Build:Mining Equipment
Mining Laser
A typical mining laser is a combination of a laser, tractor beam, and mineral processing system capable of lasering portions of material from a source location (such as an asteroid or planetary mine), tractoring it into an initial processing unit, in its unrefined form, for later extraction processing. A Class A mining laser rig is capable of pulling 0.1 metric tons of ore to the surface/into the ship per round (5 seconds), though only a percentage of that ore will be the intended resource.
Table
| Class | SU | Output | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Class A | 5 | 0.1 mt/round | "22nd century" |
| Class B | 7 | 0.2 mt/round | "late 22nd century" |
| Class C | 9 | 0.4 mt/round | "early 23rd century" |
| Class D | 12 | 0.8 mt/round | "mid to late 23rd century" |
| Class E | 13 | 1.6 mt/round | "early 24th century" |
Note: the years need to be better defined and are based on the rapid adoption of the originating fanon rules.
Ore Extractor
Cost (as SCU): Rating x 5 for extractor, x 2 for a fully automated systems, +2 for (mandatory) computer monitoring, plus storage capacity for all materials (ore and raw).
The purpose of the ore extractor is to separate as much of the resource(s) as possible from the naked rock (or other mixed material) in which it was mined, for easier storage and transporting (to a refinery). In a given location (an asteroid or mine), a set percentage of the ore will contain resource materials. That will not change over time for that particular site. To determine that percentage, roll 1d50 + 10; this reflects the percentage of all resources within the mined material, while the remainder will be waste once the extraction process is complete.
The source material's resources has been pre-determined by a mining assessment (conducted generally during the habitability survey). Of the resource material extracted, all of those varied resources will be encountered in a percentage that is equivalent to what was assayed. Each resource was measured and categorized to one of five (or six) "tiers". The lower the tier number, the more material of that resource will be present.
Apply the associated values for the specific resource's assayed tier; add up each value to get the total "parts" of all resources. From this, determine the percentage of each resource extractable from the material. Note: Tier 1.5 is rarely encountered.
| Tier | Parts value |
| 1 | 20 |
| 1.5 | 16 |
| 2 | 12 |
| 3 | 8 |
| 4 | 4 |
| 5 | 1 |
- Example: The Class L planet on which Stellar Resource Ventures (SRV) has built its mine has been assayed to have the following resources:
- ethanol (Tier 2)
- phosphorus (Tier 2)
- antimony trioxide (Tier 3)
- lithium (Tier 3)
- silicon (Tier 3)
- zinc oxide (Tier 3)
- The parts value for the two Tier 2 resources (ethanol & phosphorus) are 12 each; the Tier 3 resources are valued at 8 each for a grand total of 56 [(12 x 2) + (8 x 4)]. That means each Tier 2 resource makes up 21% of the extracted material, while each Tier 3 has 14% presence.
For each Rating of the extractor, the equipment can extract 0.1 metric tons of raw material per 12 rounds (1 minute). Therefore, a Rating 6 may extract 0.6 metric tons every minute (or 36 metric tons per hour). There is no practical limit to which an extractor can be built to.
Ore Processor/Refinery
Cost (as SCU): Rating x 12 for base processor/refiner superstructure and computer monitoring, x 2 for a fully automated system, plus storage capacity for all materials (raw and processed). The additional cost for increased purity of refining is explained below.
Crew: 4 per total SCU (for one 8-hour shift) for manual processors, 2 for automated units.
Not all stations are designed for glamorous military missions, nor do the majority of the remainder operate as bastions of scientific research. Some are working stations and ore processing is one example of a commercial design. The item being processed and refined can be most anything, from raw mineral ore to rare gases to animal and plant sources being processed into edible products.
A processor/refinery unit can be built to any required size, reflected as a Rating amount. Each unit of Rating allows for the processing (or refining) of 12 kg of raw product each 12 rounds (1 minute), which accounts for 720 kgs per hour or about 17.28 mt per 24-hour period. There is no upper limit to a Rating, allowing for small portable processors, processor units aboard ships or stations, or massive refineries on an asteroid or planet-side.
The refining process removes a percentage of the delivered raw product as impure waste. The more precise the refinery equipment, the more pure the material (and less waste) processed (though never exceeding 90% pure). A basic refinery will produce 10% refined material, with 90% waste; for each additional 10% of purity achieved, the higher the SU cost:
| Purity | Waste | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| 20% | 80% | +2 |
| 30% | 70% | +6 |
| 40% | 60% | +8 |
| 50% | 50% | +10 |
| 60% | 40% | +12 |
| 70% | 30% | +14 |
| 80% | 20% | +16 |
| 90% | 10% | +18 |
Therefore, a refinery that can produce 40% refined material from the raw material will cost an additional 16 SUs (2 + 6 + 8). The remaining 60% amount is waste product.
- Ex: For every 25 metric tons of raw uridium delivered to the refinery for processing, a 40% refinery will produce 10 metric tons of pure uridium and 15 of impure uridium waste.
As a side effect of the processing, some portion—usually no more than 10% (roll 1d10) of the impure waste—can be considered hazardous due to the refining process and will need to be separated and segregated until disposed.
The "waste" material can be sent to other dedicated processors for the remaining resources present. Otherwise, the "waste" is kept until disposed. As can be discerned, the first refining process will be the more proficient one, compared to follow-on processes for the other resources. That is why a refinery is generally identified and constructed for the purpose of its primary resource.
- Ex: Of the 15 metric tons of impure processed waste remaining, 8% is determined to be hazardous and 17% can be processed into pure feldomite. If the processing unit had a secondary feldomite refinery capacity, then—all told—the total refinery unit would have processed 10 mts of uridium (25 mt x 40% = 10), 2.55 mts of feldomite (15 mt x 17% = 2.55), 1.2 mts of hazardous materials (15 mt x 8% = 1.2), and 11.25 tons of waste material (25 mt - 10 mt - 2.55 mt - 1.2 mt = 11.25).
The resulting materials—primary & secondary products, hazardous, and waste materials—have to be stored until shipped away. Take into account raw material storage and segregated storage for each processed materials (resources & wastes).
Due to the hazardous and unhealthy conditions associated with manual operation of ore processing, most Federation industrial concerns invest in automated processors which do not require manual labor, instead requiring only two workers per SU, usually operating the advanced computer monitoring systems from a place of safety and providing maintenance when required.
The cost of a complete unit is equal to its Rating, plus an additional 12 SU for superstructure and computer monitoring.