Semi-Stable Antimatter Stabilization Sequencer

The Semi-Stable Antimatter Stabilization Sequencer (SSASS) is a UIV tier multiblock for creating antimatter from protomatter. Antimatter is used almost exclusively by the Shielded Lagrangian Annihilation Matrix (SLAM) to generate power. The SSASS runs on a fixed 1 second cycle which begins with recording the amount of fluid in each antimatter hatch. All hatches with more than the lowest amount lose half the difference. Next, inputs are consumed which includes the protomatter and up to four different types of stabilization fluids. Although technically optional, the stabilization fluids grant significant bonuses and are highly recommended for increasing the energy efficiency of the machine. Finally, the SSASS randomizes the amount of antimatter to generate in each individual hatch based on the total amount of antimatter in all the hatches.

The power consumption of the SSASS also scales with the total amount of antimatter in the hatches, and it is possible for the SSASS to consume more power than what the SLAM can output--making the entire process power negative. There is a delicate balance between how much antimatter should stay in the hatches and the net power gain. Use the planner linked below to determine optimal setups.

Spreadsheet: GTNH Power Planner 2.9

The SSASS has no tiered components but several restrictions on the location of buses/hatches. Input hatch(es) are limited to the three casings on the top and bottom of the structure. Antimatter hatches are limited to the 16 casings around the center of the structure. Energy hatches are limited to the three casings on the left, right, and back of the structure. Regular energy hatches are NOT supported, but there can be multiple multi-amp and laser energy hatches for serious power consumption. Right-click the controller with a screwdriver to disable animations. Use the Multiblock Structure Hologram Projector to visualize/build the structure.

Unique to the SSASS is the antimatter hatch which is effectively a UIV output hatch permanently locked to antimatter. The face is the only output side and the rest are input sides. It is fast enough to output its entire capacity within a single tick. All 16 antimatter hatches are necessary for the structure to form. Keep them perfectly balanced every second to maximize output.

Structure

• Controller: Front center, 27th layer
• 2274 Magnetic Flux Casing
• 624-637 Gravity Stabilization Casing
• 514 Antimatter Containment Casing
• 126 Protomatter Activation Coil
• 1+ Energy Hatch: Back, left, or right side of the structure
• 1+ Input Hatch: Top or bottom side of the structure
• 16 Antimatter Hatch: Around the inner ring

Wallsharing

The shape of the SSASS does not allow large-scale wallsharing, but a second one can be built in the same space as another, rotated by 180° and shifted by at least 4 blocks vertically.

The SSASS runs on a fixed 1 second cycle which begins with recording the amount of fluid in each antimatter hatch. All hatches with more than the lowest amount lose half the difference. Antimatter (AM) is directly proportional to the amount of power generated in the Shielded Lagrangian Annihilation Matrix (SLAM) so the hatches MUST be balanced before the start of each cycle to keep the machine power positive. See the automation section below for more details. Note that completely emptying the hatches is NOT a solution because the SSASS needs at least some antimatter to make more, similar to a Bacterial Vat. The first few drops of antimatter are crafted in a Hyper-Intensity Laser Engraver.

The only mandatory input to the SSASS is protomatter which is converted into antimatter at a 1:1 ratio when the change in antimatter is positive, or consumed at the same ratio when the change in antimatter is negative. There is no restriction or challenge with the protomatter so it can be supplied through a stocking input hatch. Running out of protomatter shuts down the machine and voids 10% of all antimatter in the hatches so it is highly recommended to maintain a large surplus at all times. A fluid level emitter facing into a machine controller cover can automatically shut down the SSASS when protomatter is running low to avoid the penalty altogether. There are three options for crafting protomatter in a precision laser engraver, listed below.

The optional inputs to the SSASS are the four different types of stabilization fluids. There can only be one of each type at a time and they all have multiple options with varying levels of performance. For example, supply the SSASS with molten shirabon to set C=0.05 OR molten MHDCSM to set C=0.10. Higher is always better, as seen in the equations in the following section. The amount of stabilization fluid consumed per cycle depends on the total amount of antimatter (AM) in the hatches AFTER the rebalancing penalty is applied. These also have no restrictions or challenges and can be supplied through the same stocking input hatch as the protomatter.

After rebalancing the antimatter hatches and consuming the input(s), the SSASS then randomizes the amount of antimatter to generate IN EACH INDIVIDUAL HATCH based on the total amount of antimatter in all the hatches, the containment bonus (C), and the activation bonus (A). The last term is a random number pulled from a normal distribution with a mean of 0.2 + A and a variance of 1, which could actually be negative and reduce the amount of antimatter in the hatch. The average is positive so there should always be a net gain in the long run. The ceiling operator rounds up any decimal values to guarantee that the first few runs are antimatter positive. Note that this is equivalent to the amount of protomatter consumed since it is converted at a 1:1 ratio.

${\displaystyle {\displaystyle \Delta {\text{AM/Hatch}}=\lceil 1/16\times {\text{AM}}^{0.5+C}\times {\text{Norm}}(0.2+A,1)\rceil }}$

${\displaystyle {\displaystyle \Delta {\text{AM/Cycle}}=\sum \Delta {\text{AM/Hatch}}}}$

This expands on the rebalancing challenge discussed earlier; it is not as simple as using a fluid regulator to remove a fixed amount of antimatter every second. The hatches gain (or lose) a unique amount of antimatter every cycle to force adaptive rebalancing--a method resistant to randomization.

The SSASS has two different power equations, listed below. The first is the passive power consumption, or the amount of EU/t consumed while the machine is enabled. The second is the active power consumption, or the amount of EU/t consumed while actively running. These stack with each other to determine the total power consumption of the SSASS while actively creating antimatter. The passive power consumption decreases by 0.5% every tick when there is no antimatter in the hatches. Improve the energy efficiency of the SSASS increasing the magnetic bonus (M) and the gravity bonus (G).

${\displaystyle {\displaystyle {\text{Passive EU/t}}=10,000,000+(1,000\times {\text{AM}})^{1.50-M}}}$

${\displaystyle {\displaystyle {\text{Active EU/t}}=1/20\times (10,000\times {\text{AM}})^{1.50-G}}}$

${\displaystyle {\displaystyle {\text{Total EU/t}}={\text{Passive}}+{\text{Active}}}}$

It is possible for the SSASS to consume more power than what the SLAM can output based on the antimatter being generated, making the entire process power negative. There is a delicate balance between how much antimatter should stay in the hatches and the net EU gain. Use the planner linked at the top to determine optimal setups.

The output and power consumption of the SSASS scales faster than the power output of the SLAM with respect to the total amount of antimatter. That means the most efficient setups generally have less antimatter in their hatches, despite that producing less antimatter per second. Increase throughput by building more SSASS, not by increasing the amount of antimatter in the hatches.

The following are the most efficient setups for maximizing EU at different stages of the game, assuming only 1 SSASS. Cycle refers to the 1 second between SSASS iterations and burn refers to the 5 seconds between SLAM iterations. It is highly recommended to build more SSASS to reduce the number of cycles per burn and increase the net average EU/t. Using less energy hatches on the SLAM also reduces the number of cycles per burn, but that lowers the overall efficiency of the setup. Stay above five cycles per burn or else an excess amount of antimatter is going to be generated--or build a second SLAM. The final stage 4.5 is the theoretical maximum but the 42 UXV hatches cost 231M (L) of universium in total for only a 13% increase in EU/t. Therefore, it is not recommended and the universium should instead be used towards building the Stargate. Again, use the planner linked at the top for more information and to determine optimal setups.

For reference:

• A Dyson Swarm Ground Unit produces up to 3.37e11 EU/t.
• A Large Naquadah Reactor produces up to 6.65e11 EU/t.
• An Eye of Harmony produces up to 1.29e13 EU/t.

The challenge in using the SSASS effectively is perfectly balancing all 16 antimatter hatches every single second to avoid any penalties. The output of each hatch is randomized so balancing typically involves pulling all the antimatter out of the hatches and equally redistributing it.

The core mechanic behind this approach is splitting each antimatter hatch into its own subnetwork with a buffer tank and overflow. Fluid regulators pull all the antimatter from the hatches each second and refills them with the perfect target amount. The export fluid regulator is always on the top/bottom of the antimatter hatches because covers on those sides are always executed first, prior to those on the remaining sides. This means the import fluid regulator always occurs second regardless of TPS or server restarts. This approach is simple, robust, and very accurate. However, it does not scale to multiple SSASS very well. The setup can be copy-pasted with a Matter Manipulator, but the entire thing still needs to be rebuilt per machine. It is also difficult to start with since the buffers need to be prefilled with antimatter.

The core mechanic behind this approach is using Steve's Factory Manager (SFM) commands to pull all the antimatter from the hatches into a large buffer tank, and then refilling them with the perfect target amount. This approach is simple and very accurate. The downside is that it does not scale to multiple SSASS very well. The script can be copy-pasted with a manager duplicator, but the entire thing still needs to be rebuilt per machine. It is also difficult to start with since the buffer needs to be prefilled with antimatter.