Vulcan ("Vulcan: Foundry", called "Vulkan" in the German game) is rated "Extreme" like Venus. The world orbits the star Janus on a strongly elliptical path, has lava in the terrain and air that burns as soon as it meets oxygen. The values come from the planet data sheet.
At a glance
| Value | Vulcan |
|---|---|
| Gravity | 5.5 m/s² (56.1 % of Earth) |
| Day length | 1,200 s, day share 28.7 to 71.7 % |
| Year | 124 solar days |
| Air pressure | 23.7 to 81.6 kPa |
| Air | 47.4 % volatiles (methane), 26.3 % pollutant, 21.1 % carbon dioxide, 5.3 % hydrogen, no oxygen |
| Temperature | night 400 K (127 °C), noon 922 to 1,377 K (649 to 1,104 °C) |
| Sun | 987 to 3,404 W/m² |
| Weather | ash storm, solar storm |
| Start locations | 12 |
| Lava | yes, at height −8 according to the world file |
A world that never cools down
Even the night, at 127 °C, is above the boiling point of water, which according to the game data is 384 K (111 °C) at 100 kPa. At noon the temperature rises to 922 to 1,377 K depending on the orbital position. You never need to heat here; you almost always need to cool.
The pressure varies with it: each cell holds 57 mol of gas. At 400 K that is 23.7 kPa, at 1,377 K 81.6 kPa – the pressure rises in the same ratio as the temperature in kelvin. Inside 101 kPa against at most 82 kPa outside: the iron wall with 200 kPa is enough.
The same applies to cooling as on Venus: a radiator only gives off heat if its loop is hotter than the surroundings. The waste loop of an air conditioner must run above 127 °C at night and much hotter still at noon for a Medium Convection Radiator to get rid of anything. Building deeper brings you closer to the lava.
Flammable air
The outside air is almost half methane and contains hydrogen – both fuels. Nothing burns outside because there is no oxygen. But if it mixes with your breathing air, a fire has both.
A worked example: one cell of outside air contains 27 mol of methane and 3 mol of hydrogen. According to the combustion table methane burns with oxygen at a ratio of 2 : 1, hydrogen likewise 2 : 1. Together they could burn 27 ÷ 2 + 3 ÷ 2 = 15 mol of oxygen – from a single cell leaking in. That produces carbon dioxide, pollutant and steam.
Hence the rule: never run pipes with outside air next to oxygen lines, and send filter residue of methane and hydrogen back outside through a line of its own. A Gas Sensor with RatioMethane in every room gives early warning.
What the air still offers
The carbon dioxide in the outside air is not flammable and not harmful to plants – a usable gas for cooling loops and the greenhouse. With an Active Vent and a Filtration you separate it from the rest.
Sun and orbit
The strongly elliptical orbit (eccentricity 0.3) brings large swings: irradiance ranges from about 990 to 3,400 W/m², the day share from 29 to 72 %. In some parts of the year the day is short, in others almost three quarters long. For a Solar Panel that means plenty of power, but strongly varying – calculate with the Solar calculator. According to the data sheet wind turbines deliver up to 250 W (upright) and 625 W (large).
Weather: ash and sun
| Event | Sun | Day | Night | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ash storm | 5 % | −275 K | +150 K | 2 – 10 min |
| Solar storm | 400 % | +500 K | +100 K | 10 – 15 min |
An ash storm lets only 5 % of the sunlight through. Solar power still does not fail completely, because the damping drops away at low light: depending on the season a 2 × 2 m panel delivers about 200 to 660 W instead of 640 to 1,350 W. Normal panels take storm damage meanwhile, 6 % per minute on average; the heavy variants do not. A solar storm pushes the already extreme noon heat up by as much as 500 K. The first event comes after at least 7 game days, then in pauses of 3 to 11 days.
Resources: rich, but without ice
According to the ore profile the surface has an ore density of 2.5 – four times the usual 0.6 on the other worlds. There is iron, copper, gold, coal, silicon, cobalt, silver, nickel and lead, and uranium at depth. Ice is missing entirely, as on Venus. So water and oxygen come from traders or from the greenhouse, see Trading: satellite dish, trader classes, landing pad and Farming: light, water, temperature and air for plants.
First steps
- An airtight shelter, breathing air strictly separated from outside air.
- Cooling with a hot waste loop.
- Solar power with a large battery for ash storms.
- Rich surface ores for a quick furnace start.
Next steps
- All values: Planet data sheet
- Understanding fire and gases: Atmosphere and pressure
- Heating and cooling: Heating and cooling: wall heater, wall cooler, air conditioner, radiators
- The other hot world: Venus: heat and acid