Chemistry Automation

=Intro= When automating recipes with fluids, you might run into some issues. You can't quite use a fluid in an AE pattern, fluid movement can feel more difficult than items, and trying to run more than a few recipes in the same LCR can seem impossible. This page is dedicated to solving all of those issues, and possibly even more. While only three options are shown here, it's entirely up to you how you set any of this up. Once you understand the basics of automating Multiblocks, fluid logistic options, and cycling recipes, you will be able to freely explore the world of multiblock logistics.

First off, there will be a more simplistic method for automation. Simpler to setup and understand, yet lacking in many areas. Afterwards is a more complex method, that will give better results when it's bonuses start becoming more apparent.

=Automation Challenge= Applied Energistics has fluid support through the Extra Cells addon. This includes import, export and storage busses and interfaces, but there are no processing patterns that can be used for autocrafting fluids. Here we want to build the next best thing: A setup that stockpiles a configurable amount of all the sweet chemicals we need.

Since we want to use Large Chemical Reactors for our setup, we have to deal with the problem, that GT multiblocks void output, if there is no available space in the output hatches. This can be achieved through redstone covers on the controller or, what we will do here, regulation of the input amount.

=Components of the setup= The GT Large Chemical Reactor is our main machine, the rest is only logistics and regulation.

GT Super Tanks are used as fluid storage, since they offer good capacity in a compact block format. They are also cheaper and less prone to random failures when updating the modpack. They can take GT covers. (Basically don't use extra cells storage drives)

GT Fluid Detector covers can be slapped onto GT tanks and give out a redstone signal, that is strongest when the tank is empty and weakest when the tank is full. This can be inverted to get a redstone signal proportional to the amount of stored fluid. Note that the latter mode is called inverted and the former is the standard mode.

Dense Redcrystals from Automagy are redstone contraptions, that output a signal only if the input signal is equal or stronger to a configurable threshold. This threshold can be adjusted by rightclicking the center crystal with a Thaumcraft wand. You can also use the wand to configure, with which sides the crystal can interact by toggling the smaller crystals on the sides on and off.

Extra Cells Fluid Export Busses just do what the name suggest, they output fluids from the network to the tank they are connected to. The fluid to export can be set by clicking with a portable fluid container (for example IC2 cells or universal cells) onto the center square in the GUI. They can also take expansion cards.

The Redstone Card from AE can be used to allow our export busses to be controlled by a redstone signal. They go into the slots on the right in the GUI. Then a button on the left appears, that allows us to specify in what way the bus is supposed to react to a redstone signal.

Extra Cells Fluid Storage Busses can be used on GT tanks and allow the network to see and use the fluid in the tank. It is recommended to use the whitelist feature by clicking a fluid container onto one of the squares in the GUI. This prevents the network from inserting any unwanted fluid into the tank in the case that it is empty.

=Setup= Start by building a LCR with only one output hatch. This goes on the front into the top row. We will need 1 LCR for every 3 recipes we want to automate. If you want more speed, you can share walls, but you can only support 2 recipes per LCR. It is recommended to put the cupronickel coils towards the sides to have more space for hatches on the back. If you need a circuit for the recipe, that will go into the controller. All recipes you want to automate with one LCR will use the same configuration circuit.

For every recipe, we need to identify a unique input resource, that is not needed by the other recipes in the same LCR. This will get input through an Input Hatch on the back of the top layer, 2 blocks behind the appropriate Output Hatch. It is recommended to use a fluid as the trigger resource, as the internal sizes of fluid hatches is much smaller than that of item busses. It is also recommended to use LV hatches for the same reason. Larger hatches will lead to a delayed shutoff of the processing, since the ingredients already input will still be processed.

Also set up a Fluid Export Bus on this Input Hatch, insert your shiny Redstone Card and turn the Redstone mode to Active with signal.

For all other ingredients we set up Input Hatches or Busses somewhere on the back side of the LCR, but not in the top row. These can be kept filled constantly using AE (Fluid) Export Busses.

If you have set this up for one recipe, activate the LCR for one recipe and then lock the output hatch to the product by shift rightclicking it with a screwdriver. You will probably input the trigger resource manually for this one run.

Now you can place a Super Tank on top of the Output Hatch. You can also directly connect a Fluid Storage Bus to the top of the tank. Don't forget to whitelist the appropriate fluid in the bus to prevent AE from inserting other fluids. Lucky you already got that one cell of product, eh?

Onto the back of the Super Tank goes a Fluid Detector Cover in normal mode, so no need to screwdrive it or anything. Between the cover and our Export Bus with Redstone Card goes the magic Dense Redcrystal. Deactivate the 2 connections to the sides, so it is only connected to the cover and the AE Export Bus. Then set the the signal threshold on the Redcrystal. A threshold of 15 will mean, that the system will stop production if there is any of the fluid in storage. The lower the number, the more will be kept in stock. Don't set the number too low though, we need some head space in the tank, since the LCR will still process ingredients already in the Input Hatch after the shut off.

Now rejoice, for you are done. At least with the first recipe that is. Have fun expanding this to a full line of LCRs.

=Conclusion=

While this method excels in simplicity, you will notice you start to need many many reactors. Oil alone will put you at more than a handful, adding PBI/circuits/Pt proc increases the count by a lot. Extra cells also has its downsides when using import/export/storage busses, which can also be avoided.

=SFM=

One alternative to the constant fill method, is to use Steve's factory manager. Through it's precise movement system, you're able to move whole increments of recipes. The upsides of this method, are that they let you condense essentially infinite recipes into a single LCR. The circuit integration will have to be the same on them, but that will still save you many LCRs. On top of this, as all recipes run in the same LCR, if you do it right, it'll be able to run 100% of the time. In single machines per couple processes, with some taking different times, unless you void outputs, many machines will be off, waiting on the slowest part of the chain to run.

=Basics of SFM LCRing=

For the most part, sfm based LCRs are very simple. They rely on the same idea of crafting when buffers are low, however they used this as a method of triggering a 'craft' command. This command is a set of conditions, inputs and outputs. The basic structure follows as such

>LCR check >Output(s) check >Input(s) check >Pull inputs >Push inputs >Pull/push outputs (optional)

I'm going to skip explaining the LCR check step until last, simply do to the complexity. However in order, this is what those commands are meant to do.

=Input/Output check=

These are the first two commands after the LCR is deemed fit to craft.