Fuel scoops - reality check required.

wetwire · May 5, 2019

Here is some raw data for your fuel scoop question. It list the A rate for each FSD and a selection of fuel scoop rates. Broken down into how much time it would take to recoop the last jump.

Edit: A quick dirty answer is if you match FSD and Fuel Scoop size/class expect it to take about 10 seconds to recoop the last jump. 1 size larger is half the time, and 1 size smaller is double the time.

FSD	Fuel Per Jump	Kilograms
2A	0.9T	914.4kg
Fuel Scoop	Fuel Rate	Time Per Jump
1A	42kg/s	21.77s
2A	75kg/s	12.19s
3A	176kg/s	5.19s
4A	342ks/s	2.67s

FSD	Fuel Per Jump	Kilograms
3A	1.8T	1828.8kg
Fuel Scoop	Fuel Rate	Time Per Jump
2A	75kg/s	24.38s
3A	176kg/s	10.39s
4A	342kg/s	5.34s
5A	577kg/s	3.16s

FSD	Fuel Per Jump	Kilograms
4A	3.0T	3048.1kg
Fuel Scoop	Fuel Rate	Time Per Jump
3A	176kg/s	17.31s
4A	342kg/s	8.91s
5A	577kg/s	5.28s
6A	878kg/s	3.47s

FSD	Fuel Per Jump	Kilograms
5A	5.0T	5080.2kg
Fuel Scoop	Fuel Rate	Time Per Jump
4A	342kg/s	14.85s
5A	577kg/s	8.80s
6A	878kg/s	5.78s
7A	1245kg/s	4.08s

FSD	Fuel Per Jump	Kilograms
6A	8.0T	8128.3kg
Fuel Scoop	Fuel Rate	Time Per Jump
5A	577kg/s	14.08s
6A	878kg/s	9.25s
7A	1245kg/s	6.52s
8A	1680kg/s	4.83s

FSD	Fuel Per Jump	Kilograms
7A	12.8T	13005.4kg
Fuel Scoop	Fuel Rate	Time Per Jump
5A	577kg/s	22.53s
6A	878kg/s	14.81s
7A	1245kg/s	10.44s
8A	1680kg/s	7.74s

Interstellar Overdrive · May 5, 2019

Stealthie said:
Just wondering what folks usually do for fuel scoops.

The conventional wisdom was always "one size smaller than your FSD is fine" but, I gotta say, I think that falls down for a variety of reasons, especially now engineering is a thing.
If you've got a ship that's heavy on power and you fit a "one size smaller than your FSD" fuel scoop, you're going to get toasted when you try to scoop.
Also, subjectively, I usually find scooping with a "one size smaller than your FSD" fuel scoop excruciatingly tedious.

Just built myself a Krait Phantom as a bit of a "heavy scout ship" and I automatically stuck a 6A scoop on it, which means I can only fit a 32t cargo rack.
I could swap those around and double my cargo capacity but I just don't fancy taking the extra time scooping fuel.

Which is why I was wondering what other people do.

Am I being unreasonable to "need" to scoop so quickly?
Do other people accept that they might have to take 2 or 3 swipes at a star to refuel?
Do most people just fit whatever size scoop they can squeeze into a build or is it important?
Etc.

My current fuel scoop is 2A. For a Krait Phantom I would go 3A.

Vardaugas · May 5, 2019

Anything below a 4A is really just backup. They don't get enough tonnage per second to fill even small tanks in a timely manner. A 4A is slow, but functional, even for larger tanks and anything above a 5A is really luxury if you have the room for it or want to really refuel asap whenever you touch a star.

Cmdr Nemo · May 5, 2019

One is mandated to take a journey around every star they jump into. If one is aware, one enter's full speed, pitches or rolls towards the closet edge and while honking, scoop fuel as they head for the next vector. Depending on the exact location of the vector is when coming out from behind the star, I've never ever had to slow down and generally fill my tanks to the brim. I mean why wait until one NEED'S fuel, top off one's tank at ever available star, is fast, easy and completely painless.

JonesTheFilm · May 5, 2019

My Explorer Phantom has a 5A scoop in it, the same size as its FSD (and its FSD booster actually). It's a very cool-running ship though and scoops so quickly overheating is never a problem.
Most of my other ships have scoops but they're generally little weedy ones because they're only there in case of emergencies (or stupid mistakes).

Majic-12 · May 5, 2019

I would fit two fuel scoops if I could.

They're that important.

wetwire · May 5, 2019

Majic-12 said:
I would fit two fuel scoops if I could.

They're that important.

lol, i picture the ships computer voicing the activity then echoing
"Fuel scoop deployed.. fuel scoop deployed"
"Fuel scoop complete.. fuel scoop complete"
That would prompt a mute all voice communication from the computer real quick.

Stinja · May 5, 2019

As a Fuel Rat (and occasional Buckyballer) biggest "A" scoop every. Single. Time.

For example my Clipper has a 7A, and I embrace the 12s scoopiness, despite people saying "but you can fit a 7B and it's only 2 seconds slower, and you save 70 million credits".
Money? HA! 2 seconds is 2 seconds baby!

WR3ND · May 5, 2019

I generally prefer to use at least the same size as my FSD, actually. One size smaller is a compromised choice I do occasionally make though, and if I have the extra module size available for whatever reason, one size larger is ideal – being fast enough to refill on a full throttle skim by a star while lining up to jump to the next per max range jump, sometimes referred to as, "jonking," if I recall correctly.

Cheers.

aRJay · May 5, 2019

Stealthie said:
Just wondering what folks usually do for fuel scoops.

The conventional wisdom was always "one size smaller than your FSD is fine" but, I gotta say, I think that falls down for a variety of reasons, especially now engineering is a thing.
If you've got a ship that's heavy on power and you fit a "one size smaller than your FSD" fuel scoop, you're going to get toasted when you try to scoop.
Also, subjectively, I usually find scooping with a "one size smaller than your FSD" fuel scoop excruciatingly tedious.

Just built myself a Krait Phantom as a bit of a "heavy scout ship" and I automatically stuck a 6A scoop on it, which means I can only fit a 32t cargo rack.
I could swap those around and double my cargo capacity but I just don't fancy taking the extra time scooping fuel.

Which is why I was wondering what other people do.

Am I being unreasonable to "need" to scoop so quickly?
Do other people accept that they might have to take 2 or 3 swipes at a star to refuel?
Do most people just fit whatever size scoop they can squeeze into a build or is it important?
Etc.

It depends on the ship and the role.

General rule of thumb for me is I will fit the biggest scoop that doesn’t have too adverse an effect on what I want to do with that ship, generally I also go with A rated scoops for size 4 and below and B rated for 6 and above the 5’s are a bit random.

No wanting to scoop fast is not unreasonable.
Even with my can’t scoop for toffee DBX I tend to just move on to the next jump when I have lined up with the exit or stopped scooping, I just try harder next time.

Rick6549 · May 5, 2019

I dont go by fsd size when i pick a fuel scoop, i do it by fuel capacity ( especially important in the beluga). Does the fsd size matter as much as the amount of fuel you can scoop ?

Vardaugas · May 5, 2019

Rick6549 said:
I dont go by fsd size when i pick a fuel scoop, i do it by fuel capacity ( especially important in the beluga). Does the fsd size matter as much as the amount of fuel you can scoop ?

The bigger the FSD, the more fuel it consumes per jump. So you need a scoop big enough to fill the tank again after each jump before doing the next. That is if you go jump and scoop while passing the star. If you only stop from time to time to fill up, I guess the scoop size is more relevant to the tank size than the FSD size.

wetwire · May 5, 2019

Rick6549 said:
I dont go by fsd size when i pick a fuel scoop, i do it by fuel capacity ( especially important in the beluga). Does the fsd size matter as much as the amount of fuel you can scoop ?

FSD Size and Fuel Scoop size are directly related. Larger FSD use more fuel per jump. Larger Scoop's recoop that loss quicker. I posted prior with the stats. It should show how they are tied together.

Firebeard · May 5, 2019

My cobra has a class 2 as it's really just there to "splash and dash" and if I need to fully fuel she runs cold enough to sit in the zone without overheating.

Rick6549 · May 5, 2019

wetwire said:
FSD Size and Fuel Scoop size are directly related. Larger FSD use more fuel per jump. Larger Scoop's recoop that loss quicker. I posted prior with the stats. It should show how they are tied together.

Well i knew that but thought maybe tank size was more important.

Tarman · May 5, 2019

I usually always have one, especially now in the post-freeslot days. I'm less concerned with its per-scoop capability as it's primarily a travel insurance item; they only get the "good" slots if the ship is already pretty bare of kit for build reasons. I'm also usually a "sip as you go" pilot, so topping up most times keeps me from too many extended pitstops even with a garbage-rate scoop.

wetwire · May 5, 2019

Rick6549 said:
Well i knew that but thought maybe tank size was more important.

Yeah if you are running extra fuel tanks and a smaller FSD, with a flight pattern of long distance then refuel at the end, a very large Scoop makes sense.

Rick6549 · May 5, 2019

wetwire said:
Yeah if you are running extra fuel tanks and a smaller FSD, with a flight pattern of long distance then refuel at the end, a very large Scoop makes sense.

I ususally use up all my fuel before i scoop, didnt know everyone else did it differently lol.

wetwire · May 5, 2019

Rick6549 said:
I ususally use up all my fuel before i scoop, didnt know everyone else did it differently lol.

The Beluga is a special case ship, I believe she has the longest travel time (largest fuel tank native) giving her a unique advantage. With a 7A FSD, Increase range 5 and mass manager. with an extra 64T of fuel in one of the size 6 slots. she can travel 549.9LY without even having to think about refueling. That is an impressive distance. She fits the role of a luxury liner very well.
But for everyone else a fuel scoop matching (or better) with the FSD, and scooping when available seems to be the way to go.

Chris Simon · May 5, 2019

wetwire said:
The Beluga is a special case ship, I believe she has the longest travel time (largest fuel tank native) giving her a unique advantage. With a 7A FSD, Increase range 5 and mass manager. with an extra 64T of fuel in one of the size 6 slots. she can travel 549.9LY without even having to think about refueling. That is an impressive distance. She fits the role of a luxury liner very well.
But for everyone else a fuel scoop matching (or better) with the FSD, and scooping when available seems to be the way to go.

Beluga is the coolest explorer ship. If you switch to economic routes, with the right engineering she can cover almost 1500LY on one tank. You can literally explore for days without refueling.