Sylvie Willis
In Kerbal Space Program, players can set engines to use fuel from specific tanks. This can be done by adjusting the Flow Priority option in the Advanced Tweakables menu. Higher flow priority tanks will be emptied first, followed by those with lower flow priority. Additionally, fuel lines can be used to transfer fuel from radially mounted tanks to a central tank, creating an asparagus staging system. It is important to note that fuel compatibility and delivery paths must be considered when setting engine fuel sources. Solid fuel boosters, for example, cannot use liquid fuel tanks. Understanding these factors will enable players to effectively manage their fuel distribution and ensure their engines receive fuel from the desired tanks.
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What You'll Learn
Enable 'Advanced Tweakables' in settings
When building a spaceplane in Kerbal Space Program, you may encounter issues with your engines drawing fuel from all the tanks present in your craft. This is a common problem, especially with RAPIER engines.
To address this, you can enable Advanced Tweakables in the settings. This option is also available as a mod, which adds a button to the KSP Application launcher, allowing you to toggle Advanced Tweakables without going to the settings menu. With Advanced Tweakables enabled, you gain access to the "'Flow Priority' option for fuel tanks. This option allows you to set the priority of fuel tanks when you have multiple tanks attached to an engine. For example, if you have three rocket fuel tanks with flow priorities of 30, 0, and -10 attached to a single LV-909 "Terrier" Liquid Fuel Engine, the engine will first use fuel from the tank with priority 30. Once that tank is empty, it will switch to the tank with priority 0, and then finally to the tank with priority -10.
By adjusting the flow priority, you can control how your rocket's mass distribution changes as it consumes fuel. This can also enable methods such as asparagus staging without the need for fuel lines. However, modifying the default fuel flow behaviour can introduce stability issues during flight, so exercise caution when adjusting these settings.
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Adjust 'Flow Priority' in 'Advanced Tweakables'
To adjust flow priority in Advanced Tweakables, you must first enable Advanced Tweakables. This can be done in the main settings page, or by using a mod like Advanced Tweakables Button, which adds a button to the KSP Application launcher.
Once Advanced Tweakables is enabled, you can set the fuel drain priority. This allows you to set a priority for each tank, which will be used when you set multi-transfer fuel. This is done by right-clicking on a part in the VAB/SPH.
The Advanced Tweakables option also allows you to see the flow graph in VAB/SPH. This graph shows the fuel flow from tanks according to the set priority. In the 1.2 update, fuel flows from tanks in four flow modes, and you can set per-tank priority for all but AllVessel and NoFlow.
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Use Fuel Flow Overlay to see which tanks the engine uses
To set an engine to a specific fuel tank in Kerbal Space Program, you can use the Fuel Flow Overlay. This feature allows you to see which tanks an engine is using and adjust the fuel flow accordingly.
First, make sure you have enabled Advanced Tweakables in the options menu. This will give you access to additional settings for your fuel tanks and engines.
Now, right-click on a fuel tank and select the "Fuel Flow Overlay" option. This will display the fuel flow information for that particular tank, including which engines are drawing fuel from it.
By using the Fuel Flow Overlay, you can identify which tanks are being used by your engines. With this information, you can adjust the flow priority of the tanks to control the order in which they are drained. For example, if you want to ensure that the side tanks are drained first, you can set them to a higher priority.
Additionally, you may need to enable crossfeed on the decouplers to allow fuel to flow from the radial tanks to the core. This will ensure that your engines have access to the fuel in the desired tanks.
Keep in mind that the Fuel Flow Overlay may not always be accurate, and it might not reflect the effects of your priority settings. Therefore, it is recommended to perform test flights to confirm that your fuel flow configuration is functioning as intended.
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Enable 'crossfeed' on decouplers
Enabling crossfeed on decouplers allows fuel to pass through decouplers. By default, crossfeed is turned off to prevent your launch stage from draining the payload stage's fuel.
To enable crossfeed on decouplers, you can manually transfer the fuel from any tank to any tank on the rocket, regardless of whether it is connected by a crossfeed or not. To do this, right-click one tank and alt-right-click the other. Alternatively, you can use fuel lines, which work across decouplers. However, be cautious when using fuel lines, as they can cause unpredictable unbalances if the fuel flow is not a linear path from tank to tank.
It is important to note that not all decouplers support crossfeed. Radial decouplers, for example, do not allow fuel flow for rockets. Rockets will only pull fuel in a straight line unless you use fuel pipes to connect the tanks. Inline decouplers will prevent a main stage rocket from pulling fuel from a second stage. Jet (air-breathing) engines, on the other hand, pull fuel from every tank equally, which can cause issues on SSTOs.
To enable crossfeed on specific decouplers, you can edit the .cfg file. Make a copy of the decoupler you want to enable crossfeed on and rename it accordingly. Open the .cfg file and locate the fuelCrossFeed option. Change the value from False to True, save the file, and you will have a fuel crossfeed-enabled stack decoupler.
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Use fuel lines to direct fuel flow
To direct fuel flow to a specific engine in Kerbal Space Program, you can use fuel lines. This is particularly useful for asparagus staging, where outer tanks are drained first and dropped once empty, while still keeping the central tank full.
Firstly, ensure that Advanced Tweakables are enabled in your settings. This will allow you to set different tank priorities and control the flow direction of your fuel. You can then right-click on a fuel tank and turn on the Fuel Flow Overlay to visualise the flow of fuel.
Next, you will need to create a fuel supply link manually by connecting fuel lines from the tanks to the boosters. Ensure that the direction of the fuel flow is correct by observing the arrows depicted on the fuel duct. The fuel will flow from the first-placed end of the line to the second end.
Additionally, if you are using decouplers, you will need to enable crossfeed to allow fuel to flow across from radial to core. This can be done by allowing crossfeed on the decouplers.
By using fuel lines and adjusting flow priorities, you can effectively direct fuel flow to specific engines and manage your fuel distribution in Kerbal Space Program.
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Frequently asked questions
To set your engine to a specific fuel tank in Kerbal Space Program, you need to enable 'Advanced Tweakables' in the game settings. Once enabled, you can set different tank priorities by right-clicking on a fuel tank. The tanks with higher flow priority will be emptied first, followed by tanks with lower flow priority.
Right-click on the decoupler and select the option to "enable crossfeed". This can be done in space or in the VAB.
Right-click on the engine and select "fuel delivery overlay". This will show you which tanks the engine is pulling fuel from.
