Atmospheric Science

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Atmospheric Science refers to the observation and processing of gases in enclosed spaces. Atmospheric Technicians are concerned with maintaining a safe atmosphere in the station by:

1. Setting up the station's gas distribution system, or "distro," to supply the station with breathable air.
2. Using handheld gas analyzers and fixed air alarm systems to monitor levels of both safe and hazardous gases.
3. Utilizing holofan projectors and inflatable walls to cordon off hull breaches or gas leaks.
4. Moving and placing portable scrubbers to manually filter the air in case of escaped gases.

The Basics of Atmos

The premise of Atmospherics (or, Atmos) is simple: You want a station that is pressurized and with breathable air, absent of any toxins. The two primary gases used to accomplish that goal are Nitrogen (N2) and Oxygen (O2). Oxygen is the breathable gas in air, and is respirated by Humans, Onis, Felinids, Arachnids, Moths, Vulpkanins, and Harpies to form Carbon Dioxide (CO2) as a waste gas. Nitrogen, on the other hand, is respirated by Slimes instead of Oxygen.

Pressure, measured in kPa, is determined by the amount of gas (in mols) in an area, and is directly related to temperature (in Kelvin or degrees Celsius); so as temperature goes up, so does the pressure. A safe pressure on the station is roughly around 80 to 140 kPa, and a safe temperature is around 20 degrees Celsius. The ideal environment for all species is 21% Oxygen and 79% Nitrogen at 101.325kPa and 20°C or 293.15K

Toxins

Main article: Gases

Toxic gases can bring about many forms of harm to the station, and are dangerous if left unattended because of the tendency of passengers to blindly open doors. These gases are noticeable at high concentrations, as they appear as clouds or smoke. All of these gases are filtered by the scrubber network, and they can be sucked up by Portable Scrubbers considerably faster. To contain the spread of these gases, you’ll want to use Holofan Projectors, inflatable walls or doors, and if need be, you can weld some airlocks closed to prevent entry, just make sure the gas you're dealing with is not flammable.

Understanding the Distribution Area

The distribution area (or, Distro) refers to the area of Atmos that contains the origin point of the air and waste networks, as well as the chambers for storing and processing the gases.

A distro’s purpose is to:

1. Supply oxygen and nitrogen to a gas mixer which supplies air to the station.
2. Filter waste and toxic gases from the station.
3. Store gases in a secure area where Atmos Techs are able to work with them.

The distro is able to do all of these things because of the system of pipes, pumps, filters, and mixers it is outfitted with. Every distro does NOT require placing/altering pipes for it to function properly!

Distro Annotated

A typical distro layout is shown below:

1. Nitrogen holding chamber with (maybe) a nitrogen gas miner
2. Oxygen holding chamber with (maybe) a oxygen gas miner
3. Pump for moving nitrogen to the mixer
4. Pump for moving oxygen to the mixer
5. Mixer to mix nitrogen and oxygen in an appropriate ratio for the station
6. Volume pump to move mixer output to the station's main distro pipe
7. Main distro pipe
8. Valve to shut off freezer
9. Freezer to reduce air temperature in distro
10. Valve to shut off heater
11. Heater to increase air temperature in distro
12. Main waste pipe
13. Volume pump to move air into the filter banks
14. Bank of filters to separate different types of gases from the waste pipe

Holding Chambers

Gas holding chambers

Holding chambers store a supply of gas for you to pump into the station when needed. Some stations come with gas miners that produce an unlimited supply of the mined gas. Walls and windows prevent gas from escaping to space; if the holding chambers are broken, then the gas inside will be lost.

Holding chambers may be labeled with the type of gas that they are designed to store.

Use pumps to move gases in and out of holding chambers.

Mix Chamber

A mix chamber in use

The mix chamber is an empty holding area with its own separate loop of pipes and pumps in atmospherics. The mix loop is generally marked with brown pipes and the holding chamber can usually be found close to the external hull, separated from the station by reinforced walls and windows. There will be an emergency button nearby to vent the chamber to space if you need to dump your mix in case an accident arises, or you just wish to reset the chamber for a new mix. The mix chamber is here for you to experiment with different mixes, ratios, temperatures, and pressures while combining gases.

On most stations the Mix chamber will loop around to either to the distro loop, or back to the waste loop. It is generally a good practice to have your mix loop flow back into the waste loop to recycle any unspent gases. You should NEVER have the mix loop flow into distro unless you have a very good reason. Most savvy Atmospherics Technicians physically disconnect the mix loop from distro at round start to prevent an easy sabotage target or accident from occurring later in the round.

See the guide to Gases if you are interested to learn how different gases interact with each other at different temperatures and pressures.

See the guide to Setting up the mix chamber if you want to learn how to properly and safely use the mix chamber.

Setting Up The Distro

Main Distro Loop

The first step in setting up the distro is to determine which line goes to the air vents. It is usually colored blue to make it easily identifiable. Once you’ve identified that line, follow the pipes back to the Oxygen and Nitrogen chambers.

Out of the chambers, there are two lines of pipes, one that goes into the chamber from a gas filter (14) and one that comes out of the chamber through a pump (3), (4). Turn these pumps on and set them to max pressure. After that, follow the pipe that leads out of the chambers and you’ll find they eventually lead to a gas mixer (5). Set it to the correct air mix (21% Oxygen to 79% Nitrogen) and pressure. If there is a pump after the mixer, you can set the pressure to 4500kPa. Otherwise, set the pressure to 200kPa

Air vents will pump air from distro into the station as long as the pressure inside distro is positive. Increasing the pressure inside distro allows the air vent pumps to move air faster. Contrary to popular belief, the pressure inside does not set the pressure of air coming out of the actively pumped air vents that start connected to distro.

Check the pressure of distro at round start and periodically throughout the shift. Low or slowly rising distro pressure at round start is a sign of shoddy station quality design flaws causing low flow rates into distro. Low distro pressure in the middle of the round may be indicative of spacing on the station.

Waste Loop

Waste, or the waste loop, is usually marked with red pipes and is responsible for removing waste gas around the station via scrubbers. These pipes start and end in atmospherics and are looped around the entire station. The main purpose of the waste loop is the ensure that harmful gases get removed from the station's atmosphere. Scrubbers will remove gas from the hallways and return it to Atmospherics where it will then be separated by gas filters into various holding chambers. Harmful gases will be deposited into their assigned chambers and the breathable air will once again make its way back to Distro and into the station to continue the cycle.

To set it up, follow the line and configure all of the gas filters going into the chambers to the correct gas (14). At the end of the waste line you will find a passive vent going to space. All the unfiltered gas will end up in space. Make sure the valve leading to the vent is opened.

Gas Recycling

Not all stations come with an O2 miner, Shōkō in particular has no O2 gas miner, so they require a gas recycler to get Oxygen. It turns Carbon Dioxide into Oxygen and Nitrogen Oxide into Nitrogen. It takes a bit of instruction to use, and the basic premise is as follows:

• A mix of gases that is at least 300 degrees Celsius and pressurized no less than 3000 kPa enters through the north side of the recycler, and the mix exits out the south side, with some of the carbon dioxide converted to oxygen and some of the nitrous oxide converted to nitrogen.

The recycler loop must be heated to at least 300 degrees Celsius (~575 Kelvin), after that, pressure must be at least 3000 kPa. Pressure can be added by increasing the presence of other gases (not necessarily CO2 or N2O) into the recycler loop’s pipes. Nitrogen is usually abundant and inert, so it is a good contender. Pressure in the pipes will lower as gases leave the recycler loop, so a pump is often placed at the end to regulate pressure.

Note that gases that leave the recycler will remain heated, so it’s important to regulate temperature if the O2 is going to be used in station air. A freezer can be placed after the recycler loop, or after the breathable air mixer to ensure the station doesn’t burn alive.

Optimizing The Distro

You can optimize the distro the layout to more effectively pump gases into the station. Specific steps to do so vary from station to station. Here is an example of setting up distro for the example above:

1. Remove (6) and replace it with a straight pipe segment. Pumps reduce gas flow rate, and when spacing occurs, (6) is typically a bottleneck when re-pressurizing the station.
2. Set (5) to output 200 kPa. The pressure in the distro pipe influences how quickly air vents can move air from distro into the station. Setting this too low reduces the flow rate, but setting this too high could be dangerous if a Traitor replaces an air vent with a passive vent.
3. Increase output pressure of (3), (4), (13) and (14) to their maximum settings.

Species Specifics

Not all species breathe oxygen! In fact, there are some that can breathe other gasses, and some which must breathe other gasses:

• Oxygen is toxic to Voxes. They breathe nitrogen instead. Many stations have a dedicated "Vox Box" room which only has nitrogen.
• Water vapour is harmful to slimes.
• Feroxi can breathe water vapour.
• Diona can breathe CO2 in addition to oxygen.

Keep this in mind when setting up the distro. Adding water vapour would harm slimes!

Pipes, Vents and Other Atmospheric Devices

General Information

All gases can flow through the various pipes found in the game. Gas will always attempt to flow from higher pressure to lower pressure. If a gas is not in a pipe, canister, or tank, it will be in the atmosphere and will interact with other objects.

Gas will always try to even out the pressure. For example, if a empty canister is connected to a pipe pressurized at 4500kpa, the canister will also only be pressurized to 4500kpa. If a canister pressurized at 9000kpa is connected to the same pipe, gas will flow out of the canister until a even pressure is acquired.

If pressurized pipes get unwrenched they will dump all of their contents into the surrounding atmosphere and will, depending on the pressure level, violently blow the wrench user away. You will know if you are unwrenching a pressurized pipe if you get the message stating "A gush of air blows in your face... Maybe you should reconsider?" It is good practice to always use your gas analyzer on every pipe before unwrenching to ensure it is depressurized.

All pipes can be unwrenched to disconnect them from others. By using a welder on a unwrenched pipe segment you can deconstruct it into steel.

A broken or unconnected segment of pipe WILL NOT allow gas to pass through. Do not worry about all your gas escaping out of a broken or unconnected pipe segment.

Most pumps, mixers, and filters do not require power to function. Only air vents and scrubbers require power. You can shift-click on a segment to examine it to see if it is powered.

Pipes

Allows gas to flow freely. Comes in four shapes. Straight, Elbow, 3-way-juntion, 4-way-junction.

Image	Name	Description
	gas pipe straight	A straight segment of pipe.
	gas pipe bend	A elbow segment of pipe.
	gas pipe T junction	A three way junction segment of pipe.
	gas pipe fourway	A four way junction segment of pipe.

Pumps

Pumps gas to the other side based on the set pressure. Blocks gas from passing through if toggled off. Comes in two varities:

Standard gas pump. Pumps gas along based on internal and external pressure. Has a maximum throughput of 4.5 Mpa. Mostly used to act as a valve to allow/disallow gas to flow from one pipe to another. Works very well in high pressure pipes but looses effectiveness when the pressure is lower. Regular gas pumps are more effective in lower pressure systems but will lose efficiency as the volume of gas rises.

At lower pressures a gas pump is generally a better option at moving gas.

Volumetric pump. Pumps gas along based of internal and external mole amount. Has a maximum throughput of 200 L/s. Acts exactly like a gas pump but works off of mole amount instead of pressure. can move about twice as much gas compared to a regular gas pump if conditions are right.

For extremely high pressure pipes a volumetric pump is generally a better option at moving gas.

In certain cases volumetric pumps are also better if you are using huge quantities of gas.

Manual Valves

Acts like a switch that either allows gas to flow through, or prevents it from flowing through. Can be toggled on and off.

Image	Name	Description
	Manual valve open	A green light is open.
	Manual valve closed	A red light is closed.

Gas Mixer

A gas mixer is a fancy version of the gas pump. Operates as a pressure pump, with associated limitations. It allows you to combine the gas flow of two different pipes and mix them into a single pipe. The gas mixer will combine the contents of two different pipes and will give you the option of setting the percentage of throughput you want on each of the input pipes. The primary port will be parallel with the output while the side port will be perpendicular.

Gas mixers are essential for distro as the station's atmosphere is 20% oxygen and 80% nitrogen. Gas mixers are also used for the combination of two different gases to create a new gas such as a common burn-mix.

If the gas mixer is toggled off then it will not allow any gas to flow through.

If both inputs are set to receive gas then both inputs must have gas flowing through them for the pump to work. For example, if the mixer is set to mix gas at a 80 to 20 ratio and the input pipe at 20% has no gas then the mixer will not allow the input pipe with 80% gas to flow through and vice versa.

Gas Filter

Gas filters are another special type of gas pump. Operates as a volume pump, with associated limitations. Gas filters are primarily used to extract a specific individual type gas from a pipe. They function similarly to the gas mixer, except they have one inlet port and two output ports. When gas flows through a mixer the selected gas to be filtered out will exit the perpendicular outlet port while all other gases will continue to flow down the parallel outlet port. If you wish to filter out more than one gas you will need to set up gas filters in series for each specific gas.

Gas filters are used to extract each individual gas from the waste loop. This ensures that only one type of gas is present in each specific gas holding tank. Gas filters are essential when you are trying to target and isolate a specific gas.

Gas filters do not require both outputs to be connected to function if there is no gas selected to filter or the filtered gas is not present. In this case the filter will act as a simple straight pipe segment. However, The filter will not allow gas to flow if the selected gas is present and there is no pipe connected to the perpendicular filter port.

Vents

Gas vents come in three varieties: Standard, Dual-port, and Passive.

All gas vents are solely used to move gas from pipes into the surrounding atmosphere. Gas vents are commonly used in conjunction with the distro loop to distribute breathable air to the station. Gas vents and the distro system are responsible for replenishing the atmosphere on the station.

A standard air vent will only allow a maximum pressure of 101.3 kPa to flow. If the external pressure is higher than the limit, no gas will flow out of the vent. Requires power to function.

A dual-port air vent is exactly like a standard air vent but it has two inlet connection ports.

A passive air vent does not require power and will allow any pressure to flow in both directions depending on the internal and external pressures. If the internal, or pipe pressure, is higher than the external, or outside atmosphere, Gas will flow out. The opposite is true if the external pressure is higher than the internal pressure. Passive air vents are mostly used in the mix tank and Supermatter chamber where very high pressures are needed.

Air Scrubber

Air scrubbers slowly suck gas out of the surrounding atmosphere and can be found spread around the station. Mostly used in the waste loop, air scrubbers will syphon gas out of the atmosphere and shunt it along the waste loop where the gas will then be recycled and filtered into the gas holding chambers.

Air scrubbers must be powered and connected to an outlet port in order to function. A properly functioning air scrubber will be glowing blue.

Air Injector

Air injectors have one purpose. They simply exist to only allow gas to flow from a pressurized pipe into the surrounding atmosphere. This handy little tool are useful when you want to inject a gas into an area but not allow any backflow. usually used with a filter/injector combination to single out a specific gas and pump it into a holding chamber.

Air injectors have a maximum output pressure of 9000 kPa.

Pneumatic Valve

Pneumatic valves have three ports: control, inlet, and outlet. Like manual valves, pneumatic valves permit bidirectional flow between the inlet and outlet, but only if the pressure at the control port is high enough.

To turn a pneumatic valve on, the control pressure must be at least 1 atm higher than the lowest pressure connected to the pneumatic valve, i.e. the lesser of the inlet and outlet pressures. The direction of flow between the inlet and outlet is from higher to lower pressure.

The flow rate limit of the pneumatic value is linear (proportional to control pressure) in a small region above the on threshold. It then saturates at 200 L/sec.

Design Examples

Pressure Relief Valve

This pressure relief system drains the air inside to space if the pressure exceeds 1 atm, which can be used to guard against accidental station overpressure events. A passive vent inside (1) is connected to the control and the inlet. Another passive vent in space (2) is connected to the outlet. Since the outlet pressure is 0 kPa, then the pneumatic valve will only be on if the inside pressure exceeds 1 atm. When that happens, air from inside is transferred into space until the inside pressure is equal to 1 atm.

Turning Completeness

Pneumatic valves make atmos turing-complete.

Connecter Port

Connecter ports are solely used to transfer gas from a pipe into a canister and vice versa. Wrench a canister on top of a connecter port to connect them. A connected canister will allow gas to flow until the pressure evens out.

Canisters

Canisters are used to hold and transport gas. Drag a canister over to a connecter port and use a wrench to connect it. If the connecter port's internal pressure is higher than the canister pressure, gas will flow into the canister until the pressure evens out.

If the canister has a higher pressure gas will flow out until the pressure difference is even. Canisters can release gas in different ways depending on the situation. Gas will only flow out if the release valve is toggled open. If the release valve pressure is lower than the external pressure, no gas will flow out.

• If the canister is wrenched to a connector port, gas will flow into the connector port.
• If a oxygen tank is inserted into a canister, gas will flow into the oxygen tank.
• If the canister is not connected to anything, gas will flow out into the surrounding atmosphere.

Gas Miner

Gas miners create new gas from nothing and are currently used to make sure the station has an infinite amount of a specific gas. Gas Miners come in different types and create different types of gas. A oxygen miner will create oxygen gas while a plasma miner will create plasma gas. Gas Miners can be found in Atmospherics inside each gas holding chamber.

Gas Recycler

Gas recyclers are used to recycle waste gasses like CO2 into breathable oxygen. They require a lot of pressure to work, more than is created by simply breathing. They also require the waste gas to be heated to around 300°C, thus a heater and a freezer are required for it to work. They recycler loop can be filled with N2 to boost the pressure.

Gases

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Introduction

The gases are the most important part of Atmospherics. There are currently 9 gases in the game, each of them has its own Specific Heat Capacity and Molar Mass. The standard air mix on the station is 21% oxygen and 79% nitrogen at 101.325kPa and 20°C or 293.15K. Most of them can be created using Gas Miners or created in combustion reactions.

Gases

Gases in SS14

Gas	Description	Specific Heat Capacity	Molar Mass (g/mol)
Oxygen	Colorless, reactive gas that humans need to breathe to stay alive. Key oxidizing agent in most combustion reactions.	20	32
Nitrogen	Colorless, odorless, inert gas. Somehow, slimes and voxes breathe this.	30	28
Carbon Dioxide	Colorless, odorless, relatively inert gas. Exhaled by creatures that breathe oxygen. Toxic in high enough quantities. The reason why atmospheric technicians are employed.	30	44
Plasma	Purple, putrid, highly-combustible, and toxic gas. Combusts in the presence of oxygen, but will not ignite on its own. Unfortunately, it is also vitally important to industrial and scientific activities aboard Nanotrasen stations.	200	120
Tritium	Green, highly-combustible, and radioactive. Combusts in the presence of oxygen. It is formed by the combustion of Oxygen and Plasma. To form Tritium, there must be 96 times more Oxygen than Plasma during the reaction. If there is too much Plasma, the reaction will produce Carbon Dioxide instead.	10	6
Water Vapor	Water in gaseous form. Due to the unique environment of space, does not condense into liquid water. Harmful to slime people.	40	18
Ammonia	Brownish, foul-smelling gas. Breeds disease, toxic, and harmful in sufficiently large concentrations. A by-product of nasty biological processes, including rotting bodies.	20	44
Nitrous Oxide	Bluish gas. Otherwise known as "laughing" or "sleepy" gas, it acts as a sedative to non-slimes and is toxic in very high concentrations. Unfortunately, this stuff is exhaled by slimes. Formed from Frezon and Nitrogen	40	44
Frezon	Blue-greenish gas. Used as an industrial coolant. Used recreationally by some for its euphoric effects, before their lungs freeze out. It has a high value and is made by mixing cold Tritium and Oxygen.	600	50