Most Efficient 5x5x5 Big Reactor?

[Tyler Shellberg]

Hey there.
I have a 5x5x5 (outside) 3x3x3 (inside) big reactor. It's current design is this:
http://br.sidoh.org/#reactor-design...oled=false&controlRodInsertion=56&layout=3X6E

Is there a more efficient reactor out there for this size? (I don't have gellid cryotheum, yet)

Also, does anyone know if using source blocks of a coolant and letting it flow down the sides of the interior is just as efficient as filling the whole thing with source blocks?

 

[Tyler Shellberg]

Forgot to mention that this reactor is apparently most efficient at 56% control rod insertion. If yours has a specific level it needs to have the control rods inserted, feel free to lemme know.

 

[rhn]

Having Fuel rods up against the wall is a mistake. It results it lost opportunities to cool them down. Do this instead:
http://br.sidoh.org/#reactor-design...ed=false&controlRodInsertion=53&layout=3E3X3E

Source blocks works the same as flowing. So for Liquid Ender you can just place it down in the top and let it flow down. Cryotheum is "heavy" and will drop down however, so you need to fill up every layer.

 

[Pyure]

Tyler, is the 5x5 horizontal dimension critical?

You can make any reactor more efficient just by keeping the same number of control rods but adding 1 to 3 layers of liquid endurium around it.

http://br.sidoh.org/#reactor-design...d=false&controlRodInsertion=0&layout=30E3X30E

This is almost exactly the same design but more layers around it, and way more efficient.

 

[Tyler Shellberg]

Thanks Rhn! I tweaked yours a little bit with this:
http://br.sidoh.org/#reactor-design...ed=false&controlRodInsertion=58&layout=3E3X3E

Also, the 5x5x5 size is critical. I don't have the resources to make a bigger one, especially not that damn many ender pearls, though I do have a farm going.

EDIT: I could technically make it bigger, really any size, but the only resource I lack is ender pearls. I'd prefer to keep it smaller for the sake of ease, but if I need to make it a *little* bigger, I certainly don't mind.

 

[Pyure]

Thanks Rhn! I tweaked yours a little bit with this:
http://br.sidoh.org/#reactor-design...ed=false&controlRodInsertion=58&layout=3E3X3E

Also, the 5x5x5 size is critical. I don't have the resources to make a bigger one, especially not that damn many ender pearls, though I do have a farm going.

fwiw, with the liquid coolants, you can get by with just a few. It spreads/flows, and you don't need source blocks everywhere, flowing blocks work just as fine. Which means the only added resource is really the casing itself which is dirt cheap

(just an fyi for future reference of course)

 

[Tyler Shellberg]

fwiw, with the liquid coolants, you can get by with just a few. It spreads/flows, and you don't need source blocks everywhere, flowing blocks work just as fine. Which means the only added resource is really the casing itself which is dirt cheap

(just an fyi for future reference of course)

I'm aware of that. What you proposed however would still take hundreds of ender pearls that I don't have. Thank you though.

 

[Dezz]

Tyler, is the 5x5 horizontal dimension critical?

You can make any reactor more efficient just by keeping the same number of control rods but adding 1 to 3 layers of liquid endurium around it.

http://br.sidoh.org/#reactor-design...d=false&controlRodInsertion=0&layout=30E3X30E

This is almost exactly the same design but more layers around it, and way more efficient.

Since when can your dimensions be that large?! I always thought that the max was 7x7x7!

 

[Tyler Shellberg]

Since when can your dimensions be that large?! I always thought that the max was 7x7x7!

They can be any size and shape, so long as they are cuboid. Smallest being 3x3x3 (1x1x1 internal) largest being whatever doesn't crash your server. If you want a 50x200x30 reactor, go for it. Can't say it wont crash your game, though.

 

[Dezz]

They can be any size and shape, so long as they are cuboid. Smallest being 3x3x3 (1x1x1 internal) largest being whatever doesn't crash your server. If you want a 50x200x30 reactor, go for it. Can't say it wont crash your game, though.

My life is forever changed

 

[Pyure]

Since when can your dimensions be that large?! I always thought that the max was 7x7x7!

Large? You can have 30x30 Dezz

 

[Cpt_gloval]

The max br is like 32x32x32 or something ridiculous.

For a 7x7x7 ender cooled you only need 8 pearls.

Inside, 2 below the top of the reactor put disposable blocks like this,

d D D D X
D R O R D
D O R O D
D R O R D
X D D D d

X being empty spaces.
Then place your buckets of ender over the lower case "d" s
The fluid will spread down the blocks.
Then just pick out the blocks and voila you have a fully ender cooled reactor with only 8 pearls.

 

[asb3pe]

Everybody worries about efficiency, but for me, the most inefficient thing was running the reactor when I didn't need the power.

I solved this by using two BigReactors Rednet Ports and connecting them with rednet cable. Then I set one rednet port to Control Rod Insertion (drop the icon onto a color and click Commit), and I set the other rednet port to Reactor Power Storage Level (the battery icon thing). Once you set that up, your control rods will automatically move up and down based on your power needs. If power stored is at 80%, the rednet ports will ensure the reactor is only running at 20% of max. if power stored gets low, down to 10%, then the reactor will power up instantly to 90% of max. It's a simple inverse relationship that works extremely well for early game and I believe it is by far the most efficient thing you can do to any passive reactor.

I always build a 3x3x4 tall as early as possible, and use this method to moderate it. The 4 tall is because a 3x3x3 reactor doesn't have enough room to fit 2 rednet ports. 3x3x4 is perfect plus you get that one extra fuel cell inside which doesn't hurt any either. I think it gives me like 250 RF/t at max output, which is plenty for early game, and the rednet ports do all the fuel conserving.

 

[Pyure]

I'd forgotten that you only need to put coolant/moderator within 3 cardinal blocks of the rods.
And even if you switch out good coolant with mediocre graphite, you still have a reactor with way better efficiency but the same amount of expensive parts.

http://br.sidoh.org/#reactor-design...0&layout=3O3G6O3G6O3E3O2GE3XE2G3O3E6O3G6O3G3O

 

[rhn]

Remember that if you are really stretched for

I'd forgotten that you only need to put coolant/moderator within 3 cardinal blocks of the rods.
And even if you switch out good coolant with mediocre graphite, you still have a reactor with way better efficiency but the same amount of expensive parts.

http://br.sidoh.org/#reactor-design...0&layout=3O3G6O3G6O3E3O2GE3XE2G3O3E6O3G6O3G3O

You really don't gain ANYTHING from doing that. It is mostly just a waste of reactor wall materials. Only 10% of the slow radiation escapes the first layer of ender and then Graphite will only absorb 10% of the 10%.

If materials for the reactor is not an issue, then you can do something like this instead:
http://br.sidoh.org/#reactor-design...ertion=59&layout=O2EO2EOE2XE2X2E2XE2XEO2EO2EO
This can be done with just 6 Liquid Ender source blocks if you place the Ender in the top corners(the blank spaces) on top of a random block and let it flow out to the sides.

And you can expand this design to this:
http://br.sidoh.org/#reactor-design...2EOE2XE2X2E2XE2XEO2EO2EOE2XE2X2E2XE2XEO2EO2EO
only requiring 9 Liquid Ender source blocks.

 

[YaNKee]

Why does this look like it needs 24 Liquid Ender source blocks? How do you figure it is only 9?

 

[Nuclear_Creeper0]

Huh?

 

[Cpt_gloval]

If you look at the links to the BR sim supplied, the liquid ender buckets go where the blank spots show. It will flow in the pattern shown.

 

[YaNKee]

It looked like each of the green enderium squares needed a source to flow straight down like he stated in the description. Does the use of gelid cryotheum make a big difference in this build if all of the layers are filled with source blocks?

 

[Cpt_gloval]

Would have to build it to see.
Ender will flow out a bit if there are walls on both sides. As I said, the ender squares in the sim are flowing ender. The grey empty squares are ender source blocks.