Need help understanding new heat exchangers


  • I'm not understanding how the math is done above.
    Start:
    Reactor Hul = 5,000 Heat
    Max Reactor Heat = 20,000 Heat
    Core Heat Exchanger = 0 Heat


    How exactly is the median heat value calculated?
    The median value given the numbers {0, 5000} is 2,500.
    The median value given the numbers {0, 5000, 20000} is 5,000.


    The Hull is at 25% of its heat capacity.
    The Core Heat Exchanger is at 0% of its heat capacity.


    I'm not understanding how the Core Heat Exchanger finally determines that it should 1,000 heat in itself and 4,000 heat in the reactor.
    I do see that when the Core Heat Exchanger is at 1,000 of 5,000 heat that's at 20% capacity, and when the reactor hull is at 4,000 of 20,000 heat it is also at 20% capacity.


    So is it taking that initial 5,000 heat and trying to distribute it in such a way that the % capacity of each component it affects (itself & hull) are the same? That seems like the answer and makes sense after I've worked through typing all of this out. But how does it mathematically find that value?
    Core Heat Exchanger
    X/5000 = Y Where X is the amount of heat to store inside of the Core Heat Exchanger, and Y is the % of heat stored in the component
    Z/20000 = Y Where Z is the amount of heat to store inside the Hull


    Is that what it's doing?


    Ok... so I think I've got that example figured out. Substitute an Advanced Heat Exchanger for the Core Heat Exchanger and also toss in a 60k Coolant Cell and I think I'll wait for the reactor planner to get updated.

    • Official Post

    Ok i have no idea what you calculated at the end and it seems far too complex, let me show you a simple way:


    My example has 2 components: Reactor max capacity 20k, exchanger 5k. The system holds 10k Heat right now.


    20k+5k = 25k Sum up all the heatcap from all items you want to calculate
    10k/25k = 0.4 heat/heatmax = fillgrade


    now you can go like this:
    Reactor: 20k * 0.4 = 8000
    Exchanger: 5k * 0.4 = 2000


    same thing for lots of components.

  • Yeah that's a lot simpler.


    Based upon the original design wording, the same works for component <-> component heat as well I'm assuming.


    Start:
    10k coolant cell with 9k heat <-> component heat exchanger <-> overclocked heat vent


    The total capacity of those 3 items = 10k + 5k + 1k = 16k
    The first tick for the exchanger would add that up, and then take 9k/16k = 0.5625
    So it would pull 36 heat out of the 10k coolant cell (which is max transfer for its side) and then put 36 heat into the overclocked heat vent?


    Or maybe a simpler approach, if there is only the 10k coolant cell with 9k heat and the component heat exchanger. The "fillgrade" is 0.6. So each tick the exchanger will pull 36 heat from the coolant cell and store it in itself until the coolant cell is at 6k heat and the exchanger has 3k heat.

    • Official Post

    As far as i understand the stuff: Coolant cells are just passive and stupid, they take what they get from the sides, not doing anything active (they are just a container). Heat vents are also pretty stupid components, they take what they can get from the hull (most of them) and dispers what they can. For example an overclocked heat vent will kill itself pretty fast if there is enough heat on the reactor hull.
    The only real intelligent item is the heat exchangers which tries to balance everything around itself and/or the reactor hull to a certain fill grade.


    so: overclocked heat vent without any item next to it: takes what he gets and kills himself probably. Heat vent with exchangers: still takes what he can get from the hull while the exchanger tries to balance it.



    If the heat exchanger will actually already in the first tick do what you said, im not sure but lets take the 2nd tick and think he just took 36 heat in the first tick, 2nd tick: takes 36 from the cell and adds 36 to the vent, doing this till it reaches an equilibrated state, but since he can just take what he will throw out at the same time, it won't accumulate heat.


    2nd thing: yes.

  • If the Overclocked Heat Vent is given 36 heat, it will only dissipate 20 of that heat, leaving 16 heat in it.
    So every tick the exchanger would be giving the vent more heat than it could vent... however it would also be getting rid of 20 heat each time as well.


    Since the vent can only store 1k heat, the exchanger should prevent the vent from burning itself out, because as the vent approached its 1k heat max, the % heat stored in the vent would be greater than that "fillgrade" so the exchanger would actually start to pull excess heat away from the vent, and possibly store it either in itself or shuffle it back to the coolant cell depending upon how much heat was currently stored in each one.


    I think I've got a pretty good handle on how it all works now. Showing me that better formula really helped out a lot.