simmars-forum-threads Utilities Buildings

[Arphaxad Locus 0]

I think the main energy source should be geothermal (energy from volcanoes and lava). Given that Mars has some pretty impressive volcanoes (olympus mons), this would make a lot of sense. Also, hydrogen, microwave and solar would be the only power plants within the game that would make sense.

[MrVegetable 2]

Solar would be the best option for power. Microwave could be possible, with a satillite Concentrating the power of the sun and beaming it down as microwaves.

Sanitation is a hard on as rubbish from lanfills would just float away with the new gravity. Landfills with a protecting dome i suggest.

[guinea 29]

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On 3/4/2004 2:32:16 PM Arphaxad Locus wrote:

I think the main energy source should be geothermal (energy from volcanoes and lava).  Given that Mars has some pretty impressive volcanoes (olympus mons), this would make a lot of sense.  Also, hydrogen, microwave and solar would be the only power plants within the game that would make sense.

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k if we are going to have geothermalenergy from volcainos that means that the water would have to be lava and that would not allow pasanger ferries across it as well think you cant exacly ride on lava so if we have water hydrp electrics aregoing to come in solar power sounds best

[GouRou 2]

mars has gravity, it's not in orbit, it's simply 1/3 what your used to, stuff wont just float away.

 

I have proposed a system for dealing with trash that is high tech, it's called Thermal Depolymerization. landfills on mars make no sense, as you'd have to take your trash through an airlock, it's much more logical to have a plant that processes it with little wasted but heat. Also, if I remember right, mars is not geothermally active, there is no actual proof that mons is a true volcano, this objection was raised because there are no true volcanos anywhere else. I was going to make a great jump of assumption that there is water underneath the surface of mars in acquifers, some might be liquid, most will probably be ice, through the ingenious process of deep drilling, we can extract the ice and melt it, any other solutions to getting it out will help, seein as that's my only one. mars isnt earth, we cant just dump our waste, it will have to be processed, so the buildings will have to conform to that concept, we cant afford to waste.

[Vatt3 8]

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On 3/4/2004 4:00:05 PM GouRou wrote:

Also, if I remember right, mars is not geothermally active, there is no actual proof that mons is a true volcano, this objection was raised because there are no true volcanos anywhere else.DIV>----------------

You are right. Mars is not geothermally active, which means no active vocanoes or lava. The volcanoes on the surface are ancient and not active. Power should be primarily solar.

My other ideas include...

-Power could either be power, or if all the buildings produce their own power, it could be special air transfer tubes from a specail air production facilities. If that is the case then maybe there could be large solar panel farms where power is produce, just not any powerlines

-Water will remain as water from a special water recovery building where water is extracted from beneath the surface.

[otakunow 0]

Well i dont now about sims but humans need good breathalble oxygen correct? ok... well i think we need to build Buildins like the biodomes correct. yeshttps://community.simtropolis.com/assets/emoticons/2.gif>

[defence22 0]

Why not use hydrogen as both the power and water source. Since hydrogen can be used as a gas, and has no byproducts execpt water why not? This also could be a later option for a more powerful plan is needed.

[Vatt3 8]

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On 3/4/2004 4:55:26 PM defence22 wrote:

Why not use hydrogen as both the power and water source. Since hydrogen can be used as a gas, and has no byproducts execpt water why not? This also could be a later option for a more powerful plan is needed.----------------

I think I see what you're saying... I guess hydrogen could replace power so you would have to supply your buildings with hydrogen and water. It makes sense. This is still debatable though.

[rahommer 0]

The main thing is conserve, conserve conserve!  Everything - power, water, oxygen.  Garbage should be converted to energy - very little left over for landfill - remainder could be used as building material.  Most water will be recycled - even what you pee!  Therefore, only a small amount of replenished water will be necessary to replace losses due to leakage, etc.  Atmospheric pollution in the buildings will be a real issue - depletion of oxygen and introduction of pollutants - filters will be worth their weight in gold.  Perhaps indoor plants could have an oxygen replenishment function.

[rahommer 0]

Not to ramble, but...

 

In one of Steve Baxter's Manifold: novels, he wrote about obtaining water from mining rocks deep within the moon.  I can't remember the details.  Perhaps there could be a water-mining plant.

[Jim 6]

Since we are going SCI FI I think chasemile0's crystal power is a good one.

[gozman99 0]

Seeing as this is meant to take place 50-100 years from now, Crystal power is a vyer meh idea. I think biomass would be the best solution, these power plants exist on earth already. What would happen is special types of algae would generate heat, and electricity - as well as oxygen for the atmosphere.

[golfbunny 7]

Cold Fusion/Fusion would probably be the new upcoming power source. US predicted that in 1998 it would take five decades to complete. So it fits with the time line

[Simguyuk 0]

This is my last post today before I go to bed. Look at the attached doc for my simple diagram of a water/power station, it would be wonderful if anyone could improve on this. Comments?
(whoops, copied this thread from another of mine)

[mikeyb66 30]

There is ice on Mars near the poles so you could have some sort of ice --> water convertor to get your water from. It wouldn't really matter where you placed it but it would be realistic.

[golfbunny 7]

Ok, then we have to make water rare? Since technically its only found round poles.

As for the hydrogen aspect. Studies have shown that hydrogen power is bad and not the most unique form of power. So here's my idea.

You start off with a small mars colony, a few solar panely thingies keep you powered

You later have the choice of power plants. BUT this depends on how smart your people are e.g if your people are smart you can build the Cold Fusion reactor and have little pollution. Get what im saying?

EDIT: This stuff im reading, http://www.china.org.cn/english/environment/67196.htm says hydrogen power could really stuff up earth and from what i gather...could also have an adverse effect on mars.

[DuskTrooper 314]

How about my iron reactor plant?  after all, there is ALOT of Iron on that planet, and since Iron is not really an excellent material for building, and since rusted iron is Iron Oxide FeO, we could form some kind of reactor to get water, and if we mix an acid intom the mix, we could get Hydrogen, because a metal + an acid = H and other things.

[MrCinatit 30]

got some good ideas here, and while there are things listed that we need there (water, trash, power), we also kind of need to think outside the box and think about things we would need to produce to live on Mars.

 

and they would need oxygen. without oxygen, it is kind of unlikely the little sims would enjoy their stay on Mars. perhaps we should also think about creating an oxygen plant, or oxygen conversion plant? yes, perhaps the buildings could produce their own, but a nice - or entreprenual (i butched that word, i know) - mayor would be nice enough to provide (i.e. sell) oxygen.

just a thought.

[golfbunny 7]

Buildings in bubbles with oxygen generators?

[Daeley 46]

actually, the poles on Mars are CO2 ice if I'm not mistaken...

 

considering recycling should be crucial, I'd say the basic form of waste treatment should be recycling, I propose a farm-like building were the waste is treated by cultivated bacteria (that's how water treatment is done these days too, btw).

 

In other words, this building would be a recycling center + water pump with Agricultural jobs.

[MrVegetable 2]

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On 3/4/2004 11:21:20 PM gozman99 wrote:

Seeing as this is meant to take place 50-100 years from now, Crystal power is a vyer meh idea. I think biomass would be the best solution, these power plants exist on earth already. What would happen is special types of algae would generate heat, and electricity - as well as oxygen for the atmosphere.

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Biomass needs plants. Biomass is the burning of plants and leaves etc. More than certain that there are no plants on Mars.

Oxygen, how about an 'Air-Conversion' building. It takes air from Mars' atmosphere and converts it through various chemical reactions into oxygen.

Garbage could be made into useful resources.

[Daeley 46]

http://zebu.uoregon.edu/~soper/Mars/atmosphere.html

 

here's some information about atmospheric gasses on Mars

as you can see, the only thing that could be possibly used in atmospheric convertors is CO₂ but that's a very inert gas and converting it to, for example C and O₂ is a process that requires a lot of energy.

[GouRou 2]

there is water on mars, given a lot of electric, you get hydrogen and oxygen.

we cant live in a pure oxy enviroment, in fact, if we get too much, we die, what else is it we need, nitrogen? where could we get the gasses we need?

[MOVIESOLDIER 2]

speaking of trash, what are you going to do with the human waste? simcity 4 still doesnt take this into account. humans create gas from thier waste. its just a thought.
you know methane can be pretty exsplosive.

[site400 12]

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On 3/5/2004 7:47:43 AM DuskTrooper wrote:

How about my iron reactor plant?  after all, there is ALOT of Iron on that planet, and since Iron is not really an excellent material for building, and since rusted iron is Iron Oxide FeO, we could form some kind of reactor to get water, and if we mix an acid intom the mix, we could get Hydrogen, because a metal + an acid = H and other things.

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Sorry, we won't be able to use an iron reactor plant.  Iron is the only element in the universe whose atoms will not split during fusion.  A star runs on nuclear fusion, and when the star deplets all of its energy, guess what is left to drift in space?  A chunk of iron.

Now, using the iron to create Hydrogen is a potential power source???

[site400 12]

Here's a thought on water, which will be in high demand on Mars.

 

What if the level (1- of each building type built was dependent on an outside source such as the availability of water and oxygen?

 

For example, low-density, low level houses would most likely be inhabited by Mars homesteaders.  These guys would have the capability to produce their own oxygen and water inside their house.  In order for the zone to progress into higher stage buildings, an outside source of water and oxygen would have to be connected.

 

So, you would have your typical water pump and a new oxygen pump, which you would have to connect to zones for them to advance (similar to how it is now with just water).  To create a certain level of realism, these pumps would be tremedous in price as to prevent someone from plopping down 30 of them and turning the entire city into high-wealth.

 

Of course, for the building creators, there would be 3 or 4 different buildings of each utility which progressively increase out-put...

[EmergentFungus 29]

Using geothermal power stations is a likely choice and I found some great examples whilst searching the Internet. the best site can be found here. Its got several examples and has aerial photos and their power output.

[GouRou 2]

will geothermal work on mars? how far down will you have to tap to get enough heat?

[MrCinatit 30]

quite far:

 

The density of Mars is about 30 percent less than that of Earth (3.94 g/cm³ vs. 5.52 g/cm³). Based on spacecraft measurements of the Martian gravitational field, scientists believe that the planet

[GouRou 2]

for water:

 

Deep Core drilling for ice extraction. - drills, either metal bits, or laser rigs, perhaps sonic, although I think that works best in pure ice.

Strip Mining - open pit mining that heats the slurry  and boils the water off, metals are smelted out and the excess is dumped back into pits.

Spot Mining - more conservative than strip mining. takes the spot on approach to search for higher water density then places either cores, or small operation mines.

 

some very unique ideas for getting water.

Search and Extraction teams - these teams roam the surface using explosives and tectonic readers to search for deep cavity acquifers, then either tap these with Deep Core drillers, or blow open a hole to the surface for teraforming purposes if the acquifers cant be tapped. - could be used to boost overall water production everywhere, same way recycling plants lower garbage.

Covered, large area Mining - use huge sealed tents over ravines or areas to heat an entire up past the melting point of water, then use trenches and so on to channel the melting surface water to collectors

 

how you make buildings out of them is up to you. for the next to last one, simple offices would suffice, with perhaps a warehouse with trucks that constantly run to gather the water. all up to the imagination.