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Water, steam, oil products and acid travel through '''pipes'''. You lay your first pipes in Epoch 1 for [[BlockFactory:Power|steam power]]; later pipe tiers carry oil and gas, and finally corrosive Sulfuric Acid. You can never hold a fluid in your inventory: in recipe windows a fluid shows up as an icon with an amount.

== Fluids ==
{| class="wikitable"
! Icon !! Fluid !! Comes from !! Needs at least
|-
| [[File:BlockFactory_Fluid_Water.png|32px]] || Water || Water Pump || Pipe T1
|-
| [[File:BlockFactory_Fluid_Steam.png|32px]] || Steam || Water Boiler, Heat Exchanger || Pipe T1
|-
| [[File:BlockFactory_Fluid_Crude_Oil.png|32px]] || Crude Oil || Oil Pumpjack || Pipe T2
|-
| [[File:BlockFactory_Fluid_Heavy_Oil.png|32px]] || Heavy Oil || Oil Processor || Pipe T2
|-
| [[File:BlockFactory_Fluid_Light_Oil.png|32px]] || Light Oil || Oil Processor, Heavy Oil cracking || Pipe T2
|-
| [[File:BlockFactory_Fluid_Petroleum_Gas.png|32px]] || Petroleum Gas || Oil Processor, Light Oil cracking || Pipe T2
|-
| [[File:BlockFactory_Fluid_Lubricant.png|32px]] || Lubricant || Fabricator T2/T3 (from Tallow and Water), Chemical Plant (from Heavy Oil) || Pipe T2
|-
| [[File:BlockFactory_Fluid_Sulfuric_Acid.png|32px]] || Sulfuric Acid || Chemical Plant (from Sulfur, Iron Plate and Water) || Reinforced Pipe T1
|}

The Field Manual and the recipe browser also show the lowest pipe each fluid needs. How the oil products are made: [[BlockFactory:Oil Processing|Oil Processing]].

== How pipes work ==
* '''Pipes connect on their own.''' A pipe links to pipes on its four sides and to every machine connection that points at it. Pipes do not connect up or down. The shape (straight, end, corner, T, cross) follows from the neighbours.
* '''One network, one fluid.''' All connected pipes form one network with one shared content, and a network only takes the fluid it already carries. Keep different fluids in separate pipe runs.
* '''Each pipe holds 100 units.''' Flow is not limited by the pipe tier or by distance: a network carries whatever its pumps and machines put in.
* The window in each pipe shows which fluid is inside.
* '''The weakest pipe decides.''' If any pipe in a network cannot carry a fluid, the whole network refuses it.
* Two machine connections that point directly at each other also connect, without a pipe in between.
* Pipe and Storage Tank contents are not saved. After a server restart they start empty and refill from pumps and machines within seconds.

== Pipes ==
All pipes are 1 × 1. The tiers differ in which fluids they carry and in their health.

{| class="wikitable"
! Icon !! Pipe !! Epoch !! Research !! Carries !! Health !! Recipe
|-
| [[File:BlockFactory_Pipe_T1.png|32px]] || Pipe T1 || 0 || Start || Water, Steam || 60 || 1 Iron Plate
|-
| [[File:BlockFactory_Pipe_T2.png|32px]] || Pipe T2 || 2 || Fluid Handling || everything except Sulfuric Acid || 80 || 1 Steel Plate + 1 Pipe T1
|-
| [[File:BlockFactory_Pipe_T3.png|32px]] || Pipe T3 || 3 || Reinforced Pipes || everything except Sulfuric Acid || 250 || 2 Steel Plate → 2
|-
| [[File:BlockFactory_Reinforced_Pipe_T1.png|32px]] || Reinforced Pipe T1 || 3 || Reinforced Pipes || all fluids || 250 || 2 Steel Plate + 1 Plastic Bar → 2
|-
| [[File:BlockFactory_Reinforced_Pipe_T2.png|32px]] || Reinforced Pipe T2 || 4 || Fortification || all fluids || 250 || 2 Reinforced Pipe T1 + 1 Rune Slate → 2
|-
| [[File:BlockFactory_Reinforced_Pipe_T3.png|32px]] || Reinforced Pipe T3 || 5 || Nuclear Power || all fluids || 250 || 1 Reinforced Pipe T2 + 2 Concrete + 1 Steel Plate
|}

Sulfuric Acid is corrosive and needs a Reinforced Pipe.

== Underground Pipes ==
An '''Underground Pipe''' connects to a normal pipe at its back and jumps underground to the next Underground Pipe of the same tier in front of it. Place the second one facing the other way, like an underground belt. Each tier only connects to its own tier. Underground Pipes carry every fluid, including Sulfuric Acid.

{| class="wikitable"
! Icon !! Pipe !! Epoch !! Research !! Gap !! Recipe
|-
| [[File:BlockFactory_Underground_Pipe_T1.png|32px]] || Underground Pipe T1 || 2 || Fluid Handling || up to 10 blocks || 5 Iron Plate + 2 Pipe T2 → 2
|-
| [[File:BlockFactory_Underground_Pipe_T2.png|32px]] || Underground Pipe T2 || 3 || Reinforced Pipes || up to 15 blocks || 5 Steel Plate + 2 Pipe T3 → 2
|-
| [[File:BlockFactory_Underground_Pipe_T3.png|32px]] || Underground Pipe T3 || 4 || Fortification || up to 20 blocks || 4 Steel Plate + 2 Reinforced Pipe T1 → 2
|}

== Pumps and tanks ==
{| class="wikitable"
! Icon !! Building !! Epoch !! Research !! Size !! Capacity !! Recipe
|-
| [[File:BlockFactory_Water_Pump.png|32px]] || Water Pump || 1 || Steam Power || 1 × 2 || pumps 1,200 water/s || 2 Electronic Circuit + 1 Pipe T1 + 1 Iron Gear
|-
| [[File:BlockFactory_Storage_Tank.png|32px]] || Storage Tank || 2 || Fluid Handling || 3 × 3 || 25,000 units || 20 Iron Plate + 5 Steel Plate
|-
| [[File:BlockFactory_Fluid_Pump.png|32px]] || Fluid Pump || 3 || Reinforced Pipes || 1 × 2 || 200 units || 1 Engine Unit + 1 Steel Plate + 1 Pipe T3
|}

* '''Water Pump:''' place it at the shore while looking at the water. The walkway goes out over the water, the outlet faces you. It needs no power, but without water in or under its walkway it pumps nothing. One pump supplies 20 Water Boilers, see [[BlockFactory:Power|Power]].
* '''Storage Tank:''' a buffer for any fluid, with one connection in the middle of each side. '''Use''' opens a window with its fluid, fill level and flow (filling, draining or steady). Each side is its own pipe network with a quarter of the capacity (6,250 units); the tank keeps the sides apart and balances them like connected vessels. So a Pipe T1 on one side does not block oil coming in through Pipe T2 on another side; the T1 side simply stays empty.
* '''Fluid Pump:''' a small inline buffer with one connection at the back and one at the front. It takes any fluid and shows when fluid is flowing through it.

Crude Oil comes from the Oil Pumpjack, see [[BlockFactory:Oil Processing|Oil Processing]]. To move fluids by train, use a Fluid Wagon, see [[BlockFactory:Railways|Railways]].

== Machine connections ==
Machines with fluid inputs or outputs have fixed connection points, usually shown as pipe stubs on the model: Water Boiler, Steam Generator, Fabricator T2 and T3, Tree Farm, Oil Processor, Chemical Plant, Oil Pumpjack, Auto Drill (acid for uranium, in the middle of its back), Heat Exchanger and Steam Turbine. A pipe must touch the connection point exactly.

== Status icons ==
{| class="wikitable"
! Icon !! Status !! Meaning !! Fix
|-
| [[File:BlockFactory_Status_Wrong_Pipe_T2.png|32px]] || Wrong Pipe: needs Pipe T2 || A machine or pump is connected to a network that cannot carry its fluid (oil or gas in a network with Pipe T1). || Replace the Pipe T1 pieces in that network.
|-
| [[File:BlockFactory_Status_Wrong_Reinforced_Pipe_T1.png|32px]] || Wrong Pipe: needs Reinforced Pipe || Sulfuric Acid in a network with normal pipes. || Use Reinforced Pipes for the whole network.
|-
| [[File:BlockFactory_Status_Tank_Full.png|32px]] || Tank Full || An output tank of the machine is full, so it stopped. || Connect a pipe that takes the fluid away, or a Storage Tank.
|}

== See also ==
* [[BlockFactory:Power|Power]]
* [[BlockFactory:Oil Processing|Oil Processing]]
* [[BlockFactory:Nuclear Power|Nuclear Power]]
* [[BlockFactory:Railways|Railways]]

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BlockFactory:Fluids - Revision history

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