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Fluid Handling

JohnBraham edited this page Nov 2, 2026 · 1 revision

Fluid Handling

Pipefitter's instruction: Identify the fluid, provide a receiver, then open the line.

Use general-fluid pipe, not steam or electric conduit. Compatible machines can connect face-to-face. Distribution runs every eight game ticks; pipe length causes no pressure loss. A fluid switch conducts without redstone and disconnects when powered.

Equipment Capacity Service
Drain 1,000 mB Collect source blocks above or drain compatible adjacent handlers.
Discharge 1,000 mB Fill compatible handlers or place fluid in the world below.
Portable tank 4,000 mB Retains fluid in its dropped item when broken.
Metal tank 10,000 mB Fixed store; breaking it does not retain fluid.
Distillation furnace 1,000 mB input and output each Solid-fuel fluid processing.

One bucket is 1,000 mB. Use separate water, crude and refined-oil mains rather than assuming unlike fluids mix.

Drain And Discharge

Place a drain below a source block, then pipe to storage. It searches upward and horizontally through matching fluid for up to 32 steps. Mere flowing fluid is not a collectable source.

The discharge searches downward/horizontally or services a handler. Some fluids have no placeable block. Enclose lava and oil before admission.

Historical drain collecting water through connected pipes

DrCyano's original drain demonstration; credits.

Tanks

Leave the metal tank's pattern slot empty initially. A filled container selects the accepted fluid without being consumed. An old water pattern can prevent oil filling. Empty fixed tanks before breaking them; use a portable tank for moving stored fluid. Placed contents should survive a full game restart.

Distillation

Supply input fluid, solid furnace fuel and output room. Default duty is 2 mB crude to 1 mB refined oil: one bucket makes 500 mB product. This ratio explains the reduced output volume.

Registered crude_oil, mineralogy_crude_oil and legacy oil get this default when no explicit recipe already handles them. Check both tank readings and keep product routing separate. baseSteam/baseElectric distillers use the common recipes with their own power; the plastic refinery is a different process.

External Forge handlers are connected through automatically managed pipe terminals; fluid_pipe_terminal is not an extra player part. Current still capability insertion feeds the input tank; historical output-routing faults are repaired, not installation advice.

Commission with known amounts, empty/full/wrong-fluid receivers and a complete process restart. Count all machine tanks and allow for processing ratios.

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