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Revision as of 18:38, 30 October 2024
Departmental Head
Chief Engineer
Atmospherics. To the uninitiated, a magical flow of gases that somehow lets you breathe. To the knowledgeable Atmospheric Technician, an interconnected network of pipes for moving gases around. With the right knowledge, you can refill a breached room quickly like it’s just another Tuesday or burn the brightest plasmafires seen on this side of the sector.
Atmospherics 1.01: Basic Characteristics of Gases and Pipes
Firstly, it’s important to understand what the different properties of gases mean. Grab an 
analyzer from a toolbox or an autolathe. Alternatively, enable the Gas Scanner option on your PDA. You can either use the analyzer in your hand to get an analysis of the gases of the tiles you’re standing on or hit a pipe or canister to see the contents of it.
Moles are the amount of “particles” that are contained in the tile you are trying to analyze.
Temperature is measured in Celsius and Kelvin and should usually be around 293 Kelvin or 19 degrees Celsius when dealing with air that is to be breathed. Both too hot gas and too cold gas can hurt most species so make sure you’re not pumping gases with extreme temperatures into the distro pipes!
Volume is the total space in the segment of pipes or tile you are analyzing. For example, analyzing the main air distribution pipe would have a much higher volume than the Supermatter Crystal cooling loop.
Pressure is the measure of how much force the gas is exerting on the container it is in, whether that be a pipe or canister. If there is too much pressure in a pipe that you try to unwrench, make sure you have magboots lest you be launched and possibly seriously hurt.
Heat Capacity is the required amount of energy needed to heat up a gas. Fires will spread quicker in gas mixtures with low heat capacity and spread slower in gases mixtures with high heat capacity.
Thermal energy is something I don’t understand.
The Gases and What They Do
| Canisters | Description |
Nitrogen (N2)
|
The most abundant gas you will encounter. Nitrogen is not very heat absorbent, making it good for quelling fires in environments such as the Supermatter Engine. Vox must breathe pure Nitrogen, while the rest of the organic crew breathes a 80% to 20% ratio of Nitrogen and Oxygen. |
|---|---|
Oxygen (O2)
|
Oxygen is the other portion of what the crew breathes. When mixed with Plasma, can start plasma fires, with more Oxygen causing a bigger and hotter fire. This is poisonous to Vox and can cause Plasmamen to ignite if they make contact without their envirosuit. |
Air 
|
A 1:4 gas mixture of Oyxgen and Nitrogen. This is found all throughout the station and is breathed by most crew. |
Carbon Dioxide (CO2)
|
A gas slightly heavier than air. This is what crew members will be breathing out and produced in plasma fires. Used sometimes in Supermatter Engine setups and can make you pass out an suffocate. |
Nitrous Oxide (N2O)
|
A white gas that is slightly heavier than Carbon Dioxide and invisible in small quantities. In small amounts, it causes giggling and laughing, while in large amounts, it will put you to sleep. Used in Medbay and Robotics to put patients to sleep during surgery and implanting. |
Plasma
|
The oil of the current age. A purple gas that is flammable and toxic to anyone to breathe other than Plasmamen. Causes fires when mixed with oxygen at high enough temperature or pressure. |
Agent B
|
A mysterious gas with an unknown origin that has a higher heat capacity than plasma. Able to set fire to Carbon Dioxide while generating Oxygen, making this an incredibly robust ingredient of burn mixes. |
Where to Get Pipes
Meet your new best friend. The 
Rapid Pipe Dispenser, also known as the RPD. which is found in your locker or printed at an Autolathe. It even fits in your backpack and can dispense any type of pipe you need and can recycle any you don't! If you have a wrench in your other hand, any pipes placed down will be automatically wrenched down making pipe placement a lot quicker.
| Items | Name | Description | Details |
|
Normal Pipes | Generic pipes that can be used for most tasks. | These are airtight pipes that can carry any gas you pump into them. |
|
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. |
|
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 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 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 |
|
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. |
|
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. |
|
|
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. |
|
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. |
|
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 |
|
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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | Large pneumatic pipes that are used to carry trash, mail, and occasionally people around the station. |
|
Disposal Bin | The preferred method for delivering garbage into disposal pipes. Holds onto contents until they are flushed, whether manually or automatically. |
|
Disposal Outlet | Whenever something or someone has reached this from a disposal pipe, they are ejected after a buzzer sounds. |
|
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 | A glass tube used for transportation with the use of transit pods. |
|
Diagonal Transit Tube | A glass tube used for transportation with the use of transit pods. This one is diagonal. |
|
Curved Transit Tube | A glass tube used for transportation with the use of transit pods. This one is curved |
|
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 | 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 | 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 | 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. |
Atmospherics 1.02: Your Tools and You!
You have plenty of tools at your disposal to assist you with your atmospheric duties, whether that be firefighting or refilling a room with air.
Firefighter Suit 
With the both the helmet and suit, you're completely safe from any fires you may encounter at the cost of your movement speed. Found in an atmospheric technician's locker and any fire cabinets around the station. You're usually better off using one of your MODsuits, though the firesuit can be useful if you need protection quickly.
Engineering Goggles 
These handy goggles have three modes. A meson mode, which allows you to see the outline of the walls around you and protecting you from the Supermatter-induced hallucinations, a T-ray scanner mode, which allows you to see the piping, cabling, and disposal pipe network underneath plating, and finally a radiation mode, which allows you to see how many total rads something has.
Backpack Firefighting Tank 
Replacing your backpack, this firefighting tank gives you three helpful substances to assist you in your atmospheric work. Activate it and its nozzle will extend. From there you can cycle through:
- Water, which is pretty self explanatory, is used to put out fires.
- Nanofrost which is a special substance that replaces burning plasma with Nitrogen, quickly halting plasma fires. However be careful, as it welds vents and scrubbers which could be dangerous when used in the Supermatter Engine or impede the cleanup after a fire.
- Metal foam is a liquid that eventually solidifies into a flimsy, yet airtight wall or floor.
ATMOS Holofan 
This holofan projector will probably be your second best friend you'll have working for Nanotrasen. This handy tool lets you block any and all changes in the atmosphere. Useful for plasma fires from spreading and gas escaping to space when a breach inevitability happens. You can place up to three at a time and all placed holofans can be cleared by using the holofan in your hand.
Oxygen Grenades 
Want to easily fill up a room with oxygen and throw a grenade? Use an oxygen grenade which after a short period after being primed will release about 50 moles of oxygen into the air. Good for places that cannot be easily connected to the main distribution system.
Portable Air Pump 
This is an invaluable resource when you want to quickly fill a room up with air again. Filled by wrenching it to a connector port with light blue pipes attached to it, this can be taken anywhere and output air when set to the Out setting. Inversely, you can set it to the In setting to refill it on the go. Also can be used to fill a tank or empty a tank.
Portable Air Scrubber 
Alternatively, the air scrubber is good tool to cleanse the air of any unwanted gases. The higher you set the pressure option, the quicker it will scrub the air. Whenever you're finished with it or the internal tank gets full, wrench it down to a connector port that is attached with purple pipes.
Huge Air Scrubber 
Rarely seen outside of the Toxins gas storage, these behemoths can only be used when wrenched down and synced to a nearby area air control computer. Can also be used to empty out tanks and be wrenched to a connector to empty its contents.
Air Alarms 
Found all throughout the station, Air Alarms are the main way you'll be controlling the behavior of the vents and scrubbers. Only able to be used in a powered and blueprinted room. For a full explanation, visit the Air Alarm page.
The Computers
- The Atmospheric Alert Computer will tell you where you should divert your attention. A green color means the air is all good, yellow means something is going wrong or should be checked on, and red means something has gone wrong such as a leak or breach to space.
- Distribution and Waste Monitor is a console that will tell you the status of your distribution line, waste line, and mixed air tank. Use this computer to make sure your air supply tank hasn't been tainted with Nitrous Oxide, Plasma, or anything else you don't want your crew members breathing. You can also check to see if vents will burst if welded. Remember, if the distro is over 5000 kPA, vents WILL burst.
- Tank Monitor is the console that does exactly what it says, monitors the pressure and temperature (in Kelvin) of the gases in storage.
- Central Atmospherics Computer allows you to view the status of every air alarm on station and are able to remotely control any air alarm, assuming remote control is enabled on said air alarm.
Space Heaters 
These industrial little things can be used to heat up cold areas around the station. Use a screwdriver to access its power cell and heat setting. Be wary of its charge level, as it can run out very quickly.
Atmospherics 1.03: Setting Up Atmospherics, Practical Appliances, and Tips!
Setting Up Atmospherics
After getting all your gear, you need to start working on setting up atmospherics. It's best to do this as soon as you can so you won't have to worry about it later on. Your two biggest concerns are the waste lines getting too clogged and vents starting to burst which can allow biohazards such as Xenomorphs and Terror Spiders to easily navigate the station. Setting up atmospherics is not too hard once you know what to do. Firstly, you'll want to find the air filters connected by purple and green pipes. Head over to them and max out the pressure on all the filters. What this does is ensures that the gases flowing through the waste line is quickly deposited back into storage so the waste line doesn't get backed up. (I NEED CRUNCH/SILVERPLATE'S JUDGEMENT ON THIS NEXT PART) Next, you'll want to locate the distribution line room, usually located near the gas mix chamber. You'll want to wrench up the volumetric pump that is connected to the cyan pipes which contains the air mix. Replace it with a normal pump, turn it on and max the pressure. Next, do the same thing to the volumetric pumps connecting the air mix line and waste line and the waste line that leads to the gas filters. Doing this prevents the distro pressure from rising too high which burst vents. Vents begin to burst at around 5000 kPa so be sure to do this early on in the shift.
Prepping Space Cooled Gas For Engineering
Sometimes, you'll have a Chief Engineer or engineering team asking for Carbon Dioxide (CO2) for the Supermatter Engine. Pretty easy, right? Just turn on the pumps and valves and let the CO2 flow until however many moles is inside the To Engine line! Sadly, you'll probably be asked to more than 10,000 moles which doesn't always fit in the pipe. Due to more gas being able to fit in a pipe the colder it is, you'll want to space cool it. Don one of your MODsuits and head to space. You'll want to replace some of the pipes in space with heat exchange pipes using your Rapid Pipe Dispenser, around 15 to 20 of them should suffice. This will cool the carbon dioxide or whatever gas you're working with and allow you to work with much greater volumes of gas.
How Gas Actually Flows
It's important to know that gas doesn't technically "flow" through pipes. It is omnipresent in a section of pipes. This means that if you wanted to connect something like a thermomachine, it wouldn't matter where you place it in the pipenet, it will still work the same. Do note, that the bigger the section of pipe or pipenet is, the less efficient atmospheric machines work.
Basic Mathematical Applications
The Ideal Gas Law
The Ideal Gas Law is helpful to explain how hot your burn mixes will be and why the gas in coolant pipes are the way they are.
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 cause it to take up less space in the pipe, while heating it up causes it to take up more space in the pipe.
Celsius and Kelvin Conversion
While using an analyzer shows you both Kelvin and Celsius, it may be useful to convert temperatures back in forth if you are using a thermomachine, which only gives you the temperature in Kelvin.
Formula: K = C + 273.15
C - Celsius
K - Kelvin
(Basically, subtract 273.15 from your Kelvin temperature and you have your Celsius temperature)
Miscellaneous Tips
- Most of any the atmospheric devices (valves, pumps, filters, etc.) that come from your Rapid Pipe Dispenser can be safely wrenched up without the fear of being launched back without magboots.
- All types of pipes, valves, filters, and mixers and be enabled by CTRL+Clicking them and have their pressure maxed by ALT+Clicking them.
- Setting an Air Alarm to the Contaminated option is usually a better way to clear out lots of unwanted gases than turning on Panic Siphon.
- When people are in-evidently screaming "ATMOS FIX THE DISTRO" when xenomorphs or terror spiders have been discovered, check the Distribution and Waste Monitor to ensure the distro pressure is below 5000 kPA and ensure that the distro piping has been set up properly up.
- While setting an Air Alarm to Refill can be useful for quickly pressurizing a room, don't forget to set it back to its previous setting or the area while become over pressurized very quickly.
- It can be useful to just stare at the pipes until you understand them. Make a mental path of how gas flows throughout atmos. For example, follow the path that Oxygen and Nitrogen take to get to the air mix chamber and then to the rest of the station.
- Don't be afraid to ask for help from your fellow Chief Engineer or Atmospheric Technician! Atmospherics is a very complicated thing that can be hard to wrap your head around.
