Guide to Gases ErisEN
Gases of Atmos
There are 5 major gases in the gas pipes of the CEV Eris. They are (in no particular order) Oxygen, Carbon Dioxide, Nitrogen, Nitrous Oxide and Plasma. For most of the ship outside engineering it should be only the first 3 on the list. Standard atmosphere is about 78% Nitrogen with 21% Oxygen with a little bit of Carbon Dioxide due to respiration.
Gas Quick Reference
| Gas | Storage Canister | Specific Heat [J/(mol*K)] | Molar Mass [kg/mol] | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oxygen |  |
20 | 0.032 | Oxidizer, necessary for human life |
| Nitrogen |  |
20 | 0.028 | Slows down Supermatter reaction |
| Carbon Dioxide |  |
30 | 0.044 | Byproduct of respiration and combustion |
| Nitrous Oxide |  |
40 | 0.044 | Provides a long duration anesthetic, knocks out most biological entities |
| Plasma |  |
200 | 0.405 | Toxic to most biological life, flammable |
Oxygen (O2)
Oxygen (more accurately Dioxygen) is necessary for life as we know it. Despite this, in a standard atmospheric mix Oxygen only makes 21% of the mixture. Typically crew members start with a small reserve bottle of Oxygen for use in an emergency in combination with a breathing mask.
Despite it's life-giving nature, Oxygen is still dangerous due to it's Oxidization properties. Common discussion of Oxidization usually brings up rust or other metal oxides, however it can also cover such things as fire. Fire, or combustion, is the violent oxidization of a material (such as Hydrogen) and uncontrolled is a hazard to the ship.
In power engineering, Oxygen can be used in the Supermatter core loop however it causes a runaway reaction as it causes a more violent reaction from the Supermatter than other gases such as Plasma.
Nitrogen (N2)
Nitrogen (more accurately Dinitrogen) is a common gas that actually makes up the bulk of breathable atmosphere on the CEV Eris. At approximately 78% of a breathable mix, it is still dangerous at higher levels. Exceeding this level in a breathing atmosphere may lead to asphyxiation and eventually death for those without their own source of oxygen.
Pure Nitrogen however is useful in one (usually non-lethal) application: Supermatter regulation. The Supermatter's reaction is governed by several factors, one of which is the reaction retardation effect of Nitrogen. In the case of an emergency, flooding the core loop with Nitrogen could be a viable tactic, though at that point it becomes necessary to filter out the Nitrogen once the situation has stabilized as to restart power production.
Carbon Dioxide (CO2)
Carbon Dioxide is the natural output of respiration and combustion. As such it is not frequently found in large quantities since most of the ship's air scrubbers will remove it without delay. It does have use in propulsion applications (ie jetpacks) but is these devices are largely considered inferior to their oxygen-based cousins.
Nitrous Oxide (N2O)
Nitrous Oxide (aka laughing gas) is a useful tool for putting targets to sleep without killing them. It has common application in small amounts for medical and research procedures and in large amounts when it becomes necessary to pacify a large area without being immediately lethal. Due to it's niche use case it is not a common gas to find on the ship and use is largely relegated to the Moebius section of the ship.
Note that prolonged exposure may prove dangerous to biological organisms.
Nitrous Oxide can be used in certain engineering functions but doing so may lead to unintended consequences.
Plasma (!!!)
Plasma is a blessing and a curse. It is central to several functions on the ship such as power generation and research but is also toxic and extremely flammable. If it escapes into an uncontrolled environment it becomes a threat that can disable the ship. This situation is often known as a "Plasmaflood" and should be avoided at all costs.
Plasmaflooding
Plasmaflooding the ship is a round ending event. A successful plasmaflood will force an evacuation of the ship. As such DO NOT DO THIS IF YOU ARE NOT AN ANTAGONIST OR IF YOU WOULD LIKE THE ROUND TO CONTINUE.
Even if not ignited Plasma in the atmosphere is toxic and invisible in small quantities. If you can see Plasma particulate in the atmosphere it is far, far too late to avoid damage and it becomes a race to prevent any further harm.
In terms of engineering Plasma is the premier gas for Supermatter interaction and it also powers the ship's thrusters. A high specific heat and reactivity means it is good for anything involving power and it's use on the ship.
Dealing with Gases
Scrubbers and Vents
The first line of defense against messes involving atmosphere are the ship's ventilation and filtering system.
Repairing Atmos Pipes
Often damage to the ship will also break the pipes that transport gases throughout the ship. These breaks can be repaired these steps:
- Numbered list item
Protective Equipment
Individuals can protect themselves against errant gases by wearing the appropriate protective equipment. If you are going to or think you are going to enter an environment that is full of dangerous gases, it is well worth to put on a basic breathing mask and emergency air tank. These do not protect you against other dangers such as fire or decompression, for which you will want some sort of enclosed suit such as a voidsuit.
Field Work
In the case that everything has gone wrong, the crew can manually work to filter their local atmosphere.
| Machine | Image | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Portable Air Filter |  |
Filters gases out of the air into an air tank |
| Portable Air Pump |  |
Pumps atmosphere into a gas port |
Notes
- Specific Heat is the amount of energy it takes to heat one unit of a gas by one degree. See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Specific_heat_capacity for more information.
- Molar Mass is the mass of a sample divided by the number of molecules in the sample which reflects the average of the compound. See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Molar_mass for more information.
- Plasma does not have a chemical composition since it does not actually exist
