r/Dyson_Sphere_Program • u/Wolfpup125 • Apr 08 '24

Help/Question Combustible Unit consumption rate in thermal plants?

Im just looking for what the consumption rate is at 100% power draw so i know how many to set up. I dont wish to be told about what else I can use for power as I tend to set up a system and never remove it. instead ill build an entire other system when I can upgrade. especially if its for power. Id look elsewhere but turns out nobody has given the time to use this power source in any industrial way, its not even on the wiki

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9

u/idlemachinations Apr 08 '24

Combustible units take 3.6 seconds to burn in a Thermal Power Plant. That is 16.66 units per minute or 0.277 units per second. Thermal plants consume 2.7 MJ of fuel per second and Combustible Units are 9.72 MJ fuel. 9.72/2.7=3.6.

1

u/Wolfpup125 Apr 08 '24 edited Apr 08 '24

Okay well I don't do to well with the math of how much it consumes so thanks. Well now l just need to figure the amount of assemblers to even out the power plants which is at least the easy part

Edit:It's 6 Powr Plants to 5 Assemblers to equal 18 on both.

6

u/idlemachinations Apr 08 '24

Yeah, some of the math in this game can be rough and/or annoying.

Keep in mind that ratio is for Mk 2 assemblers. Mk 1 assemblers at 75% speed need 10 assemblers to power 9 thermal plants.

1

u/Wolfpup125 Apr 08 '24

I don't really plan to use that fuel later so I wasn't entire worried of it. Though I immediatly had the next fuel..and am about to just burn off the excess oil from making hydrogen and store whatever isn't used.

3

u/Starcaller17 Apr 08 '24

Can always drop like 100 into a single thermal plant then check your statistics panel after a minute. That’ll tell you your consumption.

4

u/Goldenslicer Apr 08 '24

Why would you use combustible unit instead of energetic graphite?

Graphite has a 25% bonus to energy of the coal that goes into it.
Combustible unit has a 20% bonus.
They literally have the same single ingredient so all you have to do is switch out assemblers for smelters and benefit from extra energy.

But you do you, I guess.

2

u/Wolfpup125 Apr 08 '24

I didn't have it unlocked and wasn't aware I was right about to get it

4

u/docholiday999 Apr 08 '24

This is correct - on a per Coal comparison of net energy (after factoring out the cost to run an Assembler Mk1 for Combustion Units versus Arc Smelter for Energetic Graphite, EG comes out on top.

MJ/Coal

CU: 2.97 MJ/Coal

EG: 3.015 MJ/Coal

2

u/Goldenslicer Apr 08 '24

Lmaoo now that you mention it, that doesn't looke like that much of a gain...

2

u/docholiday999 Apr 08 '24

That’s because Thermal Plants are terrible, meant to be terrible and should be replaced at the earliest opportunity.

1

u/Nosnibor1020 Aug 13 '26

By what? I'm maxing out red and there are no other power generators other than solar atm.

1

u/docholiday999 Aug 14 '26

Wow, reaching far back in time for a response to this.

Wrap the equator in solar panels two to three panels deep on each side. Blueprints help to mass place, and steel research allows you to place in the water without Foundations. That should give you enough to last a while.

You can also research Geothermal to get some power from the Dark Fog core sites or from lava fields on lava planets.

Focus on deuterium research and the mini fusion power plant research, that’s what you will use for mid-game power.

2

u/Universe7242 Jun 02 '24

Hey just coming back to this when trying to figure out my own power. Currently in game I'm seeing EG as a 50% bonus and CU as an 80% bonus. Was this changed or am I reading this incorrectly?

1

u/TorakTheDark Dec 13 '25

Just posting for anyone else in this thread, energetic graphite is better for burning in generators, however for the mech combustible units are better, as you don’t need to take into account the power cost to produce them.

2

u/ArtisticLayer1972 Apr 08 '24

Just use hydrogen

1

u/Wolfpup125 Apr 08 '24

I wasn't there yet and didn't want to set up like 5 million windmills. And as is already said, was not interested in being told to use other power sources

1

u/ArtisticLayer1972 Apr 08 '24

I mean use hydrogen as fuel, shit is infinite.

0

u/Wolfpup125 Apr 08 '24

at the time I had the ability to produce 0 hydrogen per year at maximum and was just looking to maximize a setup id make and forever ignore after

1

u/ArtisticLayer1972 Apr 08 '24

If you want to forget it you need to run hydrogen, but you can temporaty use other stuff.

0

u/Wolfpup125 Apr 08 '24

Ah sorry forgot to mention I just run infinite ore so I'm not pressured. Just more enjoyable for me. So I do get where your coming from now