Automating Algae Terrariums

[kookraw]

Greetings forums, long time lurker, haven't posted in awhile. Anyway, to the heart of the topic:

I'd like to discuss/develop a system to minimize dupe interaction with algae terrariums. I know that they aren't the best way to produce oxygen, largely due to the heavy amounts of dupe time required, but that is besides the point. If it helps to prevent off discussions of why algae terrariums are bad, consider this project an experiment or an exercise in role playing. Personally, I have very little experience with autosweeping, shipping, space materials, and puft ranching which is why I'd appreciate the input of others.

Areas of dupe interaction:
H2O supply - Terrariums suck up water in their tile, so a piping drip system can supply them, but I am uncertain if it interferes with their consumption of CO2 or output of O2. I think they grab from the upper tile and output gas in that tile but I don't know the exact mechanics.

PH2O removal - Why bother? just layer some deodorizers around the terrariums and let the P2O off gas for extra O2. If autosweepers could move bottled liquids, we could do something more clever but as far as I know they cannot. The only other system I can think of would involve letting the bottles off gas and having pufts consume the PO2 and generate slime which could be swept into algae distillers.

Algae supply - Autosweepers can handle this, though I don't know enough about shipping to optimize the sweeping system for power consumption or other tasks.

Emptying - This is the big sticking point, I can't find any way to avoid dupes having to manually empty the terrariums. This is a life support task but I cannot tell what skills, if any, govern the speed at which a dupe empties the terrarium.

I'll toy around in sandbox to see if I can generate some useful designs and upload anything worthwhile but if anyone has any ideas please let me know!

[Neotuck]

here's my latest design, more effective than the SPOM

This topic first started when I posted about Early O2 Farming

 

[KittenIsAGeek]

4 hours ago, Neotuck said:

here's my latest design, more effective than the SPOM

That is an excellent build.  It is very efficient, and uses several key features that add to its efficiency.  One change that could increase efficiency is to replace either the far left mesh tile with an airflow tile, or the far right.  Forcing the water to spill on only one side will allow a more even distribution of water along your terrariums.  It would also allow you to add a liquid sensor to shut off the pump when your terrariums are 'full.'  

Although, such a change would impact the symmetry.  Either way, I like your design.  It accomplishes everything mine does, but looks less 'hacked together.'  =^.^=

[Neotuck]

19 minutes ago, KittenIsAGeek said:

It would also allow you to add a liquid sensor to shut off the pump when your terrariums are 'full.'  

The pump is already automated to shut off when the doors open

everything is controlled by the atmo sensor with a 200s delay

If oxygen pressure is over 2kg the doors open disabling the terrariums, and the pump/lights turn off

[KittenIsAGeek]

Yeah, I was simply meaning you could also turn the pump off when the terrariums aren't needing more water.

[Nightinggale]

Not an actual build from a game, but a quick test to investigate if a concept is doable. The clock sensor is set to 74% active and activates when dupes are ready to work. It turns off when dupes end their work shift.

When the clock is off, the doors closes and floods the terrariums. They suck up water all night and when they get water for 26% of the time (including door movements) they can make it through the 74% without access to water without actually running out of water.

Dupes are able to access the terrariums to add alge or empty them without getting wet debuffs.

During the day the hydro sensor turns on the water pump to refill water to 500 kg/cell.

 

Now if somebody expands on this idea and allows the p water to turn into oxygen around the clock and not just during the 74% dry time, then it seems perfect.

 

Ideas for expansion: flood at all time and remove the water when a dupe enters the room. Pressure plates would be useful for that purpose. Would be perfect if the constant flooding can be at a level which won't prevent the p water bottles from releasing p oxygen.

The room could be accessed using 2 doors, one for entering only and one for exiting only. Water removal could trigger on entering only door opening.

[Neotuck]

Just to clarify the reason why my build works so well is that MOST of the oxygen produced comes from the PW bottles/deoderizers.  This allows for extended down time so dupes DON'T NEED to empty/fill the terrariums, and allows for you to save on water and algae

sand is the only bottleneck, and that becomes unlimited when switching to regolith 

[beowulf2010]

6 minutes ago, Neotuck said:

Just to clarify the reason why my build works so well is that MOST of the oxygen produced comes from the PW bottles/deoderizers.  This allows for extended down time so dupes don't NEED to empty/fill the terrariums, and allows for you to save on water and algae

I'll vouch for the effectiveness of @Neotuck's automated design even though I personally use a simpler manual watering one based on one of his older designs. Before  exosuits, I just leave my base open to the outside areas and let the base' s oxygen permeate throughout everywhere I dig.

Even with this added demand on oxygen, my base still goes cycles without needing to water terrariums due to the sheer volume of polluted oxygen offgassing and being converted immediately to pure oxygen.

 

[mathmanican]

8 hours ago, Neotuck said:

here's my latest design, more effective than the SPOM

If I were to point out how matter conversion could affect this build, would you want to know? ....

My hope is that the bug just gets fixed. I've played around a bunch with deodorizers, and they often trigger matter conversion. You could accidentally exploit it and massively reduce the sand requirement without knowing it. Or one could exploit it on purpose. 

The nice part about your build is that even without exploiting accidentally, you still beat hydolyzers.

[Yunru]

7 hours ago, Neotuck said:

Just to clarify the reason why my build works so well is that MOST of the oxygen produced comes from the PW bottles/deoderizers.

This. Just all of the this.

Although bottles only produce 0.004%/s, you can stack so much so quickly that it doesn't matter.

[bandass]

it would also allow you to add a liquid sensor to shut off the pump when your terrariums are 'full.'  

Redtube Beeg Spankbang

[Darkpony]

If water ever reaches the PH2O bottles they can read a vaccum at low pressures and have explosive off gassing enough to literally flood your base in PO2. You will likely have bottles filled with upwards of 10ts of PH2O which off gasses at a percentage as long as its not overpressured. Using a trickle of water you can exploit how this works and produces 100skgs of PO2 per tile then just control its access to your base.

[Denisetwin]

On 5/11/2019 at 11:43 PM, mathmanican said:

My hope is that the bug just gets fixed. I've played around a bunch with deodorizers, and they often trigger matter conversion.

I am not following how it would happen with deodorizers?

[Neotuck]

11 hours ago, Darkpony said:

If water ever reaches the PH2O bottles they can read a vaccum at low pressures and have explosive off gassing enough to literally flood your base in PO2. You will likely have bottles filled with upwards of 10ts of PH2O which off gasses at a percentage as long as its not overpressured. Using a trickle of water you can exploit how this works and produces 100skgs of PO2 per tile then just control its access to your base.

PW bottles don't off-gas in liquid

but deodorizers will create the vacuum, if you place a PW bottle over a deodorizer every time it sucks up the PO2 it leaves a vacuum long enough for the bottle to off-gas again and keep the cycle going 

[Yunru]

1 hour ago, Neotuck said:

PW bottles don't off-gas in liquid

Actually I've found they will in small amounts of liquid.

[Neotuck]

1 hour ago, Yunru said:

Actually I've found they will in small amounts of liquid.

They do? Perhaps if it's less than 1800g

[Tytan]

On 11/05/2019 at 5:14 PM, Neotuck said:

here's my latest design, more effective than the SPOM

This topic first started when I posted about Early O2 Farming

 

but does not consume much seaweed?

[beowulf2010]

1 hour ago, Tytan said:

but does not consume much seaweed?

It consumes a little less than Algae Deoxidizers at startup but once the polluted water builds up, algae and water consumption is near zero. 

[Neotuck]

1 hour ago, Tytan said:

but does not consume much seaweed?

@beowulf2010 beat me to it, but yes water and algae consumption is minimal.  You only use a lot in the first 10 to 20 cycles while producing PW 

[OxCD]

Yup. This design and the results are perfect beauty. 

Certainly gonna try for my new game, after the release.

[Nightinggale]

On 5/11/2019 at 10:14 PM, Neotuck said:

 

On 5/12/2019 at 3:20 AM, Nightinggale said:

I have been wondering. Wouldn't it be possible to combine those two. I mean use the top one, but close the ends. Use the cycle from the bottom one as in keep it dry during the day to let dupes clean without getting wet. When time runs out, flood the terrariums. When the dupes wake up, open the doors to get rid of water and polluted water bottles, close the doors and the cycle restarts with dry access.

Bottles at the top will only release p oxygen 74% of the cycle, but it drops to the bottom part once every cycle where it is free to produce p oxygen all the time, including when the terrariums are flooded. Since the primary source of oxygen is the bottles, dupes only need access like 40-50% of the time, meaning it has time to flood enough to make sure dupes will never manually supply water.

It would likely need a door at the top, just below the pressure sensor (which would have to be moved). The water pump can then run all day and opening the door can supply water to all terrariums nearly instantly. If you really want to optimize you can so some trial and error or calculations to figure out how much water should be on top, but adding too much isn't a big issue. Too little is however as it can make dupes fetch water manually.

[Angpaur]

Here is my automated algae farm I built in my previous colony back in March:

The terrariums are used only initially to create pwater bottles. Later water is no longer supplied as the farm already creates too much O2.

Access to the room is controlled by a clock - dupes can enter only for a short time when terrariums needs cleaning - this is to prevent them going there and feeding water and algae manually. Algae and filtration medium supply is automated.

The whole thing turned out to be too effective at creating O2. In current colony I will create smaller version.

[Yunru]

Why use a terrarium at all at that point?

[Angpaur]

26 minutes ago, Yunru said:

Why use a terrarium at all at that point?

To get bottled pwater and then off-gas it to get O2.

This also helps to get huge amounts of ceramics.

[Yunru]

Just now, Angpaur said:

To get bottled pwater and then off-gas it to get O2.

And you need a terrarium for that because...?