How to launch a rocket on a steam engine?

[Guest aresd]

I heat the water with hot regolith, I use only ceramic pipes, but they break through three cells, even if I lay the pipes in insulated cells as well. Ceramics began to give off heat too quickly to the environment.

[SamLogan]

7 minutes ago, aresd said:

I heat the water with hot regolith, I use only ceramic pipes, but they break through three cells, even if I lay the pipes in insulated cells as well. Ceramics began to give off heat too quickly to the environment.

Your pipe breaks because the steam return to his liquid state that break the pipe.

Here's a tip : right to your pump add a gas valve et setup it on 100g/s. By reducing the flow by 10, even if you have a state change, the pipe will not break because the mass is too light to break it.

It's not a glitch, Klei has confirmed it.

Notes : it works for any fluid : water that turn to steam or ice, LOX, liquid hydrogen, etc. And the tank will accept it without considering its statut.

[Guest]

1 minute ago, SamLogan said:

Your pipe breaks because the steam return to his liquid state that break the pipe.

Here's a tip : right to your pump add a gas valve et setup it on 100g/s. By reducing the flow by 10, even if you have a state change, the pipe will not break because the mass is too light to break it.

It's not a glitch, Klei has confirmed it.

In that case, why bother with heat insulated pipes if they don't work? These are just a few cells.

[Lurve]

11 minutes ago, aresd said:

I heat the water with hot regolith, I use only ceramic pipes, but they break through three cells, even if I lay the pipes in insulated cells as well. Ceramics began to give off heat too quickly to the environment.

"Hot regolith"... then you're in space, right?  There's no environment to heat in vaccuum, it's the pipes themselves heating. 

Option 1: Use radiant pipes.  They might break once or twice as they heat to water temperature, but they'll do it fast.

Option 2: Use a temperature sensor wired to the gas pump, and only pump really hot steam at first.  It'll cool a bit, but as long as it stays >100C it won't damage anything.

[SamLogan]

11 minutes ago, aresd said:

In that case, why bother with heat insulated pipes if they don't work? These are just a few cells.

Yes insulated pipes are useless in this case because it prevent from exterior. But the problem is that the pipe cool the steam with it internal temperature so uses the tips above or mine.

[nakomaru]

Increase the heat of the steam. Ceramic insulated works fine with a catch: you can't let the flow stagnate or it will break pipes. Return it to your hot room when your engine is full.

[Lilalaunekuh]

7 hours ago, nakomaru said:

Increase the heat of the steam.

You can prime a system using hotter steam than you would normally use.

=> Just loop it around some times, till your pipes are hot enough.

[I use >200-250°C Steam to achieve this, it works without the "limited flow trick^^" and this setups like "breaks only once, but works fine afterwards" were never something I would consider. It always felt a bit cheese to me.]

[Vampyre_by]

Use radiant pipes. They will become hot and your steam will be safe