Supermatter Engine/Construction
If you are intending to set up the round-start Supermatter Engine, see Supermatter Engine
Occasionally, you will want to set up your own Supermatter Engine(or rebuild one).
How To Obtain A Suppermatter Shard
The only way to obtain a Supermatter Shard is to order one through Cargo under the Engineering section. It costs 750 credits and the crate has an access lock that only the Chief Engineer, Captain, or a Cyborg can unlock.
I Have The Crate, What Do I do With It?
First things first, DO NOT OPEN THE CRATE. The shard is extremely dangerous to handle and once the crate is open the shard will no longer fit inside. If the crate is opened somehow by accident take extreme caution not to walk into it or touch it. It will instantly incinerate you, leaving nothing but ashes and triggering the delamination of the shard, more on that soon. The only way to transport it once outside the crate is to pull it. Be mindful that environmental hazards can cause the crystal to collide with you such as a pressure change (hull breach, panic siphon, anything that could cause space wind strong enough to move objects), conveyor belts, and momentum (if you are in space or the gravity generator is down). Best to wait until a proper containment is set up fully before opening the crate.
Utilizing The Shard
Before attempting to construct an engine with a Supermatter shard you should have a firm understanding of atmospherics and engineering plus permission from the Chief Engineer and/or the Captain, as both can deny the ordering of a Supermatter shard from cargo. Also getting some fellow engineers/atmos techs to contribute will expedite the process immensely, trying to build a Supermatter engine solo can take upwards of 60 to 90 minutes.
Pipes, Lots and Lots of Pipes
Assuming you have a suitable location for setting up your soon to be engine, the first thing you will need to do is lay down the pipes, vents, and scrubbers. It is key that these are set and connected before the rest of containment can be built.
Neutral Gas Vents
These unary vents will be used to fill the containment chamber with a neutral gas such as CO2 or N2 once the shard is in place. Cooling the gas prior to pumping it in is preferable.
Scrubbing System
Scrubbing out the oxygen and plasma produced by the Supermatter shard is a key part in keeping it from delaminating. Scrubbed gas can be safely vented into space or hooked into the turbine to squeeze out some more power.
Heat Exchange System
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These lovely pipes will be your primary way of keeping the containment area cooled. A heavy gas such as plasma or N2O works best as coolant, plasma more so since it has the highest heat density out of all the gases. Just make sure not to accidentally connect your neutral gas supply lines up with your coolant.
Wiring And Containment
After finishing up with with the pipework the next few steps can be done in any order. The wiring and windows are also up to you as well, this is just showing how to get the optimal amount of emitters firing upon one Supermatter shard.
Walls, Floors, And Windows
Fireproof materials are a must when setting up containment. Plasma glass, heat-proofed reinforced walls (just add another sheet of plasteel to a reinforced wall to heat proof it), and reinforced floors. Once the walls and glass are in install the airlock and fire shutters. An atmospheric airlock is best for this purpose.
Wires, Emmiters, And Collectors
While installing emitters make sure they have a clear line of sight into the center of the containment chamber otherwise they won't be able to hit the shard. Radiation collectors block emitter shots as well, keep that in mind. After installing the radiation collectors make sure to put freshly filled canisters of plasma into each one. Ensure that the radiation collectors are wired into a SMES rather than the station power grid as to avoid arching APCs.
Wrapping Up
Once everything is in place access the air alarm the vents and scrubbers are connected to (note if you have built the engine in space you will have to have the containment added onto the station's blueprints to be able to link the vents and scrubbers to an air alarm. You may also need to unwrench and wrench them back into place once you do have the air alarm built). Set the scrubbers to scrub out oxygen and plasma, then set their range to extended. Next set your vents to output at a pressure higher than 3000KkPa. Once set go ahead and bring in the Supermatter shard in its crate and turn on the vents and scrubbers. Wait for the room to equalize, thirty seconds or so should suffice. Use a holofan on the airlock and unlock the crate, make sure its in the center of the containment area. Once it's set, open the crate and leave the containment area, don't bother trying to take the crate out as it will be destroyed by your emitters in a short time. Flick the switches on your emitters, and bask in the glory that is now your Supermatter Engine!