Any way to merge two *bypass* lines?

[GeePaw]

Folks...

A SPOM uses a bridge bypass to dump the hydrogen it doesn't use for its internal generator. That is, H from the electrolyzer is pumped to a bridge input where the internal generator is on the far end and there's a bypass pipe on the near end.

Here's the thing: i have two SPOMS next to each other and I am wanting to merge their bypass lines, but I can't find any way to do that.

The attached image shows  a minimal example. Two tanks full of hydrogen. Both run to a bridge that prefers a valve. (Those two valve+vents are like the internal generators of the two SPOMS. Both valves are set at 1 g/s.) They back up quickly and the remaining gas flows rightward down the two bypass lines. If the two bypass lines are entirely separate, just hitting two separate vents at the end, all is well. But I can find no way to merge them to a single trunk. Every attempt I've made, one or the pipe blocks. Note, of course, that this is not contention -- the output flow down the two bypasses is modest and intermittent, with plenty of empty pipe.

Is it possible? Am I just monumentally stupid? I have tried about a dozen variants and I can't seem to pull it off. Note: the issue has to do with the fact that they're bypasses. Normal lines merge just fine. If your answer doesn't merge two bridge-bypass lines, it won't do, and most of the answers here and reddit do that.

Two more things:

1) Awesome game, yeah?

2) Thank you all so much for sharing your ideas, controversies, blueprints, etc. My time playing ONI over the last three months has been a delight, in large part because of the community here, reddit, and youtube. Please keep sharing!

Cheers!
GeePaw

[Fury1SOG]

I think the packets get confused about which direction to go. Packets traveling past the upper bridge can either go to the vent on the right side, or the input on the bridge on the lower line, and packets moving past the lower bridge can either go to the right-side vent, or the bridge on the upper line. This can cause packets to move backwards and cause congestion. Have you tried using bridges or valves to force the packets to move in only one direction?

Also, judging from the size, the packets on the lower line seem to be bigger than 5000g. I'm wondering if the valve set to 1g/s is causing the packets to compress. I think that a valve on each of the lines immediately after the bridge set to 5000 g/s should keep the packets flowing in the right direction, and help merge both lines smoothly.

 

  

[abud]

You need one additional bridge on each line. Put it immediately after the first bridge. Some of your gas losing his way because he sees output after output. You need to guide them a bit.

Tell me if you still can't imagine it, so I can draw an example in sandbox.

 

edit: you beat me while I still typing. Oh my english, took me too long to type few lines

[Soulwind]

Put 2 bridges sequentially. 

In1 in2 out1 out2 combined line

Then feed each input.from one of the inbound pipes. 

Everything should merge cleanly

[Chipplyman]

These pipe configurations will work:

* One entrance and one exit

* One entrance branching to multiple exits 

* Multiple entrances joining to one exit, then optionally continuing through to any number of exits

* The pipe is almost always full with all exits blocked and plenty of inflow at all entrances. 

Any other configuration will do weird things. 

Draw lines from every entrance through a packet to every exit. The packet will move toward the exits. If there are multiple directions to move, the packet splits. You never want the packet to be able to choose every possible direction from its current position.

[KittenIsAGeek]

8 hours ago, GeePaw said:

Folks...

A SPOM uses a bridge bypass to dump the hydrogen it doesn't use for its internal generator. That is, H from the electrolyzer is pumped to a bridge input where the internal generator is on the far end and there's a bypass pipe on the near end.

Here's the thing: i have two SPOMS next to each other and I am wanting to merge their bypass lines, but I can't find any way to do that.

Try something like this. 

Spoiler

The first set of bridges is your filters, the second is your main output.  The problem with your design (where the pipe circles around) is that after your filter, the hydrogen sees two input (the gas pumps) and two output in opposite directions from its location.  So its pushed by both pumps and ends up bouncing back and forth instead of going somewhere.  In my design, at each step of the way, there is either only one output that the packet sees, or one input.

[GeePaw]

Hah! 

So I *was* just being monumentally stupid! 

In my mind I was really merging one bypass into the other, instead of seeing it as putting both bypasses into a trunk. That meant I kept putting a bridge on one of the lines entering the trunk, but not on the other. Just goes to show you how a poor framing of the problem can keep one from seeing the obvious solution.

Thank you, folks, as always!
GeePaw

 

[TOOK14]

Here's a picture of a possible solution.

Seems I'm late to the party... 

Oh well, visuals help to reinforce the point I guess.