Modular Power Heaters

Information:

Heaters are used to generate heat utilizing some form of fuel. The heat is used to generate steam in a Boiler. Heaters have to be placed on a Boiler Platform.

There are four heaters, each accepting a different family of fuel:

  • Biomass Heater: solid biomass (wood, leaves, biofuel, alien remains…).

  • Coal Heater: solid carbon fuels (coal, compacted coal, petroleum coke).

  • Solution Heater: liquid/gas carbon fuels, and hot molten-salt.

  • Nuclear Heater: fission and fusion fuel rods/cores.

Once the heater reaches 100 ℃ the attached Boiler will start producing Steam, the temperature can reach 2 000 ℃ for the nuclear heater. 1250 ℃ for the solution heater and 500 ℃ for the biomass and coal heaters.

Burning most fuels in heaters will produce CO₂, which needs to be handled by either venting through a chimney or accumulating into Carbon Dust using a Refinery. If the CO₂ is not removed from the system and fills the heater, it will stop producing heat and slowly cool down.

In-game descriptions
Biomass Heater: "Used to burn any type of biofuel to be turned into heat and makes a waste product of Carbon Dioxide that needs to be vented out or used in recipes. Can produce up to 500° heat."
Coal Heater: "Used to burn any type of solid carbon based fuel to be turned into heat and makes a waste product of carbon dioxide that needs to be vented out or used in recipes. Can produce up to 500° heat."
Solution Heater: "Used to burn any type of liquid carbon-based fuel to be turned into heat and also makes a waste product of carbon dioxide that needs to be vented out or used in recipes. Can produce up to 750° heat."
Nuclear Heater: "Can burn any type of fission or fusion-based fuel though some By-products may be made depending on the fuel. Can produce up to 2000° heat."

Building Information

Biomass Heater Coal Heater Solution Heater Nuclear Heater

Building Cost

12x Reinforced Iron Plate
3x Modular Frame
20x Cable

20x Reinforced Iron Plate
5x Modular Frame
50x Cable

6x Heavy Modular Frame
5x Computer
40x Rubber
50x Quickwire

100x Concrete
50x Cable
14x High-Speed Connector
5x Supercomputer

Maximum Heat

500 °C

500 °C

1250 °C

2 000 °C

Items*

Leaves, Wood, Mycelia, Alien Carapace, Fabric, Alien Organs, Biomass, Solid Biofuel, Packaged Biofuel, Flower

Coal, Petroleum Coke, Compacted Coal

Biofuel, Fuel, Turbofuel, Methane, Rocket Fuel, Ionized Fuel,

Nuclear Fuel Rods, Plutonium, DT Reactor Cores, Deanorium Reactor Cores, Ficsonium Fuel Rods

* For consumption rates, produced heat and CO₂ see tables below

Milestones

Biomass Heater Coal Heater Solution Heater Nuclear Heater

Available with

Tier 3

Tier 3

Tier 6

Tier 7

Research Cost*

25x Reinforced Iron Plate
25x Rotor
200x Iron Rod
500x Cable

25x Reinforced Iron Plate
25x Rotor
200x Iron Rod
500x Cable

50x Computer
300x Plastic
300x Rubber
50x Encased Industrial Beam

200x Computer
100x Heavy Modular Frame
50x High-Speed Connector
250x Alclad Aluminium Sheets

* Within the milestones, multiple Refined Power buildings are unlocked.

Variants

Biomass Heater

The biomass heater can be fed with the following items:

Item

Heat / Cycle

Item consumption rate per minute

Maximum Heat

Byproduct per minute

Leaves

0.5

240

500

30 m³ CO₂

Wood

1

36

500

45 m³ CO₂

Mycelia

2

180

500

45 m³ CO₂

Alien Carapace

10

15

500

30 m³ CO₂

Fabric

5

240

500

30 m³ CO₂

Alien Organs

10

15

500

30 m³ CO₂

Biomass

20

20

500

30 m³ CO₂

Solid Biofuel

30

8

500

30 m³ CO₂

Packaged Biofuel

35

4.8

500

45 m³ CO₂

Coal Heater

The coal heater can be fed with the following items:

Item

Heat / Cycle

Item consumption rate per minute

Maximum Heat

Byproduct per minute

Coal

10

15

500

30 m³ CO₂

Petroleum Coke

6

25

500

30 m³ CO₂

Compacted Coal

15

7.143

500

30 m³ CO₂

Solution Heater

The Solution heater can fed with the following items:

Item

Heat / Cycle

Item consumption rate per minute

Maximum Heat

Byproduct per minute

Liquid Biofuel

25

12 m³

750

30 m³ CO₂

Fuel

30

12 m³

750

30 m³ CO₂

Turbofuel

35

4 m³

750

45 m³ CO₂

Methane

35

6 m³

750

30 m³ CO₂

Rocketfuel

35

6 m³

750

30 m³ CO₂

Hot Molten Salt

50

60 m³

750

60 m³ Molten Salt

Ionised Fuel

50

10 m³

1250

75 m³ CO₂

Nuclear Heater

The Nuclear heater can be fed with the following items:

Item

Heat / Cycle

Item consumption rate per minute

Maximum Heat

Byproduct per minute

Nuclear Fuel Rods

2 000

0.125

2 000

6.25 Nuclear Waste (Vanilla)

Plutonium

2 000

0.0625

2 000

0.625 Plutonium Waste (Vanilla)

DT Reactor Core

2 500

0.5

2 000

0.5 Advanced Reactor Cores

Deanorium Reactor Core

2 500

0.125

2 000

0.125 Advanced Reactor Cores

Ficsonium Fuel Rods

2 500

0.667

2 000

None

Tips

  • Keep every CO2-producing heater piped to a Co2 Chimney (or a CO2-consuming recipe). If the CO2 output backs up, the heater stops producing heat and your boiler cools down.

  • Match the heater to the boiler. A Boiler Mk1 only needs 500 °C, so a Biomass or Coal Heater is plenty. A Boiler Mk2 is wasted below 500 °C, pair it with a Solution or Nuclear Heater to use its higher steam production.

  • Because temperature decays toward 20 °C when unfuelled, a starved heater drags its boiler down with it. Size the fuel supply for continuous burning.

  • The Solution Heater’s Hot Molten Salt recipe lets a Solar Power Tower feed the steam system with no fuel at all.