Electrolyzers are a great way to produce oxygen for dupes in Oxygen Not Included. It is no surprise that oxygen generation is one of the most difficult elements in Oxygen Not Included, and many players struggle walking the line between not enough and too much. While having too little oxygen will cause dupes to suffocate, too much can drain power, water, or algae. In this complex colony sim, “waste not, want not” is the name of the game.
Oxygen Not Included is a game deeply rooted in real-world science. A player must balance elements like gas, heat, water, waste, and food, all while learning their fair share of physics and math. While experimentation is half the fun, this process can be daunting for some players, and a basic understanding of how an electrolyzer can function within a base, can provide the reprieve needed to focus on other elements of the game.
Electrolyzers in Oxygen Not Included produce oxygen at 888 g/s and Hydrogen at 112 g/s. This means that one electrolyzer will produce enough oxygen for eight dupes, and enough gas for exactly two gas pumps, which pump 500 g/s. In other words, a player should have one electrolyzer per eight dupes, and two gas pumps per electrolyzer, plus two gas filters to ensure the right gas is going to the right place.
Using Science to Produce Power and Oxygen in Oxygen Not Included
In Oxygen Not Included - as in reality - Oxygen is heavier than hydrogen, which means that the hydrogen produced will rise above the oxygen. For this reason, it makes sense to place the electrolyzer at the top of the main base, as any oxygen not immediately collected by the gas pumps will simply be pushed into the base itself. One gas pump should be placed above the electrolyzer and one below.
The upper gas pump will easily collect the hydrogen, and should be connected to a gas filter set to “hydrogen.” The runoff should simply be pumped back into the room. The pipe filled with hydrogen should be run out and into a separate room to be cooled; then it should be run back into the room in radiant pipes to cool the machinery. It also helps to plant a few wheezeworts in the room, if the player has access to them. Last, it should be run to a hydrogen generator. This generator can be used to produce power, so the hydrogen is not wasted. In Oxygen Not Included, every byproduct has a purpose.
The lower gas pump will collect some of the oxygen produced, and should be connected to a gas filter set to “oxygen.” Again, the runoff should be pumped back into the room. This gas pipe filled with oxygen should be run to a vent at the bottom of the main base. This ensures that oxygen is being pumped in from the bottom and pushed into the atmosphere from the top. The dupes in Oxygen Not Included perform at their best when they are given plenty of clean oxygen, and this system is a simple solution.
Oxygen Not Included is available now on PC and Macintosh OS.