SPOM (Self-Powered Oxygen Machine)
The electrolyzer oxygen build that powers itself. Purpose, inputs, and outputs for the machine that ends the algae crisis and carries a colony indefinitely.
At a glance
| Purpose | Turn water into a large, self-sustaining oxygen supply |
| Solves | The oxygen scaling crisis (finite algae runs out) |
| Inputs | Water, plus a little startup power |
| Outputs | Coolable oxygen for the base, plus net power. Hydrogen is consumed internally |
| Build around | Cycle 20 to 40 (community estimate), once algae is running low |
How it works
An electrolyzer splits water into oxygen and hydrogen. Gas pumps siphon both away so the machine does not stall on overpressure. The hydrogen feeds a Hydrogen Generator, and because one electrolyzer makes more hydrogen than the generator needs to run itself, the machine ends up net power positive.
| Element | Rate (game-defined) |
|---|---|
| Electrolyzer input | 1 kg/s Water |
| Electrolyzer oxygen out | 888 g/s |
| Electrolyzer hydrogen out | 112 g/s |
| Hydrogen Generator burn | 100 g/s |
The 112 versus 100 gap is why one electrolyzer worth of hydrogen powers a Hydrogen Generator with surplus. Scale by adding electrolyzers and pumps together.
Do this in order
- Secure a steady water source (a geyser, ice melt, or sieved polluted water). The electrolyzer will not accept polluted water.
- Seal a chamber and place the electrolyzer, then place gas pumps. Plan for at least two pumps per electrolyzer so overpressure never stalls it.
- Separate the gases: hydrogen rises to the top, oxygen sits below. Pump hydrogen to a Hydrogen Generator, oxygen to the base.
- Wire the generator back into the machine so it runs on its own hydrogen, and route the surplus power out.
- Cool the oxygen before it reaches farms.
Watch out for
- Output is hot, reported around 70 C or above. Pipe it through cooling before it hits crops, or the heat wall arrives early.
- Overpressure stops the electrolyzer. If gas backs up in its tile, production halts. Pumps must keep pace.
- Build it from a heat-tolerant material. Gold Amalgam is a common choice to raise the overheat threshold. Many builds pair it with an Anti Entropy Thermo-Nullifier for cheap cooling.
- Do not skip water security. A SPOM that runs dry takes the whole colony’s oxygen with it.
Related
The crisis this ends sits in the crisis order cheatsheet. For cooling the hot output, see cooling loops and heat management. For the water side, see plumbing and gas.