Storage tank

This article is about the liquid storage container. For the armored combat vehicle, see Tank.

Storage tank

Edit

Recipe

3 + 20 + 5 → 1

Total raw

3 + 20 + 5

Map color
Fluid storage volume	25000
Health	500
Stack size	50
Dimensions	3×3
Mining time	0.5
Prototype type	storage-tank
Internal name	storage-tank
Required technologies
Produced by
Consumed by

The storage tank is a building that can store up to 25,000 units of a fluid. It is a passive storage — it has no input and no output, depending on pressure to fill it, essentially acting as a large pipe.

Usage

Storage tanks will only be filled to the same percentage of capacity as pipes that lead to it. A pipe that carries about 50 water will fill the tank to about 50% of its capacity. Pumps can be used to fill the entire tank from a low pressure source (such as distant pumpjacks).

The storage tank is often used to store raw materials and excess products from oil processing, allowing a refinery to run without interruptions. It can also be connected to the circuit network, sending the fluid contents as a signal to the network.

The fluid inside the storage tank can be destroyed by flushing the storage tank or the whole fluid system in the GUI, or by mining and rebuilding the storage tank. The storage tank can be emptied without destroying the contained fluid by draining it with a pump. Mining a storage tank will send its contents to the next nearest storage tanks, if the fluids match.

Usage as "Energy-tank"

See also: Steam tanks as power storage

Storage tanks can also be used as a replacement for accumulators. If steam consumption by steam engines or turbines changes a lot over a daily cycle (for example due to solar panels or laser turrets), storage tanks can be filled with steam during low power usage and then emptied during heavy load.

A storage tank filled with heat exchanger 500°C steam stores around 2.4GJ; a storage tank filled with boiler 165°C steam stores 750MJ.

Calculations

• 1 Storage tank can store 25,000 units of 500ºC steam.
• 1 Steam turbine can output 5,820kW = 5,820kJ/s using 60 units of 500ºC steam/s.
• 1 Storage tank can keep 1 steam turbine working at full capacity for 25,000 ∕ 60 ≈ 416.6667s
• A Storage tank can store up to 25,000 ∕ 60 × 5,820 = 2,425,000kJ using 500ºC steam.

• 1 Storage tank can store 25,000 units of 165ºC steam.
• 1 Steam engine can output 900kW = 900kJ/s using 30 units of 165ºC steam/s.
• 1 Storage tank can keep 1 steam engine working for 25,000 ∕ 30 ≈ 833.3333s
• A Storage tank can store up to 25,000 ∕ 30 × 900 = 750,000kJ using 165ºC steam.

Gallery

• 

  The storage tank's GUI with the ability to clear the contained fluid.

• 

  Four storage tanks linked together to form a large storage facility.

History

• 0.15.0:
  • Multiplied all fluid amounts by 10.

• 0.13.12:
  • Fluid icon now scales with size of tank.

• 0.12.0:
  • Liquid inside can be seen through a small window.
  • Now connectible to the circuit network.

• 0.9.1:
  • Now has double capacity and takes longer to mine.

• 0.9.0:
  • Introduced