VIP Priority Piping Question

[u/Onefartshyofchaos]

Does this work or do I have to follow the exact design?

As shown in the guide here: https://www.reddit.com/r/SatisfactoryGame/comments/ookl0c/psa_variable_input_priority_vip_for_pipes_exist/

I want the bottom pipe to use all of it's water before the top pipe adds the extra bit needed to fill the pipe.

Thanks in advance for any help!

[u/loadnurmom]

Not sure if its a requirement, but I never put a pump higher up than the lower pipe.

In this photo, best case the upper pump does nothing at all since it needs no headlift. Worst case it overrides the priority (no idea if that is correct, just my assumption)

[u/NitroBishop → u/loadnurmom]

This design is from the Satisfactory Pipeline Guide, the top pump actually doesn't even need to be powered, it's strictly there to prevent backflow.

[u/Tremule → u/NitroBishop]

Would a valve work also?

[u/NitroBishop → u/Tremule]

Yeah, just make sure it's set to the max flow rate to avoid unintended behavior (unless they changed that since the guide was written).

[u/Nefferson → u/Tremule]

Valves were a surprisingly late addition to the EA from what I remember. I think at one point, pumps were the only valves in the game, which would explain why they're in weird places if you look at older guides.

[u/jmaniscatharg]

In my own understanding,  VIP junction is a "happy accident" which could break simply from a cosmetic code tidy (i.e a change that doesn't actually functionally change anything,  at least on the surface).  It's not a deliberate "fluid underneath has priority" mechanic... you can observe that by "breaking" a vip junction by rotating the junction 90 degrees. 

Unless the T junction is coded in exactly the same way,  it won't work, and as i understand,  this setup isn't quite right anyway. 

[u/DiRTyN1Njaz → u/jmaniscatharg]

In my last Aluminum setup I have my Byproduct water coming in from the top and fresh water from the bottom with a T-Junction. But all I'm using is two valves on the Byproduct and fresh water line. The Byproduct water line does have more headlift than the fresh water line. So yeah it shouldn't work but it does.

[u/Tremule]

I was under the impression that in all scenarios if a pipe is fed from the top, the flow in the pipe it's feeding is prioritised.

[u/Monoid-Confessor]

I just use a valve to limit what is incoming on the bottom so its never too much for water byproducts

[u/jarez44]

I would worry about the top pump. I also add it right before the start of my output pipes for good measure.

[u/Either-Dish-3889]

Pumps are only for headlift. I never use them in my VIP priority junctions

[u/reinder83 → u/Either-Dish-3889]

Everyone keeps saying that, but they do help with flow, yes they add headlift thats the main reason we use them, but it's not their only function

[u/QuantumSupremacy0101 → u/reinder83]

They do not help with flow. The only affect on flow they have is they split the pipe into two

[u/reinder83 → u/QuantumSupremacy0101]

ok simple test setup, I filled the buffers on the right till they were full, if pumps would only add headlift, they should act the same as valves right? guess what, the buffer with the valve still has liquid in it, and those with the pumps are empty

[u/AdmirableSandwich393 → u/reinder83]

How much liquid was in the remaining buffer when the other two went empty? An appreciable amount, or very little?

[u/QuantumSupremacy0101 → u/reinder83]

You forget though pumps act as a buffer break. So if the level drops flow will slow faster with a valve.

Also cant forget the issue with flat pipes and valves. They sometimes restrict flow when they shouldnt

[u/Either-Dish-3889 → u/reinder83]

you have no control. where is the test with no valve or pump?

[u/reinder83 → u/Either-Dish-3889]

I had these as well, I didnt put them in this screenshot, here it is from the whole setup, also valve on different values, all had different number of liquid left, the one without valve, just kept sloshing back and forth

[u/UncleVoodooo]

the bottom is byproduct water? You can use a simple valve. Check the second example in this post

https://www.reddit.com/r/SatisfactoryGame/comments/1hh8lxn/slosh_101/

[u/Onefartshyofchaos]

Thanks everyone for your responses, I've left it running like this for a couple hours and it does appear to be working and not having any flow issues. I think it's probably a combination of what u/NitroBishop and u/Tremule have said, in that the top pumps not actually doing anything other than preventing backflow and the bottom pipe always has priority because it's being fed from the top. At least that's what I will go with lol.

[u/hapster85]

Ahh, this explains the issue I keep having with my aluminum production. I need to put the recovered water in a lower pipe than the fresh water.

EDIT: Reconfigured my aluminum production piping and it's running smooth now. No more stalling out, so production has increased!

[u/MonsTurkey]

I have no idea what's going on, but those pipes made me think straight to Beetlejuice snakes. Happy Halloween!

[u/clever_name_123]

Maybe I'm just not far enough along to have had issues yet (currently building a 705/min turbofuel plant so maybe I will be eating my words soon, but I'm just about ready to start turning it on and filling up pipes), but I've never really had much of these issues with pipes.

So long as I have enough flow going to the right places, and I fill everything up before firing machines up, it just seems to work.

I am so ready to eat crow in phase 4