Coal Centrifuge

Coal Centrifuge is a crafting-station block that converts Tar into Coal. It gives players a way to transform liquid hydrocarbon fuel into a solid fuel product within a factory layout, allowing Tar gathered or refined elsewhere to be turned into Coal for use in smelting, power generation, or other recipes that require solid fuel.

The machine's conversion process is fixed: it consumes Tar as input, uses electrical power while operating, and outputs Coal at a steady rate. Specifically:

• Input: Tar at a rate equivalent to 6 units per second.
• Power consumption: 42 power/sec while active.
• Craft time: 0.5 seconds per craft cycle.
• Output: Coal at a rate equivalent to 2 units per second.

These numbers imply each 0.5-second cycle uses the corresponding fraction of the input and produces the corresponding fraction of Coal; overall throughput is 2 Coal per second while powered and supplied with Tar. Because the Centrifuge is a powered crafting building, uninterrupted operation requires both a steady Tar supply and sufficient electrical generation to cover its 42 power/sec draw.

Converting liquids into solids like this is an uncommon process in real-world industry; the reverse direction — turning solid hydrocarbons into liquid fuels — is the better-known industrial process called coal liquefaction. Historical large-scale liquid-fuel synthesis methods such as Fischer–Tropsch were developed to produce liquid fuels from solid or gaseous carbon feedstocks rather than producing solids from liquids.

Practical notes for using the Coal Centrifuge:

• Ensure consistent Tar supply with pipes or conveyors feeding from refineries or storage to avoid stalls; the listed input rate determines how many Centrifuges a single Tar source can sustain.
• Account for the 42 power/sec demand in your power grid when placing Centrifuges; multiple units scale linearly in power usage and Coal output.
• The Centrifuge provides a means to balance excess Tar into usable Coal when your base needs solid fuel for certain buildings or recipes.
• Multiple Centrifuges can be deployed in parallel to increase Coal production; scale both Tar input and power generation accordingly to maintain continuous operation.