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Atmospherics: The Department

Your department. Middle click the image to bring up to fullscreen.

Welcome to Atmospherics, the place where Dreams Come True™. Or at least the place that can partially sustain the ability to dream... y'know, by allowing you to breathe and stuff. Breathing is important, and the primary function of this maze of pipes and gas is to distribute breathable air throughout the station 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're new to all of this - or even just someone who's never really given Atmos a fair shake - then this will all look very complex and downright intimidating to look at. This mostly stems from just how much stuff can get on screen at once, but there's a few things put in place to make pipe-readability easier on the user if they just take the time to truly examine what each pipe network is meant to do. 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 Atmos Tech. 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.

What Do These Colors Mean?

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 the colored pipes beneath the catwalks aren't to be taken into account:

• Air Mix: This is the air mix loop, and these pipes are the most important: they're the ones that contain the air mix, which is combined at a 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 network.
• Distribution: Equally important is this blue network, offset pipes to the south alongside the scrubber pipes. This massive network of pipes is what will actually distribute the air that it receives from the air mix loop and send it all towards vents placed all around the station, ensuring every room remains at optimal pressure.
• Filtering: These pipes are part of the filtering network, a pipe line connected to the scrubber network that leads to 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 loop.
• Scrubber: You'll probably notice some pipe adapters and pipes that aren't centered towards the south of Atmos proper. These pipes are part of the scrubber network and, as you can imagine, much of this network is comprised of scrubbers. The end of this line - where all of the scrubber pipe contents are pumped out towards - is the filtering line.
• 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.
• Misc Mix: These pipes aren't actually part of a network, they just pipe oxygen and nitrogen into a mixer which outputs into the air chamber which later outputs into the air mix line.
• Waste: These are the black pipes, as few as they are, towards the southern end of Atmos proper. It's intended function is to eject undesirable gas out into space harmlessly, usually by pumping gas you don't want filtered into it from either the mix line or the filter line by way of pumps, and turning a valve open to space.

Principles and Concepts

Pressure

Delta P

watch out for that pressure differential. also 200 kpa ambient pressure blah blah

Temperature

e x p a n d

Specific Heat

factors into heat capacity

Mass

moles moles moles

Math

See this section for volume of pipes

Pressure (in kPa) * Volume = Moles * 8.314 (the molar gas constant) * temperature (in Kelvin. Kelvin = Celsius + 273.15)

Meta: Simulated vs Unsimulated

if you find unsim turf you're golden lmfao

Gas Gas Gas

Your typical canister UI.

• Oxygen (O2): 20 SH, 0.032 MM, oxidizer, necessary for life
• Nitrogen (N2): 20 SH, 0.028 MM, inert, non-toxic
• Air (Air): 79% N2 21% O2, if you wanna sound like a nerd then call it nitrox
• Carbon Dioxide (CO2): 30 SH 0.044 MM, toxic in concentrations greater than or equal to 7 kPa
• Nitrous Oxide (N2O): No, it's not N20, it's N2O. Jamming twenty nitrogen molecules together would be stupid. 40 SH 0.044 MM, sleep agent, oxidizer
• Hydrogen (H2): 100 SH 0.002 MM, fuel, non-toxic
• Phoron (PH): 200 SH 0.405 MM, fuel, toxic, contaminant

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.

• 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 internal pressure exceeds 200 kPa over ambient pressure.
• 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.
• 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 mangle 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.
• 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
  • Temperature
  • Moles
  • 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 tanks and other atmos devices as well.

• 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 subheading, giving you plenty of options. Oddly enough securing this to the floor is faster than unsecuring it. The more you know.
• 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.
• Файл:Extinguisher.pngFire Extinguisher: Yes, most fires come about from wacky gas interaction. Will this tool actually stop fires? Probably not, since this server uses Zone Atmospherics System instead of LINDA, but it can cool down superheated rooms significantly. Significantly. By several thousand degrees even. That's kind of nuts. Make sure to toggle the safety by activating it in hand before use!
• Файл:Multitool.pngMultitool: 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 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 multitool 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.
• Gas Mask: Gotta have some PPE around here. This mask is capable of filtering out nitrous and 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.

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

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.

• Straight: The most common type of pipe you will see. It goes straight from one direction to another. It holds up to 70L.
  • Corner: Effectively the same as the straight pipe, except it's not straight. Wow!
• Manifold: A pipe with three ends on it instead of two. Holds up to 105L.
• Four Way: Even better than the previous entry, this one has four ends. Whooooaaaa. Holds up to 140L.
• Файл:Pipecap.pngCap: 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.
• Файл:Zpipe.pngZ-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.
• 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.
• Файл:PipeHE.pngHeat 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.
  • Файл:PipeHEJ.pngJunction: 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.
• Файл:Pipeinsulated.pngInsulated: 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

• 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.
• 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.
• 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

• Connector: Definitely one of the most important utilities in any atmos setup, this will allow you to connect any portable atmospheric device to 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.
• Heat Exchanger: Not to be confused with the 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.
• Tank: A massive, immobile tank of gas that has a capacity of 10000L. They can neither be built nor deconstructed. They're only found in the command bunker, emergency atmos substation near the docks, and in telecomms. Not to be confused with canisters or small handheld tanks.
• Gas Cooler: A large device that is capable of cooling the contents of a pipe network to near-Absolute Zero values. How fast it cools and how large its volume is depends on upgrades made to it. Holds 600L by default.
• 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.
• 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.
• Vent Pump (Unary Vent): The device that you'll probably see the most around the station, these vents are typically controlled by an 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.
• 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.
• 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 the guide to medicine for more info.

Binary

• 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.
• 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.
  • 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.
• Файл:Circulator.pngTEG Circulator: This is just one part of a thermoelectric generator. 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).
• 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.
  • High Power Pump: The big sister of the gas pump, the high power pump can target higher pressures. 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

• 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.
  • 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.
• (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 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.
• (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 line of Atmospherics to maintain a strict 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

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 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.

• 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 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 handheld tanks or the much larger tanks which sort of accomplishes the same goal.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• Space Heater: Not something that contains gas, and it cannot be connected to a connector anyway, but it is an atmospheric utility nonetheless. It can be programmed to either heat up or cool down rooms in a range between 0 and 90 Celsius. The power cell can be removed by screwing it out.

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 store up to x kPa before rupturing. 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 nitrous oxide and 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 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 oxygen or carbon dioxide is used. Holds up to 70L.
• Phoron Tank: A tank full of Phoron. Who could've guessed? Can be used as internals, so beware. Holds up to 70L.
• Hydrogen Tank: A tank full of 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 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.

Breathe That Air

something about how stuff works in practice? idk

Air Alarm Operation

An air alarm's interface set to the sensors screen. You can adjust alarm thresholds here.

how to work that dumb air alarm. include sensors stuff (O2 16 19 135 140, CO2 off off 5 10, Phoron off off 0.2 0.5, Hydrogen off off 0.2 0.5, Other off off 0.5 1, Pressure 81.1 91.2 111.5 121.6, Temperature 247.2 273.2 313.2 339.2), env mode (filtering, replace air, panic, cycle, fill, off), vent control (most vents set to external pressure check but can be set to both at the same time, external pressure bound set to 101.3, can be reset), scrubber control (on or off, scrubbing or siphoning, filters o2, n2, co2, ph, h2, and n2o), air alarms allow remote control if alarm triggered, can panic siphon, thermostat goes between 0 and 40C, can activate area atmos alarm if you want

PHORON CHECK!

*face melts off*