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Supermatter Reactor

2026-03-16T23:44:41Z

Zha everything broken: Helium replaces Hydrogen as default gas as of #22013

=HELP IM THE ONLY ENGINEER=
[[File:Engineroomhorizon.png|thumb|The engine room on the Horizon. Middle click to open the picture in a new tab.]]{{toc_right}}So you're new and no one else has joined engineering and you have no idea how to setup the engine? Well first things first: '''don't panic!''' You could try waiting for an engineer to join and teach you... unless you've joined during deadpop hours, in which case, the following steps (color-coded for your convenience) will get the engine rolling quickly with minimal explanation. You should probably read the rest of this guide to understand how it works in greater detail once you're done:
*'''If everything is out of power, [[#Maintenance and Repairs|skip to here]].'''
#Before you start, go inside the room labelled Supermatter Reactor SMES. There should be a power storage unit inside the room; click on it and MAX the input and output on the power storage popup.
#Open a radiation PPE locker (found inside the airlock to the engine room) and retrieve a radiation suit, radiation hood, and safety goggles. The safety goggles are very important, as they will protect you from hallucinations from looking at the Supermatter Core.
#Retrieve four [[File:Helium_canister.png]]helium canisters from hard storage (the room with a big garage door perpendicular to the locker room) and move them to the engine room.
#Wrench all four of the canisters into the '''connectors''' near the door. There should be two canisters connected to the green pipes, and two canisters connected to the blue pipes. Turn on all four pumps; they should be MAXed by default, but in case they aren't, MAX them out.
#Directly to the left of the four connectors is a '''pump''' that is labelled Cooling Array to Generators. Turn it on and make sure it's MAXed out.
#*You do not have to open the canister valve on the canister UI. Don't worry about that.
#You should see the canisters beginning to empty. The indicator lights should begin to turn yellow, then red. All four Stirling engine circulators are probably also spinning. You don't need to wait for them to be empty for the Supermatter to start properly, but there should be some gas in the pipes first.
#Move over to '''the emitter''', the giant laser facing the crystal, and click on it to turn it on. Do not stand in front of the emitter. Keep track of how many times it has fired; you can shift-click to examine the emitter to see how many shots it has fired.
#After at least fifty (50) shots, turn '''the emitter''' back off by clicking on it. This set-up, with no other upgrades performed, can have up to fifty (120) shots in the core at a time.
#Close the '''SM core blast doors''' so that radiation doesn't spread to the rest of the engineering hallway.
Congratulations, you have successfully set up the engine, and everyone can enjoy their round on a powered ship! You're a hero! Unless you set something up wrong and now everything is either still out of power ''or'' in the process of exploding. For the former's case, refer to the [[#Maintenance and Repairs|quick diagnostic list]]. In the latter's case, head to [[#Emergency!|this section]].

=The Actual Guide=
Now, assuming you aren't new and actually know a bit of what you're doing, then this guide will attempt to accurately describe the intricacies and in-depth mechanics of most of the systems related to the SM engine, from the SM itself to the SMES units connected to it at the end of the line. An informed mind is one that can potentially save the ship from disaster!

==How It Works==
On the surface level, the default engine setup is very simple: SM is energized, SM heats up gas, gas goes to Stirling engines, Stirling engines exchange heat and produce power, power goes to the SMES, etc. The sections below will cover what makes each individual part tick.

===[[File:Supermatter.png]]The Supermatter===
See also: [[Phoron]] 
The Supermatter (often known as the SM) is a large crystal of tightly compacted Phoron with special properties. This particular crystal differs from typically large quantities of Phoron in that it is a semi-transparent yellow instead of an opaque purple, and it even glows. Another contrast is that the Supermatter is incredibly unstable, and is capable of vaporizing solid and liquid - and sometimes gaseous - matter in an instant (this includes you). It can even consume photonic energy in the form of lasers. This process usually results in the Supermatter becoming "energized", a state at which it will begin to slowly shed Phoron and oxygen particles (roughly at a ratio of ten moles of Phoron to one mole of oxygen, depending on the temperature of the environment), as well as radiate Gamma rays and produce incredible amounts of heat. It is also in this energized state that its visual appearance will distort in the minds of the beholder, assuming they are biologic (excepting Dionae), and will inexplicably stimulate the visual cortex of the brain to hallucinatory extremes. A footnote in its energized state is when high concentrations of oxygen are introduced, forcing the crystal to radiate a red glow instead of its usual yellow. Intermittently, the crystal will also cease glowing all together. This interaction between the SM and oxygen is poorly understood, but what is known is that the crystal will passively energize in its presence at a rate dependent on how much oxygen there is. Put simply, anything shot/thrown at the SM will energize it, producing heat and lethal amounts of radiation, and probably hallucinations.

Two factors that determine how energized a Supermatter crystal is are '''power''' and '''decay'''. Power represents how much energy has been projected into the SM, whether it be from an emitter or even large quantities of oxygen. Power determines how hot the crystal can get, how much radiation it emits, how far its hallucinatory effect travels, and how much Phoron and oxygen it will shed. Its power level also influences decay, and decay - in turn -, influences power: decay determines how fast the crystal's power level will drop. What this means is that an emitter shooting the SM constantly will eventually cause the SM's power and decay to reach an equilibrium state, a point that cannot be passed unless even more energy is projected at the SM.

The Supermatter in its default state does nothing unless you do something to energize it. It does not produce Phoron or oxygen, it does not radiate Gamma rays, it does not generate heat, and it does not cause hallucinations. Though viewing it without protection in an unenergized state is poor form, it is safe nonetheless. It is also safe to '''pull''' the SM around freely. It is not safe to walk into/against the SM, nor is it safe to click on it; this will disintegrate you immediately. Removing the SM from a crate in an environment with oxygen (such as a hallway or poorly maintained SM chamber) also isn't safe for the reasons outlined above.

While being basically space magic is all well and good for the purposes of generating power, it's also incredibly dangerous if not managed properly. Besides being able to heat up its surrounding atmosphere to rather high temperature extremes when energized, it is also capable of exploding spectacularly, known as a "delamination event". Most commonly this occurs when the crystal's structure begins to decay as a result of extremely high heat, particularly at '''five thousand Kelvin''' and above, and the SM will eventually detonate if this is not corrected. It can also decay if it is exposed to vacuum while energized. Though the Supermatter can be "damaged" in a way, it is also capable of regenerating itself if allowed an environment in which it can do so. It is prudent, then, to keep the SM from becoming over-energized and heating its environment up to a point where it can self destruct, a task that isn't that difficult since all Supermatter crystals provided by NT come with a device that will broadcast over the radio its status if it is concerning.

'''TL;DR''': Energizing the SM (shooting it with the emitter/a gun, or touching it with something else/yourself, or introducing oxygen to it) will make it produce heat and radiation, and start spewing Phoron and oxygen, and make you hallucinate without safety goggles. It begins to take damage at 5000 Kelvin (though the borosilicate windows in the core begin to break at 4273 Kelvin), and this damage scales with temperature. It can also take damage if exposed to vacuum (even 0.1 kPa of gas will save it) while energized. It will explode and irradiate the entire map if allowed to take damage for too long and everyone will get pissed at you, mostly because the SM itself will yell at you over the radio if it's taking damage.

===The Stirling engines===
[[File:Sterling Engine UI.png|right|thumb|Your typical Stirling engine UI in a state of moderate power output.]]Something much better understood compared to the SM are '''Stirling engines''', formerly referred to as thermoelectric generators or TEGs. The basic operating principle of any Stirling engine is that it uses the difference in temperature between gas to generate electricity, the result being power based on the difference and slightly colder/hotter gas. In practice, the Supermatter - when energized - will heat up its surrounding atmosphere to a rather high degree. These gases are then pumped into one of the turbines (the north one) on the Stirling engine, where it will exchange heat with the turbine on the opposite end (the south one) that ''hopefully'' has gas that is significantly colder. This turbine has gas being pumped in from a somewhat extensive radiator network in space, where it is slowly chilled. The two gases exchange heat with each other, producing energy, and the difference in temperature between the two is lowered slightly. Note that Stirling engines can safely produce up to five hundred kilowatts individually, beyond which they will begin to grow a little less consistent in their power generating capabilities. There is no danger in going above this threshold, however.

A Stirling engine also needs some sense of flow in order to function, meaning a turbine's input and output sharing the same pipe network without something to break it up will function rather poorly, if it functions at all. In particular, the turbine's input requires gas to be moved towards it specifically. Most commonly, a pump of some sort can be found connecting much of the cold loop to a small section of pipe connected to the turbine's input. While it may not be obvious, the hot loop does actually possess a pump in the form of a vent constantly scrubbing gas from the air. A TEG turbine has specific sides that its input or output can be found on, which can be found by simply examining the turbine.

In all honesty, most of the values shown in the UI aren't necessary at all to know except for output. If the Stirling engine's sprite looks green then all is well on the Stirling engine's end. Regardless, the values will be described anyway:
*'''Total Output''': The amount of power available that can be output into a wire. You even get a cool looking bar that shows how much power is being generated! Wow!
*'''Thermal Output''': The actual amount of power being generated. Due to inefficiencies with the system, some power is lost, hence the existence of the '''Total Output''' value.
*'''Turbine Output''': How much power the turbines themselves are generating, independent of thermal exchange. Probably.
*'''Flow Capacity''': Literal mystery number.
*'''Inlet/Outlet Pressure/Temperature''': The pressure and temperature of the inlet and outlet, measured in kilopascals and Kelvin respectively. As you can imagine, the inlet refers to the pipe network connected to the input of the Stirling engine, while the outlet refers to the pipe network on the output side. You can examine the turbines to see which side the input and output are on.

For more information on how gas interacts with the Stirling engines, refer to the [[#Coolant|coolant section]] of this guide.

===Gas and Heat===
[[File:Enginemonitor.png|right|thumb|The usual look of the engine cooling control monitor. Notice the presence of Nitrogen at the start of the shift.]]See also: [[Guide to Atmospherics]] 
So you have some fancy rock that could, by some metrics, be described as the spawn of some eldritch horror dwelling in the cosmos ''and'' some spiny machines that can make power from spicy interactions with said rock. Cool! But it won't just produce power right off the bat; no, you need to supply a medium that can be used to make the Stirling engine do Stirling engine things! The [[#Coolant|coolant subheading]] should be able to give you a brief summary of what gases do what! It even tells you about heat capacity, which is important, so go read it!

Of course it's not like the gases can just wangjangle all together in open air, that'd be weird! Instead, the gases are pumped into a series of pipe networks that flow into and out of the Stirling engines, as well as the SM core and the large radiator in space. They're even color coded: cyan is on the output end of the hot loop turbine, where it will be re-injected into the SM core to heat back up. The orange/brown loop is on the input end of the hot loop turbine, where it takes in hot gas from a vent pump siphoning gas from the SM core. The green loop is on the input end of the cold loop turbine, where the gases in the radiator network are pumped in. The black loop is on the output end of the cold loop turbine, where gases that were warmed up in the exchange of thermal energy are output into the radiator network to be cooled back down.

The pipes can be safely pressurized up to 70000 kPa - a figure that can be pretty hard to reach depending on the size of the pipe network -, beyond which the pipes might begin to '''explode'''. One of the biggest determining factors for pipe pressure is heat, particularly something called '''thermal expansion'''. In the context of gas in pipes, hot gas results in higher pressure. Higher pressures mean that atmospheric devices like pumps attempting to force gas from a lower pressure network into the higher pressure network can be slowed down significantly. The most immediately concerning thing that can result from this is the hot loop functioning at a very high pressure during an emergency, and being unable to inject significant amounts of dump coolant because the pump either cannot force the gas from a canister into the loop fast enough, or the pressure simply exceeds the pump's maximum possible target pressure setting. See the [[#Core Venting|core venting procedures section]] on how to deal with this.

With the above in mind, it's important to realize that pressure does not equal the amount of gas actually inside a medium. Gas quantity is measured in moles, which should be used as the real determining factor as to how much gas is inside a medium like a pipe network or a canister. Pressure and temperature can be measured with pipe meters, while moles (with pressure, temperature, and gas composition) can be measured with a gas analyzer.

Worth mention is something called the '''fire triangle'''. Put simply, the three corners of the triangle represent heat, fuel, and an oxidizer. If all three of these are present then a fire will occur. Conversely, if one of these elements is removed, then you have no fire: Phoron spewing out all around a room and some broken light is sparking, but there's no oxygen or N2O? No fire, no problems, simple as that! This principle may be important to keep in mind if you choose to run an engine that has an oxidizer in the hot loop.

Finally, to the right of the screen is the engine cooling control console screen. This will give you basic information such as the core's pressure (measured in kilopascals, kPa), its temperature (measured in Kelvin), and its gas composition (measured in percentages). The first section below these readouts is the controller for the gas injector (the device connected to the cyan loop). By default this device is turned on and set to the maximum volume setting, where it will ''attempt'' to inject gas at a rate of 700 L/s. Below this is the vent pump controller for the vent pump (the device connected to the orange loop). This device works a bit differently: its setting does not determine how fast it will siphon gas from the room it's in - that value is locked to 700 L/s as well -, instead the setting represents a threshold of pressure where it will begin siphoning once that threshold is crossed. By default it is set to 100 kPa, which is why the nitrogen at round start - resting at around 81 kPa - is sitting in the core and not populating the pipes. The maximum threshold value for this setting is 1000 kPa.

==Safety First==
Before entering the engine room you should always wear proper PPE. The following will suffice, and are always found inside radiation lockers:
*[[File:MGlasses.png]]'''Safety Goggles''' to prevent hallucinations from developing by looking at the SM. How do they work? Who knows...
*[[File:Radsuit.png]]'''Radiation PPE''' to keep you from receiving a lethal dose of radiation that can very easily kill you within minutes. Dionae and IPCs are exempt from wearing this.
As long as you have these two sets of items you are pretty much safe unless the engine room is either an inferno or vacuum. Certain [[Guide to EVA#Hardsuits|hardsuits]] and [[Guide to EVA#Voidsuits|voidsuits]] are immune to radiation as well if you need to wear those out of necessity.

==[[File:SMES.gif]]SMES Configuration==
There are two SMES units that are immediately relevant to the engine: the '''engine SMES''' and the '''main distribution SMES'''. The former is what receives power from the Stirling engines and powers the engine room APC directly as well as the emitter. If the output is not high enough, the emitter may not fire, or the APC may not have enough power to allow the pumps to operate. The other SMES also receives power from the Stirling engines, but it outputs to the rest of the ship. It should have its input maximized, since every kilowatt not used is another kilowatt wasted. The output can be adjusted as needed, of course, but one should take into account how populated the departments are and how much power the ship will need in general.

==Coolant==
An intrinsic property of matter - particularly gas, in SS13's case - is something called '''heat capacity''', a variable that determines how much energy it takes to increase the temperature of a substance. In the context of setting up the SM: how energized the SM needs to be in order for the gases in the hot/cold loops to actually rise in temperature. Heat capacity also factors into how power is generated with the Stirling engines; higher heat capacity allows a gas to hold more thermal energy, which means more energy can be transferred between the turbines, allowing more energy to be produced.
*[[File:Phoron_canister.png]]'''Phoron''': Arguably the most stable and safe gas to use, Phoron carries with it a stupidly high heat capacity, at least compared to most other available gases. There is a lot of leeway with this particular gas, making it easy to train new apprentices with. It's worth noting, though, that '''phoron is a fuel''', and can start fires. It is also '''a very scarce resource''', and its use should be rationed out carefully if it is actually used. The SM will generate Phoron passively as long as it is energized. This gas is viable for either the hot loop or the cold loop.
*[[File:Hydrogen_canister.png]]'''Hydrogen''': Second best gas to use with the second highest heat capacity, and it compares pretty well to Phoron, at least compared to the other gases. Like Phoron (sans all the wacky space magic that comes with it), Hydrogen '''is a fuel''', and can start fires. It is otherwise inert and safe to breathe as long as you don't light a match. This gas is viable for the cold loop, but in the hot loop it will ignite and slowly begin to burn off. This can be dangerous if the round lasts for more than 2.5-3 hours.
*[[File:Helium_canister.png]]'''Helium''': Almost as good as hydrogen, and without the risk of burnoff. This gas is viable for either the hot loop or the cold loop.
*[[File:Nitrous_canister.png]]'''Nitrous Oxide''': Not nearly as good as Phoron or H2 (in fact it's leagues below these two), it's still a respectable gas nonetheless. Its only caveat is that '''it is an oxidizer''', and it will start a continuous fire if used in the hot loop, though the heat generated from such isn't as bad as one might think. It can also knock people out if exposed to the atmosphere, but almost all of these gases are dangerous in high quantities anyway. This gas is viable for the cold loop, but less so for the hot loop unless it is monitored.
*[[File:Carbon_canister.png]]'''Carbon Dioxide''': ''Just'' under N2O in terms of heat capacity is CO2. This gas pretty much has nothing going for it other than that, but it's still way better than N2. You'll probably see this in the chamber anyway as a result of the SM producing Phoron and oxygen passively (which almost immediately burns up into CO2). This gas is viable for either the hot loop or the cold loop.
*[[File:Nitrogen_canister.png]]'''Nitrogen''': Lowest heat capacity, twined with oxygen, N2 ''has'' been regarded as the standard coolant for the SM engine, but the fact of the matter is that this is '''definitely no longer the case''', and N2 should really only be reserved for experimentation or as [[#Coolant Dump|emergency dump coolant]]. This gas is barely viable for anything.
*[[File:Oxygen_canister.png]]'''Oxygen''': Same heat capacity as N2, except '''it's also an oxidizer''' (obviously). Oxygen can also energize the SM. Because of this, using this in the hot loop will almost definitely result in a roaring, nearly uncontrollable blaze eventually. That's not to say that it can't be controlled, but this shouldn't be the first gas you look at for coolant. The SM will generate oxygen passively as long as it is energized. This gas is barely viable for anything.
*[[File:Air_canister.png]]'''Air''': Literally just 79% N2, 21% O2. Why would you use this. I mean, you have a lot of it, sure, but... why? For the reasons listed on the O2 section, using this is a terrible idea.

==[[File:Filter.gif]]Waste Processing==
[[File:Waste room.png|thumb|The Reactor Waste Management Room.]]

While this area and machinery doesn't impact SM performance ''too much'', it's a good idea to set it up anyway, otherwise Stirling engine performance might be negatively impacted, or worse. The filters up north are what will keep the coolant gas in the loop and the byproducts/gases you don't want out, pushing them towards the room to the north. By default, the filters are set to allow '''helium''' through, so you don't need to change them at all unless you're doing a very strange setup. Incorrectly setting these filters will most likely result in the SM chamber slowly depressurizing until there is no gas left, or the gas leftover is so minuscule that it heats up to dangerous values instantly.

The room beyond these filters has a black pipe network known as the waste line. Inside are three pumps and two gas coolers. As it turns out, siphoning gas from the inferno of an engine chamber gives you '''very hot gas''' which has expanded considerably. This makes most atmospheric devices function slowly, particularly the devices in Atmospherics, assuming you turn on the Reactor to Mix pump.

Thus, it's a good idea to cool the gas down with the gas coolers. The simple way to set this up is to turn on both gas coolers to their default setting (which is room temperature, 20 Celsius), and maximize the Reactor to Mix pump. '''Don't turn on the Filter Bypass Pump or the Reactor to Scrubbers pump.''' The former will cause gas to filter from the Supermatter, which will cause it to delaminate, and the latter will send extremely hot gas to the scrubber pipeline, slowing it down.

Because of how the filters are setup, using two different gases in the hot loop isn't possible without modifications. Why you would bother using more than one gas in the hot loop is a mystery, but it is worth mentioning.

==[[File:Emitter.png]]Turn It On==
Once everything is all said and done - the pipes are full of gas, the filters are filtering properly, the cold loop pump is turned on, and the Stirling engines look like they're working -, it's time to turn this sucker on! Assuming you didn't use oxygen in the hot loop (why would you), the SM should be in an inert state, ready to be energized by this big ol' laser thing, '''the emitter'''. The emitter is basically a very high power laser that fires in bursts of four. Because of how the SM's power and decay function (described in [[#The Supermatter|this section]]), each shot to the SM will be functionally weaker than the last, though this effect is really only noticed if you shoot beyond fifty shots. Speaking of shots, an important variable in an engine setup is how many shots the emitter takes, which you should probably be counting. If you managed to lose count, don't sweat it: you can examine the emitter to see how many times it has fired.

The emitter is connected directly to the engine SMES; it does not receive power from an APC, it must be wired into a powered grid directly. That grid specifically requires thirty kilowatts in order for the emitter to fire. In the context of the engine power grid, the engine SMES output should probably be set far above this value so as to take into account the power draw of the engine room APC.

==Emergency!==
'''Most of the techniques beneath this subheading assume the engine room is powered. If it is not, head to [[#Maintenance and Repairs|this section]], then come back here.''' So for your first or second go-around, the SM seems like a pretty complex and cruel engine, but that's only half true: in fact, compared to all of the other engines in the code, the SM is actually incredibly forgiving: it takes more than a few minutes to blow up during which it can be saved, it yells over the radio if it begins to take damage, it yells loudly over the radio if it's about to blow, and its scale of destruction - while discouraging - hardly compares to the level of chaos that something like the singularity or tesla can cause. Now that we know that not all hope is lost and that you can easily rescue the engine, it's time to get to work!

Firstly, the biggest thing that can go wrong with the engine is the SM overheating. This occurs when the temperature of the core exceeds 5000 Kelvin, a value that can be gleaned by looking at one of the engine core control consoles. What exactly causes it to reach that temperature can be based on a variety of things: poor coolant choice, over energization, coolant backup, missing pipes to name just a few. The sections below will cover how to correct this.

===[[File:Nitrogen_canister.png]]Coolant Dump===
'''Assuming the pipes are not pressurized beyond 15000 kPa''', dumping a random coolant (like nitrogen) into the hot loop via the canister connector has proven to be quite effective. How it works is it takes a room temperature gas (usually 20C, unless you chilled it before hand) and introduces it to an incredibly hot inferno. The thermal difference between the new coolant and the old coolant is huge, and it will cool down the core almost instantly. As a bonus, the dump coolant (assuming it isn't the same gas that you set the engine up with) will gradually filter out of the loop via the filters, keeping everything nice and clean once all is said and done. This, of course, is not a permanent solution, but it will buy you a lot of time. There are four N2 canisters sitting around in the corner of the engine room, ready to be used as dump coolant.

You can, of course, inject more of the gas you used during setup, but for obvious reasons this will offset the balance you set the engine up with... not that it matters that much, probably. If you care about ratios that much, just do the above.

===[[File:Manualvalve.png]]Coolant Valves===
The white squares [[#top|shown in the picture of the engine room at the top of the page]] are the emergency coolant mix valves. These will join the hot and cold loops together to allow the hot loop - the gas that is probably incredibly hot - to be cooled down, at least initially, with the gas from the cold loop, and also cool it off with the radiator network. This will almost certainly result in the Stirling engines power production being killed off, and will invariably disrupt your gas ratios if you really care about them. This solution is a little more long term than dump coolant, but you should make sure your SMES units have enough power to function while maintenance is being conducted on the SM.

Using the mix valves when you're using '''two different types of coolant''' is a much harder endeavor. Unless the filters are turned off, all of your cold loop gas will eventually be filtered out. Even if the emergency is handled, you'll be stuck with two different gases in at least one of your loops. Just something to keep in mind.

===Direct Cooling: Maverick Style===
First two methods aren't getting you anywhere, or the pipes were sabotaged in such a way to prevent them from working? Well, this is it everyone. I guess engineering is going to explode now.

Well, maybe if you're a ''quitter''. Throw on a voidsuit and grab an extinguisher and inflatable door. <s>Break into the CE's office</s> Politely ask the CE to unbolt the engine hatches (they may need to press the button twice for it to actually unbolt), setup an inflatable door outside one of the hatches, open the hatch up, and let loose with the extinguisher foam. The result is the room cooling down to such an extreme that you might wonder how you can even wield such power. The day is saved and the SM won't be exploding for a while. Now that that's done, you should probably get the heck out of there since your voidsuit most likely doesn't shield you from as much radiation as you'd like.

===Core Venting===
If you've managed to determine that the gas used in the core just simply sucks and can't support the energized state of the SM, it's probably time to just swap to a different gas all together. Or maybe the hot loop is pressurized well over 15000 kPa and you can't inject any dump coolant. First you should set the filters to the new gas that you plan to use so that you don't waste any when you begin injecting it. This will slowly filter the core's old coolant out, but this is going to be way too slow and the SM will probably blow up before you can actually inject a new coolant, thus we will just '''vent the core''' instead. The button up north next to the nitrogen canisters behind a glass window (that you can smash easily) is what will open up the core vent to space, which will rapidly drain the core of all gases. As long as the core has ''some'' pressure, the amount of damage it takes won't spike terribly as a result of being exposed to vacuum. You or another engineer should confirm that the vent is actually open by checking on the camera inside. Once the gases have been drained sufficiently, close the vent and start dumping in the new coolant into the hot loop. If all well and good then the day is saved and you don't have to worry about anything else. Good job!

==Ejection==
'''This is the last resort'''. If the engine room is already somehow blown up, the core cannot be secured in time, and/or many of the pipes are missing and you are very short on time, then maybe it's time to consider ejecting the SM to save the engine room from exploding and saving other people the trouble of being blasted with radiation. You will notice that the SM rests on a mass driver, basically a slingshot. When activated, this will send the SM flying. For obvious reasons, the core vent should be wide open before attempting to use this. The button for the vent can be found on the northern end of the room next to the nitrogen canisters, while the button for ejecting the core is in the CE's office. Considering the severity of the situation, no one will really blame you if you decide to break in and launch the SM out yourself, assuming you really are out of options.

Note that the SM takes damage if it is powered and exposed to vacuum. Because of this, you must either be swift or accurately coordinate the SM's ejection so that it doesn't blow up before you launch it.

===Something Went Wrong!===
The mass driver does not know whether or not the vent is open, it just drives mass, that is all it does. Hitting the mass driver before the vent is open will just launch the SM into the blast door and nothing will happen. This severely complicates everything since now you must place the SM back onto the mass driver in order to eject it properly. Yes, this means you have to go into the core yourself to pull it back into position. Yes, you will probably die. Regardless, put on a voidsuit (an atmos suit would be best, otherwise refer to [[#Direct Cooling: Maverick Style|this section]] to make sure you don't melt too bad), get the engine hatches unbolted (the button to do so is in the CE's office. Unless they have been unbolted in the past, you will need to hit the button twice because BYOND sucks), setup an inflatable door outside a hatch, turn your magboots on, and get on in there. '''Pull''' the SM back into position, namely the middle of the core where the mass driver is. Make sure the vent is open and hit the ejection button in the CE's office once more and hope for the best.

If the mass driver was somehow destroyed or no longer functions, you will have to eject the Supermatter yourself, with your bare hands. Open the vent, enter the core, '''pull''' the SM and head down the carved path until you reach a large hole in the floor. Set the SM up next to the hole and grab anything to throw at it. The impact of the item against the SM will push it into the hole, saving engineering, yourself, and many others.

==Troubleshooting and Repairs==
For a number of reasons, the Supermatter cannot run indefinitely without periodic input, as its power will eventually decay to the point that the gas that it heats up is not enough to generate meaningful amounts of power. However, given that rounds don't often last more than two hours and atmos processes slower than the time it takes for sauerkraut to ferment (at least three days, by the way), this whole problem won't make itself manifest. In the rare event that this does happen, just turning the emitter on for a few seconds to re-energize the crystal will suffice.

If that doesn't fix your issue, read on.

===No Power!===
Arrived to the shift late and there's no other engineers, or they're totally clueless and neglected to read the wiki? All of the SMES units in engineering have depowered to the point that nothing works? '''Well!''' Guess it's time to cold start the engine!

# Locate a PACMAN portable generator along with the fuel to run it. At least one can be found in Engineering Hard Storage, along with some graphite sheets to power it.
# Head to the Supermatter SMES Chamber, turn off input on the SMES, and wrench the PACMAN directly over the main SMES unit's input terminal (there's a wire knot there leading to the engine SMES input terminal as well).
# Feed it fuel and turn it on.
# Assuming the engine SMES input is on (it is by default, otherwise use RCON to turn it back on) and no one snipped any wires between the main SMES and the engine SMES ([[Traitor|very strange behavior]]) then bam, power.
# Hit the door bolt button and continue engine setup from there.

===Missing Pipes===
If a pipe goes missing then something has gone terribly, terribly wrong. It's more likely, however, that a meteor managed to smash into the radiator network and take out one or two heat exchange pipes, which will invariably sever the link between the output and input ends of the cold loop turbine. Though there are grilles surrounding the coolant network to hopefully prevent this from happening, there's no guarantee that it won't happen; it may be prudent to check on the radiator network after meteors decide to crash through.

Repairing the missing pipe sections is simple but time sensitive. If you have a handheld pipe dispenser then this process is made that much more easy. Just EVA out, dispense the correct pipe, rotate it as needed, and wrench it in. If you do not have a handheld dispenser then you will need to document all missing pipe segments and vend them out of a normal pipe dispenser, which is a bit more tedious and time consuming.

===Core Underpressure===
If the engine core is inexplicably dropping in pressure, then there's a good chance that something has either exposed the engine room to space, or the hot loop is dumping gas somewhere else (like the waste loop). Checking if the core was breached is a simple enough process, and checking if the pipes are emptying themselves is as simple as checking everything that the network connects to, particularly the gas filters.

===Poor Power Production===
Stirling engines aren't producing much power? First you should determine whether or not both turbines are spinning. If they are, then gas is flowing fine. If they aren't, then something has stopped the flow of gas, or the gas has disappeared.

Ensure the filters are running properly if the hot loop mysteriously empties. For the cold loop, ensure the cold loop pump is maxed and turned on. For the hot loop, ensure that the air injector and vent pump are both functioning; the injector will have a red light if it is not, and the vent won't animate if it is off. They can be turned on via the [[#Gas and Heat|engine coolant control console]] in the monitoring room. If the Stirling engines still aren't producing power in spite of there being flowing gas, make sure the SM is actually energized. In other words ''make sure the hot loop is hot''. If the round has dragged on long enough, or you just didn't shoot it enough, then it probably isn't generating enough heat. If all else fails, refer to the [[#Missing Pipes|missing pipes]] section above.

===Broken Windows or Containment===
So the SM got too hot and broke all the windows? Let's hope you turned down the Engine Core blast doors. If you did, it's not the end of the world, and the Supermatter is still safely contained so long as the blast doors are not raised. You should probably make sure the SM isn't on its way to delamination during this whole process, but if the windows are only damaged instead of broken, then you actually can repair them. Note that the usual reinforced borosilicate windows take damage at ''4273 Kelvin''.

==== How to Repair a Window ====
# Set up inflatable doors right up against your working area.
# Alt click the turf to bring up turf view - a tab that shows you every single item - so that you can work on what you want easily.
# [[Guide to Construction#Windows|Deconstruct the damaged window]] ('''making sure that there's another window in the same place first''') and build a new one. Alternatively, splash some [[Guide to Chemistry#Silicate|silicate]] on it if you really want.
# Move the window panes back around to make sure it's nice and flush, and remember to secure them back in place.

As for walls, well... if they're breached then something's gone very wrong. Regardless, you should always build '''reinforced''' walls with plasteel, otherwise you'll have a wall with a very low melting point!

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Guide to the INDRA

2026-03-09T15:34:55Z

Zha everything broken: New INDRA guide

'''The INDRA is a port of the Baystation 12 R-UST with significant modifications for the Aurora server.'''

The '''INDRA''' is an experimental fusion reactor that acts as an alternative power source on the Horizon. It consists of a fusion core, fuel injectors, a gyrotron and a few control consoles. Fuel comes in two forms: gas injection into the chamber via an injector pump (the most efficient), and as a fuel rod loaded into Injectors (far less efficient, but necessary for some reactant types). If mismanaged, the INDRA can cause extreme amounts of destruction to the adjacent decks and surrounding area.

As for what INDRA stands for, that's a subject of much debate. Some say it stands for INDependent Reactor, Aneutronic. Others say it stands for INDRA. Who knows, really?

Priming, starting, and maintaining the Horizon is the job of the engineering department. However, some [[Scientist|scientists]] may be brought in for certain collaborative efforts with the permission of the engineering department.

= Basic Principles =
The INDRA is about as complex as the Supermatter Engine. The basic operating principles are as follows:

=== The Fusion Core ===
The fusion core is the centerpiece of the INDRA, all reactions take place there and it is where the power is generated.

First a note on safety - the reactor produces large quantities of radiation when operational, depending on the active reactions. Check with a geiger counter to see. Ensure that you wear appropriate protective equipment when entering the reactor chamber during or after the reactor has been running.

The INDRA is capable of creating a devastating EMP if operated improperly. Do not exceed the limits specified in this guide, or it will rapidly self-annihilate. The INDRA will create this EMP if plasma temperatures are above 720000K when its instability reaches 100% or if it is turned off without being allowed to cool first. Instability, disaster, and disaster avoidance will be discussed below.

=== INDRA Control Interface ===
[[File:INDRA control console.png|thumb|INDRA control console interface.]]
The fusion core is controlled by the INDRA core control console in the monitoring room. As you can see from the image, this tracks many properties of the fusion core.

* Power Status - This tells you the current power output and power draw of the Fusion Core. Power draw is dependent on the field strength, and power output is dependent on the fusion reactions taking place within the core.
* Field Strength - This determines the field size of the fusion core; this is important for catching fuel pellets and can be set between 20 and 120 for the default INDRA configuration; 20 is the safest value. If any object besides the core (or atmospheric machinery) is inside the INDRA chamber while it is online, it will interfere with the magnetic field, causing a catastrophic rise in instability and near-instantaneous destruction of the INDRA. Increasing the field strength has several effects:
* Field Strength scales the size of the torus. With higher field strength, the diameter of the magnetic torus will increase (20-40: 1m, 40-80: 3m, 80-120: 5m)
* Field Strength scales power output per temperature. With higher field strength, each degree Kelvin will produce drastically more electricity. This is what a skilled Engineer will adjust Field Strength to optimize for.
* Field Strength scales plasma temperature entropy. With higher field strength, each tick will lose more temp and produce more radiation.
* Field Strength scales instability increase. With higher field strength, more instability for a given reaction will be produced each tick. This, as well as temperature entropy, is what a skilled Engineer must monitor and manage while optimizing energy output.
* Instability - Instability is raised by two things: the fusion reactions taking place and the fusion core field touching machinery or objects. It is controlled by using the Gyrotron to fire a beam of energy into the fusion core field that maintains its containment. If your instability is steadily rising despite the gyrotron then you must '''immediately''' adjust the Gyrotron settings and/or reduce the amount of reactants being added to the field.
* Plasma temperature - This determines the reactions that can take place. Initially your fusion core will be at room temperature, and it will take some time to warm up. Once it is above a few thousand kelvin the rest of the reactions will kick in and it will keep itself stable. When turning off the fusion core this value '''must''' be below 720000K or it will cause an EMP and destruction of the INDRA containment, likely flooding engineering and research with extremely hot gas. To cool this down stop adding reactants and turn the gyrotron power up, then wait.
* Reactants - This is a list of all current reactants in the field. Every tick of the INDRA, it will try and react these reactants together and create some radiation, instability and power based on what reactions are possible. Reactants exceeding 10,000 total reactants will be removed and turned into radiation (this is not something to worry about, just don't try to add more reactants if you are consistently hitting this threshold).

=== The Fuel Injectors ===
These are used to add solid fuel into the INDRA. They are controlled using the Fuel Injection Control Computer within the control room. They must be provided with a fuel rod that can be created by putting solid fuel types into the Fuel Compressor, and then toggled on from their control computer. They will then start firing pellets through the glass into the fusion core field and be absorbed. There are a few different types of fuel materials, but the most common are tritium and deuterium. Iron may be used for other purposes, and there are various other rarer materials not worth covering here. '''Injecting deuterium and tritium using fuel rods is far less efficient than gas injection, but can be useful for tweaking reactor behavior.'''

=== The Kinetic Harvester ===
This is used to extract certain materials from the plasma field and rapidly compile them into usable ingots. It is another massive power consumer, but extremely valuable. While the volumes of material it can produce is marginal compared to what Miners can bring in, it is nonetheless a valuable supplement to the ship's resource income. When the Kinetic Harvester is turned on, it will display a list of materials currently in the core that can be siphoned off (i.e. you must already be producing the material for it to appear in the list). By enabling a given material, the Harvester will pull reactants from the core for ingot production. This is critical in the case of gold, as gold is a powerful reactor poison and failing to siphon it off can result in drastic temperature decreases. This may seem confusing at first, but the behavior is explained below in the Additional Reactions section.

= Setup =
Now that you understand the important components of the INDRA, we will discuss how to set it up at the start of the shift. It is initially in a completely inert state.

=== If you already have power supplied by the Supermatter Reactor: ===
* Ensure that the INDRA reactor is receiving external power; both the fusion core and gyrotron are heavy power consumers.
* From the INDRA gas storage locker, connect the 'Fusion Reactor Cold Ignition Mix' canister to one of the connector ports. This is a 50-50 mixture of Deuterium and Tritium, which is the only mixture that can start fusing at low temperatures.
* Set the core to '''Field Strength 20''', then turn on the fusion core.
* Set the gyrotron to '''Fire Delay 2''', '''Power 25''', then turn on the gyrotron. '''There may be an initial burst in instability when turning the reactor on - if you have allowed fuel to build up. This is fine, it should level out quickly.'''
* Enable the gas pump connecting the Fusion Reactor Cold Ignition Mix canister to the reactor core. By default, this pump is set to 10 kPa; this is fine, because very little gas is actually needed to feed the generator.
* Return to the monitoring room and watch the temperature and power rise on the fusion core console.
* Make sure that the instability is being managed by the gyrotron (less than 40%). A spike or two above 50% is possible, but again, it should level out quickly.
* Increase the gyrotron's power setting to 40. You can adjust this up or down based on your observation of reactor temperature and instability, along with fire delay, but you should always ensure that instability remains below 40%. If a spike past this occurs, increase gyrotron power and/or reduce fire delay.

=== If the shift has just started, or you otherwise have no available external power on the ship: ===
* The fusion core and gyrotron have a heavy power drain when operational. At round start, you will need to use the Advanced Portable Generator to jumpstart the reactor.
* To do this, also disable the Grid Output breaker as well as the Grid Output PSU's input while using the generator. This guarantees that the portable generator's power output only supplies the fusion core and gyrotron. '''Do not modify the settings of the breaker or PSU of the Containment Grid, located in the tiny room on the right side of the reactor chamber.'''
* Fuel the generator, set power output to any value between 1 and 4, and turn it on. The maximum output level, 5, causes it to overheat much faster and we don't need that much power.
* In the INDRA gas storage locker, connect the 'Fusion Reactor Cold Ignition Mix' canister to one of the connector ports.
* Set the core to '''Field Strength 20''', then turn on the fusion core.
* Set the gyrotron to '''Fire Delay 2''', '''Power 5''', then turn on the gyrotron.
* Enable the gas pump connecting the Fusion Reactor Cold Ignition Mix canister to the reactor core.
* Return to the monitoring room and watch the temperature and power rise on the fusion core console.
* Because the Advanced Portable Generator has a relatively low power output, the gyrotron must start at a low power state. '''As power output rises, you MUST also increase the gyrotron's Power setting as the fusion core starts producing more and more power. Stay in the monitoring room and keep nudging gyrotron power up as you see available power increasing.'''
* Once you have increased the gyrotron's power setting to 40 and it is firing regularly, go back into the reactor chamber and '''turn off the Advanced Portable Generator.''' If it runs for too long, it can overheat and explode. This is often bad for the reactor.
* With power output from the fusion reactor stable, you can again re-enable the Output Grid breaker bypass and/or PSU input.

You have now set up the INDRA for a deuterium-tritium reaction, which is the simplest power-positive reaction.

The power from the INDRA will not be fully utilized until you adjust the SMES. Make what upgrades you desire, but if nothing else at least make sure input and output are maximized.

=== What Does Disaster Look Like ===
Failure of the fusion core's magnetic containment field results in all the plasma contained in the core to be released into the atmosphere. This can occur either due to instability reaching 100% or by an emergency override shutdown on the main console.

At temperatures below 720000K, nothing else will occur; the gas can be vented out the back (using the core vent blast door controls mentioned below), or else it will quickly destroy the core containment chamber and fill the reactor with superheated gas.

At temperatures above 720000K, the magnetic containment field failure will also result in a powerful electromagnetic pulse (EMP) effect, scaling with the current plasma temperature. At extremely high temperatures, this can potentially EMP the entire ship.

This should be avoided, as EMPing the entire ship can result in mass casualties and/or getting yelled at by the Captain, Chief Engineer, and anyone else who knows you did it.

=== Emergency Shutdown Procedures ===
In the event that you need to shutdown the INDRA quickly follow these steps:

* Set the gyrotron to maximum (sustainable) power and minimum firing delay.
* Turn off all fuel injectors.
* Turn off both gas pumps.
* Monitor the fusion core temperature and instability; your goal now is to reduce gyrotron power to the lowest safe state (instability remaining below 40%).
* With no additional fuel being added, the INDRA will begin to cool; however, fusion chains will continue to occur for some time.
* The shutdown command from the fusion core will require override when temperatures are above 1000K, but the reactor can be shut down semi-safely while below 720000K.
* '''Shutting down the reactor will cause the gases currently in the magnetic field to be dumped into the core's atmosphere at their current temperature. Ensure the core vent blast doors are opened before doing this; the controls are located at the back of the INDRA reactor room.'''
* It is far preferable to allow the core to reach temperatures below 5000K before shutting it down, as this will prevent any damage to the superstructure.

= Additional Reactions =
The INDRA is not limited to hydrogen isotopes. There are a variety of fusion reactions that can be performed, with varying levels of danger and usefulness. While all reactor configurations rely on the initial 1:1 deuterium-tritium burn, many more primary power reactions are possible.

'''Your first and best resource for additional reactions is the in-game Fusion Codex app, available on Engineering PDAs and computer consoles.'''

=== Hydrogen Burning ===
Hydrogen only begins to fuse at 400000K, but is a powerful addition to a standard deut-trit mixture. Connecting a hydrogen can to the second available gas connector and enabling it after passing the 400000K plasma temperature mark will result in a marked jump in power.

=== Helium-3 Burning ===
Helium-3 is a very expensive fusion fuel, highly sought after because not only does it produce massive amounts of power when fusing, but it also does so extremely cleanly. Deuterium-tritium fusion produces massive amounts of radiation, but Helium-3 produces almost none in comparison, and is also far more stable. It requires a temperature of at least 3.2 million K to start fusing. Trace amounts of Helium-3 are generated by other fusion chains, but this is highly inefficient to rely upon compared to a direct feed. The Horizon comes with a single Helium-3 can available at shift start.

=== Iron Shot ===
Iron is a very useful reaction for the ship as a whole, but not so much the engineering department specifically. When inserting at least one hundred units of liquid iron (the kind you'd get from chemistry) or 5 iron ingots into the fuel compressor, you get an iron fuel rod, which can be inserted into the fuel injectors. Iron fuses with itself and creates instability spikes while generating lead, gold, silver, and platinum. Research and operations will be especially pleased to receive these, but there are two catches: one, iron only fuses above 2.8 million degrees. Two, every time it does, it will drastically cool the INDRA core (iron poisoning). Iron reactions are best paired with a Helium-3 burning to prevent it cooling down the core to uselessness. What's more, gold is an even stronger reactor poison than iron; failing to enable and configure the Kinetic Harvester to remove gold from the core can cause the reactor to quickly stall out. A clever engineer could also use this behavior to cool down a reactor that has gotten too hot.

=== Phoron Shot ===
The more dangerous little brother to the Iron reaction. With 5 phoron crystals, a phoron rod can be created that fuses with iron plasma above 4 million degrees. It generates osmium, borosilicate glass, and uranium. The first two are of dubious usefulness on the average shift, but research values uranium shipments highly. In exchange, phoron reactions spike instability quite high and saps core temperature much like iron reactions do. They can still be managed with a strong gyrotron even when being run with Helium-3 but have a little caution.

=== Other Reactions ===
There are other reactants available, but they are either of dubious usefulness, incredibly difficult to acquire, actively harmful, or all three. Oxygen, for instance, spikes radiation to lethal levels while generating no power. Metallic hydrogen fusion is the only fusion chain that has a negative instability coefficient, making it hugely useful for stabilizing otherwise unmanageable mixtures. For the mad or the outright evil, certain forms of supermatter crystal may fit into the fuel compressor, and a single Supermatter Fuel Rod is stored in the Secure Technical Storage vault. A Chief Engineer sufficient deranged could authorize its use with a good plan in place; or a nefarious engineer might take it upon themselves to experiment. Just remember to ahelp to confirm before potentially blowing up reactors as an antagonist!
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Supermatter Reactor

2026-03-05T22:42:13Z

Zha everything broken: Updates Stirling engine interface image to reflect new UI

=HELP IM THE ONLY ENGINEER=
[[File:Engineroomhorizon.png|thumb|The engine room on the Horizon. Middle click to open the picture in a new tab.]]{{toc_right}}So you're new and no one else has joined engineering and you have no idea how to setup the engine? Well first things first: '''don't panic!''' You could try waiting for an engineer to join and teach you... unless you've joined during deadpop hours, in which case, the following steps (color-coded for your convenience) will get the engine rolling quickly with minimal explanation. You should probably read the rest of this guide to understand how it works in greater detail once you're done:
*'''If everything is out of power, [[#Maintenance and Repairs|skip to here]].'''
#Before you start, go inside the room labelled Supermatter Reactor SMES. There should be a power storage unit inside the room; click on it and MAX the input and output on the power storage popup.
#Open a radiation PPE locker (found inside the airlock to the engine room) and retrieve a radiation suit, radiation hood, and safety goggles. The safety goggles are very important, as they will protect you from hallucinations from looking at the Supermatter Core.
#Retrieve four [[File:Hydrogen_canister.png]]hydrogen canisters from hard storage (the room with a big garage door perpendicular to the locker room) and move them to the engine room.
#Wrench all four of the canisters into the '''connectors''' near the door. There should be two canisters connected to the green pipes, and two canisters connected to the blue pipes. Turn on all four pumps; they should be MAXed by default, but in case they aren't, MAX them out.
#Directly to the left of the four connectors is a '''pump''' that is labelled Cooling Array to Generators. Turn it on and make sure it's MAXed out.
#*You do not have to open the canister valve on the canister UI. Don't worry about that.
#You should see the canisters beginning to empty. The indicator lights should begin to turn yellow, then red. All four Stirling engine circulators are probably also spinning. You don't need to wait for them to be empty for the Supermatter to start properly, but there should be some gas in the pipes first.
#Move over to '''the emitter''', the giant laser facing the crystal, and click on it to turn it on. Do not stand in front of the emitter. Keep track of how many times it has fired; you can shift-click to examine the emitter to see how many shots it has fired.
#After at least fifty (50) shots, turn '''the emitter''' back off by clicking on it. This set-up, with no other upgrades performed, can have up to fifty (120) shots in the core at a time.
#Close the '''SM core blast doors''' so that radiation doesn't spread to the rest of the engineering hallway.
Congratulations, you have successfully set up the engine, and everyone can enjoy their round on a powered ship! You're a hero! Unless you set something up wrong and now everything is either still out of power ''or'' in the process of exploding. For the former's case, refer to the [[#Maintenance and Repairs|quick diagnostic list]]. In the latter's case, head to [[#Emergency!|this section]].

=The Actual Guide=
Now, assuming you aren't new and actually know a bit of what you're doing, then this guide will attempt to accurately describe the intricacies and in-depth mechanics of most of the systems related to the SM engine, from the SM itself to the SMES units connected to it at the end of the line. An informed mind is one that can potentially save the ship from disaster!

==How It Works==
On the surface level, the default engine setup is very simple: SM is energized, SM heats up gas, gas goes to Stirling engines, Stirling engines exchange heat and produce power, power goes to the SMES, etc. The sections below will cover what makes each individual part tick.

===[[File:Supermatter.png]]The Supermatter===
See also: [[Phoron]] 
The Supermatter (often known as the SM) is a large crystal of tightly compacted Phoron with special properties. This particular crystal differs from typically large quantities of Phoron in that it is a semi-transparent yellow instead of an opaque purple, and it even glows. Another contrast is that the Supermatter is incredibly unstable, and is capable of vaporizing solid and liquid - and sometimes gaseous - matter in an instant (this includes you). It can even consume photonic energy in the form of lasers. This process usually results in the Supermatter becoming "energized", a state at which it will begin to slowly shed Phoron and oxygen particles (roughly at a ratio of ten moles of Phoron to one mole of oxygen, depending on the temperature of the environment), as well as radiate Gamma rays and produce incredible amounts of heat. It is also in this energized state that its visual appearance will distort in the minds of the beholder, assuming they are biologic (excepting Dionae), and will inexplicably stimulate the visual cortex of the brain to hallucinatory extremes. A footnote in its energized state is when high concentrations of oxygen are introduced, forcing the crystal to radiate a red glow instead of its usual yellow. Intermittently, the crystal will also cease glowing all together. This interaction between the SM and oxygen is poorly understood, but what is known is that the crystal will passively energize in its presence at a rate dependent on how much oxygen there is. Put simply, anything shot/thrown at the SM will energize it, producing heat and lethal amounts of radiation, and probably hallucinations.

Two factors that determine how energized a Supermatter crystal is are '''power''' and '''decay'''. Power represents how much energy has been projected into the SM, whether it be from an emitter or even large quantities of oxygen. Power determines how hot the crystal can get, how much radiation it emits, how far its hallucinatory effect travels, and how much Phoron and oxygen it will shed. Its power level also influences decay, and decay - in turn -, influences power: decay determines how fast the crystal's power level will drop. What this means is that an emitter shooting the SM constantly will eventually cause the SM's power and decay to reach an equilibrium state, a point that cannot be passed unless even more energy is projected at the SM.

The Supermatter in its default state does nothing unless you do something to energize it. It does not produce Phoron or oxygen, it does not radiate Gamma rays, it does not generate heat, and it does not cause hallucinations. Though viewing it without protection in an unenergized state is poor form, it is safe nonetheless. It is also safe to '''pull''' the SM around freely. It is not safe to walk into/against the SM, nor is it safe to click on it; this will disintegrate you immediately. Removing the SM from a crate in an environment with oxygen (such as a hallway or poorly maintained SM chamber) also isn't safe for the reasons outlined above.

While being basically space magic is all well and good for the purposes of generating power, it's also incredibly dangerous if not managed properly. Besides being able to heat up its surrounding atmosphere to rather high temperature extremes when energized, it is also capable of exploding spectacularly, known as a "delamination event". Most commonly this occurs when the crystal's structure begins to decay as a result of extremely high heat, particularly at '''five thousand Kelvin''' and above, and the SM will eventually detonate if this is not corrected. It can also decay if it is exposed to vacuum while energized. Though the Supermatter can be "damaged" in a way, it is also capable of regenerating itself if allowed an environment in which it can do so. It is prudent, then, to keep the SM from becoming over-energized and heating its environment up to a point where it can self destruct, a task that isn't that difficult since all Supermatter crystals provided by NT come with a device that will broadcast over the radio its status if it is concerning.

'''TL;DR''': Energizing the SM (shooting it with the emitter/a gun, or touching it with something else/yourself, or introducing oxygen to it) will make it produce heat and radiation, and start spewing Phoron and oxygen, and make you hallucinate without safety goggles. It begins to take damage at 5000 Kelvin (though the borosilicate windows in the core begin to break at 4273 Kelvin), and this damage scales with temperature. It can also take damage if exposed to vacuum (even 0.1 kPa of gas will save it) while energized. It will explode and irradiate the entire map if allowed to take damage for too long and everyone will get pissed at you, mostly because the SM itself will yell at you over the radio if it's taking damage.

===The Stirling engines===
[[File:Sterling Engine UI.png|right|thumb|Your typical Stirling engine UI in a state of moderate power output.]]Something much better understood compared to the SM are '''Stirling engines''', formerly referred to as thermoelectric generators or TEGs. The basic operating principle of any Stirling engine is that it uses the difference in temperature between gas to generate electricity, the result being power based on the difference and slightly colder/hotter gas. In practice, the Supermatter - when energized - will heat up its surrounding atmosphere to a rather high degree. These gases are then pumped into one of the turbines (the north one) on the Stirling engine, where it will exchange heat with the turbine on the opposite end (the south one) that ''hopefully'' has gas that is significantly colder. This turbine has gas being pumped in from a somewhat extensive radiator network in space, where it is slowly chilled. The two gases exchange heat with each other, producing energy, and the difference in temperature between the two is lowered slightly. Note that Stirling engines can safely produce up to five hundred kilowatts individually, beyond which they will begin to grow a little less consistent in their power generating capabilities. There is no danger in going above this threshold, however.

A Stirling engine also needs some sense of flow in order to function, meaning a turbine's input and output sharing the same pipe network without something to break it up will function rather poorly, if it functions at all. In particular, the turbine's input requires gas to be moved towards it specifically. Most commonly, a pump of some sort can be found connecting much of the cold loop to a small section of pipe connected to the turbine's input. While it may not be obvious, the hot loop does actually possess a pump in the form of a vent constantly scrubbing gas from the air. A TEG turbine has specific sides that its input or output can be found on, which can be found by simply examining the turbine.

In all honesty, most of the values shown in the UI aren't necessary at all to know except for output. If the Stirling engine's sprite looks green then all is well on the Stirling engine's end. Regardless, the values will be described anyway:
*'''Total Output''': The amount of power available that can be output into a wire. You even get a cool looking bar that shows how much power is being generated! Wow!
*'''Thermal Output''': The actual amount of power being generated. Due to inefficiencies with the system, some power is lost, hence the existence of the '''Total Output''' value.
*'''Turbine Output''': How much power the turbines themselves are generating, independent of thermal exchange. Probably.
*'''Flow Capacity''': Literal mystery number.
*'''Inlet/Outlet Pressure/Temperature''': The pressure and temperature of the inlet and outlet, measured in kilopascals and Kelvin respectively. As you can imagine, the inlet refers to the pipe network connected to the input of the Stirling engine, while the outlet refers to the pipe network on the output side. You can examine the turbines to see which side the input and output are on.

For more information on how gas interacts with the Stirling engines, refer to the [[#Coolant|coolant section]] of this guide.

===Gas and Heat===
[[File:Enginemonitor.png|right|thumb|The usual look of the engine cooling control monitor. Notice the presence of Nitrogen at the start of the shift.]]See also: [[Guide to Atmospherics]] 
So you have some fancy rock that could, by some metrics, be described as the spawn of some eldritch horror dwelling in the cosmos ''and'' some spiny machines that can make power from spicy interactions with said rock. Cool! But it won't just produce power right off the bat; no, you need to supply a medium that can be used to make the Stirling engine do Stirling engine things! The [[#Coolant|coolant subheading]] should be able to give you a brief summary of what gases do what! It even tells you about heat capacity, which is important, so go read it!

Of course it's not like the gases can just wangjangle all together in open air, that'd be weird! Instead, the gases are pumped into a series of pipe networks that flow into and out of the Stirling engines, as well as the SM core and the large radiator in space. They're even color coded: cyan is on the output end of the hot loop turbine, where it will be re-injected into the SM core to heat back up. The orange/brown loop is on the input end of the hot loop turbine, where it takes in hot gas from a vent pump siphoning gas from the SM core. The green loop is on the input end of the cold loop turbine, where the gases in the radiator network are pumped in. The black loop is on the output end of the cold loop turbine, where gases that were warmed up in the exchange of thermal energy are output into the radiator network to be cooled back down.

The pipes can be safely pressurized up to 70000 kPa - a figure that can be pretty hard to reach depending on the size of the pipe network -, beyond which the pipes might begin to '''explode'''. One of the biggest determining factors for pipe pressure is heat, particularly something called '''thermal expansion'''. In the context of gas in pipes, hot gas results in higher pressure. Higher pressures mean that atmospheric devices like pumps attempting to force gas from a lower pressure network into the higher pressure network can be slowed down significantly. The most immediately concerning thing that can result from this is the hot loop functioning at a very high pressure during an emergency, and being unable to inject significant amounts of dump coolant because the pump either cannot force the gas from a canister into the loop fast enough, or the pressure simply exceeds the pump's maximum possible target pressure setting. See the [[#Core Venting|core venting procedures section]] on how to deal with this.

With the above in mind, it's important to realize that pressure does not equal the amount of gas actually inside a medium. Gas quantity is measured in moles, which should be used as the real determining factor as to how much gas is inside a medium like a pipe network or a canister. Pressure and temperature can be measured with pipe meters, while moles (with pressure, temperature, and gas composition) can be measured with a gas analyzer.

Worth mention is something called the '''fire triangle'''. Put simply, the three corners of the triangle represent heat, fuel, and an oxidizer. If all three of these are present then a fire will occur. Conversely, if one of these elements is removed, then you have no fire: Phoron spewing out all around a room and some broken light is sparking, but there's no oxygen or N2O? No fire, no problems, simple as that! This principle may be important to keep in mind if you choose to run an engine that has an oxidizer in the hot loop.

Finally, to the right of the screen is the engine cooling control console screen. This will give you basic information such as the core's pressure (measured in kilopascals, kPa), its temperature (measured in Kelvin), and its gas composition (measured in percentages). The first section below these readouts is the controller for the gas injector (the device connected to the cyan loop). By default this device is turned on and set to the maximum volume setting, where it will ''attempt'' to inject gas at a rate of 700 L/s. Below this is the vent pump controller for the vent pump (the device connected to the orange loop). This device works a bit differently: its setting does not determine how fast it will siphon gas from the room it's in - that value is locked to 700 L/s as well -, instead the setting represents a threshold of pressure where it will begin siphoning once that threshold is crossed. By default it is set to 100 kPa, which is why the nitrogen at round start - resting at around 81 kPa - is sitting in the core and not populating the pipes. The maximum threshold value for this setting is 1000 kPa.

==Safety First==
Before entering the engine room you should always wear proper PPE. The following will suffice, and are always found inside radiation lockers:
*[[File:MGlasses.png]]'''Safety Goggles''' to prevent hallucinations from developing by looking at the SM. How do they work? Who knows...
*[[File:Radsuit.png]]'''Radiation PPE''' to keep you from receiving a lethal dose of radiation that can very easily kill you within minutes. Dionae and IPCs are exempt from wearing this.
As long as you have these two sets of items you are pretty much safe unless the engine room is either an inferno or vacuum. Certain [[Guide to EVA#Hardsuits|hardsuits]] and [[Guide to EVA#Voidsuits|voidsuits]] are immune to radiation as well if you need to wear those out of necessity.

==[[File:SMES.gif]]SMES Configuration==
There are two SMES units that are immediately relevant to the engine: the '''engine SMES''' and the '''main distribution SMES'''. The former is what receives power from the Stirling engines and powers the engine room APC directly as well as the emitter. If the output is not high enough, the emitter may not fire, or the APC may not have enough power to allow the pumps to operate. The other SMES also receives power from the Stirling engines, but it outputs to the rest of the ship. It should have its input maximized, since every kilowatt not used is another kilowatt wasted. The output can be adjusted as needed, of course, but one should take into account how populated the departments are and how much power the ship will need in general.

==Coolant==
An intrinsic property of matter - particularly gas, in SS13's case - is something called '''heat capacity''', a variable that determines how much energy it takes to increase the temperature of a substance. In the context of setting up the SM: how energized the SM needs to be in order for the gases in the hot/cold loops to actually rise in temperature. Heat capacity also factors into how power is generated with the Stirling engines; higher heat capacity allows a gas to hold more thermal energy, which means more energy can be transferred between the turbines, allowing more energy to be produced.
*[[File:Phoron_canister.png]]'''Phoron''': Arguably the most stable and safe gas to use, Phoron carries with it a stupidly high heat capacity, at least compared to most other available gases. There is a lot of leeway with this particular gas, making it easy to train new apprentices with. It's worth noting, though, that '''phoron is a fuel''', and can start fires. It is also '''a very scarce resource''', and its use should be rationed out carefully if it is actually used. The SM will generate Phoron passively as long as it is energized. This gas is viable for either the hot loop or the cold loop.
*[[File:Hydrogen_canister.png]]'''Hydrogen''': Second best gas to use with the second highest heat capacity, and it compares pretty well to Phoron, at least compared to the other gases. Like Phoron (sans all the wacky space magic that comes with it), Hydrogen '''is a fuel''', and can start fires. It is otherwise inert and safe to breathe as long as you don't light a match. This gas is viable for either the hot loop or the cold loop.
*[[File:Nitrous_canister.png]]'''Nitrous Oxide''': Not nearly as good as Phoron or H2 (in fact it's leagues below these two), it's still a respectable gas nonetheless. Its only caveat is that '''it is an oxidizer''', and it will start a continuous fire if used in the hot loop, though the heat generated from such isn't as bad as one might think. It can also knock people out if exposed to the atmosphere, but almost all of these gases are dangerous in high quantities anyway. This gas is viable for the cold loop, but less so for the hot loop unless it is monitored.
*[[File:Carbon_canister.png]]'''Carbon Dioxide''': ''Just'' under N2O in terms of heat capacity is CO2. This gas pretty much has nothing going for it other than that, but it's still way better than N2. You'll probably see this in the chamber anyway as a result of the SM producing Phoron and oxygen passively (which almost immediately burns up into CO2). This gas is viable for either the hot loop or the cold loop.
*[[File:Nitrogen_canister.png]]'''Nitrogen''': Lowest heat capacity, twined with oxygen, N2 ''has'' been regarded as the standard coolant for the SM engine, but the fact of the matter is that this is '''definitely no longer the case''', and N2 should really only be reserved for experimentation or as [[#Coolant Dump|emergency dump coolant]]. This gas is barely viable for anything.
*[[File:Oxygen_canister.png]]'''Oxygen''': Same heat capacity as N2, except '''it's also an oxidizer''' (obviously). Oxygen can also energize the SM. Because of this, using this in the hot loop will almost definitely result in a roaring, nearly uncontrollable blaze eventually. That's not to say that it can't be controlled, but this shouldn't be the first gas you look at for coolant. The SM will generate oxygen passively as long as it is energized. This gas is barely viable for anything.
*[[File:Air_canister.png]]'''Air''': Literally just 79% N2, 21% O2. Why would you use this. I mean, you have a lot of it, sure, but... why? For the reasons listed on the O2 section, using this is a terrible idea.

==[[File:Filter.gif]]Waste Processing==
[[File:Waste room.png|thumb|The Reactor Waste Management Room.]]

While this area and machinery doesn't impact SM performance ''too much'', it's a good idea to set it up anyway, otherwise Stirling engine performance might be negatively impacted, or worse. The filters up north are what will keep the coolant gas in the loop and the byproducts/gases you don't want out, pushing them towards the room to the north. By default, the filters are set to allow '''hydrogen''' through, so you don't need to change them at all unless you're doing a very strange setup. Incorrectly setting these filters will most likely result in the SM chamber slowly depressurizing until there is no gas left, or the gas leftover is so minuscule that it heats up to dangerous values instantly.

The room beyond these filters has a black pipe network known as the waste line. Inside are three pumps and two gas coolers. As it turns out, siphoning gas from the inferno of an engine chamber gives you '''very hot gas''' which has expanded considerably. This makes most atmospheric devices function slowly, particularly the devices in Atmospherics, assuming you turn on the Reactor to Mix pump.

Thus, it's a good idea to cool the gas down with the gas coolers. The simple way to set this up is to turn on both gas coolers to their default setting (which is room temperature, 20 Celsius), and maximize the Reactor to Mix pump. '''Don't turn on the Filter Bypass Pump or the Reactor to Scrubbers pump.''' The former will cause gas to filter from the Supermatter, which will cause it to delaminate, and the latter will send extremely hot gas to the scrubber pipeline, slowing it down.

Because of how the filters are setup, using two different gases in the hot loop isn't possible without modifications. Why you would bother using more than one gas in the hot loop is a mystery, but it is worth mentioning.

==[[File:Emitter.png]]Turn It On==
Once everything is all said and done - the pipes are full of gas, the filters are filtering properly, the cold loop pump is turned on, and the Stirling engines look like they're working -, it's time to turn this sucker on! Assuming you didn't use oxygen in the hot loop (why would you), the SM should be in an inert state, ready to be energized by this big ol' laser thing, '''the emitter'''. The emitter is basically a very high power laser that fires in bursts of four. Because of how the SM's power and decay function (described in [[#The Supermatter|this section]]), each shot to the SM will be functionally weaker than the last, though this effect is really only noticed if you shoot beyond fifty shots. Speaking of shots, an important variable in an engine setup is how many shots the emitter takes, which you should probably be counting. If you managed to lose count, don't sweat it: you can examine the emitter to see how many times it has fired.

The emitter is connected directly to the engine SMES; it does not receive power from an APC, it must be wired into a powered grid directly. That grid specifically requires thirty kilowatts in order for the emitter to fire. In the context of the engine power grid, the engine SMES output should probably be set far above this value so as to take into account the power draw of the engine room APC.

==Emergency!==
'''Most of the techniques beneath this subheading assume the engine room is powered. If it is not, head to [[#Maintenance and Repairs|this section]], then come back here.''' So for your first or second go-around, the SM seems like a pretty complex and cruel engine, but that's only half true: in fact, compared to all of the other engines in the code, the SM is actually incredibly forgiving: it takes more than a few minutes to blow up during which it can be saved, it yells over the radio if it begins to take damage, it yells loudly over the radio if it's about to blow, and its scale of destruction - while discouraging - hardly compares to the level of chaos that something like the singularity or tesla can cause. Now that we know that not all hope is lost and that you can easily rescue the engine, it's time to get to work!

Firstly, the biggest thing that can go wrong with the engine is the SM overheating. This occurs when the temperature of the core exceeds 5000 Kelvin, a value that can be gleaned by looking at one of the engine core control consoles. What exactly causes it to reach that temperature can be based on a variety of things: poor coolant choice, over energization, coolant backup, missing pipes to name just a few. The sections below will cover how to correct this.

===[[File:Nitrogen_canister.png]]Coolant Dump===
'''Assuming the pipes are not pressurized beyond 15000 kPa''', dumping a random coolant (like nitrogen) into the hot loop via the canister connector has proven to be quite effective. How it works is it takes a room temperature gas (usually 20C, unless you chilled it before hand) and introduces it to an incredibly hot inferno. The thermal difference between the new coolant and the old coolant is huge, and it will cool down the core almost instantly. As a bonus, the dump coolant (assuming it isn't the same gas that you set the engine up with) will gradually filter out of the loop via the filters, keeping everything nice and clean once all is said and done. This, of course, is not a permanent solution, but it will buy you a lot of time. There are four N2 canisters sitting around in the corner of the engine room, ready to be used as dump coolant.

You can, of course, inject more of the gas you used during setup, but for obvious reasons this will offset the balance you set the engine up with... not that it matters that much, probably. If you care about ratios that much, just do the above.

===[[File:Manualvalve.png]]Coolant Valves===
The white squares [[#top|shown in the picture of the engine room at the top of the page]] are the emergency coolant mix valves. These will join the hot and cold loops together to allow the hot loop - the gas that is probably incredibly hot - to be cooled down, at least initially, with the gas from the cold loop, and also cool it off with the radiator network. This will almost certainly result in the Stirling engines power production being killed off, and will invariably disrupt your gas ratios if you really care about them. This solution is a little more long term than dump coolant, but you should make sure your SMES units have enough power to function while maintenance is being conducted on the SM.

Using the mix valves when you're using '''two different types of coolant''' is a much harder endeavor. Unless the filters are turned off, all of your cold loop gas will eventually be filtered out. Even if the emergency is handled, you'll be stuck with two different gases in at least one of your loops. Just something to keep in mind.

===Direct Cooling: Maverick Style===
First two methods aren't getting you anywhere, or the pipes were sabotaged in such a way to prevent them from working? Well, this is it everyone. I guess engineering is going to explode now.

Well, maybe if you're a ''quitter''. Throw on a voidsuit and grab an extinguisher and inflatable door. <s>Break into the CE's office</s> Politely ask the CE to unbolt the engine hatches (they may need to press the button twice for it to actually unbolt), setup an inflatable door outside one of the hatches, open the hatch up, and let loose with the extinguisher foam. The result is the room cooling down to such an extreme that you might wonder how you can even wield such power. The day is saved and the SM won't be exploding for a while. Now that that's done, you should probably get the heck out of there since your voidsuit most likely doesn't shield you from as much radiation as you'd like.

===Core Venting===
If you've managed to determine that the gas used in the core just simply sucks and can't support the energized state of the SM, it's probably time to just swap to a different gas all together. Or maybe the hot loop is pressurized well over 15000 kPa and you can't inject any dump coolant. First you should set the filters to the new gas that you plan to use so that you don't waste any when you begin injecting it. This will slowly filter the core's old coolant out, but this is going to be way too slow and the SM will probably blow up before you can actually inject a new coolant, thus we will just '''vent the core''' instead. The button up north next to the nitrogen canisters behind a glass window (that you can smash easily) is what will open up the core vent to space, which will rapidly drain the core of all gases. As long as the core has ''some'' pressure, the amount of damage it takes won't spike terribly as a result of being exposed to vacuum. You or another engineer should confirm that the vent is actually open by checking on the camera inside. Once the gases have been drained sufficiently, close the vent and start dumping in the new coolant into the hot loop. If all well and good then the day is saved and you don't have to worry about anything else. Good job!

==Ejection==
'''This is the last resort'''. If the engine room is already somehow blown up, the core cannot be secured in time, and/or many of the pipes are missing and you are very short on time, then maybe it's time to consider ejecting the SM to save the engine room from exploding and saving other people the trouble of being blasted with radiation. You will notice that the SM rests on a mass driver, basically a slingshot. When activated, this will send the SM flying. For obvious reasons, the core vent should be wide open before attempting to use this. The button for the vent can be found on the northern end of the room next to the nitrogen canisters, while the button for ejecting the core is in the CE's office. Considering the severity of the situation, no one will really blame you if you decide to break in and launch the SM out yourself, assuming you really are out of options.

Note that the SM takes damage if it is powered and exposed to vacuum. Because of this, you must either be swift or accurately coordinate the SM's ejection so that it doesn't blow up before you launch it.

===Something Went Wrong!===
The mass driver does not know whether or not the vent is open, it just drives mass, that is all it does. Hitting the mass driver before the vent is open will just launch the SM into the blast door and nothing will happen. This severely complicates everything since now you must place the SM back onto the mass driver in order to eject it properly. Yes, this means you have to go into the core yourself to pull it back into position. Yes, you will probably die. Regardless, put on a voidsuit (an atmos suit would be best, otherwise refer to [[#Direct Cooling: Maverick Style|this section]] to make sure you don't melt too bad), get the engine hatches unbolted (the button to do so is in the CE's office. Unless they have been unbolted in the past, you will need to hit the button twice because BYOND sucks), setup an inflatable door outside a hatch, turn your magboots on, and get on in there. '''Pull''' the SM back into position, namely the middle of the core where the mass driver is. Make sure the vent is open and hit the ejection button in the CE's office once more and hope for the best.

If the mass driver was somehow destroyed or no longer functions, you will have to eject the Supermatter yourself, with your bare hands. Open the vent, enter the core, '''pull''' the SM and head down the carved path until you reach a large hole in the floor. Set the SM up next to the hole and grab anything to throw at it. The impact of the item against the SM will push it into the hole, saving engineering, yourself, and many others.

==Troubleshooting and Repairs==
For a number of reasons, the Supermatter cannot run indefinitely without periodic input, as its power will eventually decay to the point that the gas that it heats up is not enough to generate meaningful amounts of power. However, given that rounds don't often last more than two hours and atmos processes slower than the time it takes for sauerkraut to ferment (at least three days, by the way), this whole problem won't make itself manifest. In the rare event that this does happen, just turning the emitter on for a few seconds to re-energize the crystal will suffice.

If that doesn't fix your issue, read on.

===No Power!===
Arrived to the shift late and there's no other engineers, or they're totally clueless and neglected to read the wiki? All of the SMES units in engineering have depowered to the point that nothing works? '''Well!''' Guess it's time to cold start the engine!

# Locate a PACMAN portable generator along with the fuel to run it. At least one can be found in Engineering Hard Storage, along with some graphite sheets to power it.
# Head to the Supermatter SMES Chamber, turn off input on the SMES, and wrench the PACMAN directly over the main SMES unit's input terminal (there's a wire knot there leading to the engine SMES input terminal as well).
# Feed it fuel and turn it on.
# Assuming the engine SMES input is on (it is by default, otherwise use RCON to turn it back on) and no one snipped any wires between the main SMES and the engine SMES ([[Traitor|very strange behavior]]) then bam, power.
# Hit the door bolt button and continue engine setup from there.

===Missing Pipes===
If a pipe goes missing then something has gone terribly, terribly wrong. It's more likely, however, that a meteor managed to smash into the radiator network and take out one or two heat exchange pipes, which will invariably sever the link between the output and input ends of the cold loop turbine. Though there are grilles surrounding the coolant network to hopefully prevent this from happening, there's no guarantee that it won't happen; it may be prudent to check on the radiator network after meteors decide to crash through.

Repairing the missing pipe sections is simple but time sensitive. If you have a handheld pipe dispenser then this process is made that much more easy. Just EVA out, dispense the correct pipe, rotate it as needed, and wrench it in. If you do not have a handheld dispenser then you will need to document all missing pipe segments and vend them out of a normal pipe dispenser, which is a bit more tedious and time consuming.

===Core Underpressure===
If the engine core is inexplicably dropping in pressure, then there's a good chance that something has either exposed the engine room to space, or the hot loop is dumping gas somewhere else (like the waste loop). Checking if the core was breached is a simple enough process, and checking if the pipes are emptying themselves is as simple as checking everything that the network connects to, particularly the gas filters.

===Poor Power Production===
Stirling engines aren't producing much power? First you should determine whether or not both turbines are spinning. If they are, then gas is flowing fine. If they aren't, then something has stopped the flow of gas, or the gas has disappeared.

Ensure the filters are running properly if the hot loop mysteriously empties. For the cold loop, ensure the cold loop pump is maxed and turned on. For the hot loop, ensure that the air injector and vent pump are both functioning; the injector will have a red light if it is not, and the vent won't animate if it is off. They can be turned on via the [[#Gas and Heat|engine coolant control console]] in the monitoring room. If the Stirling engines still aren't producing power in spite of there being flowing gas, make sure the SM is actually energized. In other words ''make sure the hot loop is hot''. If the round has dragged on long enough, or you just didn't shoot it enough, then it probably isn't generating enough heat. If all else fails, refer to the [[#Missing Pipes|missing pipes]] section above.

===Broken Windows or Containment===
So the SM got too hot and broke all the windows? Let's hope you turned down the Engine Core blast doors. If you did, it's not the end of the world, and the Supermatter is still safely contained so long as the blast doors are not raised. You should probably make sure the SM isn't on its way to delamination during this whole process, but if the windows are only damaged instead of broken, then you actually can repair them. Note that the usual reinforced borosilicate windows take damage at ''4273 Kelvin''.

==== How to Repair a Window ====
# Set up inflatable doors right up against your working area.
# Alt click the turf to bring up turf view - a tab that shows you every single item - so that you can work on what you want easily.
# [[Guide to Construction#Windows|Deconstruct the damaged window]] ('''making sure that there's another window in the same place first''') and build a new one. Alternatively, splash some [[Guide to Chemistry#Silicate|silicate]] on it if you really want.
# Move the window panes back around to make sure it's nice and flush, and remember to secure them back in place.

As for walls, well... if they're breached then something's gone very wrong. Regardless, you should always build '''reinforced''' walls with plasteel, otherwise you'll have a wall with a very low melting point!

{{Engineering}}
{{Guides}}
[[Category:Engineering]]
[[Category:Guides]]
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File:Sterling Engine UI.png

2026-03-05T22:40:46Z

Zha everything broken:

The UI for a Stirling engine generating a moderate amount of power.

Guide to Atmospherics

2026-03-05T22:38:25Z

Zha everything broken: TEGs have been renamed 'Stirling engines' in game as of #21933

[[File:Atmosproper.png|right|thumb|500px|Your department. Click to bring up a larger version.|link=https://wiki.aurorastation.org/images/e/e3/Atmosproper.png]]{{toc_right}}Welcome to Atmospherics, where you can supply the entire ship with breathable oxygen, [[Traitor|unless you decide you don't want to]]. The primary function of this maze of pipes and gas is to distribute breathable air throughout the ship efficiently, and to restore air to depressurized - but hopefully air-tight - rooms. Its secondary function is to process contaminant gases captured by the scrubber network and sort the gas accordingly into one of many chambers.

If you are new to all of this, or even an [[Engineer]] who has never touched atmospherics, then this can seem complex and intimidating to look at. Do not be afraid; what initially seems like a large amount of complex information is easily readable once the basics are understood. Alongside that will be this guide to help you out. '''You are by no means required to read all of this to start messing around with pipes''', or even to join as an [[Atmospheric Technician]]. The goal of this guide is to elaborate on how every device works, allowing you to use this as a ''reference'' to determine what pipe does what and what pipe might be best to use in your setup.

==Guide to Pipe Colors==
So there's a lot of pipes with a bunch of colors and they all look really important. It's true that all of the colored pipes - which represent different pipe networks - have their place in the department, but not all of them are strictly necessary to produce gas. Here's all of the important colors, though note that some colors are the same as the chamber they correlate to:
*'''Air Mix:''' The dark blue pipes near the N2, O2, and Air chambers represent the air mix loop, and these pipes are the most important: they're the ones that contain the [[#Air|air mix]], which is combined at a [[#Gas Mixer|mixer]] set to specific percentages to ensure that the gas everyone breathes is, in fact, breathable. Tampering with the mixer is ill-advised, as is modifying this network in such a way that it will not be able to reach the [[#Distribution|distribution network]].
*'''Distribution:''' Equally important is this blue network, which begins south of the four main chambers in atmos and is spread across the entire ship, and is its own type of pipe. This massive network of pipes is what will actually distribute the air that it receives from the [[#Air Mix|air mix loop]] and send it all towards [[#Unary Vent|vents]] placed all around the Horizon, ensuring every room remains at [[#Pressure|optimal pressure]].
*'''Scrubber:''' This red pipe comes in from the west side of atmos, and is its own type of pipe. These pipes are part of the scrubber network and, as you can imagine, much of this network is comprised of [[#Scrubber|scrubbers]]. The end of this line - where all of the scrubber pipe contents are pumped out towards - is the [[#Filtering|filtering line]].
*'''Filtering:''' These black pipes are part of the ''filtering network'', a pipe line connected to the [[#ScrubberN|scrubber network]] that leads to [[#Gas Filter|filtering devices]] which will filter a select gas out of the line and output it into a large storage chamber full of that same gas. If the gas type does not match then it'll continue down the line until it eventually does reach where it's meant to go. If, somehow, it reaches the end of the line and doesn't match any of the filtering criteria then it will just be output into the [[#Mix|mix loop]].
*'''Mix''': This line is a bit odd, but its intended function is to provide a pipe network that you can pump any of the gases in atmos into, allowing you to make custom mixes and letting you warm them up or cool them down. Using this line isn't necessary for Atmos to function, but it's good to use as a test bed of sorts if you'd like to experiment with how devices interact with pipe networks. Note that part of this network is colorless.

==Principles and Concepts==
Gas is surprisingly complex, and it should be in a game that's been dedicated to gas simulations since its inception. On the surface level it doesn't really seem like there's a lot going for it; the ship is filled with air, sometimes that air disappears, and there's crazy numbers on the wacky gas canisters that hold stuff. Here we'll describe what makes gas, gas, so that you know exactly what you're breathing!

===Pressure===
Pressure, put simply and in the context of atmos, is the amount of force exerted by a gas on its surroundings/container: a canister, an oxygen tank, a hallway... these are all containers. More commonly, pipes are usually what will contain and distribute gas throughout the ship. High pressure gas inside a container that is allowed access to another container at a lower pressure - no matter how significant - will ''always'' try to balance itself across the two containers and make them both equal.

There are a number of things that go into calculating pressure, but for the most part, every programmed gas is considered an "ideal gas" (the molecules that make up the gas do not interact with each other), therefore 200 [[#Moles|moles]] of [[#PH|Phoron]] will pressurize a canister to the same level as 200 moles of any other gas at the same temperature. Just because a large room maintains an air pressure of 1 atm doesn't mean it has less gas than a canister with 3 atm of air. On the contrary, depending on the [[#Volume|size of the room and the canister]], the room can have [[#Moles|significantly more gas molecules]] than the canister.

Almost everything that takes readings of gas will measure it in Kilopascals (kPa), or one thousand Newtons of force exerted upon one square meter. Another potential unit of measurement will be the Standard Atmosphere (atm), which is 101.325 kPa. One Atmosphere represents the standard pressure of Earth's air pressure at sea level, and is the pressure that all vents connected to the [[#Distribution|distro loop]] will try to maintain by default. 2 atm will be roughly 202 kPa, for example.

Fun fact: though not simulated in SS13, lower pressures reduce the boiling point for a lot of matter. Water can boil if exposed to an atmosphere of 10 kPa or lower while only sitting at room temperature. Blood can also boil this way. Don't get exposed to vacuum in real life!

====Delta P====
Delta P (ΔP), also known as the difference in pressure, is something one should always be aware of when dealing with hard vacuum and/or high pressures. Delta P can be dangerous in situations both big and small, namely when attempting to access a room at a much lower pressure than the one you are accessing it from, and attempting to modify pipes containing high pressure gas respectively. As mentioned above, a gas that is allowed access to a medium at a lower pressure will always try to balance itself across the two mediums, but what wasn't mentioned is how violent this can get: two rooms with an open door and very little pressure difference will suffer a small breeze at worst, but opening a door to space in a pressurized environment can be downright ''explosive'', that is to say, you will almost definitely get ejected into space at a very high speed. If you're lucky then you'll be knocked over at a minimum, and maybe slam into a wall or two.

This same principle applies to pipes as well, in a way. While airlocks have powerful motors that can force themselves open during pretty much any circumstance as long as they're allowed to open and powered, you do not; a pipe pressurized to the extreme '''cannot be modified in any way''', it is stuck, and the force of the pressure is too great to knock the pipe away from the rest of the network. Unless you have a [[#Relevant Tools|pipe wrench]], you won't be able to modify a pipe unless the pipe's internal pressure (the pressure of the gas inside the pipe) is brought closer to the pipe's ambient pressure (the pressure of the room around the pipe). '''The exact point where a pipe cannot be modified without a pipe wrench is when the difference between the pipe's pressure and its surroundings exceeds 202 kPa (2 atm).''' For the sake of example, a pipe pressurized to 2 atm cannot be modified if the pipe is exposed to vacuum (0 atm).

===Temperature===
Temperature is another important factor in determining how a gas behaves. Its most basic factor is that hotter gases will expand - or increase in pressure - while cooler gases will contract - or decrease in pressure. Remember that pressure does not equal mass; there is nothing being taken away when you heat or cool a gas, [[#Moles|there is still a set amount of gas molecules in play]]. Interestingly enough, temperature's relationship with pressure is '''linear''' as long as the volume is kept constant; they're proportional to each other. You can calculate this change with [[#Math|Gay-Lussac's Law]] down below.

All temperature readings are given in either Celsius (C) or Kelvin (K). The two are easily interchangeable since Kelvin is just Celsius plus 273.15. Celsius is easy to use because its upper and lower bounds are easy to remember: 0C is the freezing point for water while 100C is the boiling point for water. Kelvin, on the other hand, is used for more precise measurements; 0K (also known as Absolute Zero) is the minimum theoretically possible temperature, that is to say, '''it cannot physically be reached'''.

Obviously a lot more comes into play with temperature: most sentient beings inhabiting the ship don't like temperatures that can boil or freeze water, and would prefer to breathe '''room temperature air''' maintained at '''20 Celsius''', or 293.15 Kelvin, the temperature that most atmospheric devices are set to by default. Temperatures that deviate greatly from this can have an undesirable effect on the crew.

====Molar Heat Capacity====
Temperature is kinda crazy, but did you know that different forms of matter heat up at different speeds when exposed to thermal energy? In our case, a room full of [[#PH|Phoron]] being heated up by an energized [[#Supermatter Engine|Supermatter crystal]] will take longer to reach a temperature of 5,000 Kelvin versus that same room and Supermatter filled with [[#N2|Nitrogen]] instead because Phoron has a specific heat value of 200 while nitrogen only has a value of 20. Conversely, Phoron heated up to 5,000K will take much longer to cool down versus Nitrogen heated to the same temperature undergoing the same process.

As a real life example, compare a spoon made of aluminum versus a small glass of water, pretending that the glass itself doesn't factor into any of this besides being a storage medium ''and'' the water is the same mass as the spoon. If you held a lighter to the spoon for five minutes and touched it, you would probably burn yourself. Conversely, if you did the same thing to that glass of water, it would only feel warm by comparison. This is because H2O has a much higher molar heat capacity than something like aluminum, and is why water is often used to put simple fires out; because the energy required to heat that water up far outweighs the energy that can be produced by that fire, assuming its fuel is susceptible to getting wet.

===Volume===
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="float:right; text-align:center; border: 3px solid #ccddcc; cellspacing=0; cellpadding=2;"
! scope="col" style="width:150px;"|Container
! scope="col" style="width:150px;"|Volume
|-
!Emergency Oxygen Tank
|2L
|-
!Extended Emergency Tank
|6L
|-
!Double Emergency Tank
|10L
|-
!Oxygen/Anesthetic Tank
|70L
|-
!Jetpack
|70L
|-
!Hydrogen/Phoron Tank
|70L
|-
!Hydroponics Tray
|100L
|-
!Portable Scrubber
|750L
|-
!Portable Air Pump
|1000L
|-
!Canister
|1000L
|-
!Turf
|2500L
|}
Volume, put simply, is a container's capacity, more specifically just how much gas the container can hold. A container with a volume of 70L can hold more gas molecules than a container that only holds 20L. Even if the container with the smaller volume has a higher pressure, that doesn't necessarily mean it has more gas, it just means there's more force being exerted inside the smaller container. You can look into this specific relationship by using [[#Math|Avogadro's Law]] down below. Volume is always measured in Liters (L) unless it's a liquid, then it's measured in some mystery units or something. There's really not much else to explain here, but to the right is a table showing the volume of every gas container besides pipes, [[#Pipes and Devices|which can be referenced here]].

===Moles===
The only true way to measure how much gas is actually in a container, Moles (n) will tell you how many gas molecules are in a medium. Moles, as you've hopefully learned in chemistry or physics class, is 6.022*10^23 molecular objects (Avogadro's Constant). Unless you're still stuck in biology, in which case, they're just wacky subterranean mammals to you. Unlike [[#Pressure|pressure]] and [[#Volume|volume]], moles are the surefire way to determine exactly how much gas is in a container since it, in itself, is unaffected by pressure, temperature, or volume.

The main importance of moles and molar mass is with regards to the thrusters - a higher molar mass provides more thrust for each burn. Besides this, the molar mass of a gas only really plays into how fast a pump will operate with the gas in question. Higher molar mass means that the pump will operate slower. Does this actually matter? Usually no, but there are a few edge cases.

Molar masses are listed under the Gas Gas Gas section below.

==Math==
Everything under this heading assumes that [[#Pressure|pressure (P)]] is measured in kilopascals, [[#Volume|volume (V)]] in liters, [[#Moles|moles (n)]] in... well, moles, and [[#Temperature|temperature (T)]] in Kelvin. The ideal gas constant (R) will always be 8.314 as dictated in the code.
*'''Boyle's Law''': '''PV=R''' or Pressure * Volume = 8.314, basically this law represents the relationship between pressure and volume. For example, if you were to double the volume of a canister, you would get half the pressure.
*'''Charles's Law''': '''V=RT''' or Volume = 8.314 * Temperature, simply put temperature is proportional to volume if moles and pressure are kept at a constant.
*'''Avogadro's Law''': '''V=Rn''' or Volume = 8.314 * Moles, volume is proportional to moles when temperature and pressure are held constant.
*'''Gay-Lussac's Law''': '''P/T=R''' or Pressure / Temperature = 8.314, temperature and pressure are proportional to each other assuming the other factors are constant.
All of the above can combine into the following equation:
*'''Ideal Gas Law''': '''PV=nRT''' or Pressure * Volume = Moles * 8.314 * Temperature, the end-all to the most basic of gas calculations to determine the behavior of gas factoring in a number of things. If you know all of these numbers but one then you can do some simple cross division to figure it out.

==Simulated vs Unsimulated Turf==
In SS13's code there is a distinction made between two types of turf: simulated turf and unsimulated turf. Simulated turf enables a lot of things, like lighting and construction, but most importantly it allows for gas calculations, meaning that this turf can be manipulated pretty much any way you want. This comes at the cost of being slightly resource intensive, at least when compared to its unsimulated counterpart, which does not process lighting, doesn't let you construct anything, and does not process gas; the gas that it's programmed is the gas that it maintains, and it has an infinite supply of this gas. The most obvious example of unsimulated turfs is centcomm: almost everything there, in order to save memory, is unsimulated since it's not a normal playspace. Another example is the asteroid, except an exception was made to allow it to process lighting and allow construction. It's vacuum state, however, will never change.

Getting to the point here, if an unsimulated turf is adjacent to simulated turf (namely floors), and that unsimulated turf isn't vacuum, then the unsim turf will keep the sim turf pressurized forever, resulting in an infinite supply of that gas. How likely you are to find unsim turf with special gas properties is very unlikely, but now you know.

==ZAS==
ZAS stands for Zone Atmospherics System, and is the atmos model that Aurora (and many other Baystation forks) use. It's primary distinction versus LINDA (the atmos model that most TG Station forks use) and FEA (Finite Element Analysis, only Goonstation uses it now) is that instead of performing atmospheric calculations for every single turf and generally being slow to the point that you can literally outrun a room depressurizing, ZAS will group turfs together based on whether or not air is allowed to flow between all of them and designate them as separate zones. This allows for larger and faster changes in atmosphere while being rather resource friendly. It also behaves a bit more realistically when it comes to rapid pressure changes. The tradeoff is that something like a canister of gas being opened in a room will flood the entire room with that gas instantly instead of spreading out over time. If you come from a non-Baystation forked server then this information may be privy to keep in mind.

==Types of Gas==
[[File:CanisterUI.png|right|thumb|Your typical canister UI.]]This section here covers most possible gases that can enter the atmosphere.
*[[File:Oxygen_canister.png]]'''Oxygen (O₂)''': Oxygen is some crazy gas that most living things decided would be necessary to actually live, so now we're forced to breathe it, but not too much of it or you'll suffer oxygen poisoning and seizures. It's also evil, and it's required to start fires. Has a heat capacity value of 20, and a molar mass of 0.032 kg/mol.
*[[File:Nitrogen_canister.png]]'''Nitrogen (N₂)''': Nitrogen is a gas that pretty much no one cares about and our bodies don't metabolize it, yet it makes up about 79% of our atmosphere and is inert. Interesting! Has a heat capacity value of 20, and a molar mass of 0.028 kg/mol.
*[[File:Air_canister.png]]'''Air (Air)''': Actually just a mix of two gases at a concentration of 79% N₂ and 21% O₂, but it's this exact mixture that allows us to breathe normally. Theoretically you could replace the nitrogen with another inert gas and we'd still breathe just fine. If you want to sound like a nerd then call it nitrox.
*[[File:Steam_canister.png]]'''Steam (H₂O)''': Sweet, life-giving water! Except, in a hot, gaseous, potentially dangerous state. If you're exposed to this without protection, it will cause burns. (This should be produced from the combustion of Hydrogen, but this is not implemented yet.) Has a heat capacity value of 30, and a molar mass of 0.020 kg/mol.
*[[File:Carbon_canister.png]]'''Carbon Dioxide (CO₂)''': Carbon Dioxide is well known for being what we exhale out of our lungs, and it also usually comes about from a lot of combustion reactions. CO₂ is toxic to crew in partial pressure concentrations of 7 kPa or greater. Has a heat capacity value of 30, and a molar mass of 0.044 kg/mol.
*[[File:Sulphurdioxide_canister.png]]'''Sulphur Dioxide (SO₂)''': Sulphur Dioxide is a colourless, sharp-smelling gas that is typically a byproduct of the combustion of fossil fuels and volcanic eruptions. It acts as an irritant and can cause respiratory problems and irritation. SO₂ is typically not found on the SCCV Horizon, but can be found on exoplanets. Has a heat capacity value of 30, and a molar mass of 0.044 kg/mol.
*[[File:Nitrous_canister.png]]'''Nitrous Oxide (N₂O)''': No, it's not N₂0, it's N₂O. Jamming twenty nitrogen atoms together would be stupid. Regardless, Nitrous Oxide is often seen as a "sleep agent" in that its effect on most biological bodies is anesthetic. It is also an oxidizer, so it is capable of starting fires if there is fuel present. Has a heat capacity value of 40, and a molar mass of 0.044 kg/mol.
*[[File:Chlorine_canister.png]][[File:Chlorine_canister_antag.png]]'''Chlorine (Cl₂)''': Chlorine is a yellow-green, noncombustible gas with a pungent, irritating odor. It is a strong oxidizing agent and can react explosively in the presence of flammable gasses. It also has a contaminating effect, seeping into and staining objects and clothing exposed without protective gear. Extremely dangerous, highly toxic and caustic, and with a history of being used as a chemical weapon in [[Earth|Earth's]] past, Chlorine is not found on the SCCV Horizon, but can be present through [[Traitor|certain means]], or if brought back from an exoplanet atmosphere by [[Shaft Miner|somebody who made]] [[Xenoarcheologist|a mistake with]] [[Bridge Crewman|shuttle airlocks]]. Has a heat capacity value of 5, and a molar mass of 0.017 kg/mol.
*[[File:Hydrogen_canister.png]]'''Hydrogen (H₂)''': Hydrogen, the most common element in the universe, is an extremely light gas that is inert and pretty much safe to breathe. It also happens to be a fuel, and its combustion leads to the formation of water. Isn't that interesting? Water can be described as the ashes of Hydrogen combusting! (This is not currently implemented however, and H₂ combustion will produce CO₂ like any other fire.) Has a heat capacity value of 100, and a molar mass of 0.002 kg/mol.
*[[File:Deuterium_canister.png]]'''Deuterium (²H)''': Deuterium is a stable isotope of Hydrogen, is inert and safe to breathe, and is an important resource for nuclear fusion. While not as common as Hydrogen, Deuterium is still incredibly abundant in the universe, being easily harvested from sea water. Also like Hydrogen, it is extremely flammable, but typically is not found on the SCCV Horizon in gaseous form outside of an active INDRA fusion reactor, or occasionally on exoplanets. Has a heat capacity value of 80, and a molar mass of 0.004 kg/mol.
*[[File:Tritium_canister.png]]'''Tritium (³H)''': Tritium is an unstable isotope of Hydrogen, and is also incredibly rare, requiring nuclear fission or advanced [[Guide to Mining#Furnace 101|mining refinement]] to produce quantities sufficient for energy generation, but is an important resource for nuclear fusion. It is incredibly flammable like Hydrogen and Deuterium, and if that wasn't bad enough, is radioactive. Fortunately it is typically not found in gaseous form on the SCCV Horizon outside of an active INDRA fusion reactor, or occasionally on exoplanets. Has a heat capacity value of 60, and a molar mass of 0.006 kg/mol.
*[[File:Helium_canister.png]]'''Helium (He)''': Helium is a colourless, odourless, tasteless, and inert gas that is safe to breathe, and is an important resource for nuclear fusion. It's much lighter than air, and is also probably what you commonly associate with balloons, birthday parties, and squeaky voices. Has a heat capacity value of 80, and a molar mass of 0.004 kg/mol.
*[[File:Boron_canister.png]]'''Boron (B)''': Boron is a metalloid, and is a very important and potentially very dangerous resource for nuclear fusion. Generally safe and chemically inert, Boron poses little risk to crew if it leaks into the air. Has a heat capacity value of 11, and a molar mass of 0.011 kg/mol.
*[[File:Phoron_canister.png]]'''Phoron (PH)''': The mystery magic space gas. What does it do? Who knows, find out yourself! A few things that it does do, though, is poison most organics, contaminate items and clothing when protective equipment isn't worn, and make you go blind. It's also a fuel, and an '''expensive one''' at that given the scarcity crisis. Has a heat capacity value of 200, and a rather chunky molar mass of 0.405 kg/mol.

==Relevant Tools==
It's said that tools are only as good as the person using them, but what if you have no tools? Well, you probably can't do much, then. Be sure to have some of these tools on your person if you plan to mess around with gas outside of breathing it.
*[[File:Impactwrench.png]]'''Impact Wrench:''' The impact wrench (or power drill, if you prefer) is a tool that condenses a screwdriver and wrench down into one tool. As you've probably found out by now, activating the item in hand will change its bit. For pipes you'll want a wrench bit in order to either secure or unsecure pipe sections and other devices. It cannot unwrench a pipe if its [[#Delta P|internal pressure exceeds 2 atm over ambient pressure]].
*[[File:Wrench.png]]'''Wrench:''' If you're missing an impact wrench then you probably have this instead. When it comes to pipe interaction there is no difference between this tool and its powered counterpart.
*[[File:Pipewrench.png]]'''Pipe Wrench:''' As the name might imply this tool is specialized towards dealing with pipes. The pipe wrench's biggest advantage over other wrenches is that '''it can unsecure a pipe at any pressure'''. It's also able to <s>mangle</s> bend or straighten simple pipe segments if they are not already secured. This comes at the price of being unable to function like a normal wrench for anything other than pipes and atmospheric devices.
*[[File:Analyzer.png]]'''Gas Analyzer:''' This tool is invaluable to any aspiring atmos tech. Though some may argue you should already have an innate sense of exactly what's inside a pipe via telepathy (you're the person in charge of that gas, you put it in that pipe!!!) this shouldn't stop you from deciding to use a tool like the analyzer. Once upon a time this device did ''pretty much nothing'' but now it can be used to measure the following:
**[[#Pressure|Pressure]]
**[[#Temperature|Temperature]]
**[[#Moles|Moles]]
**[[#Types of Gas|Gas concentrations]]
It can also be used to analyze gas on the turf you're standing in by activating it in hand, and it can analyze [[#Handhelds|tanks]] and [[#Portables|other atmos devices]] as well.
*[[File:Pipedispenser.png]]'''Pipe Dispenser:''' Despite the fact that this object cannot be held, it is still a tool. Put simply, when secured to the floor (with a wrench) in a powered area, this device will vend pretty much anything under the [[#Pipes and Devices|pipes subheading]], giving you plenty of options. Oddly enough securing this to the floor is faster than unsecuring it. The more you know.
*[[File:RPD.png]]'''Rapid Fabrication Device - Pipes:''' The handheld version of the pipe dispenser, the RFD-P is capable of... well, pretty much everything its bigger cousin can do, though with a smaller list of pipes and devices that can be created, heat exchange pipes most notably having gone missing. Activating the item in hand will bring up a list of pipes, and alt-clicking it will swap through device categories. The RPD requires matter cartridges in order to operate, but thankfully the ones that can be found in lockers are already loaded.
*[[File:FireExtinguisher.png]]'''Fire Extinguisher:''' To use this, toggle the safety by clicking this in hand. Naturally, this extinguishes flames, and can cool down a room. Note that just spraying this inside a superheated room that does ''not'' have a fire will not cool it down.
*[[File:Spaceheater.gif]]'''Space Heater:''' A portable machine that can be programmed to either heat up or cool down rooms in a range between 0 and 90 Celsius, in spite of the name. The power cell can be removed by using a screwdriver.
*[[File:Multitool.gif]]'''Multitool:''' Perhaps an unexpected addition, but the multitool actually does have a use in the land of pipes, as niche as it is. It is used to flip which overlapping pipe network a [[#Meter|meter]] observes. For instance, if one network crosses from east to west and another network crosses from south to north on the same turf, and a pipe meter is secured over these pipes, using a multitool on it will swap between both pipe nets. Figuring out which is which is as simple as waving your gas analyzer over a network and comparing the readings.
*[[File:Gasmask.png]]'''Gas Mask:''' Gotta have some PPE around here. This mask is capable of filtering out [[#N2O|nitrous]] and [[#PH|phoron]] from the air, allowing you to breathe safely... assuming there's also oxygen in the air, since you kind of need that to live. Gas masks can also be used to setup an internal atmosphere. Older versions of this mask can be found in maintenance, though their filters are only effective against N2O.
*[[File:Atmospherics_VoidsuitFull.png]]'''Atmospherics Voidsuit:''' A rather interesting piece of equipment, besides shielding you from the terrible effects of vacuum and other pressure-related hazards, it can also withstand considerable amounts of heat, up to 30,000 Kelvin! Why? Who knows, but it trades radiation hardening for this feat.
*[[File:Inflatables.png]]'''Inflatable Barriers:''' Easily one of the most important sets of tools to have at your disposal whenever you're dealing with atmospheric anomalies or hazards. If setup correctly in conjunction with emergency shutters, you can ensure that the room that you're entering a hazard zone from will remain safe and unaffected, provided you also use the inflatables correctly and don't just leave them open like a ding dong.
*[[File:Emergencyshutter.png]]'''Emergency Shutters:''' Important installations setup around every major doorway, these special shutters will fall shut whenever an air or fire alarm is tripped, shielding rooms from drastic atmospheric changes. They aren't perfect, and they won't shut immediately, so adjacent zones will still be effected, but it prevents further damage nonetheless. Shutters can be opened and closed freely if you have the correct ID requirements, or if there's no obvious danger on the other side of the door. You will otherwise have to crowbar it open. Shutters also have indicator lights representing the status of the room behind it. You can also examine shutters when you're close to them to see what the pressure and temperature is like on the other side.
*[[File:Airalarm.gif]]'''[[#Air Alarm Operation|Air Alarms]]:''' Stationary devices setup in almost every room on the ship, these idly wait for significant changes in atmosphere before sounding the alarm and slamming their shutters closed. Besides this their behavior can actually be programmed based on atmospheric qualities, and the vents and scrubbers that they control can be programmed from here as well. They can also be accessed and programmed remotely if their alarm is tripped. A tripped fire alarm will also allow this.
*[[File:fire_alarm.gif]]'''Fire Alarms:''' A bit more rudimentary compared to the air alarm, the fire alarm will only <s>be a bastard at people smoking nearby</s> trip if a fire shows up ''right in front of the alarm''. No, not even a room with scorching temperatures will trip it; a fire has to be right in front of the alarm to go off. In spite of how useless this makes it, fire alarms can drop shutters if triggered, which can be useful if you're precognizant of any potential atmos anomalies, or if you see carp trying to break into the ship and risk depressurizing the room or something.

==Pipes and Devices==
Gas exists in the space around us. That space, in the context of SS13, is usually a bunch of rooms. What is a room but an exceptionally large container for gas? Similarly, pipes like to contain gas as well among other similar gas storage mediums. Some of these pipes and devices also help to get gas from one place to another easier! Below is basically every pipe and device you can get your hands on.

===Basic Pipes===
[[File:Pipelayers.png|right|thumb|An example of different pipe types occupying the same turfs and facing the same directions.]]Many of these pipes have distro and scrubber variants. You will need a pipe adapter to transition between pipe types. Note that almost all devices do not fit with non-standard pipes.
*[[File:Pipestraight.png]]'''Straight:''' The most common type of pipe you will see. It goes straight from one direction to another. It holds up to 70L.
**[[File:Pipecorner.png]]'''Corner:''' Effectively the same as the straight pipe, except it's not straight. Wow!
*[[File:Manifold.png]]'''Manifold:''' A pipe with ''three'' ends on it instead of two. Holds up to 105L.
*[[File:4waymanifold.png]]'''Four Way:''' Even better than the previous entry, this one has '''four ends'''. Whooooaaaa. Holds up to 140L.
*'''Cap''': A bit that simply closes off the end of a pipe with a cap. There's no real reason to use this, especially since pipes don't leak, but it holds up to 35L regardless.
*'''Z-Pipe''': A pipe piece that connects one level to another. Holds 70L, but since you need at least two to make this work it's effectively 140L.
*[[File:Pipeadapter.png]]'''Universal Pipe Adapter:''' This special piece of work will connect different pipe types together, namely normal, distro, and scrubber pipes. This can make for some rather creative pipe setups if you don't mind a few pipes being colored red or blue. Holds up to 70L.
*'''Heat Exchange:''' Special pipe designed in a way to equalize heat with the gas inside and the environment that it's in. In other words, if you pipe super cooled gas into heat exchange pipes winding around a room that's normally at room temperature, then the room will cool down and the gas will heat up. Holds up to 70L.
**'''Junction:''' Weirdly enough, pipe adapters cannot connect heat exchangers to normal pipes, requiring the use of this special pipe. On one end goes normal pipes and on the other goes heat exchange pipes. You can figure it out.
*'''Insulated:''' Extremely niche pipes, these have no special use other than reinforcing pipes well beyond what's necessary. Only consists of straight pipes, meaning there's no manifolds or four-ways. Holds up to 70L.

==Devices and Utilities==
Every device available to you. This ranges from something as simple as a meter to a high power pump. Devices '''in green''' do not require power in order to function. Most devices that are powered will consume up to 150 watts when they are idle.

===Non-Pipe===
*[[File:Pipemeter.gif]]'''Pipe Meter:''' A device that will observe whatever pipe network it is secured onto. It will tell you the temperature and pressure of the network, even from a distance, and it even gives visual indicators of the pressure! This won't replace gas analyzers, though, since it can neither determine how many moles are in a net nor can it determine what gases are in the network. You can use a multitool to switch which network a meter pays attention to assuming it's secured over overlapping pipes.
*[[File:Pipemeter.gif]]'''Turf Meter:''' The pipe meter's slightly awkward cousin, this will measure the gas on the turf that it is secured upon. It's functionally similar to the pipe meter otherwise.
*[[File:Gassensor.png]]'''Gas Sensor:''' What could be considered an advanced turf meter, minus the visual indicators. In fact, this device requires a specific console in order to see what it's reading. It can determine pressure, temperature, and gas concentrations. You'll probably see these in the large gas chambers.

===Unary===
*[[File:Connectorport.png]]'''Connector:''' Definitely one of the most important utilities in any atmos setup, this will allow you to connect any [[#Portables|portable atmospheric device]] to a pipe network with a wrench, typically canisters. Anything connected to one of these will automatically balance the gases between the connected device and the connected pipe network.
*[[File:Heatexchanger.png]]'''Heat Exchanger''': Not to be confused with the [[#Basic Pipes|heat exchange pipes]] seen above, this radiator is designed to face another heat exchanger in order to balance heat between two networks without actually mixing the gases together.
*[[File:Gastank.png]]'''Tank:''' A massive, immobile tank of gas that has a capacity of 10000L. They can neither be built nor deconstructed. They're rarely if ever seen. Not to be confused with [[#Canisters|canisters]] or [[#Handhelds|small handheld tanks]].
*[[File:Freezer.gif]]'''Gas Cooler:''' A large device that is capable of cooling the contents of a pipe network to [[#Temperature|near-Absolute Zero]] values. How fast it cools and how large its volume is depends on upgrades made to it. Holds 600L by default.
*[[File:Heater.gif]]'''Gas Heater:''' A large device that is capable of heating the contents of a pipe network to rather high values. How fast it heats and how large its volume is depends on upgrades made to it. Holds 600L by default.
*[[File:Gasinjector.png]]'''Air Injector:''' A device whose whole purpose is to pump gas (not just air, like the name implies) onto a turf, similar to a vent pump, except it's rated to pressurize up to 15000 kPa. Usually controlled from a special console. Holds 700L, allows a flow rate of up to 700L/s, rated to pressurize up to 15000 kPa, can consume up to 15 kW at max operational capacity.
*[[File:VentP.gif]]'''Vent Pump (Unary Vent):''' The device that you'll probably see the most around the ship, these vents are typically controlled by an [[#Air Alarm Operation|air alarm]] to determine what pressure to target. Special versions of this vent allow it to siphon gas indiscriminately instead, a notable example being the vent pump in the SM core. Vents performing both functions can be found in airlocks. Holds up to 200L, allows a flow rate of up to 200L/s, rated to pressurize to 7500 kPa, can consume up to 7.5 kW at max operational capacity.
*[[File:ScrubberP.png]]'''Scrubber:''' Where a vent pump (usually) pumps a gas (typically air) into a room, scrubbers do the opposite, with a twist: they can be controlled by an air alarm to target and collect any type of gas and pump it into a pipe network while leaving other gases alone. It can also be set to forcefully siphon gas indiscriminately, giving it a lot more power. Holds up to 200L, allows a flow rate of up to up to 200L/s, 2500L/s on siphon, rated to pressurize to 7500 kPa, can consume 7.5 kW at max operational capacity.
*[[File:Cryo.gif]]'''Cryo Cell:''' Maybe not immediately concerning to your average pipe enthusiast, the cryo cell is nonetheless an atmospheric utility. It's connected to a pipe network that hopefully has chilled oxygen, which can be used to put a patient in stasis and heal some of their wounds. See [[Guide to Medicine#Cryogenics|the guide to medicine]] for more info.

===Binary===
*[[File:Pressureregulator.png]]'''Pressure Regulator:''' An often overlooked device, this programmable gate allows for a number of tasks. It can be programmed to allow gas through until the output end is greater than or equal to the target pressure, or it can be programmed to allow gas through when its input end reaches the target pressure, and will stay open until the input end is less than or equal to the target pressure. All of this comes at the cost of being unable to pump gas; if its input is at a lower pressure than the output, gas cannot flow through. In order to allow the regulator to do its job the valve must be unlocked. The end with the bright red valve is the output end. Both ends of the regulator hold 500L, making this effectively 1000L, allows a flow rate of up to 500L/s.
*[[File:Manualvalve.png]]'''}Manual Valve:''' A simple gate that allows you to connect two networks together or shut them off from each other. Note that neither the AI nor its borgs can operate these valves. It also contains no volume, oddly enough.
**[[File:Digitalvalve.png]]'''Digital Valve:''' Exactly the same as the manual valve, except it '''cannot be unsecured''', for reasons beyond comprehension. It also cannot be vended from a pipe dispenser. If you carefully observe where these valves are located you might be able to determine what their true purpose is. They can also be operated by the AI and its borgs.
*[[File:Circulator.gif]]'''Stirling engine Circulator:''' This is just one part of a [[Supermatter Engine#The Stirling engines]]. Basically it takes gas in on one end and outputs it on another end. Which end is what can be determined by examining the circulator. Each end holds 200L, making this effectively 400L, allows a flow rate of up to 200L/s (probably).
*[[File:Gaspump.png]]'''Gas Pump:''' A strong staple in any pipe setup, this will attempt to force gas on its input end into the output end for as long as the gas on the output end is at a lower pressure than target, and there is gas in the input end. The pump is smart and will just let gas through if the output end is at a lower pressure than the input end, but the pump's effectiveness will decrease dramatically if the pressure on the input end is well below the pressure of the output pipe. The output end is the bit with the red stripe on it. Each end holds 200L, making this effectively 400L, allows a flow rate of up to 200L/s, rated to pressurize to 15000 kPa, can consume up to 7.5 kW at max operational capacity.
**[[File:Hpgaspump.png]]'''High Power Pump:''' The big sister of the gas pump, the high power pump can force gas from one network into another a bit faster. The output end is the bit with the red stripe on it. Each end holds 200L, making this effectively 400L, allows a flow rate of up to 200L/s, rated to pressurize to 15000 kPa, can consume 15 kW at max operational capacity.

===Ternary/Quaternary===
*[[File:Manualtvalve.png]]'''T-Valve:''' A bit of an odd specimen, this valve has one input and two potential outputs, but at least one of them will always be closed, and neither of them can be open or closed at the same time. The indicator lights will tell you which side is open and which is closed, and turning the valve will toggle which output is opened. The AI and its borgs cannot operate the valve. There is also a mirrored variant.
**[[File:Digitaltvalve.png]]'''Digital T-Valve:''' Functionally identical to its manual sister, but it cannot be unsecured from the floor wherever it is found, and it cannot be vended from the pipe dispenser. The AI and its borgs are able to operate the valve. There is also a mirrored variant.
*[[File:Gasfilter.gif]]'''(Omni) Gas Filter:''' The gas filter is an impressive device that is capable of pumping gas through to another network while scrubbing a target gas out into a different, perpendicular network. A series of these set to different gases is what allows the [[#Filtering|filtering line]] of Atmospherics to function. There is a mirrored variant of this device as well. There is also a much more flexible '''omni''' variant, which allows you to set which side is the input, output, and allows you to set two more sides as filters. Each programed side holds 200L, making this effectively 800L assuming an omni filter is set to have all four sides in use, allows a flow rate of up to 200L/s, rated to pressurize up to 7500 kPa, can consume up to 7.5 kW at max operational capacity.
*[[File:Gasmixer.gif]]'''(Omni) Gas Mixer:''' As the name implies, this device mixes gas together, usually by taking two input gases (which can already have been mixed up by something else) and outputting the combined result into a pipe with programmed concentrations. One of these devices is what allows the [[#Air Mix|air line]] of Atmospherics to maintain a strict [[#Air|79% N2 21% O2 air mix]]. There is a mirrored variant of this device as well. There is also a much more flexible '''omni''' variant, which allows you to set up to three inputs and one output. Each programmed side holds 200L, making this effectively 800L assuming an omni mixer is set to have all four sides in use, allows a flow rate of up to 200L/s, rated to pressurize up to 7500 kPa, can consume up to 7.5 kW at max operational capacity.

==Portables==
[[File:PAPUI.png|right|thumb|Portable air pump UI. By default it is set to pump gas into itself.]]Everything here (with the exception of the space heater) can be connected to a [[#Connector|connector]] to balance gas contents between the portable and the pipe network that the connector is secured to. None of these devices need to be turned on or have their settings altered in order for this to be accomplished.
*[[File:Air_canister.png]]'''Canisters:''' Probably the most common form of portable atmospherics, a canister can hold up to 1000L of gas, and (miraculously) can withstand an infinite amount of pressure and temperature. This doesn't mean they're indestructible - they can rupture due to explosions nearby... or just because a random event told it to rupture. Canisters are typically pressurized to 4560 kPa as a standard. They have their own internal pressure regulator rated up to 1013 kPa, and can either be allowed to pressurize its turf and surroundings up to that pressure (assuming it has enough gas) or it can be used to fill [[#Handhelds|handheld tanks]] up to that pressure. You can also change the color of the canister by emptying it and pressing the "Label" button. Not to be confused with [[#Handhelds|handheld tanks]] or [[#Tank|the much larger tanks which sort of accomplishes the same goal]].
*[[File:Airpump.png]]'''Portable Air Pump:''' Basically a fancier canister, but with a pump, rated to pressurize up to 1013 kPa, at a rate of a '''whopping 1000L/s'''! Air pumps are typically pressurized as high as possible with room temperature air (about 6157 moles of air) to facilitate refilling depressurized rooms. This is capable of pumping gas out into surrounding turfs ''or'' pumping gas into itself from surrounding turfs. Pumps, of course, require power, hence this device possessing a power cell. The cell can be retrieved by screwing it out. The pump can both fill or empty a tank inserted into it. Can hold up to 1000L.
*[[File:Portablescrubber.png]]'''Portable Scrubber:''' This particular curio is basically a non-programmable scrubber that will scrub anything that isn't nitrogen or oxygen from the air. Its pump is rated to pressurize up to 1013 kPa at a rate of 200L/s. It will not use power if it is turned on and there are no gases to scrub. It will scrub contaminants (anything that isn't oxygen or nitrogen) from any connected tank while turned on. Like the portable air pump, this too requires power, and has a power cell that can be replaced by screwing it out. Holds up to 750L, allows a flow rate of up to 200L/s.
*[[File:Planttray.png]]'''Hydroponics Tray:''' Bet you weren't expecting to see this here. It's true, plant trays do have gas interactions which can be controlled by hooking it into a connector and flipping the lid down. The plants (assuming they're mutated and not dead) will passively generate gas, and are capable of outputting this into pipes if the tray is connected to a pipe network. The tray is capable of holding up to 100L.

===Handhelds===
Any handheld item that can store gas will be under this heading. This is usually in the form of tanks, but jetpacks are also here. Tanks can only be pressurized up to 30 atm (3039 kPa) before its pump/regulator begin to involuntarily leak gas out. 40 atm (4052 kPa) will result in a rupture. You can tell how much pressure is inside by activating the object in hand. You can also examine the item to determine how hot it is.
*'''Oxygen Tank:''' Probably the most common tank seen on the Aurora, this simply holds pure oxygen. It can hold up to 70L, and its release pressure is set to 21 kPa by default. It can be worn on your back. This tank may be seen in multiple colors, such as yellow, red, or more rarely brown.
**'''Anesthetic Tank:''' General anesthetic in gas form, filled with [[#N2O|nitrous oxide]] and [[#O2|oxygen]]. Using these as internals will probably put you to sleep. Medical won't use these too often.
**'''Air Tank:''' Similar to the oxygen tank, but it contains an [[#Air|air mix]] instead. Because the O2 is in a lower concentration, the release pressure is set to 101 kPa, meaning this tank will not last as long as a pure oxygen tank.
*'''Emergency Oxygen Tank:''' The small tank that almost everyone spawns with in their emergency internals box. This, too, contains pure oxygen, but it can only store up to 2L of gas, making this a very, very small tank. There is a yellow version that is slightly bigger and holds 6L, and an even bigger version that holds 10L. These can be worn on your belt or put in your pocket.
*'''Jetpack:''' These jetpacks can be used to maneuver in zero gravity environments freely, and can even traverse z-levels if used correctly. They can also be used as internals. They can be filled with anything, but usually only [[#O2|oxygen]] or [[#CO2|carbon dioxide]] is used. Holds up to 70L.
*'''Phoron Tank:''' A tank full of [[#PH|Phoron]]. Who could've guessed? Can be used as internals, so beware. Holds up to 70L.
*'''Hydrogen Tank:''' A tank full of [[#H2|hydrogen]]. Holds up to 70L.

==Unimplemented==
Everything in this category exists in the code but can neither be seen anywhere on the current map nor can they be created by normal means. This list may change, but for posterity's sake all unimplemented devices will have their basic functions described in case they do, in fact, return to use.
*'''Passive Vent:''' Effectively just a pipe that's allowed exchanging gas contents with the turf it's secured upon. As you can imagine, a passive vent connected to an empty pipe exposed to a turf of air will fill the pipe with air. While it does have its uses, it's not seen in the pipe dispenser list for some reason.
*'''Binary Vent Pump:''' Basically a [[#Unary Vent|vent pump]], except it has two ends where you can connect pipes. One end is the input - for when it's pumping gas into a room -, and the other end is the output - for when the vent siphons gas instead. Not seen anywhere on the Aurora and otherwise unobtainable.
*'''Oxygen Generator:''' An absolute dinosaur, this device hasn't been used since ye olden days. As the name implies it produces pure oxygen... from nothing. Normally connected to a pipe on one end. There's a pretty good chance that this doesn't work anymore.
*'''Thermal Plate:''' One may believe that this was a precursor to the heat exchange pipe, but this was actually created after. Anyway this was connected to a pipe on one end and would exchange heat with the turf it was secured on. You would need dozens of these with some awkward pipe work to accomplish what simple spaghetti HE pipes can accomplish now.
*'''Thruster:''' Probably related to overmap functions. Assuming that's the case, this would just eject gas to produce thrust for overmap shuttles.
*'''Pipe Turbine:''' This was effectively a condensed version of the gas turbine. It would produce energy by piping extremely high pressure gas (usually superheated) to turn a turbine in order to generate power, assuming it was connected directly to a special generator. Even when this was developed way back when, it was never really used that much, and it's not seen anywhere on the Aurora. It probably doesn't work anymore, even if you manage to find a setup.

==Air Alarm Operation==
[[File:AiralarmUI.png|200px|right|thumb|An air alarm's interface set to the sensors screen. You can adjust alarm thresholds here.]]Air alarms. They alarm when there's no air... sometimes. The fact of the matter is that air alarms are a lot more flexible than you think, and it's this flexibility that propels their potential to be a very powerful tool to greater heights. By default, an air alarm's purpose in a regular old hallway is to make sure that the air pressure is okay, that there's enough oxygen concentration, there aren't dangerous quantities of toxins or fuel in the air, and that the temperature isn't extremely hot or cold. If any of that fails to meet the programmed criteria then the alarm will trip, dropping the emergency shutters that it's in charge of, and informing nearby alarms to do the same in order to localize the damage to a specific set of rooms, protecting the rest of the vessel from atmospheric hazards. If the emergency involves depressurization then it'll also shut off its vents and scrubbers to conserve resources.

An air alarm can be accessed either in person or remotely via an air alarm monitoring console. If you are accessing it in person then you will need to swipe your ID over it to unlock its controls. If accessing remotely then all you need is a console with the atmosphere control program (and a valid atmos tech ID to open that program, but you don't need it if it's already open) and for the air alarm to not have its remote control setting set to "Off". With that out of the way, here are the intricacies to operating an air alarm:

===Basic Interface===
The first thing you'll see towards the top of the interface - and you will always see this no matter what menu you navigate to - is the gas composition that the alarm is reading. In particular, it will tell you the following:
*'''[[#Pressure|Pressure]]:''' How pressurized the room is, simple enough. By default, pressures below 81 kPa and above 122 kPa are deemed harmful and will trip the alarm.
*'''[[#O2|Oxygen]]:''' The concentration of oxygen in the room. It won't tell you exactly how much is in the room, but it does give you a percentage, and since you already know the pressure, you can probably guess how much is there. Partial pressure values below 16 kPa and above 140 kPa are deemed harmful and will trip the alarm.
*'''[[#CO2|Carbon Dioxide]]:''' The concentration of CO2 in the room. Ideally this should be zero, but some is harmless anyway. Larger concentrations, however, are harmful to breathe. Partial pressure values above 10 kPa will trip the alarm.
*'''[[#PH|Phoron]]:''' If this is in the air then something has probably gone wrong. Trace amounts of Phoron are safe to breathe and are a negligible threat to most crew, but it doesn't take much more to make it harmful. Partial pressure values above 0.5 kPa will trip the alarm.
*'''[[#H2|Hydrogen]]:''' By contrast to Phoron, hydrogen is actually completely safe to breathe and is inert. It is, however, still a fuel and will start fires if exposed to heat and oxygen (which air has plenty of), so it is a hazard all the same. Partial pressure values above 0.5 kPa will trip the alarm.
*'''[[#N2O|Other]]:''' Since nitrogen is ignored by air alarm thresholds outside of calculating pressure, "Other" is nitrous oxide by process of elimination. This category is hidden from the rest of the list until it is made relevant. Nitrous, while not terrible harmful to crew, still possesses anesthetic properties and can force people to fall asleep, even in small concentrations. Partial pressure values above 1 kPa will trip the alarm.
*'''[[#Temperature|Temperature]]:''' Put simply, temperature of the air measured in both Kelvin and Celsius. 20 Celsius is usually what you'll find most rooms at, aided in part by the air alarm's thermostat. Temperatures below 247 Kelvin (-26 Celsius) and above 339 Kelvin (66 Celsius) will trip the alarm.
*'''Local Status:''' The quick and simple way to check if everything is within acceptable, programmed bounds. Does this mean the room is actually safe? Not always!
*'''Area Status:''' If an air alarm in a nearby room has tripped an alarm then this value will say so. If this value reports that there is an alarm nearby then it, too, will also assume that there is something wrong and shut its shutters.
Other interface buttons are the remote control buttons, which allow you to allow or deny remote access to the air alarm, good if someone's being a dummy with the controls in Atmospherics. You can also adjust the thermostat between 0 and 40 Celsius, though heating and cooling the room takes a while to accomplish, and is handled by the air alarm itself and not the vents.

===Scrubber Control===
If there's wacky atmospheric anomalies that are making the air the crew breathes something that the crew would rather not breathe, then [[#Scrubber|scrubbers]] have you covered, assuming they're present in the room affected by bad gas of course. This menu shows you every scrubber under the alarm's control, and it will allow you to turn specific scrubbers on or off, set specific scrubbers to assume normal operation or indiscriminately siphon gas immediately, and they can be programmed to scrub any gas from the atmosphere. By default, [[#CO2|carbon dioxide]] is the default setting on all scrubbers. With careful manipulation you can solve a lot of atmos crises with simple scrubber programming. Canister of nitrogen ruptured and ended up overpressurizing a room and upsetting the air balance? Why set the scrubber to panic siphon when you can just turn on nitrogen scrubbing instead? Much cleaner that way.

===Vent Control===
A menu similar to the scrubber menu in that it lists every [[#Unary Vent|vent pump]] under the alarm's control, but vents are a bit different in how they can be programmed. First off, individual vents can be turned on or off, so there's that. Secondly, there are a few rather esoteric toggles and values here that do the following:
*'''External Pressure:''' This setting will have the vent check the pressure of the room that it is in and attempt to pressurize it to what's programmed in the '''external pressure bound''' variable. This is the default setting.
*'''Internal Pressure:''' This setting, by contrast, will check the pressure of the pipe network that the vent is connected to, and the vent will pump gas out until it reaches the pressure programmed in the '''internal pressure bound''' variable. This setting is not recommended for normal life support functions.
*'''External Pressure Bound:''' This coincides with the external pressure check. If the pressure of the room is lower than this value then the vent will open. Otherwise it will remain closed. This is set to 101.3 kPa by default, and this value can be reset easily with the "Reset" button.
*'''Internal Pressure Bound:''' '''THIS VARIABLE CANNOT BE MODIFIED.''' In theory this would allow a vent to remain open until the network it's connected to reaches the target pressure, otherwise it remains closed. This is set to 0 kPa by default, and because it cannot be modified, the vent will remain open until the pipe it's connected to is vacuum. Using this setting on the distro network will functionally keep the vent open forever.

===Environmental Modes===
This menu provides some quick premade settings that make the air alarm and its connected devices function in particular ways. Most have their uses, one is completely useless. Here they are:
*'''Filtering:''' The default setting of pretty much every air alarm, this turns on all vents and scrubbers. Rooms are pressurized with air and contaminants are scrubbed. Vents are reset to default values, but scrubbers preserve all but the CO2 setting.
*'''Replace Air:''' This will set the scrubbers to siphon and indiscriminately scrub all gas from the atmosphere, but will keep vents open. Depending on the ratio of vents to scrubbers, the room can easily depressurize due to the flow rate of a siphoning scrubber. Can be useful as a lazy way to regulate a room's temperature.
*'''Panic:''' This shuts off all vents and forces all scrubbers to siphon gas. It will continue to siphon until it is told to stop by a user. The scrubber loop probably won't enjoy this. There is also a big yellow button on the main menu that lets you select this option.
*'''Cycle:''' This will turn off all vents and set the scrubbers to siphon until the room is down to 5 kPa, at which point it will flip over to Fill mode.
*'''Fill:''' This will turn off all scrubbers and enable all vents. Unless the scrubbers have been programed incorrectly (a problem that is easily fixed), there is no real reason to use this mode: it does '''not''' make vents operate faster. Just use Filtering instead.
*'''Off:''' What is says on the tin. All vents and scrubbers will switch off and do nothing until the user says otherwise. This option is selected automatically if a depressurization event occurs.

===Sensor Settings===
The last menu, this is the screen that determines when and for what the air alarm will trip. You'll notice that all of the thresholds listed here are also represented by the air status at the top of the interface. Each category possesses four categories: minimum warning (min1), maximum warning (max1), minimum alarm (min2), and maximum alarm (max2). Warning thresholds will alert alarm consoles that something is beginning to exceed programmed thresholds and the alarm will flash yellow. Alarm thresholds will shut all emergency shutters and seal off rooms in an attempt to prevent atmospheric hazards from spreading. Many of these thresholds represent partial pressure, and can be modified with the fact that they are pressure values in mind. The temperature value, on the other hand, is programmed based on Kelvin.

Some thresholds also report that they are "Off", or otherwise not concerning themselves with measuring minimum/maximum thresholds. You can set this yourself by setting a value to "-1", which will turn that specific sensor off. You can also turn minimums and maximums off by setting that same value on the "min2" and "max2" values. Doing this for everything can keep an alarm from tripping in spite of changes in atmosphere.

{{Engineering}}
{{Guides}}
[[Category:Engineering]]
[[Category:Guides]]
[[Category:Pages]]

Supermatter Reactor

2026-03-05T22:37:34Z

Zha everything broken: TEGs have been renamed 'Stirling engines' in game as of #21933

=HELP IM THE ONLY ENGINEER=
[[File:Engineroomhorizon.png|thumb|The engine room on the Horizon. Middle click to open the picture in a new tab.]]{{toc_right}}So you're new and no one else has joined engineering and you have no idea how to setup the engine? Well first things first: '''don't panic!''' You could try waiting for an engineer to join and teach you... unless you've joined during deadpop hours, in which case, the following steps (color-coded for your convenience) will get the engine rolling quickly with minimal explanation. You should probably read the rest of this guide to understand how it works in greater detail once you're done:
*'''If everything is out of power, [[#Maintenance and Repairs|skip to here]].'''
#Before you start, go inside the room labelled Supermatter Reactor SMES. There should be a power storage unit inside the room; click on it and MAX the input and output on the power storage popup.
#Open a radiation PPE locker (found inside the airlock to the engine room) and retrieve a radiation suit, radiation hood, and safety goggles. The safety goggles are very important, as they will protect you from hallucinations from looking at the Supermatter Core.
#Retrieve four [[File:Hydrogen_canister.png]]hydrogen canisters from hard storage (the room with a big garage door perpendicular to the locker room) and move them to the engine room.
#Wrench all four of the canisters into the '''connectors''' near the door. There should be two canisters connected to the green pipes, and two canisters connected to the blue pipes. Turn on all four pumps; they should be MAXed by default, but in case they aren't, MAX them out.
#Directly to the left of the four connectors is a '''pump''' that is labelled Cooling Array to Generators. Turn it on and make sure it's MAXed out.
#*You do not have to open the canister valve on the canister UI. Don't worry about that.
#You should see the canisters beginning to empty. The indicator lights should begin to turn yellow, then red. All four Stirling engine circulators are probably also spinning. You don't need to wait for them to be empty for the Supermatter to start properly, but there should be some gas in the pipes first.
#Move over to '''the emitter''', the giant laser facing the crystal, and click on it to turn it on. Do not stand in front of the emitter. Keep track of how many times it has fired; you can shift-click to examine the emitter to see how many shots it has fired.
#After at least fifty (50) shots, turn '''the emitter''' back off by clicking on it. This set-up, with no other upgrades performed, can have up to fifty (120) shots in the core at a time.
#Close the '''SM core blast doors''' so that radiation doesn't spread to the rest of the engineering hallway.
Congratulations, you have successfully set up the engine, and everyone can enjoy their round on a powered ship! You're a hero! Unless you set something up wrong and now everything is either still out of power ''or'' in the process of exploding. For the former's case, refer to the [[#Maintenance and Repairs|quick diagnostic list]]. In the latter's case, head to [[#Emergency!|this section]].

=The Actual Guide=
Now, assuming you aren't new and actually know a bit of what you're doing, then this guide will attempt to accurately describe the intricacies and in-depth mechanics of most of the systems related to the SM engine, from the SM itself to the SMES units connected to it at the end of the line. An informed mind is one that can potentially save the ship from disaster!

==How It Works==
On the surface level, the default engine setup is very simple: SM is energized, SM heats up gas, gas goes to Stirling engines, Stirling engines exchange heat and produce power, power goes to the SMES, etc. The sections below will cover what makes each individual part tick.

===[[File:Supermatter.png]]The Supermatter===
See also: [[Phoron]] 
The Supermatter (often known as the SM) is a large crystal of tightly compacted Phoron with special properties. This particular crystal differs from typically large quantities of Phoron in that it is a semi-transparent yellow instead of an opaque purple, and it even glows. Another contrast is that the Supermatter is incredibly unstable, and is capable of vaporizing solid and liquid - and sometimes gaseous - matter in an instant (this includes you). It can even consume photonic energy in the form of lasers. This process usually results in the Supermatter becoming "energized", a state at which it will begin to slowly shed Phoron and oxygen particles (roughly at a ratio of ten moles of Phoron to one mole of oxygen, depending on the temperature of the environment), as well as radiate Gamma rays and produce incredible amounts of heat. It is also in this energized state that its visual appearance will distort in the minds of the beholder, assuming they are biologic (excepting Dionae), and will inexplicably stimulate the visual cortex of the brain to hallucinatory extremes. A footnote in its energized state is when high concentrations of oxygen are introduced, forcing the crystal to radiate a red glow instead of its usual yellow. Intermittently, the crystal will also cease glowing all together. This interaction between the SM and oxygen is poorly understood, but what is known is that the crystal will passively energize in its presence at a rate dependent on how much oxygen there is. Put simply, anything shot/thrown at the SM will energize it, producing heat and lethal amounts of radiation, and probably hallucinations.

Two factors that determine how energized a Supermatter crystal is are '''power''' and '''decay'''. Power represents how much energy has been projected into the SM, whether it be from an emitter or even large quantities of oxygen. Power determines how hot the crystal can get, how much radiation it emits, how far its hallucinatory effect travels, and how much Phoron and oxygen it will shed. Its power level also influences decay, and decay - in turn -, influences power: decay determines how fast the crystal's power level will drop. What this means is that an emitter shooting the SM constantly will eventually cause the SM's power and decay to reach an equilibrium state, a point that cannot be passed unless even more energy is projected at the SM.

The Supermatter in its default state does nothing unless you do something to energize it. It does not produce Phoron or oxygen, it does not radiate Gamma rays, it does not generate heat, and it does not cause hallucinations. Though viewing it without protection in an unenergized state is poor form, it is safe nonetheless. It is also safe to '''pull''' the SM around freely. It is not safe to walk into/against the SM, nor is it safe to click on it; this will disintegrate you immediately. Removing the SM from a crate in an environment with oxygen (such as a hallway or poorly maintained SM chamber) also isn't safe for the reasons outlined above.

While being basically space magic is all well and good for the purposes of generating power, it's also incredibly dangerous if not managed properly. Besides being able to heat up its surrounding atmosphere to rather high temperature extremes when energized, it is also capable of exploding spectacularly, known as a "delamination event". Most commonly this occurs when the crystal's structure begins to decay as a result of extremely high heat, particularly at '''five thousand Kelvin''' and above, and the SM will eventually detonate if this is not corrected. It can also decay if it is exposed to vacuum while energized. Though the Supermatter can be "damaged" in a way, it is also capable of regenerating itself if allowed an environment in which it can do so. It is prudent, then, to keep the SM from becoming over-energized and heating its environment up to a point where it can self destruct, a task that isn't that difficult since all Supermatter crystals provided by NT come with a device that will broadcast over the radio its status if it is concerning.

'''TL;DR''': Energizing the SM (shooting it with the emitter/a gun, or touching it with something else/yourself, or introducing oxygen to it) will make it produce heat and radiation, and start spewing Phoron and oxygen, and make you hallucinate without safety goggles. It begins to take damage at 5000 Kelvin (though the borosilicate windows in the core begin to break at 4273 Kelvin), and this damage scales with temperature. It can also take damage if exposed to vacuum (even 0.1 kPa of gas will save it) while energized. It will explode and irradiate the entire map if allowed to take damage for too long and everyone will get pissed at you, mostly because the SM itself will yell at you over the radio if it's taking damage.

===The Stirling engines===
[[File:TEGUI.png|right|thumb|Your typical Stirling engine UI in an unpowered state.]]Something much better understood compared to the SM are '''Stirling engines''', formerly referred to as thermoelectric generators or TEGs. The basic operating principle of any Stirling engine is that it uses the difference in temperature between gas to generate electricity, the result being power based on the difference and slightly colder/hotter gas. In practice, the Supermatter - when energized - will heat up its surrounding atmosphere to a rather high degree. These gases are then pumped into one of the turbines (the north one) on the Stirling engine, where it will exchange heat with the turbine on the opposite end (the south one) that ''hopefully'' has gas that is significantly colder. This turbine has gas being pumped in from a somewhat extensive radiator network in space, where it is slowly chilled. The two gases exchange heat with each other, producing energy, and the difference in temperature between the two is lowered slightly. Note that Stirling engines can safely produce up to five hundred kilowatts individually, beyond which they will begin to grow a little less consistent in their power generating capabilities. There is no danger in going above this threshold, however.

A Stirling engine also needs some sense of flow in order to function, meaning a turbine's input and output sharing the same pipe network without something to break it up will function rather poorly, if it functions at all. In particular, the turbine's input requires gas to be moved towards it specifically. Most commonly, a pump of some sort can be found connecting much of the cold loop to a small section of pipe connected to the turbine's input. While it may not be obvious, the hot loop does actually possess a pump in the form of a vent constantly scrubbing gas from the air. A TEG turbine has specific sides that its input or output can be found on, which can be found by simply examining the turbine.

In all honesty, most of the values shown in the UI aren't necessary at all to know except for output. If the Stirling engine's sprite looks green then all is well on the Stirling engine's end. Regardless, the values will be described anyway:
*'''Total Output''': The amount of power available that can be output into a wire. You even get a cool looking bar that shows how much power is being generated! Wow!
*'''Thermal Output''': The actual amount of power being generated. Due to inefficiencies with the system, some power is lost, hence the existence of the '''Total Output''' value.
*'''Turbine Output''': How much power the turbines themselves are generating, independent of thermal exchange. Probably.
*'''Flow Capacity''': Literal mystery number.
*'''Inlet/Outlet Pressure/Temperature''': The pressure and temperature of the inlet and outlet, measured in kilopascals and Kelvin respectively. As you can imagine, the inlet refers to the pipe network connected to the input of the Stirling engine, while the outlet refers to the pipe network on the output side. You can examine the turbines to see which side the input and output are on.

For more information on how gas interacts with the Stirling engines, refer to the [[#Coolant|coolant section]] of this guide.

===Gas and Heat===
[[File:Enginemonitor.png|right|thumb|The usual look of the engine cooling control monitor. Notice the presence of Nitrogen at the start of the shift.]]See also: [[Guide to Atmospherics]] 
So you have some fancy rock that could, by some metrics, be described as the spawn of some eldritch horror dwelling in the cosmos ''and'' some spiny machines that can make power from spicy interactions with said rock. Cool! But it won't just produce power right off the bat; no, you need to supply a medium that can be used to make the Stirling engine do Stirling engine things! The [[#Coolant|coolant subheading]] should be able to give you a brief summary of what gases do what! It even tells you about heat capacity, which is important, so go read it!

Of course it's not like the gases can just wangjangle all together in open air, that'd be weird! Instead, the gases are pumped into a series of pipe networks that flow into and out of the Stirling engines, as well as the SM core and the large radiator in space. They're even color coded: cyan is on the output end of the hot loop turbine, where it will be re-injected into the SM core to heat back up. The orange/brown loop is on the input end of the hot loop turbine, where it takes in hot gas from a vent pump siphoning gas from the SM core. The green loop is on the input end of the cold loop turbine, where the gases in the radiator network are pumped in. The black loop is on the output end of the cold loop turbine, where gases that were warmed up in the exchange of thermal energy are output into the radiator network to be cooled back down.

The pipes can be safely pressurized up to 70000 kPa - a figure that can be pretty hard to reach depending on the size of the pipe network -, beyond which the pipes might begin to '''explode'''. One of the biggest determining factors for pipe pressure is heat, particularly something called '''thermal expansion'''. In the context of gas in pipes, hot gas results in higher pressure. Higher pressures mean that atmospheric devices like pumps attempting to force gas from a lower pressure network into the higher pressure network can be slowed down significantly. The most immediately concerning thing that can result from this is the hot loop functioning at a very high pressure during an emergency, and being unable to inject significant amounts of dump coolant because the pump either cannot force the gas from a canister into the loop fast enough, or the pressure simply exceeds the pump's maximum possible target pressure setting. See the [[#Core Venting|core venting procedures section]] on how to deal with this.

With the above in mind, it's important to realize that pressure does not equal the amount of gas actually inside a medium. Gas quantity is measured in moles, which should be used as the real determining factor as to how much gas is inside a medium like a pipe network or a canister. Pressure and temperature can be measured with pipe meters, while moles (with pressure, temperature, and gas composition) can be measured with a gas analyzer.

Worth mention is something called the '''fire triangle'''. Put simply, the three corners of the triangle represent heat, fuel, and an oxidizer. If all three of these are present then a fire will occur. Conversely, if one of these elements is removed, then you have no fire: Phoron spewing out all around a room and some broken light is sparking, but there's no oxygen or N2O? No fire, no problems, simple as that! This principle may be important to keep in mind if you choose to run an engine that has an oxidizer in the hot loop.

Finally, to the right of the screen is the engine cooling control console screen. This will give you basic information such as the core's pressure (measured in kilopascals, kPa), its temperature (measured in Kelvin), and its gas composition (measured in percentages). The first section below these readouts is the controller for the gas injector (the device connected to the cyan loop). By default this device is turned on and set to the maximum volume setting, where it will ''attempt'' to inject gas at a rate of 700 L/s. Below this is the vent pump controller for the vent pump (the device connected to the orange loop). This device works a bit differently: its setting does not determine how fast it will siphon gas from the room it's in - that value is locked to 700 L/s as well -, instead the setting represents a threshold of pressure where it will begin siphoning once that threshold is crossed. By default it is set to 100 kPa, which is why the nitrogen at round start - resting at around 81 kPa - is sitting in the core and not populating the pipes. The maximum threshold value for this setting is 1000 kPa.

==Safety First==
Before entering the engine room you should always wear proper PPE. The following will suffice, and are always found inside radiation lockers:
*[[File:MGlasses.png]]'''Safety Goggles''' to prevent hallucinations from developing by looking at the SM. How do they work? Who knows...
*[[File:Radsuit.png]]'''Radiation PPE''' to keep you from receiving a lethal dose of radiation that can very easily kill you within minutes. Dionae and IPCs are exempt from wearing this.
As long as you have these two sets of items you are pretty much safe unless the engine room is either an inferno or vacuum. Certain [[Guide to EVA#Hardsuits|hardsuits]] and [[Guide to EVA#Voidsuits|voidsuits]] are immune to radiation as well if you need to wear those out of necessity.

==[[File:SMES.gif]]SMES Configuration==
There are two SMES units that are immediately relevant to the engine: the '''engine SMES''' and the '''main distribution SMES'''. The former is what receives power from the Stirling engines and powers the engine room APC directly as well as the emitter. If the output is not high enough, the emitter may not fire, or the APC may not have enough power to allow the pumps to operate. The other SMES also receives power from the Stirling engines, but it outputs to the rest of the ship. It should have its input maximized, since every kilowatt not used is another kilowatt wasted. The output can be adjusted as needed, of course, but one should take into account how populated the departments are and how much power the ship will need in general.

==Coolant==
An intrinsic property of matter - particularly gas, in SS13's case - is something called '''heat capacity''', a variable that determines how much energy it takes to increase the temperature of a substance. In the context of setting up the SM: how energized the SM needs to be in order for the gases in the hot/cold loops to actually rise in temperature. Heat capacity also factors into how power is generated with the Stirling engines; higher heat capacity allows a gas to hold more thermal energy, which means more energy can be transferred between the turbines, allowing more energy to be produced.
*[[File:Phoron_canister.png]]'''Phoron''': Arguably the most stable and safe gas to use, Phoron carries with it a stupidly high heat capacity, at least compared to most other available gases. There is a lot of leeway with this particular gas, making it easy to train new apprentices with. It's worth noting, though, that '''phoron is a fuel''', and can start fires. It is also '''a very scarce resource''', and its use should be rationed out carefully if it is actually used. The SM will generate Phoron passively as long as it is energized. This gas is viable for either the hot loop or the cold loop.
*[[File:Hydrogen_canister.png]]'''Hydrogen''': Second best gas to use with the second highest heat capacity, and it compares pretty well to Phoron, at least compared to the other gases. Like Phoron (sans all the wacky space magic that comes with it), Hydrogen '''is a fuel''', and can start fires. It is otherwise inert and safe to breathe as long as you don't light a match. This gas is viable for either the hot loop or the cold loop.
*[[File:Nitrous_canister.png]]'''Nitrous Oxide''': Not nearly as good as Phoron or H2 (in fact it's leagues below these two), it's still a respectable gas nonetheless. Its only caveat is that '''it is an oxidizer''', and it will start a continuous fire if used in the hot loop, though the heat generated from such isn't as bad as one might think. It can also knock people out if exposed to the atmosphere, but almost all of these gases are dangerous in high quantities anyway. This gas is viable for the cold loop, but less so for the hot loop unless it is monitored.
*[[File:Carbon_canister.png]]'''Carbon Dioxide''': ''Just'' under N2O in terms of heat capacity is CO2. This gas pretty much has nothing going for it other than that, but it's still way better than N2. You'll probably see this in the chamber anyway as a result of the SM producing Phoron and oxygen passively (which almost immediately burns up into CO2). This gas is viable for either the hot loop or the cold loop.
*[[File:Nitrogen_canister.png]]'''Nitrogen''': Lowest heat capacity, twined with oxygen, N2 ''has'' been regarded as the standard coolant for the SM engine, but the fact of the matter is that this is '''definitely no longer the case''', and N2 should really only be reserved for experimentation or as [[#Coolant Dump|emergency dump coolant]]. This gas is barely viable for anything.
*[[File:Oxygen_canister.png]]'''Oxygen''': Same heat capacity as N2, except '''it's also an oxidizer''' (obviously). Oxygen can also energize the SM. Because of this, using this in the hot loop will almost definitely result in a roaring, nearly uncontrollable blaze eventually. That's not to say that it can't be controlled, but this shouldn't be the first gas you look at for coolant. The SM will generate oxygen passively as long as it is energized. This gas is barely viable for anything.
*[[File:Air_canister.png]]'''Air''': Literally just 79% N2, 21% O2. Why would you use this. I mean, you have a lot of it, sure, but... why? For the reasons listed on the O2 section, using this is a terrible idea.

==[[File:Filter.gif]]Waste Processing==
[[File:Waste room.png|thumb|The Reactor Waste Management Room.]]

While this area and machinery doesn't impact SM performance ''too much'', it's a good idea to set it up anyway, otherwise Stirling engine performance might be negatively impacted, or worse. The filters up north are what will keep the coolant gas in the loop and the byproducts/gases you don't want out, pushing them towards the room to the north. By default, the filters are set to allow '''hydrogen''' through, so you don't need to change them at all unless you're doing a very strange setup. Incorrectly setting these filters will most likely result in the SM chamber slowly depressurizing until there is no gas left, or the gas leftover is so minuscule that it heats up to dangerous values instantly.

The room beyond these filters has a black pipe network known as the waste line. Inside are three pumps and two gas coolers. As it turns out, siphoning gas from the inferno of an engine chamber gives you '''very hot gas''' which has expanded considerably. This makes most atmospheric devices function slowly, particularly the devices in Atmospherics, assuming you turn on the Reactor to Mix pump.

Thus, it's a good idea to cool the gas down with the gas coolers. The simple way to set this up is to turn on both gas coolers to their default setting (which is room temperature, 20 Celsius), and maximize the Reactor to Mix pump. '''Don't turn on the Filter Bypass Pump or the Reactor to Scrubbers pump.''' The former will cause gas to filter from the Supermatter, which will cause it to delaminate, and the latter will send extremely hot gas to the scrubber pipeline, slowing it down.

Because of how the filters are setup, using two different gases in the hot loop isn't possible without modifications. Why you would bother using more than one gas in the hot loop is a mystery, but it is worth mentioning.

==[[File:Emitter.png]]Turn It On==
Once everything is all said and done - the pipes are full of gas, the filters are filtering properly, the cold loop pump is turned on, and the Stirling engines look like they're working -, it's time to turn this sucker on! Assuming you didn't use oxygen in the hot loop (why would you), the SM should be in an inert state, ready to be energized by this big ol' laser thing, '''the emitter'''. The emitter is basically a very high power laser that fires in bursts of four. Because of how the SM's power and decay function (described in [[#The Supermatter|this section]]), each shot to the SM will be functionally weaker than the last, though this effect is really only noticed if you shoot beyond fifty shots. Speaking of shots, an important variable in an engine setup is how many shots the emitter takes, which you should probably be counting. If you managed to lose count, don't sweat it: you can examine the emitter to see how many times it has fired.

The emitter is connected directly to the engine SMES; it does not receive power from an APC, it must be wired into a powered grid directly. That grid specifically requires thirty kilowatts in order for the emitter to fire. In the context of the engine power grid, the engine SMES output should probably be set far above this value so as to take into account the power draw of the engine room APC.

==Emergency!==
'''Most of the techniques beneath this subheading assume the engine room is powered. If it is not, head to [[#Maintenance and Repairs|this section]], then come back here.''' So for your first or second go-around, the SM seems like a pretty complex and cruel engine, but that's only half true: in fact, compared to all of the other engines in the code, the SM is actually incredibly forgiving: it takes more than a few minutes to blow up during which it can be saved, it yells over the radio if it begins to take damage, it yells loudly over the radio if it's about to blow, and its scale of destruction - while discouraging - hardly compares to the level of chaos that something like the singularity or tesla can cause. Now that we know that not all hope is lost and that you can easily rescue the engine, it's time to get to work!

Firstly, the biggest thing that can go wrong with the engine is the SM overheating. This occurs when the temperature of the core exceeds 5000 Kelvin, a value that can be gleaned by looking at one of the engine core control consoles. What exactly causes it to reach that temperature can be based on a variety of things: poor coolant choice, over energization, coolant backup, missing pipes to name just a few. The sections below will cover how to correct this.

===[[File:Nitrogen_canister.png]]Coolant Dump===
'''Assuming the pipes are not pressurized beyond 15000 kPa''', dumping a random coolant (like nitrogen) into the hot loop via the canister connector has proven to be quite effective. How it works is it takes a room temperature gas (usually 20C, unless you chilled it before hand) and introduces it to an incredibly hot inferno. The thermal difference between the new coolant and the old coolant is huge, and it will cool down the core almost instantly. As a bonus, the dump coolant (assuming it isn't the same gas that you set the engine up with) will gradually filter out of the loop via the filters, keeping everything nice and clean once all is said and done. This, of course, is not a permanent solution, but it will buy you a lot of time. There are four N2 canisters sitting around in the corner of the engine room, ready to be used as dump coolant.

You can, of course, inject more of the gas you used during setup, but for obvious reasons this will offset the balance you set the engine up with... not that it matters that much, probably. If you care about ratios that much, just do the above.

===[[File:Manualvalve.png]]Coolant Valves===
The white squares [[#top|shown in the picture of the engine room at the top of the page]] are the emergency coolant mix valves. These will join the hot and cold loops together to allow the hot loop - the gas that is probably incredibly hot - to be cooled down, at least initially, with the gas from the cold loop, and also cool it off with the radiator network. This will almost certainly result in the Stirling engines power production being killed off, and will invariably disrupt your gas ratios if you really care about them. This solution is a little more long term than dump coolant, but you should make sure your SMES units have enough power to function while maintenance is being conducted on the SM.

Using the mix valves when you're using '''two different types of coolant''' is a much harder endeavor. Unless the filters are turned off, all of your cold loop gas will eventually be filtered out. Even if the emergency is handled, you'll be stuck with two different gases in at least one of your loops. Just something to keep in mind.

===Direct Cooling: Maverick Style===
First two methods aren't getting you anywhere, or the pipes were sabotaged in such a way to prevent them from working? Well, this is it everyone. I guess engineering is going to explode now.

Well, maybe if you're a ''quitter''. Throw on a voidsuit and grab an extinguisher and inflatable door. <s>Break into the CE's office</s> Politely ask the CE to unbolt the engine hatches (they may need to press the button twice for it to actually unbolt), setup an inflatable door outside one of the hatches, open the hatch up, and let loose with the extinguisher foam. The result is the room cooling down to such an extreme that you might wonder how you can even wield such power. The day is saved and the SM won't be exploding for a while. Now that that's done, you should probably get the heck out of there since your voidsuit most likely doesn't shield you from as much radiation as you'd like.

===Core Venting===
If you've managed to determine that the gas used in the core just simply sucks and can't support the energized state of the SM, it's probably time to just swap to a different gas all together. Or maybe the hot loop is pressurized well over 15000 kPa and you can't inject any dump coolant. First you should set the filters to the new gas that you plan to use so that you don't waste any when you begin injecting it. This will slowly filter the core's old coolant out, but this is going to be way too slow and the SM will probably blow up before you can actually inject a new coolant, thus we will just '''vent the core''' instead. The button up north next to the nitrogen canisters behind a glass window (that you can smash easily) is what will open up the core vent to space, which will rapidly drain the core of all gases. As long as the core has ''some'' pressure, the amount of damage it takes won't spike terribly as a result of being exposed to vacuum. You or another engineer should confirm that the vent is actually open by checking on the camera inside. Once the gases have been drained sufficiently, close the vent and start dumping in the new coolant into the hot loop. If all well and good then the day is saved and you don't have to worry about anything else. Good job!

==Ejection==
'''This is the last resort'''. If the engine room is already somehow blown up, the core cannot be secured in time, and/or many of the pipes are missing and you are very short on time, then maybe it's time to consider ejecting the SM to save the engine room from exploding and saving other people the trouble of being blasted with radiation. You will notice that the SM rests on a mass driver, basically a slingshot. When activated, this will send the SM flying. For obvious reasons, the core vent should be wide open before attempting to use this. The button for the vent can be found on the northern end of the room next to the nitrogen canisters, while the button for ejecting the core is in the CE's office. Considering the severity of the situation, no one will really blame you if you decide to break in and launch the SM out yourself, assuming you really are out of options.

Note that the SM takes damage if it is powered and exposed to vacuum. Because of this, you must either be swift or accurately coordinate the SM's ejection so that it doesn't blow up before you launch it.

===Something Went Wrong!===
The mass driver does not know whether or not the vent is open, it just drives mass, that is all it does. Hitting the mass driver before the vent is open will just launch the SM into the blast door and nothing will happen. This severely complicates everything since now you must place the SM back onto the mass driver in order to eject it properly. Yes, this means you have to go into the core yourself to pull it back into position. Yes, you will probably die. Regardless, put on a voidsuit (an atmos suit would be best, otherwise refer to [[#Direct Cooling: Maverick Style|this section]] to make sure you don't melt too bad), get the engine hatches unbolted (the button to do so is in the CE's office. Unless they have been unbolted in the past, you will need to hit the button twice because BYOND sucks), setup an inflatable door outside a hatch, turn your magboots on, and get on in there. '''Pull''' the SM back into position, namely the middle of the core where the mass driver is. Make sure the vent is open and hit the ejection button in the CE's office once more and hope for the best.

If the mass driver was somehow destroyed or no longer functions, you will have to eject the Supermatter yourself, with your bare hands. Open the vent, enter the core, '''pull''' the SM and head down the carved path until you reach a large hole in the floor. Set the SM up next to the hole and grab anything to throw at it. The impact of the item against the SM will push it into the hole, saving engineering, yourself, and many others.

==Troubleshooting and Repairs==
For a number of reasons, the Supermatter cannot run indefinitely without periodic input, as its power will eventually decay to the point that the gas that it heats up is not enough to generate meaningful amounts of power. However, given that rounds don't often last more than two hours and atmos processes slower than the time it takes for sauerkraut to ferment (at least three days, by the way), this whole problem won't make itself manifest. In the rare event that this does happen, just turning the emitter on for a few seconds to re-energize the crystal will suffice.

If that doesn't fix your issue, read on.

===No Power!===
Arrived to the shift late and there's no other engineers, or they're totally clueless and neglected to read the wiki? All of the SMES units in engineering have depowered to the point that nothing works? '''Well!''' Guess it's time to cold start the engine!

# Locate a PACMAN portable generator along with the fuel to run it. At least one can be found in Engineering Hard Storage, along with some graphite sheets to power it.
# Head to the Supermatter SMES Chamber, turn off input on the SMES, and wrench the PACMAN directly over the main SMES unit's input terminal (there's a wire knot there leading to the engine SMES input terminal as well).
# Feed it fuel and turn it on.
# Assuming the engine SMES input is on (it is by default, otherwise use RCON to turn it back on) and no one snipped any wires between the main SMES and the engine SMES ([[Traitor|very strange behavior]]) then bam, power.
# Hit the door bolt button and continue engine setup from there.

===Missing Pipes===
If a pipe goes missing then something has gone terribly, terribly wrong. It's more likely, however, that a meteor managed to smash into the radiator network and take out one or two heat exchange pipes, which will invariably sever the link between the output and input ends of the cold loop turbine. Though there are grilles surrounding the coolant network to hopefully prevent this from happening, there's no guarantee that it won't happen; it may be prudent to check on the radiator network after meteors decide to crash through.

Repairing the missing pipe sections is simple but time sensitive. If you have a handheld pipe dispenser then this process is made that much more easy. Just EVA out, dispense the correct pipe, rotate it as needed, and wrench it in. If you do not have a handheld dispenser then you will need to document all missing pipe segments and vend them out of a normal pipe dispenser, which is a bit more tedious and time consuming.

===Core Underpressure===
If the engine core is inexplicably dropping in pressure, then there's a good chance that something has either exposed the engine room to space, or the hot loop is dumping gas somewhere else (like the waste loop). Checking if the core was breached is a simple enough process, and checking if the pipes are emptying themselves is as simple as checking everything that the network connects to, particularly the gas filters.

===Poor Power Production===
Stirling engines aren't producing much power? First you should determine whether or not both turbines are spinning. If they are, then gas is flowing fine. If they aren't, then something has stopped the flow of gas, or the gas has disappeared.

Ensure the filters are running properly if the hot loop mysteriously empties. For the cold loop, ensure the cold loop pump is maxed and turned on. For the hot loop, ensure that the air injector and vent pump are both functioning; the injector will have a red light if it is not, and the vent won't animate if it is off. They can be turned on via the [[#Gas and Heat|engine coolant control console]] in the monitoring room. If the Stirling engines still aren't producing power in spite of there being flowing gas, make sure the SM is actually energized. In other words ''make sure the hot loop is hot''. If the round has dragged on long enough, or you just didn't shoot it enough, then it probably isn't generating enough heat. If all else fails, refer to the [[#Missing Pipes|missing pipes]] section above.

===Broken Windows or Containment===
So the SM got too hot and broke all the windows? Let's hope you turned down the Engine Core blast doors. If you did, it's not the end of the world, and the Supermatter is still safely contained so long as the blast doors are not raised. You should probably make sure the SM isn't on its way to delamination during this whole process, but if the windows are only damaged instead of broken, then you actually can repair them. Note that the usual reinforced borosilicate windows take damage at ''4273 Kelvin''.

==== How to Repair a Window ====
# Set up inflatable doors right up against your working area.
# Alt click the turf to bring up turf view - a tab that shows you every single item - so that you can work on what you want easily.
# [[Guide to Construction#Windows|Deconstruct the damaged window]] ('''making sure that there's another window in the same place first''') and build a new one. Alternatively, splash some [[Guide to Chemistry#Silicate|silicate]] on it if you really want.
# Move the window panes back around to make sure it's nice and flush, and remember to secure them back in place.

As for walls, well... if they're breached then something's gone very wrong. Regardless, you should always build '''reinforced''' walls with plasteel, otherwise you'll have a wall with a very low melting point!

{{Engineering}}
{{Guides}}
[[Category:Engineering]]
[[Category:Guides]]
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Turbine Engine

2026-03-05T22:34:53Z

Zha everything broken: TEGs have been renamed 'Stirling engines' in game as of #21933

[[File:Turbine_location.png|thumbnail|480px|The turbine is hidden in maintenance just east of atmospherics.]]
The Combustion Turbine, sometimes called the Combustion Engine or just Turbine, is a small power unit utilizing flammable gasses to spin a turbine. Due to the low power output, the turbine is typically used as the primary power source for small vessels, or as an auxiliary power unit on larger vessels such as the [[SCCV Horizon]]. As such, it is never recommended to operate the Horizon solely off of the turbine, instead the [[Supermatter Reactor]] or [[INDRA]] should be used.

Turbines fitted onto small vessels are typically found within the engineering section as the central power source. On the Horizon, the turbine is found in Deck 1 Maintenance just east of atmospherics.
==Turbine Operation==
The turbine is easy to start and operate while leaving opportunity to tweak the set-up for a preferred (or cost effective) operation. Below is the start-up process for the SCCV Horizon. The same principle applies to off-ship vessels, however certain components, such as the gas mixer or pumps, may not be in the same location. Most pumps should be labeled to ease these differences. [[File:Turbine_pumps.png|thumbnail|240px|The connector to cold loop pump is squared in blue. The cooling array to turbine pump is squared in red.]]

*Attach a hydrogen (H2) gas canister to the cold loop connector.
**Unlike the burn chamber, the cold loop is not attached to the Horizon's atmospheric storage. Gas canisters must be used to fill the cold loop.
*Enable the connector to cold loop pump, and the cooling array to turbine pump. This will begin circulation of the cold loop.
*Configure the gas mixer to output east and inject hydrogen and oxygen at the pre-set ratio of 60% oxygen and 40% hydrogen.[[File:Turbine_oxidant_valve.png|thumbnail|240px|Just north of the N2O tank is the valve that allows the oxidant (O2/N2O) into the turbine.]] [[File:Turbine_atmos_pumps.png|thumbnail|240px|The oxidant to turbine pump is squared in blue and connects to the N2O and O2 tanks. The hydrogen to turbine pump squared in red connects to the hydrogen tank.]]
**Off-ships will require the use of gas canisters to fill the burn chamber. The Horizon can inject gas from the storage tanks within atmospherics. This requires the use of two pumps, and the activation of a valve shown to the right.
***'''Note:''' By opening this valve, the burn chambers will be using the same oxidant as the thrusters.
*Enable the gas mixer until the desired amount of burn mix has been injected into the burn chamber.
*'''Disable the gas mixer! Do not leave injection on!'''
*Ignite the burn mix inside the burn chamber and wait for it to fully burn out.
**On off-ship vessels, some strain on the burn chamber glass at this step is expected.
*Once the fire has stopped and the contents of the tank are 100% CO2, enable hot loop circulation via the Turbine Hot Loop Control console: The recommend configuration is 700L/s input and 1000kpa output.
**The higher you put the output, the more power it generates. Raise as necessary. Keep in mind that this will also lead to the burn chamber cooling down faster.

'''WARNING:''' If you feel the burn mixture is going to break the glass or the burn chamber walls, lower the blast doors and vent the chamber immediately! Off-ship vessels have a portable generator in the back if the turbine runs out of fuel, or another mishap occurs.

==Turbine Design==
While the layout of the turbine may change from ship to ship, the basic concept remains the same. A turbine is made up of X parts: Burn chamber, hot loop, cold loop, cooling array, Stirling engine, connectors.

The '''burn chamber''' is, as you might expect, where the burn mixture is ignited to produce useable fuel. This chamber can vary in size but requires a few basic elements. It needs an injector to inject the burn mixture into the chamber, a vent to bring the hot fuel into the hot loop, a second injector to cycle back the hot loop gas, and blast doors for emergency venting. Some burn chambers may have glass viewing ports, but they're not inherently required. Often times, a sensor is present to display temperature, mixture contents, and chamber pressure to a console.

The '''hot loop''' is where the fuel is help from the burn chamber. This loop exits the burn chamber, enters into one of the inlet ports on the Stirling engine, exits out the exhaust port of the Stirling engine, and re-injects into the burn chamber. The ports on the Stirling engine must be across from each other or else the cold and hot loops would be mixed and remove the heat imbalance that causes the Stirling engine to function. Beware that this loop by its nature operates at much higher temperatures and pressures than any other loop and is the most likely to fail if the pressure is too high. If the temperature and pressure become too high, open the '''emergency cold loop to hot loop valves'''. This will instantly lower the temperature in the hot loop and open it to the cooling array. '''This will stop most power production from the turbine.'''

The '''cold loop''' is, as expected, where the cold gas is. Much like the hot loop, it connects to an inlet and exhaust port on the Stirling engine. They must be across from each other. Unlike the hot loop, the cold loop connects to the cooling array. This allows the heat transferred into the cold loop from the hot loop to be emitted into space, which reduces the temperature of the cold loop gas, and increases the heat transfer in the Stirling engine.

The '''cooling array''' is similar to the Supermatter Reactor's cooling array. It is a loop of pipes that radiate heat into space and reduce the temperature of the gases within its pipes. Unlike normal pipes, which mechanically act like insulated piping, cooling pipes have a much higher surface area and no insulation, allowing for greater heat removal.

The '''Stirling engine''' (formally called the thermoelectric generator or TEG) is the machine that converts heat in gases to electricity. Rather than operating via high-pressure steam turning an internal turbine, the Stirling engine works through heat transfer between two gas loops. The greater the heat difference, the more electricity produced. It is the exact same machine utilized by the Supermatter Reactor.

'''Connectors''' are the ways in which gas is introduced into the turbine system. The Horizon, uniquely, has a direct connection between the burn chamber and its gas storage, however other vessels must use gas canisters to inject fuel into the system, or gas into the cold loop. The burn chamber connectors require an omnimixer to achieve a proper ratio of oxidant to hydrogen. The cold loop, however, does not require any particular mixture.

==Turbine Theory==
''See also: [[Guide to Atmospherics]]''

At a fundamental level, the turbine engine is simply what happens when you combine the combustion chamber of the thrusters and attach it to a Stirling engine from the Supermatter engine. This gives us a look into how it works and lessens the legwork for describing the theory of how this engine works.

The simplified process is this: <code>Burn a gas mixture to produce superheated CO2 -> circulate CO2 in hot loop -> circulate cold gas in the cold loop -> temperature difference between hot/cold loops generates voltage in the Stirling engine.</code>

But first, there is something key to understand. The Turbine engine is not, by technicality, a turbine generator. Turbine generators work through pushing high-pressure fluid through turbine fan blades causing rotary motion and driving a generator unit. The Stirling engines do not operate (entirely) off of this principle. They operate using temperature differences between two ends of the generator. Now, the Stirling engines mechanically are a black box in terms of power generation, but thankfully we don't need the minute details to understand how the system operates. All we need to know is this: Higher temperature difference = more power.

===The Hot Loop===
''See also: [[Guide_to_Thrusters#Combustion_and_Gasses|Guide to Thrusters/Combustion and Gasses]]''

Much like the thrusters, the turbine generator operates via combustion. The thrusters use this to increase pressure to generator more force when pushed out of the thruster banks. Meanwhile, the turbine uses combustion to superheat gas for the aforementioned temperature difference. The end effect for both systems is the same. The limiting factor is the pressure chokepoints in the system, typically at vents, pumps, and valves. Given pressure is directly proportional to temperature, the turbine similarly wants higher pressures in the system.

So, what do we need for combustion? Fuel, oxygen, and heat. Heat is easy. The igniter provides the initial heat, and the rest is maintained by the combustion itself. Below are the fuels and oxidizers available on the Horizon.

'''Fuels'''

[[File:Phoron_canister.png]] '''Phoron (Ph)'''. Has a molar heat capacity value of 200, and a molar mass of 0.405 kg/mol. 

[[File:Hydrogen_canister.png]] '''Hydrogen (H2)'''. Has a molar heat capacity value of 100, and a molar mass of 0.002 kg/mol.

'''Oxidizers'''

[[File:Oxygen_canister.png]] '''Oxygen (O2)'''. Has a molar heat capacity value of 20, and a molar mass of 0.032 kg/mol. 

[[File:Nitrous_canister.png]] '''Nitrous Oxide (N2O)'''. Has a molar heat capacity value of 40, and a molar mass of 0.044 kg/mol.

'''Products'''

[[File:Carbon_canister.png]] '''Carbon Dioxide (CO2)'''. Has a molar heat capacity value of 30, and a molar mass of 0.044 kg/mol.

The choice in fuels and oxidizers largely boils down to choosing between phoron and hydrogen. Phoron will burn hotter than hydrogen. This is as a result of its heat capacity; how much heat energy it can store before the temperature raises. Phoron, then is a much better fuel than hydrogen. The issue, however, is phoron is rare and VERY expensive. It's recommended to stick with hydrogen for burn mixes.

Oxidizers, in this case, work practically the same. There may be some minor variations in performance. Their goal is entirely to produce oxygen for the combustion process. Finally, we have the product: Carbon dioxide. Regardless of what components are used in combustion, the result is '''always''' CO2. This is a fact of the game mechanics, even if it is scientifically dubious. Thankfully, the temperature of CO2 is all that matters in this system. The hotter the combustion burned, the higher the CO2 temperature, the more performance from the Stirling engine.

Earlier in the process a ratio was mentioned. 40% fuel to 60% oxidant. This is the golden ratio in combustion that leaves no fuel or oxidants remaining while maximizing the resultant temperature. There is a lot of math behind this ratio, and further details on the numbers behind each ratio increment, that can be found on the [[Guide_to_Thrusters#Burn_Ratio|Thrusters guide here]]. Seeing as we care mostly about the temperature of the system, this ratio is best left as it is.

There is a safety note remember about this whole process. Walls and glass only begin to take damage and melt if there is '''heat and fire'''. If there is no fire, the walls and windows take no damage. This leaves us with two options: Burn a less efficient mixture to remain below the 6000K limit of the walls or prevent the combustion process from continuing. This is why it is mentioned to turn off the injectors before firing the combustion chamber. The burn mix will combust, all of the oxidizers and fuel will be consumed, the fire will die out, and we are left with a superheated gas as a result. In theory, a less efficient mixture can be used, and the combustion process can continue as long as desired. This may be useful for long-term use, as the hot and cold loops will equalize in temperature as the system runs. However, given how long this takes, it is a non-issue.

===The Cold Loop===
''See also: [[Supermatter_Reactor#Coolant|Supermatter Reactor/Coolant]]''

The cold loop is a much simpler system compared to the hot loop. It is made of 2 components: coolant gas and cooling array. The only major question here, then, is the heat capacity of the gas being used. Since temperature difference is what drives the Stirling engine to operate, we want to minimize how much the cold loop heats up. The higher the heat capacity, the better the cold loop performance. This is simply due to heat capacity's function in a gas. The more capacity the gas has, the more heat energy it can absorb before raising in temperature. Once it meets its heat capacity, it rises in temperature. For this reason, the cold loop performs best utilizing one of two gases: Phoron and hydrogen.

The only other major item of note is the cooling array. This is the best passive method to reduce the temperature in the loop. The longer the cooling array, the better the cold loop performance. There are other methods of reducing the loop's temperature, such as gas cooler. These, however, consume power. Add too many coolers, and it will consume all of the power being produced by the system.

===Improvement===
''See also: [[Guide_to_Thrusters#Modifications_and_Experimentation|Guide to Thrusters/Modifications and Experimentation]]''

The turbine is a relatively limited engine model. It functions reliably, and produces consistent power, but it is limited by the same metrics as the Supermatter reactor AND the thrusters. However, this also gives us a view into where the turbine can improve. The less obvious area is cooling. The cold loop will naturally rise in temperature over time, so improving the cooling method of the system, or raising the heat capacity of the loop, is a simple method to improving engine performance.

The more obvious area of improvement is system pressure. Much like the thrusters, every connection and fixture on a pipe network has limiting pressure. This maximum is 15000 KPa across all fixtures, whether they be pumps or vents. Similarly to the thrusters, there are ways around these limitations. You can find more details on that [[Guide_to_Thrusters#Modifications_and_Experimentation|here]].

'''Note:''' This guide does not go into the gritty details of each process and concept. The turbine is, at its essence, the combination of 2 pre-existing systems which have far more details and math present on their respective pages. For brevity purposes, those pages are linked. It is highly recommended to read the links above if you wish to know more behind the atmospheric systems.

{{Engineering}}
{{Guides}}
[[Category:Engineering]]
[[Category:Guides]]
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Supermatter Reactor

2026-02-09T00:23:31Z

Zha everything broken: Updated SOP (emitter recommended setup and maximum safe shot counts) to match current mechanics.

=HELP IM THE ONLY ENGINEER=
[[File:Engineroomhorizon.png|thumb|The engine room on the Horizon. Middle click to open the picture in a new tab.]]{{toc_right}}So you're new and no one else has joined engineering and you have no idea how to setup the engine? Well first things first: '''don't panic!''' You could try waiting for an engineer to join and teach you... unless you've joined during deadpop hours, in which case, the following steps (color-coded for your convenience) will get the engine rolling quickly with minimal explanation. You should probably read the rest of this guide to understand how it works in greater detail once you're done:
*'''If everything is out of power, [[#Maintenance and Repairs|skip to here]].'''
#Before you start, go inside the room labelled Supermatter Reactor SMES. There should be a power storage unit inside the room; click on it and MAX the input and output on the power storage popup.
#Open a radiation PPE locker (found inside the airlock to the engine room) and retrieve a radiation suit, radiation hood, and safety goggles. The safety goggles are very important, as they will protect you from hallucinations from looking at the Supermatter Core.
#Retrieve four [[File:Hydrogen_canister.png]]hydrogen canisters from hard storage (the room with a big garage door perpendicular to the locker room) and move them to the engine room.
#Wrench all four of the canisters into the '''connectors''' near the door. There should be two canisters connected to the green pipes, and two canisters connected to the blue pipes. Turn on all four pumps; they should be MAXed by default, but in case they aren't, MAX them out.
#Directly to the left of the four connectors is a '''pump''' that is labelled Cooling Array to Generators. Turn it on and make sure it's MAXed out.
#*You do not have to open the canister valve on the canister UI. Don't worry about that.
#You should see the canisters beginning to empty. The indicator lights should begin to turn yellow, then red. All four TEG turbines are probably also spinning. You don't need to wait for them to be empty for the Supermatter to start properly, but there should be some gas in the pipes first.
#Move over to '''the emitter''', the giant laser facing the crystal, and click on it to turn it on. Do not stand in front of the emitter. Keep track of how many times it has fired; you can shift-click to examine the emitter to see how many shots it has fired.
#After at least fifty (50) shots, turn '''the emitter''' back off by clicking on it. This set-up, with no other upgrades performed, can have up to fifty (120) shots in the core at a time.
#Close the '''SM core blast doors''' so that radiation doesn't spread to the rest of the engineering hallway.
Congratulations, you have successfully set up the engine, and everyone can enjoy their round on a powered ship! You're a hero! Unless you set something up wrong and now everything is either still out of power ''or'' in the process of exploding. For the former's case, refer to the [[#Maintenance and Repairs|quick diagnostic list]]. In the latter's case, head to [[#Emergency!|this section]].

=The Actual Guide=
Now, assuming you aren't new and actually know a bit of what you're doing, then this guide will attempt to accurately describe the intricacies and in-depth mechanics of most of the systems related to the SM engine, from the SM itself to the SMES units connected to it at the end of the line. An informed mind is one that can potentially save the ship from disaster!

==How It Works==
On the surface level, the default engine setup is very simple: SM is energized, SM heats up gas, gas goes to TEGs, TEGs exchange heat and produce power, power goes to the SMES, etc. The sections below will cover what makes each individual part tick.

===[[File:Supermatter.png]]The Supermatter===
See also: [[Phoron]] 
The Supermatter (often known as the SM) is a large crystal of tightly compacted Phoron with special properties. This particular crystal differs from typically large quantities of Phoron in that it is a semi-transparent yellow instead of an opaque purple, and it even glows. Another contrast is that the Supermatter is incredibly unstable, and is capable of vaporizing solid and liquid - and sometimes gaseous - matter in an instant (this includes you). It can even consume photonic energy in the form of lasers. This process usually results in the Supermatter becoming "energized", a state at which it will begin to slowly shed Phoron and oxygen particles (roughly at a ratio of ten moles of Phoron to one mole of oxygen, depending on the temperature of the environment), as well as radiate Gamma rays and produce incredible amounts of heat. It is also in this energized state that its visual appearance will distort in the minds of the beholder, assuming they are biologic (excepting Dionae), and will inexplicably stimulate the visual cortex of the brain to hallucinatory extremes. A footnote in its energized state is when high concentrations of oxygen are introduced, forcing the crystal to radiate a red glow instead of its usual yellow. Intermittently, the crystal will also cease glowing all together. This interaction between the SM and oxygen is poorly understood, but what is known is that the crystal will passively energize in its presence at a rate dependent on how much oxygen there is. Put simply, anything shot/thrown at the SM will energize it, producing heat and lethal amounts of radiation, and probably hallucinations.

Two factors that determine how energized a Supermatter crystal is are '''power''' and '''decay'''. Power represents how much energy has been projected into the SM, whether it be from an emitter or even large quantities of oxygen. Power determines how hot the crystal can get, how much radiation it emits, how far its hallucinatory effect travels, and how much Phoron and oxygen it will shed. Its power level also influences decay, and decay - in turn -, influences power: decay determines how fast the crystal's power level will drop. What this means is that an emitter shooting the SM constantly will eventually cause the SM's power and decay to reach an equilibrium state, a point that cannot be passed unless even more energy is projected at the SM.

The Supermatter in its default state does nothing unless you do something to energize it. It does not produce Phoron or oxygen, it does not radiate Gamma rays, it does not generate heat, and it does not cause hallucinations. Though viewing it without protection in an unenergized state is poor form, it is safe nonetheless. It is also safe to '''pull''' the SM around freely. It is not safe to walk into/against the SM, nor is it safe to click on it; this will disintegrate you immediately. Removing the SM from a crate in an environment with oxygen (such as a hallway or poorly maintained SM chamber) also isn't safe for the reasons outlined above.

While being basically space magic is all well and good for the purposes of generating power, it's also incredibly dangerous if not managed properly. Besides being able to heat up its surrounding atmosphere to rather high temperature extremes when energized, it is also capable of exploding spectacularly, known as a "delamination event". Most commonly this occurs when the crystal's structure begins to decay as a result of extremely high heat, particularly at '''five thousand Kelvin''' and above, and the SM will eventually detonate if this is not corrected. It can also decay if it is exposed to vacuum while energized. Though the Supermatter can be "damaged" in a way, it is also capable of regenerating itself if allowed an environment in which it can do so. It is prudent, then, to keep the SM from becoming over-energized and heating its environment up to a point where it can self destruct, a task that isn't that difficult since all Supermatter crystals provided by NT come with a device that will broadcast over the radio its status if it is concerning.

'''TL;DR''': Energizing the SM (shooting it with the emitter/a gun, or touching it with something else/yourself, or introducing oxygen to it) will make it produce heat and radiation, and start spewing Phoron and oxygen, and make you hallucinate without safety goggles. It begins to take damage at 5000 Kelvin (though the borosilicate windows in the core begin to break at 4273 Kelvin), and this damage scales with temperature. It can also take damage if exposed to vacuum (even 0.1 kPa of gas will save it) while energized. It will explode and irradiate the entire map if allowed to take damage for too long and everyone will get pissed at you, mostly because the SM itself will yell at you over the radio if it's taking damage.

===The TEGs===
[[File:TEGUI.png|right|thumb|Your typical TEG UI in an unpowered state.]]Something much better understood compared to the SM are '''thermoelectric generators''', or TEGs as they're often shortened to. The basic operating principle of any TEG is that it uses the difference in temperature between gas to generate electricity, the result being power based on the difference and slightly colder/hotter gas. In practice, the Supermatter - when energized - will heat up its surrounding atmosphere to a rather high degree. These gases are then pumped into one of the turbines (the north one) on the TEG, where it will exchange heat with the turbine on the opposite end (the south one) that ''hopefully'' has gas that is significantly colder. This turbine has gas being pumped in from a somewhat extensive radiator network in space, where it is slowly chilled. The two gases exchange heat with each other, producing energy, and the difference in temperature between the two is lowered slightly. Note that TEGs can safely produce up to five hundred kilowatts individually, beyond which they will begin to grow a little less consistent in their power generating capabilities. There is no danger in going above this threshold, however.

A TEG also needs some sense of flow in order to function, meaning a turbine's input and output sharing the same pipe network without something to break it up will function rather poorly, if it functions at all. In particular, the turbine's input requires gas to be moved towards it specifically. Most commonly, a pump of some sort can be found connecting much of the cold loop to a small section of pipe connected to the turbine's input. While it may not be obvious, the hot loop does actually possess a pump in the form of a vent constantly scrubbing gas from the air. A TEG turbine has specific sides that its input or output can be found on, which can be found by simply examining the turbine.

In all honesty, most of the values shown in the UI aren't necessary at all to know except for output. If the TEG's sprite looks green then all is well on the TEG's end. Regardless, the values will be described anyway:
*'''Total Output''': The amount of power available that can be output into a wire. You even get a cool looking bar that shows how much power is being generated! Wow!
*'''Thermal Output''': The actual amount of power being generated. Due to inefficiencies with the system, some power is lost, hence the existence of the '''Total Output''' value.
*'''Turbine Output''': How much power the turbines themselves are generating, independent of thermal exchange. Probably.
*'''Flow Capacity''': Literal mystery number.
*'''Inlet/Outlet Pressure/Temperature''': The pressure and temperature of the inlet and outlet, measured in kilopascals and Kelvin respectively. As you can imagine, the inlet refers to the pipe network connected to the input of the TEG, while the outlet refers to the pipe network on the output side. You can examine the turbines to see which side the input and output are on.

For more information on how gas interacts with the TEGs, refer to the [[#Coolant|coolant section]] of this guide.

===Gas and Heat===
[[File:Enginemonitor.png|right|thumb|The usual look of the engine cooling control monitor. Notice the presence of Nitrogen at the start of the shift.]]See also: [[Guide to Atmospherics]] 
So you have some fancy rock that could, by some metrics, be described as the spawn of some eldritch horror dwelling in the cosmos ''and'' some spiny machines that can make power from spicy interactions with said rock. Cool! But it won't just produce power right off the bat; no, you need to supply a medium that can be used to make the TEG do TEG things! The [[#Coolant|coolant subheading]] should be able to give you a brief summary of what gases do what! It even tells you about heat capacity, which is important, so go read it!

Of course it's not like the gases can just wangjangle all together in open air, that'd be weird! Instead, the gases are pumped into a series of pipe networks that flow into and out of the TEGs, as well as the SM core and the large radiator in space. They're even color coded: cyan is on the output end of the hot loop turbine, where it will be re-injected into the SM core to heat back up. The orange/brown loop is on the input end of the hot loop turbine, where it takes in hot gas from a vent pump siphoning gas from the SM core. The green loop is on the input end of the cold loop turbine, where the gases in the radiator network are pumped in. The black loop is on the output end of the cold loop turbine, where gases that were warmed up in the exchange of thermal energy are output into the radiator network to be cooled back down.

The pipes can be safely pressurized up to 70000 kPa - a figure that can be pretty hard to reach depending on the size of the pipe network -, beyond which the pipes might begin to '''explode'''. One of the biggest determining factors for pipe pressure is heat, particularly something called '''thermal expansion'''. In the context of gas in pipes, hot gas results in higher pressure. Higher pressures mean that atmospheric devices like pumps attempting to force gas from a lower pressure network into the higher pressure network can be slowed down significantly. The most immediately concerning thing that can result from this is the hot loop functioning at a very high pressure during an emergency, and being unable to inject significant amounts of dump coolant because the pump either cannot force the gas from a canister into the loop fast enough, or the pressure simply exceeds the pump's maximum possible target pressure setting. See the [[#Core Venting|core venting procedures section]] on how to deal with this.

With the above in mind, it's important to realize that pressure does not equal the amount of gas actually inside a medium. Gas quantity is measured in moles, which should be used as the real determining factor as to how much gas is inside a medium like a pipe network or a canister. Pressure and temperature can be measured with pipe meters, while moles (with pressure, temperature, and gas composition) can be measured with a gas analyzer.

Worth mention is something called the '''fire triangle'''. Put simply, the three corners of the triangle represent heat, fuel, and an oxidizer. If all three of these are present then a fire will occur. Conversely, if one of these elements is removed, then you have no fire: Phoron spewing out all around a room and some broken light is sparking, but there's no oxygen or N2O? No fire, no problems, simple as that! This principle may be important to keep in mind if you choose to run an engine that has an oxidizer in the hot loop.

Finally, to the right of the screen is the engine cooling control console screen. This will give you basic information such as the core's pressure (measured in kilopascals, kPa), its temperature (measured in Kelvin), and its gas composition (measured in percentages). The first section below these readouts is the controller for the gas injector (the device connected to the cyan loop). By default this device is turned on and set to the maximum volume setting, where it will ''attempt'' to inject gas at a rate of 700 L/s. Below this is the vent pump controller for the vent pump (the device connected to the orange loop). This device works a bit differently: its setting does not determine how fast it will siphon gas from the room it's in - that value is locked to 700 L/s as well -, instead the setting represents a threshold of pressure where it will begin siphoning once that threshold is crossed. By default it is set to 100 kPa, which is why the nitrogen at round start - resting at around 81 kPa - is sitting in the core and not populating the pipes. The maximum threshold value for this setting is 1000 kPa.

==Safety First==
Before entering the engine room you should always wear proper PPE. The following will suffice, and are always found inside radiation lockers:
*[[File:MGlasses.png]]'''Safety Goggles''' to prevent hallucinations from developing by looking at the SM. How do they work? Who knows...
*[[File:Radsuit.png]]'''Radiation PPE''' to keep you from receiving a lethal dose of radiation that can very easily kill you within minutes. Dionae and IPCs are exempt from wearing this.
As long as you have these two sets of items you are pretty much safe unless the engine room is either an inferno or vacuum. Certain [[Guide to EVA#Hardsuits|hardsuits]] and [[Guide to EVA#Voidsuits|voidsuits]] are immune to radiation as well if you need to wear those out of necessity.

==[[File:SMES.gif]]SMES Configuration==
There are two SMES units that are immediately relevant to the engine: the '''engine SMES''' and the '''main distribution SMES'''. The former is what receives power from the TEGs and powers the engine room APC directly as well as the emitter. If the output is not high enough, the emitter may not fire, or the APC may not have enough power to allow the pumps to operate. The other SMES also receives power from the TEGs, but it outputs to the rest of the ship. It should have its input maximized, since every kilowatt not used is another kilowatt wasted. The output can be adjusted as needed, of course, but one should take into account how populated the departments are and how much power the ship will need in general.

==Coolant==
An intrinsic property of matter - particularly gas, in SS13's case - is something called '''heat capacity''', a variable that determines how much energy it takes to increase the temperature of a substance. In the context of setting up the SM: how energized the SM needs to be in order for the gases in the hot/cold loops to actually rise in temperature. Heat capacity also factors into how power is generated with the TEGs; higher heat capacity allows a gas to hold more thermal energy, which means more energy can be transferred between the turbines, allowing more energy to be produced.
*[[File:Phoron_canister.png]]'''Phoron''': Arguably the most stable and safe gas to use, Phoron carries with it a stupidly high heat capacity, at least compared to most other available gases. There is a lot of leeway with this particular gas, making it easy to train new apprentices with. It's worth noting, though, that '''phoron is a fuel''', and can start fires. It is also '''a very scarce resource''', and its use should be rationed out carefully if it is actually used. The SM will generate Phoron passively as long as it is energized. This gas is viable for either the hot loop or the cold loop.
*[[File:Hydrogen_canister.png]]'''Hydrogen''': Second best gas to use with the second highest heat capacity, and it compares pretty well to Phoron, at least compared to the other gases. Like Phoron (sans all the wacky space magic that comes with it), Hydrogen '''is a fuel''', and can start fires. It is otherwise inert and safe to breathe as long as you don't light a match. This gas is viable for either the hot loop or the cold loop.
*[[File:Nitrous_canister.png]]'''Nitrous Oxide''': Not nearly as good as Phoron or H2 (in fact it's leagues below these two), it's still a respectable gas nonetheless. Its only caveat is that '''it is an oxidizer''', and it will start a continuous fire if used in the hot loop, though the heat generated from such isn't as bad as one might think. It can also knock people out if exposed to the atmosphere, but almost all of these gases are dangerous in high quantities anyway. This gas is viable for the cold loop, but less so for the hot loop unless it is monitored.
*[[File:Carbon_canister.png]]'''Carbon Dioxide''': ''Just'' under N2O in terms of heat capacity is CO2. This gas pretty much has nothing going for it other than that, but it's still way better than N2. You'll probably see this in the chamber anyway as a result of the SM producing Phoron and oxygen passively (which almost immediately burns up into CO2). This gas is viable for either the hot loop or the cold loop.
*[[File:Nitrogen_canister.png]]'''Nitrogen''': Lowest heat capacity, twined with oxygen, N2 ''has'' been regarded as the standard coolant for the SM engine, but the fact of the matter is that this is '''definitely no longer the case''', and N2 should really only be reserved for experimentation or as [[#Coolant Dump|emergency dump coolant]]. This gas is barely viable for anything.
*[[File:Oxygen_canister.png]]'''Oxygen''': Same heat capacity as N2, except '''it's also an oxidizer''' (obviously). Oxygen can also energize the SM. Because of this, using this in the hot loop will almost definitely result in a roaring, nearly uncontrollable blaze eventually. That's not to say that it can't be controlled, but this shouldn't be the first gas you look at for coolant. The SM will generate oxygen passively as long as it is energized. This gas is barely viable for anything.
*[[File:Air_canister.png]]'''Air''': Literally just 79% N2, 21% O2. Why would you use this. I mean, you have a lot of it, sure, but... why? For the reasons listed on the O2 section, using this is a terrible idea.

==[[File:Filter.gif]]Waste Processing==
[[File:Waste room.png|thumb|The Reactor Waste Management Room.]]

While this area and machinery doesn't impact SM performance ''too much'', it's a good idea to set it up anyway, otherwise TEG performance might be negatively impacted, or worse. The filters up north are what will keep the coolant gas in the loop and the byproducts/gases you don't want out, pushing them towards the room to the north. By default, the filters are set to allow '''hydrogen''' through, so you don't need to change them at all unless you're doing a very strange setup. Incorrectly setting these filters will most likely result in the SM chamber slowly depressurizing until there is no gas left, or the gas leftover is so minuscule that it heats up to dangerous values instantly.

The room beyond these filters has a black pipe network known as the waste line. Inside are three pumps and two gas coolers. As it turns out, siphoning gas from the inferno of an engine chamber gives you '''very hot gas''' which has expanded considerably. This makes most atmospheric devices function slowly, particularly the devices in Atmospherics, assuming you turn on the Reactor to Mix pump.

Thus, it's a good idea to cool the gas down with the gas coolers. The simple way to set this up is to turn on both gas coolers to their default setting (which is room temperature, 20 Celsius), and maximize the Reactor to Mix pump. '''Don't turn on the Filter Bypass Pump or the Reactor to Scrubbers pump.''' The former will cause gas to filter from the Supermatter, which will cause it to delaminate, and the latter will send extremely hot gas to the scrubber pipeline, slowing it down.

Because of how the filters are setup, using two different gases in the hot loop isn't possible without modifications. Why you would bother using more than one gas in the hot loop is a mystery, but it is worth mentioning.

==[[File:Emitter.png]]Turn It On==
Once everything is all said and done - the pipes are full of gas, the filters are filtering properly, the cold loop pump is turned on, and the TEGs look like they're working -, it's time to turn this sucker on! Assuming you didn't use oxygen in the hot loop (why would you), the SM should be in an inert state, ready to be energized by this big ol' laser thing, '''the emitter'''. The emitter is basically a very high power laser that fires in bursts of four. Because of how the SM's power and decay function (described in [[#The Supermatter|this section]]), each shot to the SM will be functionally weaker than the last, though this effect is really only noticed if you shoot beyond fifty shots. Speaking of shots, an important variable in an engine setup is how many shots the emitter takes, which you should probably be counting. If you managed to lose count, don't sweat it: you can examine the emitter to see how many times it has fired.

The emitter is connected directly to the engine SMES; it does not receive power from an APC, it must be wired into a powered grid directly. That grid specifically requires thirty kilowatts in order for the emitter to fire. In the context of the engine power grid, the engine SMES output should probably be set far above this value so as to take into account the power draw of the engine room APC.

==Emergency!==
'''Most of the techniques beneath this subheading assume the engine room is powered. If it is not, head to [[#Maintenance and Repairs|this section]], then come back here.''' So for your first or second go-around, the SM seems like a pretty complex and cruel engine, but that's only half true: in fact, compared to all of the other engines in the code, the SM is actually incredibly forgiving: it takes more than a few minutes to blow up during which it can be saved, it yells over the radio if it begins to take damage, it yells loudly over the radio if it's about to blow, and its scale of destruction - while discouraging - hardly compares to the level of chaos that something like the singularity or tesla can cause. Now that we know that not all hope is lost and that you can easily rescue the engine, it's time to get to work!

Firstly, the biggest thing that can go wrong with the engine is the SM overheating. This occurs when the temperature of the core exceeds 5000 Kelvin, a value that can be gleaned by looking at one of the engine core control consoles. What exactly causes it to reach that temperature can be based on a variety of things: poor coolant choice, over energization, coolant backup, missing pipes to name just a few. The sections below will cover how to correct this.

===[[File:Nitrogen_canister.png]]Coolant Dump===
'''Assuming the pipes are not pressurized beyond 15000 kPa''', dumping a random coolant (like nitrogen) into the hot loop via the canister connector has proven to be quite effective. How it works is it takes a room temperature gas (usually 20C, unless you chilled it before hand) and introduces it to an incredibly hot inferno. The thermal difference between the new coolant and the old coolant is huge, and it will cool down the core almost instantly. As a bonus, the dump coolant (assuming it isn't the same gas that you set the engine up with) will gradually filter out of the loop via the filters, keeping everything nice and clean once all is said and done. This, of course, is not a permanent solution, but it will buy you a lot of time. There are four N2 canisters sitting around in the corner of the engine room, ready to be used as dump coolant.

You can, of course, inject more of the gas you used during setup, but for obvious reasons this will offset the balance you set the engine up with... not that it matters that much, probably. If you care about ratios that much, just do the above.

===[[File:Manualvalve.png]]Coolant Valves===
The white squares [[#top|shown in the picture of the engine room at the top of the page]] are the emergency coolant mix valves. These will join the hot and cold loops together to allow the hot loop - the gas that is probably incredibly hot - to be cooled down, at least initially, with the gas from the cold loop, and also cool it off with the radiator network. This will almost certainly result in the TEGs power production being killed off, and will invariably disrupt your gas ratios if you really care about them. This solution is a little more long term than dump coolant, but you should make sure your SMES units have enough power to function while maintenance is being conducted on the SM.

Using the mix valves when you're using '''two different types of coolant''' is a much harder endeavor. Unless the filters are turned off, all of your cold loop gas will eventually be filtered out. Even if the emergency is handled, you'll be stuck with two different gases in at least one of your loops. Just something to keep in mind.

===Direct Cooling: Maverick Style===
First two methods aren't getting you anywhere, or the pipes were sabotaged in such a way to prevent them from working? Well, this is it everyone. I guess engineering is going to explode now.

Well, maybe if you're a ''quitter''. Throw on a voidsuit and grab an extinguisher and inflatable door. <s>Break into the CE's office</s> Politely ask the CE to unbolt the engine hatches (they may need to press the button twice for it to actually unbolt), setup an inflatable door outside one of the hatches, open the hatch up, and let loose with the extinguisher foam. The result is the room cooling down to such an extreme that you might wonder how you can even wield such power. The day is saved and the SM won't be exploding for a while. Now that that's done, you should probably get the heck out of there since your voidsuit most likely doesn't shield you from as much radiation as you'd like.

===Core Venting===
If you've managed to determine that the gas used in the core just simply sucks and can't support the energized state of the SM, it's probably time to just swap to a different gas all together. Or maybe the hot loop is pressurized well over 15000 kPa and you can't inject any dump coolant. First you should set the filters to the new gas that you plan to use so that you don't waste any when you begin injecting it. This will slowly filter the core's old coolant out, but this is going to be way too slow and the SM will probably blow up before you can actually inject a new coolant, thus we will just '''vent the core''' instead. The button up north next to the nitrogen canisters behind a glass window (that you can smash easily) is what will open up the core vent to space, which will rapidly drain the core of all gases. As long as the core has ''some'' pressure, the amount of damage it takes won't spike terribly as a result of being exposed to vacuum. You or another engineer should confirm that the vent is actually open by checking on the camera inside. Once the gases have been drained sufficiently, close the vent and start dumping in the new coolant into the hot loop. If all well and good then the day is saved and you don't have to worry about anything else. Good job!

==Ejection==
'''This is the last resort'''. If the engine room is already somehow blown up, the core cannot be secured in time, and/or many of the pipes are missing and you are very short on time, then maybe it's time to consider ejecting the SM to save the engine room from exploding and saving other people the trouble of being blasted with radiation. You will notice that the SM rests on a mass driver, basically a slingshot. When activated, this will send the SM flying. For obvious reasons, the core vent should be wide open before attempting to use this. The button for the vent can be found on the northern end of the room next to the nitrogen canisters, while the button for ejecting the core is in the CE's office. Considering the severity of the situation, no one will really blame you if you decide to break in and launch the SM out yourself, assuming you really are out of options.

Note that the SM takes damage if it is powered and exposed to vacuum. Because of this, you must either be swift or accurately coordinate the SM's ejection so that it doesn't blow up before you launch it.

===Something Went Wrong!===
The mass driver does not know whether or not the vent is open, it just drives mass, that is all it does. Hitting the mass driver before the vent is open will just launch the SM into the blast door and nothing will happen. This severely complicates everything since now you must place the SM back onto the mass driver in order to eject it properly. Yes, this means you have to go into the core yourself to pull it back into position. Yes, you will probably die. Regardless, put on a voidsuit (an atmos suit would be best, otherwise refer to [[#Direct Cooling: Maverick Style|this section]] to make sure you don't melt too bad), get the engine hatches unbolted (the button to do so is in the CE's office. Unless they have been unbolted in the past, you will need to hit the button twice because BYOND sucks), setup an inflatable door outside a hatch, turn your magboots on, and get on in there. '''Pull''' the SM back into position, namely the middle of the core where the mass driver is. Make sure the vent is open and hit the ejection button in the CE's office once more and hope for the best.

If the mass driver was somehow destroyed or no longer functions, you will have to eject the Supermatter yourself, with your bare hands. Open the vent, enter the core, '''pull''' the SM and head down the carved path until you reach a large hole in the floor. Set the SM up next to the hole and grab anything to throw at it. The impact of the item against the SM will push it into the hole, saving engineering, yourself, and many others.

==Troubleshooting and Repairs==
For a number of reasons, the Supermatter cannot run indefinitely without periodic input, as its power will eventually decay to the point that the gas that it heats up is not enough to generate meaningful amounts of power. However, given that rounds don't often last more than two hours and atmos processes slower than the time it takes for sauerkraut to ferment (at least three days, by the way), this whole problem won't make itself manifest. In the rare event that this does happen, just turning the emitter on for a few seconds to re-energize the crystal will suffice.

If that doesn't fix your issue, read on.

===No Power!===
Arrived to the shift late and there's no other engineers, or they're totally clueless and neglected to read the wiki? All of the SMES units in engineering have depowered to the point that nothing works? '''Well!''' Guess it's time to cold start the engine!

# Locate a PACMAN portable generator along with the fuel to run it. At least one can be found in Engineering Hard Storage, along with some graphite sheets to power it.
# Head to the Supermatter SMES Chamber, turn off input on the SMES, and wrench the PACMAN directly over the main SMES unit's input terminal (there's a wire knot there leading to the engine SMES input terminal as well).
# Feed it fuel and turn it on.
# Assuming the engine SMES input is on (it is by default, otherwise use RCON to turn it back on) and no one snipped any wires between the main SMES and the engine SMES ([[Traitor|very strange behavior]]) then bam, power.
# Hit the door bolt button and continue engine setup from there.

===Missing Pipes===
If a pipe goes missing then something has gone terribly, terribly wrong. It's more likely, however, that a meteor managed to smash into the radiator network and take out one or two heat exchange pipes, which will invariably sever the link between the output and input ends of the cold loop turbine. Though there are grilles surrounding the coolant network to hopefully prevent this from happening, there's no guarantee that it won't happen; it may be prudent to check on the radiator network after meteors decide to crash through.

Repairing the missing pipe sections is simple but time sensitive. If you have a handheld pipe dispenser then this process is made that much more easy. Just EVA out, dispense the correct pipe, rotate it as needed, and wrench it in. If you do not have a handheld dispenser then you will need to document all missing pipe segments and vend them out of a normal pipe dispenser, which is a bit more tedious and time consuming.

===Core Underpressure===
If the engine core is inexplicably dropping in pressure, then there's a good chance that something has either exposed the engine room to space, or the hot loop is dumping gas somewhere else (like the waste loop). Checking if the core was breached is a simple enough process, and checking if the pipes are emptying themselves is as simple as checking everything that the network connects to, particularly the gas filters.

===Poor Power Production===
TEGs aren't producing much power? First you should determine whether or not both turbines are spinning. If they are, then gas is flowing fine. If they aren't, then something has stopped the flow of gas, or the gas has disappeared.

Ensure the filters are running properly if the hot loop mysteriously empties. For the cold loop, ensure the cold loop pump is maxed and turned on. For the hot loop, ensure that the air injector and vent pump are both functioning; the injector will have a red light if it is not, and the vent won't animate if it is off. They can be turned on via the [[#Gas and Heat|engine coolant control console]] in the monitoring room. If the TEGs still aren't producing power in spite of there being flowing gas, make sure the SM is actually energized. In other words ''make sure the hot loop is hot''. If the round has dragged on long enough, or you just didn't shoot it enough, then it probably isn't generating enough heat. If all else fails, refer to the [[#Missing Pipes|missing pipes]] section above.

===Broken Windows or Containment===
So the SM got too hot and broke all the windows? Let's hope you turned down the Engine Core blast doors. If you did, it's not the end of the world, and the Supermatter is still safely contained so long as the blast doors are not raised. You should probably make sure the SM isn't on its way to delamination during this whole process, but if the windows are only damaged instead of broken, then you actually can repair them. Note that the usual reinforced borosilicate windows take damage at ''4273 Kelvin''.

==== How to Repair a Window ====
# Set up inflatable doors right up against your working area.
# Alt click the turf to bring up turf view - a tab that shows you every single item - so that you can work on what you want easily.
# [[Guide to Construction#Windows|Deconstruct the damaged window]] ('''making sure that there's another window in the same place first''') and build a new one. Alternatively, splash some [[Guide to Chemistry#Silicate|silicate]] on it if you really want.
# Move the window panes back around to make sure it's nice and flush, and remember to secure them back in place.

As for walls, well... if they're breached then something's gone very wrong. Regardless, you should always build '''reinforced''' walls with plasteel, otherwise you'll have a wall with a very low melting point!

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