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RimWorld => General Discussion => Topic started by: dkmoo on November 23, 2017, 11:42:45 PM

Title: Chemifuel Generator + Hydroponic Rice = LOTS AND LOTS OF FREE POWER?
Post by: dkmoo on November 23, 2017, 11:42:45 PM
Is my food-coma post Turkey brain playing trick on me or is there's a massive hole in my math that i'm not thinking of? Hear me out:

1) the new Chemifuel generator sips 4 fuel per day for 1000W power. 4 chemi fuel per day = 8 rice per day.
2) 1 hydroponic produces roughly 8 rice per day (2.5 hydros are usually enough to feed 1 person, or 20 rice per day. 20/2.5 = 8 )
3) 1 Sunlamp, 5 heaters, 24 hydroponics, and 2 refineries require roughly 5000W power, or 5 generators.

SO... doesnt this mean that with this set up, you'd either A) get about 19 self-powered hydroponics, or B) even crazier, build 19 more generators for a whopping 19000W of self-sustaining power???

I know with 19 generators you'll probably need a few more refineries and maybe a few full-time fuel makers.. but still... that's 19000K of free power...

I'm going home now to test it on my base by someone please tell me I failed to consider something here b/c otherwise.. o man.. all that free power....

EDIT: in fact, throw in a couple of kitchens and convert the rice into meal first (i know, more man power needed) but that will DOUBLE total chemifuel yield for 40000+W..  :o :o :o :o :o :o
Title: Re: Chemifuel Generator + Hydroponic Rice = LOTS AND LOTS OF FREE POWER?
Post by: Snownova on November 24, 2017, 02:58:05 AM
Not free, you still need to put pawns to work converting that rice into chemfuel, and the hauling at the various stages.

Granted, it is much more efficient than wood fired generators, more convenient and scalable than geothermal, but I wouldn't call it "free".
Title: Re: Chemifuel Generator + Hydroponic Rice = LOTS AND LOTS OF FREE POWER?
Post by: Canute on November 24, 2017, 03:16:52 AM
Welcome at the wonderful world of chemfuel.
Title: Re: Chemifuel Generator + Hydroponic Rice = LOTS AND LOTS OF FREE POWER?
Post by: Albion on November 24, 2017, 06:10:42 AM
I think that's actually quite okay and intended.
You need all the people to take care of the supply chain.
You need a lot of components to actually build all that stuff.
Higher difficulty will heavily reduce harvesting yield making it less efficient.
Last but not least: solar flares will ruin your day by killing everything currently sitting in hydroponics.
Title: Re: Chemifuel Generator + Hydroponic Rice = LOTS AND LOTS OF FREE POWER?
Post by: Disnof on November 24, 2017, 06:12:13 AM
Now you expect a video game to respect the laws of thermodynamics? Yes free power baby :)
Title: Re: Chemifuel Generator + Hydroponic Rice = LOTS AND LOTS OF FREE POWER?
Post by: Chibiabos on November 24, 2017, 06:33:37 AM
Not sure if you're aware, but colony-owned Boomalopes can now get milked regularly to produce Chemfuel directly.  That's free Chemfuel there.
Title: Re: Chemifuel Generator + Hydroponic Rice = LOTS AND LOTS OF FREE POWER?
Post by: Hans Lemurson on November 24, 2017, 07:53:22 AM
This sounds like a much easier way to violate Thermodymanics than my attempt at growing Trees in a Wood-Generator powered Greenhouse.
Title: Re: Chemifuel Generator + Hydroponic Rice = LOTS AND LOTS OF FREE POWER?
Post by: Shurp on November 24, 2017, 08:53:39 AM
Man, and here I was complaining that sunlamps didn't throw off enough heat.  But what's a pesky 2nd Law violation compared to the monster 1st Law violation you found?

OK, we have to complete the trifecta.  Someone find a map with a winter temperature below -273'C (-460'F).  Go!
Title: Re: Chemifuel Generator + Hydroponic Rice = LOTS AND LOTS OF FREE POWER?
Post by: Kirby23590 on November 24, 2017, 08:59:58 AM
Since my last playthrough in A17 and finishing it. I had a problem with the freezer being filled with lots of veggies, rice and potatoes meaning i can't fit meat anywhere there and my yorkie farm and meat eating animals were starting to starve because i need meat to make kibble for them and the freezer running out of space quickly. Because i had two large rice farms or just too much farm in general.

I should try this out someday in B18... With the all new chemfuel content and stuff going on. :)
Title: Re: Chemifuel Generator + Hydroponic Rice = LOTS AND LOTS OF FREE POWER?
Post by: Canute on November 24, 2017, 09:14:58 AM
Quote from: Hans Lemurson on November 24, 2017, 07:53:22 AM
This sounds like a much easier way to violate Thermodymanics than my attempt at growing Trees in a Wood-Generator powered Greenhouse.
Your problem are, the game don't throw in all aspects of the thermodynamics.
I don't see any aspects that violate the laws.
The fueled or chemfueled generator don't produce energy from nothing.

The only aspect we could discuss that meals are a better refine sóurce then raw resources.


Title: Re: Chemifuel Generator + Hydroponic Rice = LOTS AND LOTS OF FREE POWER?
Post by: Chibiabos on November 24, 2017, 10:51:47 AM
Quote from: Kirby23590 on November 24, 2017, 08:59:58 AM
Since my last playthrough in A17 and finishing it. I had a problem with the freezer being filled with lots of veggies, rice and potatoes meaning i can't fit meat anywhere there and my yorkie farm and meat eating animals were starting to starve because i need meat to make kibble for them and the freezer running out of space quickly. Because i had two large rice farms or just too much farm in general.

I should try this out someday in B18... With the all new chemfuel content and stuff going on. :)

YOU.

THIS IS YOUR FAULT.

[attachment deleted by admin: too old]
Title: Re: Chemifuel Generator + Hydroponic Rice = LOTS AND LOTS OF FREE POWER?
Post by: Kirby23590 on November 24, 2017, 11:07:46 AM
So this is what happened to my yorkie skin farm!

Whoopsie. Actually i threw one person in space while the others stay in the colony. I Guess that's what happened when i sold some of them to the traders ;D

I blame Jesse my earthling colonist and his family joining the pirates and the raiders...

EDIT:Fix some of the grammar and typos
Title: Re: Chemifuel Generator + Hydroponic Rice = LOTS AND LOTS OF FREE POWER?
Post by: dkmoo on November 24, 2017, 11:41:22 AM
First, Disclaimer: I have no issue with this "free power" set up, i think it adds to the quirky/wackiness of the Rimworld story.

That said, let me channel my inner physics nerd for $hits-and-giggles to show hands-down this is a giant violation of the First Law. Conservation of energy be damned!

1) in the original post's set up, 1 sunlamp, 2 refinery, 24 hydroponics, 5 heaters can be powered by 5 generators and yields about 190 rice per day (factoring in "harvest failed" and other random losses)
2) 190 rice yields 95 Chemifuel a day.
3) 5 generators burn 20 chemifuel a day, creating a net 75 chemifuel extra.
4) you may argue that "well you will need to dedicate pawns with the extra haulling/refininig, etc.. that's cost too. Ok well, assuming in this wacky rimworld that the kinetic energy of "pawn activity" can be converted 100% into potential energy stored in rice chemifuel, then we can add 3 pawns in a 24 hour shifts dedicated only to hauling/refining in this system, which should be enough to cover the labor need (conservative estimate). Throw in a electric kitchen too if you want, the power requirement from that won't cause a dent in equationt
5) so, adding in 3 pawns costs another 60 rice per day, which still nets 45 extra chemifuel per day - converting that into 11 extra generators yields an extra 11,000W of power generation

There you have it - total energy input per day, including pawn activity, is 100 rice per day (40 goes to the 20 chemifuel to power 5 generators to cover the energy needs of this system, and 60 goes to make 6 meals to feed 3 full time pawns working this system). Total energy output = 190 rice per day. Net positive 90 rice = 45 chemifuel = 11 power generator = 11,000W of free power that came from nothing.

For additional $hits and giggles: Add in a 4th pawn for full-time meal duty to use meals to convert into chemifuel:

1) 190 Rice - 80 rice for the pawns = extra 110 Rice = 11 extra simple meals = .85 nutrition per meal * 10 chemfuel per nutrition *11 simple meals  = 93 chemfuels
2) 93 chemfuels - 20 chemfuel for the 5 generators to power the system = 73 extra chemfuel = 18 extra generators = 18,000W extra power.


Rudolf Clausius and William Thomson (Kelvin) must be rolling in their graves.
8) 8) 8)
Title: Re: Chemifuel Generator + Hydroponic Rice = LOTS AND LOTS OF FREE POWER?
Post by: Bozobub on November 24, 2017, 11:46:43 AM
Quote from: Shurp on November 24, 2017, 08:53:39 AM
Man, and here I was complaining that sunlamps didn't throw off enough heat.  But what's a pesky 2nd Law violation compared to the monster 1st Law violation you found?

OK, we have to complete the trifecta.  Someone find a map with a winter temperature below -273'C (-460'F).  Go!
I'll just leave this here: https://www.livescience.com/25959-atoms-colder-than-absolute-zero.html
Title: Re: Chemifuel Generator + Hydroponic Rice = LOTS AND LOTS OF FREE POWER?
Post by: Canute on November 24, 2017, 11:55:30 AM
Quote11,000W of free power that came from nothing.
Place solar panels,wind turbines or Ship reactor core and you have real free power from nothing, because these all don't need some input made from pawns.

But even this isn't true, because the power isn't from nothing, it just comes from outside your watching perspective.
From your perspecitve each plant growing is generating matter out of nothing.

But your calculation is a nicely down, could you just try to calculate it with boomalopes?
Feeding with haygrass from hydroponics.
Title: Re: Chemifuel Generator + Hydroponic Rice = LOTS AND LOTS OF FREE POWER?
Post by: dkmoo on November 24, 2017, 12:14:01 PM
Quote from: Canute on November 24, 2017, 11:55:30 AM
Quote11,000W of free power that came from nothing.
Place solar panels,wind turbines or Ship reactor core and you have real free power from nothing, because these all don't need some input made from pawns.

But even this isn't true, because the power isn't from nothing, it just comes from outside your watching perspective.

Not quite true - solar/wind I know comes from the energy from sun/wind, which since the game doesn't quantify, i can make the assumption that it maintains the First Law. In my set up, however, we have a closed system in which the only input comes from the light from sun lamp, heat from the heaters and power from the hydroponics. There isn't anything else outside of the perspective.

Unless... we are saying that somehow the rice plant is absorbing roughly 100% more energy from the "mystically surroundings of the planet" - I theory i guess i can buy.  8)

On a second thought, since we don't know what kind of waste is generated - if we throw in some kind of thermonuclear factors into the power-generator equation, then i guess that will fully reconcile the the extra power and maintain the First Law.

On the boomalope front - i'll look into the consumption rates/milking rates and get back to you shortly. FYI i'm not sure Hydroponics can grow hay? I'll use rice instead since that's still by far the best nutrition yield for hydroponics.
Title: Re: Chemifuel Generator + Hydroponic Rice = LOTS AND LOTS OF FREE POWER?
Post by: Albion on November 24, 2017, 12:38:58 PM
Hydroponics also consume water and need some kind of earth substrate. This also doesn't get modeled since plant just grow from power, heat and light. If that would be the case in real life there wouldn't be any famine.
You technically have to take this also into account but I guess some dirt and water won't total up to 11kW ::)
Title: Re: Chemifuel Generator + Hydroponic Rice = LOTS AND LOTS OF FREE POWER?
Post by: Chibiabos on November 24, 2017, 04:34:42 PM
Quote from: dkmoo on November 24, 2017, 12:14:01 PM
Not quite true - solar/wind I know comes from the energy from sun/wind, which since the game doesn't quantify, i can make the assumption that it maintains the First Law. In my set up, however, we have a closed system in which the only input comes from the light from sun lamp, heat from the heaters and power from the hydroponics. There isn't anything else outside of the perspective.

You completely missed his point that it requires an input of time from the pawns to harvest the rice, generate chemfuel and feed the generators.  That's time not crafting, researching or doing anything else.  I think most players find pawn time to be a precious, limited resource.
Title: Re: Chemifuel Generator + Hydroponic Rice = LOTS AND LOTS OF FREE POWER?
Post by: Hans Lemurson on November 24, 2017, 05:45:45 PM
And we come to one of the sad and ironic truths about "Free Energy Devices":  Even if they violate the laws of physics, they can still fail a cost/benefit analysis.

Conservation of Energy just places an upper-bound on the energy that can be extracted from a system, but says nothing about how cost-effective the technique was in the first place:  If you have a 1kg lump of pure gold that radiates 100W of anomalous heat, you are still going to lose-out to Photovoltaics.
Title: Re: Chemifuel Generator + Hydroponic Rice = LOTS AND LOTS OF FREE POWER?
Post by: Shurp on November 25, 2017, 07:24:10 AM
Quote from: Bozobub on November 24, 2017, 11:46:43 AM
I'll just leave this here: https://www.livescience.com/25959-atoms-colder-than-absolute-zero.html

"Yet the gas is not colder than zero kelvin, but hotter. It is even hotter than at any positive temperature — the temperature scale simply does not end at infinity, but jumps to negative values instead."

So you see, a gas at -1'K is not colder than a gas at +1'K.  It's hotter.  Whereas a Rimworld hex at -274'C is clearly *colder*.  And it's how heat gets pushed around that determines whether it's a 3rd Law violation.

"Negative" temperature is really a bad labeling issue.  We should be talking about thermodynamic beta instead:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thermodynamic_beta