Codex Processing Chemical Plant

Chemical Plant

The Chemical Plant is the large Chemical Reactor. Every column of Reactor Columns inside it runs one chemical reaction at the same time, and the whole plant can run large processes that no single machine can: fast ammonia synthesis, cracking, fuel reprocessing and ore leaching.

How it works

1. Items, fluids and gases come in through the ports and fill the plant's shared slots and tanks.
2. Every complete column is one lane. Each lane looks for a chemical reaction it can start with what the plant holds and runs it on its own.
3. When a large process can start, the lanes finish their runs and start nothing new. Then the whole plant runs the large process alone.
4. Products go into the shared output slots and tanks, from where pipes take them through the output ports.

Building

Shown size: 7 wide, 6 high, 7 deep (adjustable: Width 7–11, Height 6–10, Depth 7–11).

One example of many: within the rules on this page, size and arrangement are up to you; the Build Projector shows the plan in every allowed size.

	Key	Block	Count
	A	Industrial Casing	167
	B	Industrial Sight Glass	19
	F	Reactor Column	12
	J	Energy Input Hatch (Tier 2)	1
	E	Fluid Input Port	1
	G	Fluid Output Port	1
	H	Gas Input Port	1
	I	Gas Output Port	1
	C	Item Input Port	1
	D	Item Output Port	1
	0	Chemical Plant Controller	1

Step by step

Each picture adds one layer, from the bottom up; the newest layer is bright. The controller wall faces you on the left.

Step 1: Layer 1

Parts in this step: Industrial Casing (A) ×49

Step 2: Layer 2

Parts in this step: Industrial Casing (A) ×13, Industrial Sight Glass (B) ×4, Reactor Column (F) ×4, Chemical Plant Controller (0) ×1, Fluid Input Port (E) ×1, Fluid Output Port (G) ×1, Gas Input Port (H) ×1, Gas Output Port (I) ×1, Item Input Port (C) ×1, Item Output Port (D) ×1

Step 3: Layers 3–4 (identical)

Place this layer 2 times on top of each other.

Parts in this step: Industrial Casing (A) ×19, Industrial Sight Glass (B) ×5, Reactor Column (F) ×4

Step 4: Layer 5

Parts in this step: Industrial Casing (A) ×19, Industrial Sight Glass (B) ×5

Step 5: Layer 6

Parts in this step: Industrial Casing (A) ×48, Energy Input Hatch (Tier 2) (J) ×1

Rules

• Size: 7 to 11 wide, 6 to 10 high, 7 to 11 deep. The plant finds its size by itself, starting from the block behind the controller.
• Edges and corners: only Industrial Casing.
• Walls, floor and roof: Industrial Casing, Industrial Sight Glass, ports and the controller.
• Inside: air and Reactor Columns.
• Columns: a column is 3 Reactor Columns stacked on the floor of the inside (the three lowest inside layers). Columns may stand side by side; the example leaves walkways between them.
• Second layer: from a height of 8 (six inside layers) a second layer of columns may stand on the inside layers 4 to 6.
• Needed: at least one complete column. A column with fewer or more than 3 blocks stops the plant from forming.
• Columns that count: per layer at most one column for every 2 floor blocks of the inside, but never fewer than 16. Columns beyond that stand idle. The largest plant (11 × 10 × 11) can use 80 columns.
• Energy Input Hatches: up to 4.
• Controller: in a wall face (not on an edge), front facing out, with the inside directly behind it.
• Ports: Item Input Port and Item Output Port, Fluid Input Port and Fluid Output Port, Gas Input Port and Gas Output Port, Heat Port (process heat) and Energy Input Hatches. Every port works only on its outer face.

Tip

Data packs A data pack can add blocks to the tags qnet:multiblock/casing and qnet:multiblock/industrial_sight_glass; they then count as casing or glass.

Chemical reactions

Every lane runs the recipes of the Chemical Reactor at their own speed and power. These come with QNet:

In	Out	E/t	Ticks
500 mB Nitrogen, 1500 mB Hydrogen	1000 mB Ammonia	800	400
500 mB Ethanol	500 mB Ethylene	300	100
1000 mB Bio Slurry	500 mB Ethanol	200	200
1000 mB Nitrogen	100 mB Liquid Nitrogen	2000	200
any Lithium Dust, 250 mB Water	Lithium Carbonate	30	160
500 mB Ammonia, 1000 mB Oxygen	500 mB Nitric Acid	600	200
1000 mB Ethylene	Polymer Sheet	400	120
any Nether Quartz, 2 × any Coal Dust	Silicon	500	160
any Uranium Dust, 250 mB Water	Yellowcake	30	160

Each lane picks its own recipe, so different columns can run different reactions at the same time, as long as the plant holds their inputs.

Large processes

A large process needs a number of columns (shown as "columns" in the recipe viewer) and runs alone on the whole plant:

In	Out	E/t	Ticks
2000 mB Nitrogen, 6000 mB Hydrogen	4000 mB Ammonia	8000	200
1000 mB Plant Oil	200 mB Ethanol, 600 mB Ethylene	6000	200
Depleted Fuel Rod, 500 mB Nitric Acid	Empty Fuel Rod, 2 × Uranium Fuel Pellet, Nuclear Waste	6000	400

Ore leaching works for every metal that the game knows through the c: tags and that has both an ore and a dust: one ore and nitric acid give three dusts and the metal's by-product.

In	Out	E/t	Ticks	When
Ore	3 × Dust, + by-product	5000	200	always

While a large process waits, the plant checks once a second whether it can start. The lanes that still run finish their runs first; only the first lane then starts the large process.

Tanks and slots

• Six input slots, six output slots and the module slot.
• One fluid input, one fluid output, two gas inputs and two gas outputs. Each tank holds 64,000 mB, or 4,000 mB per counted column when that is more.
• All lanes share the slots, the tanks and the energy buffer.

Energy and heat

• The energy buffer holds 4,000,000 E, multiplied by the speed factor of the Plant Speed Modules.
• Every lane draws the energy of its recipe in every tick. When the buffer holds less than a lane needs, that lane waits and keeps its progress.
• A Heat Port takes process heat from a heat source next to it. The heat pays back up to 50 % of the energy the lanes used in a tick: 1 HU replaces 1 E.

Important

Energy grows with the columns The example has a tier 2 hatch: four columns of liquid nitrogen, or the ammonia synthesis, need 8,000 E/t, exactly what it lets in. A tier 1 hatch (1,000 E/t) carries only one column of most reactions. Larger plants and Plant Speed Modules need tier 3 (64,000 E/t) or more, or several hatches.

The screen

• Bars for energy and the six tanks.
• The progress of the first running lane.
• The status line and the redstone line; the R button switches the redstone mode (always runs, runs with a signal, runs without a signal).
• The module slot at the right edge, with the speed factor below it.

What the status line says

Status	Meaning
Columns busy: 2 / 4	Two of four lanes are running.
Columns busy: 4 / 4 (3 waiting for energy)	Four lanes have started; three of them wait for energy. Add Energy Input Hatches or feed more power.
Waiting for energy	A large process has started and waits for energy.
Large process waits for the columns	A large process can start; the lanes finish their runs first.
Large process on all 4 columns	A large process runs on the whole plant.

Automation

• Pipes put items, fluids and gases in through the input ports; only what a reaction or a large process uses is accepted.
• Items, fluids and gases can only be taken out of the outputs, through the output ports (items through either item port).
• A Grid Monitor can pause the plant.

Error messages

Message	What to do
The controller must sit in a wall, front facing out	Put the controller into a wall face, front outwards, with the inside behind it.
Structure too small (…)	Build at least 7 wide, 6 high and 7 deep.
Structure too large or not closed near …	Close the wall at the position shown, or make it smaller.
Wrong block at … (expected: Industrial Casing)	Only Industrial Casing on edges and corners.
Wrong block at … (expected: Industrial Casing, Industrial Sight Glass)	Only casing, sight glass, ports and the controller in the walls.
Wrong block at … (expected: Air, Reactor Column)	Reactor Columns only in the column layers; nothing else inside.
Missing parts: Reactor Column ×3	A column is incomplete (or none is there): stack exactly three Reactor Columns.
Too many ports of one kind	At most 4 Energy Input Hatches.
Port not allowed here	Energy Output Ports do not work here.
Second controller at …	Remove the other controller.

Breaking the controller

The items in the slots drop, together with the inputs of the runs in progress. The tanks and the stored energy are lost.

In the world

While a lane runs, the liquid in its column rises behind the glass: pale green for a reaction, amber for a large process. Bubbles rise through the columns while the plant works.

Building the controller and the columns

			→ Chemical Plant Controller

			→ Reactor Column

Tip

Leaching beats crushing One ore gives three dusts in a leaching run, against two in the Crusher. The nitric acid comes from a reaction the plant can run in its own lanes.