O2 H2 Generator
| O2/H2 Generator | |
|---|---|
| |
| Category: | Facility |
| Function: | generates oxygen and hydrogen |
| Fits small grid | |
| Mass: | 298.6 kg |
| Power: | -1 kW MW |
| PCU: | 50 |
| Size: | 3x3x2 |
| Time to Build: | 14 sec |
| Fits large grid | |
| Mass: | 2587.0 kg |
| Power: | -1 kW MW |
| PCU: | 50 |
| Size: | 1x2x1 |
| Time to Build: | 22 sec |
| Data Controls: | [edit] [purge] (?) |
The Oxygen/Hydrogen Generator is the main source of both Oxygen and Hydrogen gas, which it generates from 
Ice.
The Oxygen Farm is a slower, alternative source of Oxygen.
Usage
Access the powered block's inventory and fill it with ice to start the generator.
The generator is a keystone block for Engineers planning on long periods of survival in space:
- Oxygen is used by engineers to survive on airless planets when oxygen is enabled in the World Settings.
- Hydrogen is used by Jetpacks to fly, by Hydrogen Engines to create power, and by Hydrogen Thrusters to propel ships.
The small-grid landing pod in which players start the game comes with a build-in O2/H2 Generator that is connected to the Survival Kit, so it's valuable to learn about this block early on.
How to store gases
The generator draws Ice through the connected Conveyor system
in much the same way the powered 
Refinery pulls ore through the corresponding Conveyor circuit, and it outputs gases into the conveyor system.
Although not required, gathering the gas in conveyored Hydrogen Tanks and Oxygen Tanks helps with sudden demand spikes.
- To store gas, enable Stockpile in the tank.
- To transfer gas out, disable Stockpile in the tank. For example, to allow hydrogen to be used by hydrogen thrusters.
How to fill oxygen and hydrogen bottles
Engineers often carry 
oxygen and 
hydrogen bottles with them to refill their suit reservoir.
- Fill the Generator inventory with Ice or conveyor it to an inventory with Ice.
- Power the Generator for it to pull and melt the Ice.
- Insert empty bottles into the generator.
Tip: As an alternative, filled gas tanks also refill oxygen and hydrogen bottles automatically
if you enable Auto Fill Bottles in the conveyored tanks.
Yield and conversion rate
The block produces Oxygen and Hydrogen independently of each other, that means the ice consumption from the table below adds up if it produces both.
Each gas is only produced if there is a consumer for that gas, which includes gas tanks.
| Size | Oxygen | Hydrogen |
|---|---|---|
| SmallGrid | 50L for 5kg of ice | 100L for 5kg of ice |
| LargeGrid | 250L for 25kg of ice | 500L for 25kg of ice |
The block however consumes ice every 5 seconds and there is a bug that gives the same amount of gas for lower amounts of ice: Bug report.
Energy Use
The block converts Ice into oxygen and hydrogen gas
while drawing electrical energy at 100 kW for the small-grid,
or 500 kW for the large-grid variant, respectively, regardless of actual conversion rate.
When idle, both the large-grid and the small-grid variant draw energy at 1 kW.[1]
Use in airtight rooms
If you have connected up an Air Vent <-> Oxygen Tank <-> Conveyor system <-> O2/H2 Generator, the Generator will melt ice until all airtight rooms are pressurized and all tanks are filled. If a Hydrogen Tank is conveyored to the same Generator, ice will be melted until the Hydrogen Tank is full as well. Hydrogen Tanks require vast amounts of Ice to fill completely, and filling them will use up Ice, even after all Oxygen Tanks have already been filled.
So if you're short on ice, optimally, keep the oxygen conveyor system and its generator separate from the hydrogen conveyor system and its generator, so you can switch the generators on/off to produce one or the other, without the wasteful overproduction that comes with attempting to produce both in parallel. This is essential to understand when making efficient air locks.
Use with Hydrogen Engines and Thrusters
Large grids:
- The output of one O2/H2 Generator is enough to fully supply one Hydrogen Engine.
- One Large Hydrogen Thruster consumes 4820 L/s, requiring ten O2/H2 Generators to run at full power.[2]
- One regular Hydrogen Thruster consumes 803.31 L/s, requiring two O2/H2 Generators.[2]
Small grids:
- The output of one O2/H2 Generator is enough to fully supply two Hydrogen Engines.[1]
- One Large Hydrogen Thruster consumes 385.6 L/s, requiring four O2/H2 Generators.[2]
- One regular Hydrogen Thruster consumes 80.33 L/s, requiring one O2/H2 Generator.[2]
Trivia
This block used to be called Oxygen Generator and sometimes you still find it named that way in old blueprints.
Construction
Building a O2 H2 Generator is affordable early on as soon as you have access to 
Large Steel Tubes, either salvaged, or produced in any Assembler.
- The large-grid variant is 1x1x2. It has four large conveyor ports, one on each of both 1x1 ends, as well as two on opposing 1x2 sides.
- The small-grid variant is 3x3x2. It is similar in port layout to the small-grid oxygen tank, having two small conveyor ports on the same side (spaced one block away from each other), and one large one on the other side.
You need to plan ahead how to connect the block to the conveyor system before placing it. The gas and ice can be piped through small ports, but you will also be using this generator to refill gas bottles, which need large convenyor ports.
Recipe
 O2 H2 Generator | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Component | Large Ship/Station Required | Large Ship/Station Optional | Small Ship Required | Small Ship Optional |
 Steel Plate | 110 | 10 | 6 | 2 |
 Motor | 4 | — | 1 | — |
| Large Steel Tube | 2 | — | 2 | — |
 Construction Comp. | 5 | — | 8 | — |
 Computer | 5 | — | 3 | — |
