cryogenic plant

The cryogenic plant is an advanced building used to craft a set of exclusive high-end recipes and to perform many assembler/chemical-plant style processes that are otherwise restricted or optimized for this machine. It appears as a dedicated production building for late-game and space-tier items and materials, and is unlocked through its eponymous research. Several unique science packs, weapons, and fusion-related components are produced only in the cryogenic plant.

The cryogenic plant crafts exclusive recipes such as Fluoroketone (hot) and (cold), Fusion power cells, Railguns and Railgun turrets, Cryogenic science packs, Fusion reactors and generators, Captive biter spawners, and Promethium science packs. Many of these recipes require advanced inputs like tungsten plates, superconductors, quantum processors, holmium plates, lithium plates, fluoroketone, biter eggs, uranium-235, and various asteroid or planet-specific resources, and several are gated behind late-game technologies (Fusion reactor, Railgun, Captive biter spawner, Cryogenic science pack, Promethium science pack). Some exclusive recipes are tied to planet-specific discoveries and crafted only on specific bodies (for example, some outputs are crafted on Aquilo, Nauvis, or a Space platform as indicated by their technology/planet requirements).

In addition to its exclusive recipes, the cryogenic plant can perform many recipes normally done in assemblers or chemical plants. These include crafting a cryogenic plant item (the building itself) from processing units, superconductors and refined concrete; Ammoniacal solution separation into ice and ammonia; conversion of ammonia into solid fuel; production of ammonia rocket fuel (solid fuel + water + ammonia); lithium production from holmium plate, lithium brine and ammonia; sulfur, sulfuric acid, explosives, plastic bars, batteries, carbon, steam condensation and acid neutralisation, among others. Several of these recipes are unlocked by conventional processing technologies (Sulfur processing, Plastics, Battery, Explosives, Tungsten carbide, Calcite processing, Lithium processing) and some are associated with planet discovery research tied to Aquilo or Vulcanus.

Practical notes and usage considerations:

• The cryogenic plant functions as a multi-role late-game chemical/assembler facility; prioritize it for recipes that are exclusive to it or for space- or fusion-related production chains.
• Many exclusive recipes require advanced and rare inputs; place the plant where you can reliably supply superconductors, tungsten, quantum processors, isotopes, fluoroketone, and other specialty materials.
• Some recipes are restricted to particular planets or platforms; confirm technology/planet requirements before planning production lines for items like captive biter spawners or promethium science packs.
• Module and productivity scaling: a cryogenic plant benefits from productivity modules. Compared to a biochamber, a cryogenic plant with a full set (8) of legendary productivity module 3s reaches +200% productivity; this makes it more productive than a biochamber even at comparable module tiers (a biochamber with maximum legendary productivity module 3s has +150% productivity).
• Certain oil-cracking and rocket fuel-from-light-oil recipes are performed elsewhere (biochamber or chemical plant), while the cryogenic plant covers an overlapping but distinct set of fluid and chemical recipes—use the cryogenic plant where its specific recipes or planetary restrictions require it.