Rajan Wilcox
In Kerbal Space Program, fuel tanks are used to store fuel and provide it to the appropriate reaction engines or consumers. There are currently five different types of fuel in the game: Methylox, Methane, Monopropellant, Xenon, and Hydrogen. To unlock liquid fuel tanks in the Vehicle Assembly Building, players must first acquire science points by conducting experiments on the ground and in space around Kerbin. These science points can then be used to purchase technologies in the Research & Development building of the player's Space Centre. Additionally, players can mount additional fuel tanks radially and transfer their contents to a central tank, creating an asparagus staging system.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Purpose | To store fuel in a spacecraft |
| Types of fuel | Methylox, Methane, Monopropellant, Xenon, and Hydrogen |
| Fuel tank types | Liquid fuel and oxidizer, Liquid fuel alone, Monopropellant, Ore |
| Fuel tank volume | Rockomax X200-16 Fuel Tank: 9032.1 litres (9.0321 m³) FL-T200 Fuel Tank: 1362.8 litres (1.3628 m³) |
| Fuel tank height | Rockomax X200-16 Fuel Tank: 1.84 meters |
| Fuel tank radius | Rockomax X200-16 Fuel Tank: 1.25 meters |
| Fuel flow | Can be controlled using "Flow Priority" option in Advanced Tweakables settings |
| Fuel tank weight | 9 times heavier when full than when empty |
| Unlocking fuel tanks | Acquire science points by doing experiments; use these points to buy technologies in the Research & Development building of your Space Centre |
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What You'll Learn
Unlocking liquid fuel tanks
To unlock liquid fuel tanks in Kerbal Space Program, you must first acquire science points. You can do this by conducting experiments on the ground and in space around Kerbin. With these science points, you can purchase technologies in the Research & Development building of your Space Centre. The technology tree in the R&D centre will show you which parts you will unlock with each new technology.
Once you have unlocked liquid fuel tanks, you can mount them with or without decouplers and transfer their contents to a central tank using fuel lines. This can be used to create an asparagus staging system where outer tanks are drained first and dropped once empty, keeping the central tank full.
It is important to note that fuel tanks in Kerbal Space Program are used to store fuel and provide it to the appropriate engines or consumers. There are tanks for four different fuel mixtures: liquid fuel and oxidizer, liquid fuel alone, monopropellant, and ore. The distribution of fuel through the rocket depends on the type of fuel. For example, xenon gas and monopropellant are available throughout the craft without additional plumbing, while engines using liquid fuel and oxidizer need to be attached to the tank.
Additionally, you can set the priority of fuel tanks so that one set drains before the other. This can be done by activating advanced tweakables in the options and setting different tank priorities.
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Using solid rocket boosters
Solid Rocket Boosters (SRBs) are a type of fuel booster in Kerbal Space Program that offers a high thrust-to-weight ratio but low fuel efficiency. They are typically used in the first stage of a rocket when maximum thrust is needed to get a heavy rocket off the ground. SRBs are cheap and have a good thrust-to-weight ratio, making them ideal for launching rockets without breaking the bank.
One advantage of SRBs is their low part count, which can be beneficial when building rockets with more than 30 parts. Additionally, SRBs can be stacked to create longer boosters, but this should be done with caution by adding a breakaway section between them.
When using SRBs, it is important to note that they cannot be throttled or turned off once ignited. They will burn until they run out of fuel or are destroyed. To reduce weight, empty SRBs can be jettisoned once they have expended their fuel.
- Capsule basic SAS
- Four fuel tanks
- Large liquid booster
- Six axial decouplers
- Six solid boosters topped with SAS units
This design has been tested and proven to work for orbiting Kerbin and the Mun. It may take some practice to master, but it is a stable and efficient design.
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Setting tank priorities
To set tank priorities in Kerbal Space Program, you must first enable "Advanced Tweakables" in the options. This allows you to set different tank priorities and adjust the fuel flow priority for each tank. Once enabled, you can right-click on a fuel tank to turn on the Fuel Flow Overlay, which allows you to visualize fuel flow.
To set the priority, you can assign a "Flow Priority" value to each tank. Tanks with a higher flow priority will be emptied first, followed by those with lower priorities. For example, if you have three rocket fuel tanks with flow priorities of 30, 0, and -10 attached to a single engine, the engine will first use the fuel from the tank with the highest priority (30 in this case).
It is important to note that flow priority only works between tanks that are directly attached or crossfed through an enabled separator or decoupler. Additionally, the flow priority can change when you rearrange the staging sequence of your ship, so it is recommended to have priority values spread apart rather than in sequence.
By setting tank priorities, you can control the order in which your fuel tanks are drained, allowing you to optimize your spacecraft's performance and achieve your desired flight path.
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Mounting additional fuel tanks
Firstly, you need to unlock the ability to use fuel tanks. At the start of the career mode, you may only have access to solid rocket boosters (SRBs) that combine thrusters and fuel tanks. To unlock liquid fuel tanks in the Vehicle Assembly Building, you must acquire science points by conducting experiments on the ground and in space around Kerbin. Use these science points to purchase technologies in the Research & Development building of your Space Centre.
Once you have access to fuel tanks, you can mount them to your spacecraft. Fuel tanks are dedicated parts used to store and provide fuel to engines or consumers. There are tanks for different fuel mixtures, such as liquid fuel and oxidizer, liquid fuel alone, monopropellant, and ore. Mount the fuel tanks according to the fuel type your engines require.
You can mount additional fuel tanks radially, either with or without decouplers. This allows you to transfer their contents to a central tank using fuel lines, creating an asparagus staging system. In this system, the outer tanks are drained first and dropped when empty, while the central tank remains full. Ensure that you have fuel lines running from the tanks to the engines, and that the direction and priority are set correctly through Advanced Tweakables.
Additionally, if Advanced Tweakables are enabled, fuel tanks will have a "Flow Priority" option. This allows you to set the priority so that specific tanks are emptied first, followed by tanks with lower priority. This can be useful for managing fuel usage during different stages of your flight.
By following these steps, you can effectively mount and utilize additional fuel tanks in Kerbal Space Program, increasing the fuel capacity and range of your spacecraft.
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Fuel tank capacity
Fuel tanks are used to store fuel in a spacecraft in Kerbal Space Program. There are five different kinds of fuel in the game: Methyl, Methane, Monopropellant, Xenon, and Hydrogen. These fuels are used by engines to propel your spacecraft through the air or through space. All fuel tanks have a 9:1 wet/dry mass ratio, meaning they are 9 times heavier when they are full than when they are empty. This sets an upper limit to the amount of delta-v a single stage can provide.
The volume of a cylindrical fuel tank can be calculated using a formula that takes into account the height and radius of the tank. For example, the Rockomax X200-16 Fuel Tank has a height of 1.84 meters and a radius of 1.25 meters, resulting in a total volume of 9032.1 litres. The in-game fuel capacity of this tank is 177.15 units/m³.
It is important to note that not all of the volume of the fuel tank is used for fuel storage due to the design of the tank, which includes rounded ends, thick walls, and empty space. Additionally, the fuel density should be considered when calculating fuel capacity, assuming a volumetric usage efficiency.
In the stock game, there are tanks for four different fuel mixtures: Liquid fuel and oxidizer, Liquid fuel alone, Monopropellant, and Ore. The distribution of fuel through the rocket depends on the type of fuel. Some fuels, such as xenon gas and monopropellant, are available throughout the craft without additional plumbing, while engines using liquid fuel and oxidizer must be attached directly to the tank.
Players can mount additional fuel tanks radially and transfer their contents to a central tank using fuel lines. This technique, known as asparagus staging, allows for more efficient fuel usage by draining and dropping outer tanks while keeping the central tank full. Advanced Tweakables settings provide the option to set "Flow Priority" for fuel tanks, allowing players to control the order in which tanks are emptied.
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Frequently asked questions
To get fuel tanks, you need to unlock them with basic rocketry tech. They will appear under the fuel tab in the VAB and hangar. To unlock liquid fuel tanks in the Vehicle Assembly Building, you need to acquire science points by conducting experiments on the ground and in space around Kerbin.
Fuel tanks are used to store fuel in a spacecraft. They provide fuel to the appropriate reaction engines or consumers.
There are tanks for four different fuel mixtures: liquid fuel and oxidizer; liquid fuel alone; monopropellant; and ore. There are also five different types of fuel: Methylox, Methane, Monopropellant, Xenon, and Hydrogen.
You can set priority on the tanks so that one set drains before the other. You can also activate advanced tweakables in options and set different tank priorities.
Yes, you can mount additional fuel tanks radially and transfer their contents to a central tank using fuel lines.
