Reactor Statistics Computer

So, just what is that little red computer with the big tables trying to say?

A General Math Note

This computer has columns labeled dy/dx and d^2y/dx^2. If you're calculus-savvy, you're recognize these the first derivative and second derivative, respectively. If you're not, don't worry! This computer will do all the scary calculus math for you.

Whether or not you know calculus, though, you do need to know what those actually mean. The first and second derivatives describe how some quantity changes relative to another quantity, in this case to time. dy/dx describes the rate at which some quantity changes over time, e.g. how much pressure changes over time. d^2y/dx^2 describes how that rate changes over time, how much the change itself changes, e.g. how much the pressure changes change.

If a quantity's dy/dx is positive, it is said to be increasing over time, e.g. pressure is climbing. Similarly, if dy/dx is negative, the quantity is decreasing over time, e.g. pressure is dropping. Neither necessarily mean pressure is positive or negative; just that it's changing in a positive direction (increasing) or changing in a negative direction (decreasing).

If d^2y/dx^2 is positive, we say dy/dx is increasing over time, e.g. the rate at which the pressure is climbing/dropping is increasing. Similarly, if dy/dx is negative, we say dy/dx is decreasing over time, e.g. the rate at which the pressure is climbing/dropping is decreasing. Notice that neither necessarily tell us if dy/dx is negative or positive, just how much it changes.

Also, you may see some numbers written with an e, a positive or negative sign, and then another number afterwards, e.g. 4.572e+006. This e has nothing to do with the natural constant e; rather it's a calculator/computer's shorthand for scientific notation, short for "times ten with a positive/negative exponent of [number afterwards]". So, for instance, 4.572e+006 would also be 4.572 x 10^6, which would also be 4,572,000.

Reactor

This page displays information about the thermo-electric generator (TEG). Much of it is the same information you'd see from checking the generator itself or the Power Checker PDA app. The Instanteous table shows measurements of various quantities right then, at the very moment. The Average table shows the average of the of all the measurements so far, including all the previous measurements, divided by number of measurements.

Just what is being measured and averaged? All these following familiar quantities:

• Engine Output: Electricity output of the TEG, in watts.
• Hot loop temperature (in): Temperature of the gas exiting the hot loop and going into the TEG, in Kelvins.
• Hot loop temperature (out): Temperature of the gas entering the hot loop and going out from the TEG, in Kelvins.
• Hot loop pressure (in): Pressure of the gas exiting the hot loop, going into the TEG, in kPa.
• Hot loop pressure (out): Pressure of the gas entering the hot loop out of the TEG, in kPa.
• Cold loop temperature (in): Temperature of the gas going from the cold loop into the TEG, in Kelvins.
• Cold loop temperature (out): Temperature of the gas going out of the TEG into the cold loop, in Kelvins.
• Cold loop pressure (in): Pressure of the gas going from the cold loop into the TEG, in kPa.
• Cold loop pressure (out): Pressure of the gas going out of the TEG into the cold loop, in kPa.

Combustion Chamber

This page displays information about the tiles the map defines as combustion chamber, which, sanely, just includes the tiles where actual combustion can take place, rather than the walls or airlocks. The total tables display info about all the tiles in the combustion chamber, calculated as the sum of the measurements of a particular quantity for each tile of the chamber. The per tiles tables displays similar information, but it is calculated as an average of all those measurements. Since the amount of measurements is basically the same as the number of tiles, this is effectively average of a quantity per each tile.

As with the Reactor page, the Instanteous table shows various measurements of certain quantities right now, at the very moment, while Average table shows the average of the of all the measurements taken so far, including the previous measurements.

What does all that mean? Well, you could interpret all the combinations this way, using oxygen concentration as an example:

• The Total oxygen concentration of the combustion chamber is the sum of all the measurements of oxygen concentration for each tile of combustion chamber. This is essentially, how much oxygen there is the entire chamber.
• Oxygen concentration per tile would be the average of those measurements. This is also, essentially, how much oxygen there is in the entire chamber but represented as an average oxygen concentration per tile.
• Instanteous...per tile shows average concentration of oxygen per tile of the combustion chamber, at the moment.
• Instanteous...total shows the total concentration of oxygen for the whole combustion chamber, at the moment.
• Average...per tile shows the average of those calculations of average oxygen concentration per tile , including all the ones from before. (Yes, it's an average of averages.)
• Average...total shows the average of all those measurements of total concentration of oxygen.

The Chamber page measures and calculates averages just like the Reactor page, but it uses a completely different set of quantities:

• Oxygen: Concentration of oxygen in the chamber, measured in moles
• Plasma: Concentration of plasma, also measured in moles
• Carbon dioxide: Concentration of carbon dioxide, measured in, you guessed it, moles.
• Nitrogen: Concentration of nitrogen. Did you guess it would be in moles? Because it's in moles.
• Temperature: Temperature of the gases in the burn chamber, as measured in Kelvins. This affects the how much plasma and oxygen will be consumed as the combustion goes on as well as how high the pressure is.
• Fuel burnt: Amount of oxygen and plasma being burned, with rate of oxygen burning having higher representation. Not only does initial chamber temperature affect the amount of fuel being burned, but that amount will itself affect how much the temperature of the chamber changes.
• Pressure: Pressure of the gases in the burn chamber. Pressure is calculated using the ideal gas law, so concentration and temperature of gases will affect the pressure.
• Thermal energy: Energy of all the gases in the chamber. Similar to real life thermodynamics, this is calculated as temperature of all the gases times their overall heat capacity.
• Heat capacity: Amount of heat all the gases in the chamber can hold. Also similar to real life thermodynamics, this is concentration of each gas times their specific heat. The difference in heat capacity of the gases before and after a plasma combustion reaction will affect how much the temperature of the gases in the chamber changes, and both heat capacity and thermal energy affect gas temperature.
  • Relatively speaking, plasma has the highest specific heat of all the gases, while carbon dioxide's specific heat is distantly behind. Nitrogen and oxygen have the same specific heat, which is slightly behind that of carbon dioxide (just like real life!)
• Molality: The concentration of all the oxygen, plasma, carbon dioxide, and nitrogen, as well as any possible trace gases. While the more chemistry-minded will know molality to be moles over kilograms, this is actually just moles of these gases.

Gas Loop

This page indicates various readings from six meters in the following locations in Engineering:

• Cold loop radiator meter: Attached to the portion of the cold loop exposed to cold space.
• Hot loop combustion meter: Attached to the part of the hot loop inside the combustion chamber
• Hot loop outlet meter: Near the TEG, where the hot loop's gas exits the TEG.
• Cold loop outlet meter: Also near the TEG, where the cold loop's gas comes out of the TEG.
• Hot loop inlet meter: Near the TEG as well, where the hot loop's gas supply goes into the TEG.
• Cold loop inlet meter: Once again near the TEG, where the gas in the cold loop enters the TEG.

Like the Reactor and Chamber pages, there are Instanteous tables, with the meter's readings right at the very moment, and Average tables, based on all the average of all the previous meter readings of a certain quantity.

It also features the exact same quantities as the Chamber page, but for the section of piping the meter is on rather than a whole room. Assuming nothing goes wrong, these meter readings should hopefully apply to the whole, but in any case:

• Oxygen: Concentration of oxygen, measured in moles.
• Plasma: Concentration of plasma, also measured in moles,
• Carbon dioxide: Concentration of carbon dioxide, measured in, you guessed it, moles.
• Nitrogen: Concentration of nitrogen. Did you guess it would be in moles? Because it's in moles.
• Temperature: Temperature of the all the gases in the measured portion of piping, measured in Kelvins.
• Fuel burnt: Amount of oxygen and plasma being burned. This should hopefully be zero.
• Pressure: Pressure of all the gases in measured section of piping. Pressure is calculated using the ideal gas law, so concentration and temperature of gases will affect the pressure.
• Thermal energy: Energy of all the gases in the portion of piping. Similar to real life thermodynamics, this is calculated as temperature of all the gases times their overall heat capacity.
• Heat capacity: Amount of heat all the gases in the section of piping can hold. Also similar to real life thermodynamics, this is the concentration of each gas times their individual specific heat values.
  • Relatively speaking, plasma has the highest specific heat of all the gases. Carbon dioxide's is distantly behind, and nitrogen and oxygen have the same specific heat, which is slightly behind that of carbon dioxide (just like real life!)
• Molality: Concentration of all the oxygen, plasma, carbon dioxide, and nitrogen inside the piece of piping, as well as any possible trace gases, in our ever-present friend moles.