vital for maintaining a breathable atmosphere aboard the station.
{| class="wikitable mw-collapsible" style="width:80%"
 
|style="width:32px"|'''Items'''
* '''Reserve Air Canisters:''' Extra canisters of air mix, oxygen, nitrogen and nitrous oxide that can be used to refill portable tanks, or as emergency reserves to fill rooms after a breach;
|style="width:15%"|'''Name'''
 
|style="width:15%"|'''Description'''
* '''Firefighting Equipment:''' Enables Atmospheric Technicians to survive easily for extended periods in difficult atmospheres. These include specialized firefighting armour and backpacks that fire metal foam;
|style="text-align:center;"|'''Details'''
 
|-
* '''Atmospherics Hardsuit:''' This hardsuit is completely fireproof and can withstand raging plasma fires, in addition to, of course, freely allowing spacewalking (yes, you too can always be on fire and laugh it off);
|[[File:Atmospheric_Pipe.png|64px]]
 
|Normal Pipes
* '''Portable Scrubbers / Portable Air Pumps:''' Allow you to quickly filter / repressurize (respectively) areas of the station;
|Generic pipes that can be used for most tasks.
 
|These are airtight pipes that can carry any gas you pump into them.
* '''Portable Space Heaters:''' Can be used to keep an area from freezing;
|-
 
|[[File:supply_pipe.png|64px]]
* '''Pipe Dispensers:''' Allow repair / construction of disposal pipes, air pipes, supply / waste pipes and heat pipes;
|Air Supply Pipe
 
|Used to distribute air all across the station.
* '''Fuel and Water Tanks:''' For use when fighting fires or other hazards;
|Special pipes that are mostly used for the air distribution network. Can be laid in parallel to normal pipes and scrubber pipes.
 
|-
* '''Freezers and Heater:''' Allow you to freeze or heat the gas in the pipes when routed through them;
|[[File:scrubber_pipe.png|64px]]
 
|Scrubbers Pipe
 
|Used to move waste or harmful gases.
 
|Special pipes that are mostly used for the waste network. Can be laid in parallel to normal pipes and air supply pipes.
===The Pipes===
|-
 
|[[File:heat_exchanger_pipe.png|64px]]
For the following section, it would be best to think of air as a fluid since, technically, it behaves like one. Imagine it as being a current of water flowing through the pipes. Atmospherics is pretty simple, but the pipe layout makes it slightly confusing for the untrained eye. It consists of four pipe "loops", which are color-coded for easy checking:
|Heat Exchange Pipe
 
|Shares heat between the pipe and the environment.
*The dark blue loop is the '''Distribution Loop''', or '''Distro Loop'''. It sends breathable air (roughly 80% nitrogen and 20% oxygen) to all the vents on the station, and is fed by the cyan loop lower down in Atmospherics;
|Exchanges heat between any gas in the pipe and any gas in the tile. Think space loop(for cooling) or the [[Toxins]] burn chamber(for heating). Connects to normal pipes via junctions.
 
|-
*The cyan loop is responsible for creating '''Mixed Air''' to feed into the distribution loop;
|[[File:universal_pipe.png|64px]]
 
|Universal Pipe Adapter
*The red loop is the '''Waste Loop''', which retrieves waste air from the various scrubbers on the station and feeds it to the '''Filtering Loop''';
|Can be fitted to any pipe type.
 
|Used to interface between normal, air supply, and scrubbers pipes. They cannot connect to each other without this.
*The green loop is the '''Filtering Loop''', which filters out the various gases in the waste air provided by the '''Waste Loop''' at various filters placed along it;
|}
 
</tab>
*The yellow loop is the '''Mix Loop''', which is internal to Atmospherics and is used for '''custom air mixes'''. It is rarely used for anything not highly illegal
<tab name="Atmospheric Devices">
 
{| class="wikitable mw-collapsible" style="width:80%"
The air breathed by humans on the Cyberiad is made out of oxygen and nitrogen, and is mixed on the south end of Atmosia (in the cyan pipes). The gases are pumped from their containment areas and into the '''air mix''' containment. The breathable gas is then pumped through the cyan loop to the north of Atmosia, where it is then pumped into the blue loop and out to the station.
|style="width:32px"|'''Items'''
 
|style="width:15%"|'''Name'''
The filtering loop runs the gases through the filters along the green piping and is your main tool in fighting gas spills and large fires.
|style="width:15%"|'''Description'''
 
|style="text-align:center;"|'''Details'''
The "canisters" of the station's Atmospherics network are actually rooms filled with the appropriate gas. The output of these rooms are controlled by their respective supply control computers and a small valve that allows the gas to be injected into the pipes.
|-
|[[File:Vent_Port.png|64px]]
|Unary Vent
|The standard vent used to distribute air.
|Needs to be inside a blueprinted room with a functional air alarm to operate. Typically used to pump breathable air into a room.
|-
|[[File:Scrubber_Port.png|64px]]
|Air Scrubber
|Scrubs the air clean.
|Needs to be inside a blueprinted room with a functional air alarm to operate. Can remove specific gases from the room it is in, or rapidly siphon out all gas. Typically used to remove harmful gases like CO2 from the station's air.
|-
|[[File:Vent_Port.png|64px]]
|Passive Vent
|An unpowered vent that relies on pipe pressure to operate.
|Freely exchanges gas and heat between the tile and the connected pipe network, based on pressure and temperature gradients. Does not require power, or even a blueprinted room.
|-
|[[File:dual_vent.png|64px]]
|Dual-Port Air Vent
|
|Has a valve and pump attached to it. There are two ports.
|-
|[[File:Connector_Port.png|64px]]
|Connector Port
|A connector port for canisters of gas.
|Connects canisters to pipe networks. When used in conjunction with pumps, allows you to fill canisters or to empty them into a pipe network.
|-
|[[File:Pump.png|64px]]
|Gas Pump
|A generic pressure pump.
|This pump is configured to measure how much gas it pumps by pressure. Can be set to only pump a certain amount of pressure through. The maximum pressure this pump can be set to move is 4500 kPa
|-
|[[File:Volumetric_Pump.png|64px]]
|Volume Pump
|The gas pump's cool sibling.
|This pump is configured to measure how much gas it pumps by volume instead of pressure. Can be set to pump only a specific volume of gas through. The maximum volume this pump can be set to move is 200L/s.
|-
|[[File:Passive_Gate.png|64px]]
|Passive Gate
|A passive one-way valve.
|A valve that only lets gas pass through if the input pressure and the target setting are both higher than the output pressure and the input pressure is above the target setting. Can be set between 0 and 4500 kPa and does not require power.
|-
|[[File:Gas_Filter.png|64px]]
|Gas Filter
|Separates out gases.
|A scrubber in pipe form. Checks for whatever gas you set it to, then filters it out into another pipe.
|-
|[[File:Gas_Mixer.png|64px]]
|Gas Mixer
|Mixes gases together.
|The opposite of a filter. Takes the contents of its two inputs and combines them together at whatever ratio you tell it to, then pumps them through the output. Importantly, ratios are measured by pressure, not volume. Maximum output pressure is 4500 kPa
|-
|[[File:Heat_exchanger.png|64px]]
|Heat Exchanger
|Equalize heat between two pipe networks.
|When two heat exchangers are placed next to each other, facing each other, they will try to equalize the heat between the two pipe networks they are connected to. They connect to normal pipes and thus are not part of the heat exchanger pipe system.
|-
|[[File:Air_Injector.png|64px]]
|Air Injector
|Used to force gases into high pressure areas.
|A gas injector that will continue to pump its contents out regardless of how high the pressure around it is. Measures how much it pumps by volume. Will not operate without being linked to a console. Will display a green light when on.
|-
|[[File:Manual_Valve.png|64px]]
|Manual Valve
|A simple hand-turned gas valve.
|A manually-controlled valve, it requires no power and also no ID authorization to use. Doesn't require power(or a blueprinted room), doesn't require ID access, and cannot be operated by the AI, borgs, or drones. Displays a small green light when open.
|-
|[[File:Digital_Valve.png|64px]]
|Digital Valve
|An electronic valve.
|An electronically-controlled gas valve. Requires power, requires ID access, and can be operated by the AI, borgs, and drones. Displays a small green light when open.
|-
|[[File:meter.gif|64px]]
|Meter
|Measures temperature and pressure inside the pipe it's on.
|Simply place over any flat stretch of pipe and wrench it on. Upon examination, it should now be yielding measurements on what is going on inside the pipe. Does not provide as much information as an analyser/gas scanner, but good for being able to tell what is going on at a glance.
|-
|[[File:Gas_Sensor.png|64px]]
|Gas Sensor
|Senses gas. No, really.
|Used to sense the pressure and temperature of the gas surrounding the sensor itself, rather than a pipe. Must be connected to one of several kinds of computer to be used.
|}
</tab>
<tab name="Disposal Pipes">
{| class="wikitable mw-collapsible" style="width:80%"
|style="width:32px"|'''Items'''
|style="width:15%"|'''Name'''
|style="text-align:center;"|'''Description'''
|-
|[[File:Disposal_pipe.png|64px]]
|Disposal Pipe
|Large pneumatic pipes that are used to carry trash, mail, and occasionally people around the station.
|-
|[[File:Disposal_bin.png|64px]]
|Disposal Bin
|The preferred method for delivering garbage into disposal pipes. Holds onto contents until they are flushed, whether manually or automatically.
|-
|[[File:Disposal_outlet.png|64px]]
|Disposal Outlet
|Whenever something or someone has reached this from a disposal pipe, they are ejected after a buzzer sounds.
|-
|[[File:Disposal_intake.png|64px]]
|Disposal Intake
|An open chute into disposal pipes. Objects or people that enter will be sent into connected disposal pipes. Objects or people who reach one of these at the end of a disposal pipe are ejected at high speed in a random direction.
|}
</tab>
<tab name="Transit Tubes">
{| class="wikitable mw-collapsible" style="width:80%"
|style="width:32px"|'''Items'''
|style="width:15%"|'''Name'''
|style="text-align:center;"|'''Description'''
|-
|[[File:Transit_Tube.png|64px]]
|Transit Tube
|A glass tube used for transportation with the use of transit pods.
|-
|[[File:Diagonal_Transit_Tube.png|64px]]
|Diagonal Transit Tube
|A glass tube used for transportation with the use of transit pods. This one is diagonal.
|-
||[[File:Curved_Transit_Tube.png|64px]]
|Curved Transit Tube
|A glass tube used for transportation with the use of transit pods. This one is curved
|-
|[[File:Junction_Transit_Tube.png|64px]]
|Junction Transit Tube
|A glass tube used for transportation with the use of transit pods. This one has three sides. You can hold down a directional key to choose which side to go to.
|-
|[[File:Transit_Tube_Station.png|64px]]
|Transit Tube Station
|A station for transit pods to park in midway through the ride, letting the person leave by pressing the directional key the exit is facing in or going through the station faster by pressing a directional key where the next transit tube is. You can board it by walking in through it's entrance. It's density prevents people or bullets from passing through it.
|-
|[[File:Terminus_Dispenser_Tube_Station.png|64px]]
|Terminus Dispenser Tube Station
|A terminus used to signify the end or beginning of a transit tube network. It can be boarded it by walking in through it's entrance. This one creates and recycles transit pods.
|-
|[[File:Dispenser_Tube_Station.png|64px]]
|Dispenser Tube Station
|A station for transit pods to park in midway through the ride, letting the person leave by pressing the directional key the exit is facing in or going through the station faster by pressing a directional key where the next transit tube is. It can be boarded it by walking in through it's entrance. This one creates and recycles transit pods. It's density prevents people or bullets from passing through it.
|-
</tab></tabs>


===The Gases===
===The Gases===
The main goal of atmospherics is to manipulate these in a way that benefits the station. Each type of gas has different properties that can help or hinder. Your skill in manipulating these will determine the success of your atmospheric machinations.


{|class="wikitable" style="width:80%;"
|'''Nitrogen (N2)'''
|Nitrogen is an inert gas that makes up 80% of the air on the station. Vox breathe this, but in the station atmosphere, it mostly just takes up space.
|-
|'''Oxygen (O2)'''
|The other 20% of the air. Most of the crew will be needing at least 16kPa of this stuff in the atmosphere in order to live. Poisonous to Vox and Plasmamen. Necessary for burning plasma.
|-
|'''Air'''
|You know what this is. The gas mix that is distributed around the station. It is composed of 80% N2 and 20% O2.
|-
|'''CO2'''
|An invisible gas that is slightly heavier than air. This is what crewmembers who breathe will be exhaling. Also produced by plasma fires. In high concentrations, will make you pass out, which can quickly lead to suffocation.
|-
|'''Nitrous Oxide (N2O)'''
|A white-flecked gas that is slightly heavier than CO2. At low concentrations, will cause sporadic laughing. At high concentrations, will put you to sleep.
|-
|'''Plasma (Toxins)'''
|The oil of the new world. Purple, highly flammable, and highly toxic(unless you are a Plasmaman). Burns with oxygen and will spontaneously ignite with it at a high enough temperature. Much heavier than all the previous gases.
|-
|'''???'''
|Hmmmm...
|}


*'''N2''': One of the components of the air mix. N2 soaks up heat in the air, and lowers the temperature of a fire. By association, it can very quickly lower the temperature of a fiery rupture to the point where the flames self-extinguish.
==Station Systems==
 
While pipes themselves will always work if undamaged, atmospheric devices all have certain prerequisites that must be met for them to operate.
 
*'''O2''': You breathe this. Running out of O2 will cause your slow death by suffocation damage. It is also required for a fire to even start, and hold, ending the fire when the O2 or plasma is depleted. Having less than 16 kPa of O2 flowing into your lungs chokes you.
 
 
*'''Air''': The gas mix that is distributed in the station. It is composed of 70% N2 and 30% O2.
 
 
*'''CO2''': An invisible, heavy gas, CO2 is one of the first and fastest gases the scrubbers suck out of the air. It chokes people effectively and quickly, and if you can be bothered to set the alarms up, will result in a invisible room that kills those in it. Takes some setup and can be very, very annoying. The emote for this at below incapacitating levels is gasping and choking.
 
 
*'''N2O''': A white-flecked gas. Makes you laugh at low doses and at higher ones puts you to sleep. Scrubbers don't deal with it too well and portable scrubbers just choke on it. If using this as a sleep gas mix do *not* forget the O2 at at least 16 kPa, or you will kill someone.
 
 
*'''Plasma''': The one truly flammable gas on the station, plasma is purple, and highly toxic. Of note is the fact that in the presence of any oxygen at high pressures, plasma pumped into air can and will spontaneously ignite on turf at high pressures.
 
==Setting Up Atmosia==
 
In it's default state, Atmosia can '''technically''' handle most atmospheric crisis, albeit highly inefficiently. Experienced technicians can play with it at will, re-routing the pipes and adding all sorts of machinery to make it more efficient. This, however, requires a lot of experience with the role, and a guide on all possible Atmospherics configurations would probably require a small wiki of its own.
 
As such, it's important that you understand how exactly gases work, and how they flow from one place to another. Take your time to become acquainted with the Atmospherics layout, and try and wait for a few crisis before attempting any major redesign projects. However, here are some important things to keep in mind:
 
* '''Hotter Gas is under Higher Pressure''' - The hotter a gas is, the more pressure it exerts on the piping. This means that a single room's amount of gas, if properly heated up, can be the equivalent of half the station's atmosphere in pressure alone. This becomes problematic if you're using pressure pumps, since they only go so far. In addition, the filters on the filtering loop work on pressure as well, so keeping gas cool and low-pressure is '''incredibly''' important.
 
* '''Volume Pumps are Far Better''' - Pressure pumps are, by and large, useless in dealing with waste air when compared with volume pumps. Pressure pumps should be used for projects that require very specific amounts of gases to be pumped, such as some Turbine setups. Volume pumps bypass this by ignoring pressure and instead moving volume of gas. Seeing as the gases' volume remains constant inside the pipes, this translates into a faster waste loop.
 
* '''Less is More, does not apply''' - At least for pumps. While you '''do''' still have limited room to work with, three volume pumps will always work better than one. Just remember to keep the number of pump clusters constant: you don't want three pumps feeding a single one, bottlenecking the whole thing.
 
* '''Space is Cold, and so is Gas''' - Aside from the freezers, which are very inefficient if not upgraded, there are two main ways of cooling down gas (which is useful when handling fires, as it reduces pressure and helps it clear out faster): the space loop and heat exchange pipes. Routing a gas through the space loop will cool it down to the temperature of the vacuum outside (a chilly 21 Kelvin), quickly and efficiently. Heat exchange is a bit more complicated, however. It works by having one of set of exchangers have pre-cooled gas (either via freezers or space loop), and having another set of exchangers adjacent to the first one. Any gas that flows through the second group will transfer its heat to the pre-cooled gas, also quickly and efficiently.
 
* '''Round and Round and Round it goes''' - It's perfectly possible for you to just send gas back into the space loop. Having T-valves set up to create tiny loops is a great way of further cooling down gases and setting up buffer zones to keep gases rolling without clogging up the filtering loop. This is '''especially''' useful in the case of fires and large spills, where you '''must''' reduce the waste air's pressure as much as possible in order not to clog the various air filters.
 
==Air Alarms==
 
Air alarms are the central tool of an Atmospheric Technician, outside setting Atmospherics up. To use an air alarm, simply swipe your ID across it, or access it via the Central Atmospherics Computer. Here are the available options:
 
'''Panic Siphon:''' Turn off all the vents and activate the scrubbers to remove '''all''' the air, quicker than normal.
 
'''Vents:''' You control vents through the air alarm. The pressure and gas settings are already perfectly set up by default, so don't bother touching them.
 
'''Scrubbers''': Two settings, scrubbing and siphoning:
 
*Scrubbing will slowly drain any gasses set to scrub in the air of the tile they are on, and transfer it to their pipe;
 
*Siphoning will do the same, except indiscriminately and with '''all''' gases, not just harmful ones
 
In addition to this, you also have several available '''modes''', which change how the vents / scrubbers work:


* '''Filtering''' - Default setting. Keeps rooms filtered of harmful gases, at a comfortable 101.325 kPa and at a warm 20 degrees Celsius (unless someone fiddled with the thermostat);
Remember, almost all atmos devices require a powered APC to work.


* '''Draught''' - Will set scrubbers to siphoning, while simultaneously venting new gas;
In addition, there are other pieces of infrastructure that can/must be used when working with specific atmospheric devices.


* '''Siphon''' - Sets the scrubbers to siphon;


* '''Panic Siphon''' - Triples the siphoning speed;
===[[Air Alarm]]===
[[File:AirAlarm.png|64px]]


* '''Cycle''' - Siphons out all the air, then vents in new one;
Mandatory for the use of non-passive vents and scrubbers. Allows a wide range of control over a blueprinted rooms current gas contents. Where exactly the Air Alarm is in the room does not matter. As long as the room is blueprinted and powered it will function. Cannot be placed in areas that are not blueprinted.


* '''Contaminated''' - Like panic siphon, but only scrubs out the configured gases;
'''To learn more about Air Alarms and how to use them, click here: [[Air Alarm]]'''


* '''Refill''' - Triples vent output for fast repressurization;
===Computers Consoles===


* '''Off''' - Vents and scrubbers are shut down
* '''Atmospheric Alert Computer:''' This computer console will tell you where your attention is needed. Green means everything is alright, yellow signals something is wrong, and red means things have gone wrong enough for an alarm to be triggered (Usually caused when a room's air stops being breathable).


==Pipe Dispensers==
* '''Central Atmospherics Computer:''' Allows remote control of any air alarm on the station that has remote access enabled.


There are a few different pipes and devices that you can get from the dispensers, each with specific uses.
* '''The Distribution Computers:''' A console to monitor gas storage contents, control air injectors/extraction vents, etc. If you understand how to use these properly, you probably know what you are doing. Air Injectors REQUIRE these to work.


* '''Regular Pipes''' - The ones used in Atmospherics. Useful for remodelling projects;
===Thermomachine===


* '''Supply/Waste Pipes''' - Outside Atmospherics, there are two big loops: supply and waste. These are represented by blue and red pipes, respectively, which can only connect to the same type of pipe. In order to connect them with regular pipes, you need to use a universal adapter;
Used to change the temperature of gases in pipes, thermomachines are essential to any successful TEG.


* '''Heat Exchange Pipes''' - Allow you to cool / heat gases based on the ambient temperature of the tile they're on. Think space loop (for cooling) or the [[Toxins]] burn chamber (for heating)
==Atmosia Proper - The Beating Heart of the Station==


'''Devices''':
[[File:Atmosia_and_Air_Loop_Diagram.jpg|1300px|thumb|center|Left - Atmosia with non-air systems faded out; Right - Simplified diagram of the Air Processing System in Atmosia]]


* '''Connector''' - Used to attach canisters, pumps or scrubbers to a pipe network. If you can't get a pipe network easily to the filter loop, an empty canister can be a good substitute;


* '''Vent''' - Once placed down it will have to be turned on by activating it at the room's air alarm;


* '''Pressure Pump''' - The basic pumps you'll find all over Atmospherics. Good for precise pressure levels. Goes up to 4500 kPa;


* '''Volume Pump''' - A bit like the pressure pump, but pumps via volume rather than going for pressure. 200 is its max output, but this is fairly significant. Faster than a pressure pump (You can even fill canisters up past the standard 4500 kPa pressure!), so best used in systems where a specific maximum pressure isn't needed, such as the waste loop;
In Atmosia, you will see many different colored pipes. These colors are labels, marking out different systems within atmosia.


* '''Passive Gate''' - Think of it as a one-way manual valve, but electronic. Doesn't pump gas, but lets a certain amount of pressure through. Can be set up to 4500 kPa. It should be noted that its power status light can be easy to miss, being just a small red / green light;
{| class="wikitable" style="width:80%;"
!style="width:10%"|Name
!style="text-align:center;"|Description
|-
!Air Supply <br> [[File:supply_pipe.png|32px]]
|The dark blue pipe is the '''Main Air Supply'''. It sends breathable air (roughly 80% nitrogen and 20% oxygen) to all the vents on the station, and is fed by the cyan pipe in Atmospherics.
|-
!Scrubber <br> [[File:Scrubber_pipe.png|32px]]
|The red pipe is the '''Scrubber Pipe'''. This is where all the toxic waste normally ends up by the scrubber system found all around the station. It may contain breathable air, however it is unfiltered and possibly contaminated.
|-
!Air Mix <br> [[File:cyan_pipe.png|32px]]
|The cyan pipe is the breathable air or the '''Air Mix'''. This pipe feeds into the main air supply.
|-
!Waste <br> [[File:purple_pipe.png|32px]]
|The purple pipe is the '''Waste Pipe''', which retrieves waste air from the scrubber pipe which then leads to the filter.
|-
!Filter <br> [[File:green_pipe.png|32px]]
|The green pipe is the '''Filter Pipe''', which filters out the various gases in the waste air provided by the water at various filters placed along it. Each filter puts the respect gases back into the gas containers.
|-
!Pure <br> [[File:yellow_pipe.png|32px]]
|The yellow pipe is the '''Mix Pipe''', which is internal to Atmospherics and is used for custom air mixes.
|}


* '''Scrubber''' - Self explanatory, scrubs the nasty out of things, or acts like a vacuum. Like vents, needs to be turned on by an air alarm after being put in place;
==The Basic Mathematical Details==


* '''Meter''' - Want to know how much gas is in a pipe? Use these;
===Ideal Gas Law===


* '''Gas Filter''' - Checks for whatever gas you set it to, then filters it out into another pipe;
The magical formula for improving your burn mixes.... and explaining why your coolant pipes have such a low pressure.


* '''Gas Mixer''' - Like a filter, but mixes gasses instead of filters. There is one in Atmosia that mixes nitrogen and oxygen
Formula: '''PV=nRT'''


==Disposals Pipe Dispenser==
'''P''' - Pressure in kilopascals or kPa<br>
'''V''' - Volume in liters<br>
'''n''' - is the amount of substance of gas (also known as number of moles)<br>
'''R''' - is a constant or 8.31<br>
'''T''' - Temperature in Kelvin<br>


In addition to handling the station's Atmosphere, a secondary job you share with the Engineers is making sure the Disposals network is functioning properly.
Cooling a gas will make it take up less space (volume) for each unit (mole) of said gas.
This effect also results in a gas at a lower temperature having a lower pressure.
Heating a gas will have the opposite effect, resulting in a larger volume and higher pressure per mole.


Seeing as these don't actually handle anything, it's literally as simple as drawing lines from point A to point B.
===Conversion to and from Kelvin===


That said, it's still possible to create truly dizzying contraptions with the use of outlets and pipes, such as quick travel "highways" in the Central Primary Hallway.
While most things will yield temperature in both Kelvin and Celsius, here is the conversion formula just in case.


==Traitor Atmos: Horrible Deaths Ensue==
Formula: '''K = C + 273.15'''


There is precisely one occasion where large scale Atmos sabotage is permitted: the hijack objective. In any other condition, sabotaging the station in any large scale will result in the staff getting '''very''' annoyed, so unless you have it '''ADMINHELP BEFORE TRYING ANYTHING BIG'''.
'''C''' - Celsius<br>
'''K''' - Kelvin


With that said, wreaking havoc with Atmosia is as easy as hooking up the plasma / carbon dioxide / nitrous oxide containment areas (or an unholy combination of all three) to the main Distribution Loop, then remotely replacing the air on the station's Air Alarms. Slowly, but surely, death ensues.
(Temperature in Kelvin minus 273.15 is that same temperature, but in Celsius)


If, however, misery may not be global, you have a variety of tools at your disposal. Your '''AXE''' can very easily murder anyone if dual-handed, you have [[Engineering]] right next door, and Atmospherics itself is out of the way and rarely looked at. In addition, you're the one closest to the AI Minisatellite. Use that advantage wisely.


==The Supermatter: Time to Shine, Baby==
==Additional Guides==


The Supermatter Engine is perhaps the epitome of Atmospheric excellence. It represents a beautiful, pseudo-scientific amalgamation of Engineering and Atmospheric work, and can be used for truly astounding effect.
*[[File:Gasturbine.png|32px|link=Gas Turbine]] [[Gas Turbine|Guide to Gas Turbine]]
*[[File:Thermoelectric_Generator.gif|link=Thermoelectric Generator|32px]] [[Thermoelectric Generator|Guide to Thermoelectric Generator]]
*[[File:Supermatter.png|link=Supermatter Engine|32px]] [[Supermatter Engine|Guide to Supermatter Engine]]
*[[File:AirAlarm.png|link=Air Alarm|32px]] [[Air Alarm|Guide to Air Alarms]]


While Engineering concerns itself with constructing the Supermatter's containment area and emergency disposal system, you'll be the one responsible for constructing the system that will scrub out the waste plasma produced, and supply fresh coolant to keep the Shard from delaminating. This is the '''single most important''' component of the Supermatter Engine, and a well-designed cooling system can allow for continuous emitter fire without so much as a minor hiccup. This can snowball into absolutely ridiculous amounts of power.
==Related Links==
*[[Atmospheric Technician]]


In addition, you can also cool down plasma for use in radiation collectors. The colder the plasma, the more you can fit into a plasma tank, and the more power it will generate!




[[Category:Guides]]
[[Category:Guides]]

Latest revision as of 08:45, 27 March 2024

This page needs to be rewritten
REASON: This is due for a rewrite, it's rather short for explaining easily one of the most complex department/collection of mechanics we have available. Content is pretty much there but it could be laid out for new players a bit better and distinguish atmospherics between stations other than the NSS Cyberiad.
Engineering Department

Atmospherics. To the ignorant, a mystical art indistinguishable from actual magic. To the (hopefully) educated Atmospheric Technicians of the station, a glorified network of conveyors for moving gases about. Either way, Atmospherics holds great and terrifying power in the hands of the initiated.

Pipes and Gases, the Basics of Atmos

If you aren't working with pipes and gases, you aren't doing atmospherics.

Where to Get Pipes

Meet your two new friends. One never returns the money they borrow, you aren't really sure why you hang out with them. The other one is kind of awesome.

Rapid pipe dispenser.png Rapid Pipe Dispenser - A handheld tool that can print, place and recycle pipes for you. Fits in your backpack and doesn't need ammo.


Beneath are all the things your dispenser can make. Learn them well, for they are the fabric from which atmos is woven.

Items Name Description Details
Atmospheric Pipe.png Normal Pipes Generic pipes that can be used for most tasks. These are airtight pipes that can carry any gas you pump into them.
Supply pipe.png Air Supply Pipe Used to distribute air all across the station. Special pipes that are mostly used for the air distribution network. Can be laid in parallel to normal pipes and scrubber pipes.
Scrubber pipe.png Scrubbers Pipe Used to move waste or harmful gases. Special pipes that are mostly used for the waste network. Can be laid in parallel to normal pipes and air supply pipes.
Heat exchanger pipe.png Heat Exchange Pipe Shares heat between the pipe and the environment. Exchanges heat between any gas in the pipe and any gas in the tile. Think space loop(for cooling) or the Toxins burn chamber(for heating). Connects to normal pipes via junctions.
Universal pipe.png Universal Pipe Adapter Can be fitted to any pipe type. Used to interface between normal, air supply, and scrubbers pipes. They cannot connect to each other without this.
Items Name Description Details
Vent Port.png Unary Vent The standard vent used to distribute air. Needs to be inside a blueprinted room with a functional air alarm to operate. Typically used to pump breathable air into a room.
Scrubber Port.png Air Scrubber Scrubs the air clean. Needs to be inside a blueprinted room with a functional air alarm to operate. Can remove specific gases from the room it is in, or rapidly siphon out all gas. Typically used to remove harmful gases like CO2 from the station's air.
Vent Port.png Passive Vent An unpowered vent that relies on pipe pressure to operate. Freely exchanges gas and heat between the tile and the connected pipe network, based on pressure and temperature gradients. Does not require power, or even a blueprinted room.
Dual vent.png Dual-Port Air Vent Has a valve and pump attached to it. There are two ports.
Connector Port.png Connector Port A connector port for canisters of gas. Connects canisters to pipe networks. When used in conjunction with pumps, allows you to fill canisters or to empty them into a pipe network.
Pump.png Gas Pump A generic pressure pump. This pump is configured to measure how much gas it pumps by pressure. Can be set to only pump a certain amount of pressure through. The maximum pressure this pump can be set to move is 4500 kPa
Volumetric Pump.png Volume Pump The gas pump's cool sibling. This pump is configured to measure how much gas it pumps by volume instead of pressure. Can be set to pump only a specific volume of gas through. The maximum volume this pump can be set to move is 200L/s.
Passive Gate.png Passive Gate A passive one-way valve. A valve that only lets gas pass through if the input pressure and the target setting are both higher than the output pressure and the input pressure is above the target setting. Can be set between 0 and 4500 kPa and does not require power.
Gas Filter.png Gas Filter Separates out gases. A scrubber in pipe form. Checks for whatever gas you set it to, then filters it out into another pipe.
Gas Mixer.png Gas Mixer Mixes gases together. The opposite of a filter. Takes the contents of its two inputs and combines them together at whatever ratio you tell it to, then pumps them through the output. Importantly, ratios are measured by pressure, not volume. Maximum output pressure is 4500 kPa
Heat exchanger.png Heat Exchanger Equalize heat between two pipe networks. When two heat exchangers are placed next to each other, facing each other, they will try to equalize the heat between the two pipe networks they are connected to. They connect to normal pipes and thus are not part of the heat exchanger pipe system.
Air Injector.png Air Injector Used to force gases into high pressure areas. A gas injector that will continue to pump its contents out regardless of how high the pressure around it is. Measures how much it pumps by volume. Will not operate without being linked to a console. Will display a green light when on.
Manual Valve.png Manual Valve A simple hand-turned gas valve. A manually-controlled valve, it requires no power and also no ID authorization to use. Doesn't require power(or a blueprinted room), doesn't require ID access, and cannot be operated by the AI, borgs, or drones. Displays a small green light when open.
Digital Valve.png Digital Valve An electronic valve. An electronically-controlled gas valve. Requires power, requires ID access, and can be operated by the AI, borgs, and drones. Displays a small green light when open.
Meter.gif Meter Measures temperature and pressure inside the pipe it's on. Simply place over any flat stretch of pipe and wrench it on. Upon examination, it should now be yielding measurements on what is going on inside the pipe. Does not provide as much information as an analyser/gas scanner, but good for being able to tell what is going on at a glance.
Gas Sensor.png Gas Sensor Senses gas. No, really. Used to sense the pressure and temperature of the gas surrounding the sensor itself, rather than a pipe. Must be connected to one of several kinds of computer to be used.
Items Name Description
Disposal pipe.png Disposal Pipe Large pneumatic pipes that are used to carry trash, mail, and occasionally people around the station.
Disposal bin.png Disposal Bin The preferred method for delivering garbage into disposal pipes. Holds onto contents until they are flushed, whether manually or automatically.
Disposal outlet.png Disposal Outlet Whenever something or someone has reached this from a disposal pipe, they are ejected after a buzzer sounds.
Disposal intake.png Disposal Intake An open chute into disposal pipes. Objects or people that enter will be sent into connected disposal pipes. Objects or people who reach one of these at the end of a disposal pipe are ejected at high speed in a random direction.
Items Name Description
Transit Tube.png Transit Tube A glass tube used for transportation with the use of transit pods.
Diagonal Transit Tube.png Diagonal Transit Tube A glass tube used for transportation with the use of transit pods. This one is diagonal.
Curved Transit Tube.png Curved Transit Tube A glass tube used for transportation with the use of transit pods. This one is curved
Junction Transit Tube.png Junction Transit Tube A glass tube used for transportation with the use of transit pods. This one has three sides. You can hold down a directional key to choose which side to go to.
Transit Tube Station.png Transit Tube Station A station for transit pods to park in midway through the ride, letting the person leave by pressing the directional key the exit is facing in or going through the station faster by pressing a directional key where the next transit tube is. You can board it by walking in through it's entrance. It's density prevents people or bullets from passing through it.
Terminus Dispenser Tube Station.png Terminus Dispenser Tube Station A terminus used to signify the end or beginning of a transit tube network. It can be boarded it by walking in through it's entrance. This one creates and recycles transit pods.
Dispenser Tube Station.png Dispenser Tube Station A station for transit pods to park in midway through the ride, letting the person leave by pressing the directional key the exit is facing in or going through the station faster by pressing a directional key where the next transit tube is. It can be boarded it by walking in through it's entrance. This one creates and recycles transit pods. It's density prevents people or bullets from passing through it.

The Gases

The main goal of atmospherics is to manipulate these in a way that benefits the station. Each type of gas has different properties that can help or hinder. Your skill in manipulating these will determine the success of your atmospheric machinations.

Nitrogen (N2) Nitrogen is an inert gas that makes up 80% of the air on the station. Vox breathe this, but in the station atmosphere, it mostly just takes up space.
Oxygen (O2) The other 20% of the air. Most of the crew will be needing at least 16kPa of this stuff in the atmosphere in order to live. Poisonous to Vox and Plasmamen. Necessary for burning plasma.
Air You know what this is. The gas mix that is distributed around the station. It is composed of 80% N2 and 20% O2.
CO2 An invisible gas that is slightly heavier than air. This is what crewmembers who breathe will be exhaling. Also produced by plasma fires. In high concentrations, will make you pass out, which can quickly lead to suffocation.
Nitrous Oxide (N2O) A white-flecked gas that is slightly heavier than CO2. At low concentrations, will cause sporadic laughing. At high concentrations, will put you to sleep.
Plasma (Toxins) The oil of the new world. Purple, highly flammable, and highly toxic(unless you are a Plasmaman). Burns with oxygen and will spontaneously ignite with it at a high enough temperature. Much heavier than all the previous gases.
??? Hmmmm...

Station Systems

While pipes themselves will always work if undamaged, atmospheric devices all have certain prerequisites that must be met for them to operate.

Remember, almost all atmos devices require a powered APC to work.

In addition, there are other pieces of infrastructure that can/must be used when working with specific atmospheric devices.


Air Alarm

AirAlarm.png

Mandatory for the use of non-passive vents and scrubbers. Allows a wide range of control over a blueprinted rooms current gas contents. Where exactly the Air Alarm is in the room does not matter. As long as the room is blueprinted and powered it will function. Cannot be placed in areas that are not blueprinted.

To learn more about Air Alarms and how to use them, click here: Air Alarm

Computers Consoles

  • Atmospheric Alert Computer: This computer console will tell you where your attention is needed. Green means everything is alright, yellow signals something is wrong, and red means things have gone wrong enough for an alarm to be triggered (Usually caused when a room's air stops being breathable).
  • Central Atmospherics Computer: Allows remote control of any air alarm on the station that has remote access enabled.
  • The Distribution Computers: A console to monitor gas storage contents, control air injectors/extraction vents, etc. If you understand how to use these properly, you probably know what you are doing. Air Injectors REQUIRE these to work.

Thermomachine

Used to change the temperature of gases in pipes, thermomachines are essential to any successful TEG.

Atmosia Proper - The Beating Heart of the Station

Left - Atmosia with non-air systems faded out; Right - Simplified diagram of the Air Processing System in Atmosia



In Atmosia, you will see many different colored pipes. These colors are labels, marking out different systems within atmosia.

Name Description
Air Supply
Supply pipe.png 		The dark blue pipe is the Main Air Supply. It sends breathable air (roughly 80% nitrogen and 20% oxygen) to all the vents on the station, and is fed by the cyan pipe in Atmospherics.
Scrubber
Scrubber pipe.png 		The red pipe is the Scrubber Pipe. This is where all the toxic waste normally ends up by the scrubber system found all around the station. It may contain breathable air, however it is unfiltered and possibly contaminated.
Air Mix
Cyan pipe.png 		The cyan pipe is the breathable air or the Air Mix. This pipe feeds into the main air supply.
Waste
Purple pipe.png 		The purple pipe is the Waste Pipe, which retrieves waste air from the scrubber pipe which then leads to the filter.
Filter
Green pipe.png 		The green pipe is the Filter Pipe, which filters out the various gases in the waste air provided by the water at various filters placed along it. Each filter puts the respect gases back into the gas containers.
Pure
Yellow pipe.png 		The yellow pipe is the Mix Pipe, which is internal to Atmospherics and is used for custom air mixes.

The Basic Mathematical Details

Ideal Gas Law

The magical formula for improving your burn mixes.... and explaining why your coolant pipes have such a low pressure.

Formula: PV=nRT

P - Pressure in kilopascals or kPa
V - Volume in liters
n - is the amount of substance of gas (also known as number of moles)
R - is a constant or 8.31
T - Temperature in Kelvin

Cooling a gas will make it take up less space (volume) for each unit (mole) of said gas. This effect also results in a gas at a lower temperature having a lower pressure. Heating a gas will have the opposite effect, resulting in a larger volume and higher pressure per mole.

Conversion to and from Kelvin

While most things will yield temperature in both Kelvin and Celsius, here is the conversion formula just in case.

Formula: K = C + 273.15

C - Celsius
K - Kelvin

(Temperature in Kelvin minus 273.15 is that same temperature, but in Celsius)


Additional Guides

Related Links

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