'Drill-O-Matic Junior' Mining Excavator

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'Drill-O-Matic Junior' Mining Excavator
Part image
by
Kerbodyne

Radial size Radial mounted
Cost (total) 1 000.00 Funds
Mass (total) 0.25 t
Drag 0.2
Max. Temp. 2000 K
Volume  ?
Impact Tolerance 7 m/s
Research Advanced science tech.png Advanced Science Tech
Unlock cost 3 000 Funds
Since version 1.0
Part configuration MiniDrill.cfg
Electricity required 3 ⚡/s

The 'Drill-O-Matic Junior' Mining Excavator is a small resource harvester -- a smaller version of the 'Drill-O-Matic' Mining Excavator. Kerbals can use this part to extract ore from the surface of a celestial body. The drill must be connected to a craft with an ore tank in order for it to be able to extract any ore.

Uses

Deployed and retracted state

The primary use for the Drill-O-Matic is for mining. If a player positions the drill on an area with a nominal amount of ore beneath the surface (which can be determined by completing planetary scans with resource scanners) the player can use the drill to collect ore that can be turned into liquid fuel, oxidizer or monopropellant with a converter. A qualified engineer will increase the output efficiency (however more than one engineer will have no additional effect). Since this type is far smaller than the basic model, it is recommended for use on the more abundant deposits.

Though not designed for this purpose, the drill can be used to lift up the part that it is connected to, though this can lead to the drill flipping over or breaking.

Ore extraction rate

While the drill is active, it extracts ore depending on the ore concentration in the area, the core temperature, the presence and level of an engineer on-board. The ore extraction rate is B·c·T·m where "B" is 0.3 ore/s on a moon or planet surface and 1.0 ore/s on an asteroid, "c" is the ore concentration between 0 and 100%, "T" is the thermal efficiency displayed in the drill menu (100% at 500K, less at higher or lower temperatures) and "m" is the multiplier supplied by the level of the highest level engineer on-board. These are as follows:

Level Multiplier
No Engineer 5%
☆☆☆☆☆ 25%
★☆☆☆☆ 45%
★★☆☆☆ 65%
★★★☆☆ 85%
★★★★☆ 105%
★★★★★ 125%

The drill displays B·c as "Ore rate" and T·m as "X% load". The effective ore generation rate can be calculated by multiplying those two values.

Practical details

This part needs 50kW of cooling, or it will overheat and go into auto-shutdown mode. You can also expect that it will need the equivalent output of two or three OX-4L 1x6 Photovoltaic Panels. For a very rough estimate, assume that one of these drills will produce .01 units of ore per second.

To have the drill run "in the background" (so you don't need to watch it produce ore), you need to leave it alone for more than 6 hours. If you switch focus back to the craft with the drill before 6 hours have passed, the drill will retroactively stop.

Product description

A smaller version of the popular Drill-O-Matic, this drill is designed to help extract valuable resources from the crust of planets and asteroids. Unlike it's larger cousin, this smaller model is only suitable for ore concentrations in excess of 2.5%. When operated by a skilled engineer, you will be able to operate with better efficiency. These modules operate best at their ideal operating temperatures, and features auto-shutdown in the event of excessive overheating. Radiators can be used to help manage excessive heat.

Kerbodyne

Changes

1.0.5
  • Initial release