Pumpjack

Pumpjack

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Recipe
5 + 5 + 10 + 10 + 5 → 1
Total raw
21.25 + 7.5 + 35 + 5
Map color
Fluid storage volume	1000
Health	200 260 320 380 500
Stack size	20
Rocket capacity	20
Dimensions	3×3
Energy consumption	90 kW (electric)
Mining time	0.5
Mining speed	1
Mining area	1 tiles
Resource drain	100% 83% 66% 50% 16%
Pollution	10/m
Module slots	2 slots
Prototype type	mining-drill
Internal name	pumpjack
Required technologies
Boosting technologies
Produced by

Pumpjacks extract fluids from resource fields. Each field can be covered by only one pumpjack at a fixed spot. The pumpjack will then output an amount of fluid equal to 10 multiplied by the field's yield per second. For example, a field with 538% yield will generate 54 fluid per second. Without speed modules, one pumpjack cycle takes one second to complete.

Extracting fluid lowers the field's yield by 1% per 300 pumpjack cycles, to a minimum of 20% of the initial yield or 2 fluid per second, whichever is larger.

They are limited to a maximum output of 1000 fluid per cycle, achieved by a field with more than 9999% yield. However, such a high yield is rare with standard map generator settings.

Pumpjacks can only be placed on fluid resource field tiles. Furthermore, the output pipe location is fixed relative to the pumpjack's orientation.

In the base game, the only kind of resource field yields crude oil. In Space Age, the pumpjack can also extract sulfuric acid from Vulcanus, as well as fluorine and lithium brine from Aquilo.

Lithium brine resource fields are special; unlike the other resource fields, these can run out. These patches do not display a percentage; they instead report the total amount of fluid in the field. They also do not produce less fluid over time. A pumpjack will always produce the same amount of fluid per second on any lithium brine field until it is exhausted: 60 fluid per cycle.

Tips

A resource field that has depleted (to the minimum of 20%) can still make use of speed modules, which are thus a good option for raising the pumpjack's output. With two speed module 3s, the output doubles from 2 to 4 fluid per second. With two legendary speed module 3s, the output increases by a factor of 3.5 from 2 to 7 fluid per second.

The formula to determine the modified output is:

Output of unmodified pumpjack x (1 + number of modules in pumpjack x average module bonus + transmission strength x number of modules in each beacon x average module bonus)

Example:

For a pumpjack on a depleted resource field with two level 3 speed modules and 4 beacons with each two level 3 speed modules: 2 x (1 + 2 x 0.5 + SQRT(4) x 1.5 x 2 x 0.5) = 10 fluid per second.

Assuming that there will be always two speed 3 modules equipped in the pumpjack and beacons, the formula for 4 beacons can be shortened: 2 x (2 + SQRT(4) x 1.5) = 10 fluid per second.

Additionally, on an infinite resource well (such as oil) and barring the use of beacons, the best modules to place in a pumpjack are speed modules. This does not depend on yield. As an example: be two oil wells, W1 and W2, both with an initial yield of 1 000%. The first one is slotted with two normal quality productivity module 3s, the second one with two normal quality speed module 3s. Below is a table summing up the production of each well.

Time (minutes)	Produced (W1)	Yield (W1)	Produced (W2)	Yield (W2)
0	0	1000	0	1000
1	5040	1000	12000	1000
8	40 320	999	96 000	997
72	362 830	990	855 480	972
715	3 440 959	900	7 392 240	714
2000	8 718 394	720	14 510 400	200
5715	17 422 423	200	23 426 400	200

How to read (e.g. line 3): after both wells have been active for 8 minutes, W1 has produced 40 320 units of oil and its yield has decreased to 999%; W2 has produced 96 000 units of oil and its yield has decreased to 997%.

W2 has produced more oil than W1 at every point in time. When W1 finally depletes to the minimum 20% of its original yield, it produces (yield x (1+productivity) x speed) oil per second, so 20 x 1.2 x 0.7 = 16.8 oil per second, while W2 produces 20 x 1 x 2 = 40 oil per second, so W2 produces more when the well is depleted. Speed modules are thus better from start to finish, even on a well with high initial yield. The difference is exacerbated by an increase in the quality of the modules: with legendary quality modules, the moment W1 depletes, it has produced 21 778 029 units of oil, while W2 has produced 33 713 400 (55% more). The difference in production from there onward is (W1) 20 x 1.5 x 0.7 = 21 to (W2) 20 x 1 x 3.5 = 70. While there is a period when W1 produces more than W2 (because W2 depletes quicker), from ~1475 minutes to ~4428 minutes, W2 still has produced more in total than W1 at every point in this period. The closest they come is near minute 4428, when W1 has produced 19 386 927 and W2 20 337 600. Then the gap increases again in favour of W2.

In conclusion: to maximize production of oil and in the absence of beacons, pumpjacks should be equipped with speed modules. If at least two beacons are present that are slotted with tier 3 speed modules, some quick calculations seem to make tier 3 productivity modules best.

Gallery

• 
  Animation of different speeds of pumpjacks: one with two speed modules, one with no modules and one with two production modules. (Click to see GIF animation)

History

• 0.15.0:
  • Pumpjacks can be turned on and off using the circuit network. They can also output the current oil mining rate.

• 0.9.0:
  • Introduced

See also

• Fluid system