ReactorCraft Fission Reactor Designs

[Demosthenex]

Another good place to discuss reactors is the #RotaryCraft channel via IRC on Esper.net. Just remember to speak and stay, replies take a while. Quite a few ReactorCraft fans there.

I also run a vicious server that, while we do have to survive hordes of mobs, we also like to build reactors.

 

[Optimoos]

Steam buildup was a big problem in measuring reactor output. If you are running 12 LP turbines, you should be able to power tow HP ones as I recall. I thought their output significantly was better. If you have too much steam built up you may find your 12 winds down...

I came across another post talking about using ammonia in the HP turbine, and if that's possible then the HP turbine will be better, but that's not what the in-game book states.

It also provides power efficiency and lag efficiency.

Right, so it's the power efficiency part that I'm missing out on and am trying to sort out. So can you verify in v25z that ammonia can be used with the HP turbine? In terms of figuring out where I'm screwing up, is there any documentation on the power chain? How much steam does an HP turbine need, how much steam is produced by a steam boiler for how much temperature, how much temperature does a neutron interaction from a fuel core generate? Or is that all meant to be individually discoverable?

 

[LoaTBaC]

I managed to set up a very small test reactor using the neutrons emitted from spent fuel containers. It has only one reactor core, amazingly, but still produces an acceptable amount of steam for such a small device. Here is a link for those that are interested: http://imgur.com/gallery/WFHk0/new

 

[Reika]

I managed to set up a very small test reactor using the neutrons emitted from spent fuel containers. It has only one reactor core, amazingly, but still produces an acceptable amount of steam for such a small device. Here is a link for those that are interested: http://imgur.com/gallery/WFHk0/new

Interesting...

 

[Demosthenex]

I managed to set up a very small test reactor using the neutrons emitted from spent fuel containers. It has only one reactor core, amazingly, but still produces an acceptable amount of steam for such a small device. Here is a link for those that are interested: http://imgur.com/gallery/WFHk0/new

Are you sure you're getting heat from the waste, more than just the reflected neutrons from the fuel in the single reactor?

 

[Pyure]

Demo, I paged you about this on another thread, not realizing it was double-posted. Disregard that page.

 

[LoaTBaC]

Are you sure you're getting heat from the waste, more than just the reflected neutrons from the fuel in the single reactor?

Yeah. When I tested my reactor design with no spent fuel container below it, the temperature of the core stayed at 25C and the boilers around 28C, with no discernible difference over time. However, when I added the spent fuel container and waste, the temperature of the core shot up to 40C almost immediately, and the boiler temperatures began to rise as well.

 

[Pyure]

How does that prove you're not getting waste-heat instead of waste-neutrons?

In theory this is easily provable: just move the core farther from the waste: it'll receive the same number of neutrons and should respond accordingly.

 

[LoaTBaC]

Okay. I constructed another, this time with the spent fuel container ten blocks below the core. Everything still acts the same as before, with the temperature and neutron production of the reactor core significantly increasing when waste is added.

 

[Pyure]

Love it. Great pics, and scientific methodology ftw.

@Reika, do you think you'll need to review how certain types of wastes emit "consumable" neutrons?

Also, do waste casks contribute to chain reactions?

fwiw, this might actually be a valid encouragement for people to quit voiding their waste, but I can see potential for abuse as well.

 

[LoaTBaC]

fwiw, this might actually be a valid encouragement for people to quit voiding their waste, but I can see potential for abuse as well.

Yeah, this could certainly be abused, but it may lead to some very interesting, vertical reactor designs.

 

[Pyure]

I kinda wanna boot up a reactorcraft pack again and tinker with this. So many fun projects, so little time.

Have you tried observing what happens when the core is accepting neutrons from multiple waste containers instead of just one?

 

[LoaTBaC]

Not yet. Right now, I'm constructing a new test reactor, with several concrete blocks retracted by pistons, that can be put in front of the neutrons from the spent fuel container, to sort of "throttle" the reactor's power level. When I'm done, I might try multiple spent fuel containers as well, though pumping fuel and waste might become difficult.

 

[LoaTBaC]

Okay. I have finished testing my reactor. It does not seem very feasible to use for the single-core design, but could be more useful for a larger scale reactor. When I moved a single block of concrete in the way of the neutrons, it theoretically should have blocked ~25% of the neutrons, but even that was enough to keep the temperature of the reactor too low to be useful (around 95C).

 

[Demosthenex]

Do the waste containers respond to neutrons? (ie: could the reactor cause it to overheat?)

I can't imagine this working on my finite water server. I had a hard enough time using floodgates to try and keep water surrounding waste containers.

 

[LoaTBaC]

The single-core, multi-spent fuel container reactor design is complete. It is pretty ugly, and difficult to pump fuel through, but has much more constant steam production, and heats up faster. I took some screenshots of the one I built.

 

[LoaTBaC]

Do the waste containers respond to neutrons? (ie: could the reactor cause it to overheat?)

I can't imagine this working on my finite water server. I had a hard enough time using floodgates to try and keep water surrounding waste containers.

I haven't noticed any interaction with neutrons. The waste containers keep a pretty consistent temperature, as long as they are properly cooled.
Also, finite water is bad enough normally, but I can see how it would be a complete nightmare with Reactorcraft.

 

[Demosthenex]

I haven't noticed any interaction with neutrons. The waste containers keep a pretty consistent temperature, as long as they are properly cooled.
Also, finite water is bad enough normally, but I can see how it would be a complete nightmare with Reactorcraft.

Reservoirs, uncovered. Rain machine. Done.

EDIT: I'd argue this is faster than any pump in a regular infinite water world.

 

[LoaTBaC]

It was startlingly fast when I used it the last time I played with finite water.

 

[Reika]

Love it. Great pics, and scientific methodology ftw.

@Reika, do you think you'll need to review how certain types of wastes emit "consumable" neutrons?

Also, do waste casks contribute to chain reactions?

fwiw, this might actually be a valid encouragement for people to quit voiding their waste, but I can see potential for abuse as well.

Unless this is more powerful than the reactor that spawned it, I do not see a major balance issue, and I am very well aware of this providing an incentive for properly disposing of waste.