Generating Rotational and Electrical Power with Turbines, Alternators, and Exchangers
Generating rotational and electrical power with turbines, alternators, and exchangers is a multi-stage process in Immersive Geology. Each machine handles one step of the chain: the Geothermal Exchanger produces steam, the Steam Turbine turns that steam into rotation, and the Alternator converts rotation into electricity.
Producing Steam with the Geothermal Exchanger
The Geothermal Exchanger is a thermal transfer machine. It uses heat from the environment to change fluids from one state into another, driving heating or cooling reactions between an input fluid and an output fluid.
It needs LV power to run. Beyond that, it draws heat energy from the natural blocks directly beneath it. The gap between the temperature of the input fluid and the temperature needed for the output fluid decides whether a heating block or a cooling block belongs under the machine. While it operates, the exchanger gradually alters those blocks, heating or cooling them over time.
Steam is the fuel the rest of the chain depends on, and currently the Geothermal Exchanger is the only way to produce it.
Turning Steam into Rotation with the Steam Turbine
The Steam Turbine is a high-output generator that converts pressurized steam into rotation. It runs exclusively on steam.
Its internal steam buffer is deliberately small at 500 mB. That small buffer pushes you toward a steady, pressurized supply rather than dumping in steam in bursts.
The turbine also gives water back. For every volume of steam it consumes, it returns half that volume as water. That reclaimed water collects in a separate 250 mB internal buffer. If that buffer fills up and there is nowhere for the water to go, the turbine shuts down on its own. To get it running again, you have to remove the water. No pump is needed for this.
Converting Rotation into Electricity with the Alternator
The Alternator is a high-output generator that converts Rotational Energy into Electricity. Paired with a Steam Turbine, it can produce over 12288 FE/t. That is more than three times the output of a Diesel Generator.
How much power you can actually pull out depends on your output setup. When you use HV Connectors, the number of power outputs caps the amount that can be taken. Switching to Extra High Voltage Ground Cables lets you raise the output, potentially reaching up to 24576 FE/t.
Other Machines in the Chain
A few other machines process fluids and materials, and their recipes are limited:
- The Refinery has 2 recipes. One produces fluid_sulfuric_acid x6, and the other produces fluid_sulfuric_acid x8.
- The Squeezer has 1 recipe, producing ingot_lignite.
- The Geothermal Exchanger has 1 recipe, converting 25 mb of #minecraft:water into an output.
Putting the Chain Together
Build the chain in order. Feed the Geothermal Exchanger LV power and an input fluid, and make sure the blocks beneath it match the heating or cooling the reaction needs. Route the steam it makes into the Steam Turbine, keeping the supply steady so the small 500 mB buffer stays pressurized. Give the reclaimed water somewhere to go so the 250 mB buffer never backs up and halts the turbine. Couple the turbine to the Alternator, then choose your power outputs and cabling carefully, since HV Connectors limit what you can pull while Extra High Voltage Ground Cables allow much more.
Covers the mod’s in-game guide topics: Alternator Steam Turbine Geothermal Exchanger Geothermal Exchanger Refinery Squeezer