Nuclear reactor component

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A nuclear reactor component can be loosely defined as one of the many devices placed into a Grid Nuclear Reactor.png Nuclear Reactor (and by extension a fluid reactor) in order to make it work.

Components can be categorized according to their purpose.

Fuel rods[edit]

The prime power production device of a reactor; you typically won't be generating any power without one of these. The currently functioning fuel rods (lithium doesn't count) all come in single, dual, and quad varieties.

Description/Attributes Variants
Uranium fuel rod
First nuclear material available.
Lifetime: 20,000 reactor ticks (5h 33m 20s continuous operation).
Grid Fuel Rod (Uranium).png Fuel Rod (Uranium)
Grid Dual Fuel Rod (Uranium).png Dual Fuel Rod (Uranium)
Grid Quad Fuel Rod (Uranium).png Quad Fuel Rod (Uranium)
Depleted uranium fuel rod
The result of using up all 20K reactor-ticks of fuel in a uranium fuel rod.
No energy or heat output; reprocess for valuable plutonium.
Grid Fuel Rod (Depleted Uranium).png Fuel Rod (Depleted Uranium)
Grid Dual Fuel Rod (Depleted Uranium).png Dual Fuel Rod (Depleted Uranium)
Grid Quad Fuel Rod (Depleted Uranium).png Quad Fuel Rod (Depleted Uranium)
MOX fuel rod
Combination of uranium and plutonium.
Lifetime: 10,000 reactor ticks (2h 46m 40s continuous operation).
Increased power output with increased reactor heat (in the fluid reactor, just a flat 2x at >50% base reactor heat).
Grid Fuel Rod (MOX).png Fuel Rod (MOX)
Grid Dual Fuel Rod (MOX).png Dual Fuel Rod (MOX)
Grid Quad Fuel Rod (MOX).png Quad Fuel Rod (MOX)
Depleted MOX fuel rod
The result of using up all 10K reactor-ticks of fuel in a MOX fuel rod.
No energy or heat output; reprocess for the plutonium used to craft, plus a bit extra.
Grid Fuel Rod (Depleted MOX).png Fuel Rod (Depleted MOX)
Grid Dual Fuel Rod (Depleted MOX).png Dual Fuel Rod (Depleted MOX)
Grid Quad Fuel Rod (Depleted MOX).png Quad Fuel Rod (Depleted MOX)

Neutron reflectors[edit]

Neutron reflectors are passive components that do nothing by themselves, but make adjacent fuel rods more efficient (producing more energy and heat) by reflecting their neutron pulses. Dual and quad fuel rods that pulse against a reflector will have 2 and 4 pulses returned to them, respectively. Every reflected neutron pulse reduces a reflector's durability by 1, so an adjacent quad fuel rod will reduce durability by 4 each reactor tick.

Reflectors come in three versions: the Grid Neutron Reflector.png Neutron Reflector with 30K durability, the Grid Thick Neutron Reflector.png Thick Neutron Reflector with 120K durability, and the Grid Iridium Neutron Reflector.png Iridium Neutron Reflector which is indestructible no matter how many neutron pulses it reflects (and is appropriately expensive). Each is used to craft the next.

Heat vents[edit]

The prime method of dumping waste heat into the environs (in the basic reactor) or into your coolant for power generation (in the fluid reactor). Vents can remove heat from themselves (self) and absorb heat from the reactor hull (hull), and they have a maximum heat amount they can absorb (max heat) before melting. Note that vents do not automatically absorb heat from adjacent components (other than fuel rods) just from being next to them; it must be transferred to them somehow. (Reactor and Overclocked vents can absorb reactor hull heat regardless of where they are placed, though.)

Vent Type Self Hull Max Heat
Grid Heat Vent.png Heat Vent 6 0 1000
Grid Advanced Heat Vent.png Advanced Heat Vent 12 0 1000
Grid Reactor Heat Vent.png Reactor Heat Vent 5 5 1000
Grid Overclocked Heat Vent.png Overclocked Heat Vent 20 36 1000

There is also a unique heat vent: the Grid Component Heat Vent.png Component Heat Vent, which does not absorb heat at all (making it indestructible, unless your reactor explodes and vaporizes it) but instead cools down any adjacent component by 4 heat, providing a maximum of 16 total cooling if surrounded on all sides.

Heat exchangers[edit]

The prime method of moving heat around between components. Heat exchangers have a significantly higher ability to absorb heat than heat vents, and attempt to intelligently balance heat on a percentage-of-max-heat basis; if a basic Heat Exchanger (2500 capacity) has 1250 heat to deal with and only the reactor hull (base 10K capacity) to share it with, it will attempt to move heat until it has 250 (10%) and the reactor hull has 1000 (10%). Naturally, as heat continues to move around and is dissipated, percentages change, and so heat exchangers are constantly making adjustments, depending on their rate of transfer with adjacent components (near) and with the reactor hull (hull), as well as their maximum heat capacity (max heat).

Remember, heat exchangers cannot actually dissipate heat. You will need some other method for that.

Vent Type Near Hull Max Heat
Grid Heat Exchanger.png Heat Exchanger 12 4 2500
Grid Advanced Heat Exchanger.png Advanced Heat Exchanger 24 8 10000
Grid Reactor Heat Exchanger.png Reactor Heat Exchanger 0 72 5000
Grid Component Heat Exchanger.png Component Heat Exchanger 36 0 5000

Coolant cells[edit]

Coolant cells store a large amount of heat, compared to heat vents, but they have no inherent self-cooling, requiring the use of heat exchangers to remove their accumulated heat (and vents to dissipate it). A 'damaged' (partially heated) coolant cell cannot be placed in a fluid reactor, unlike vents or exchangers; it must first be placed in a basic ('EU mode') reactor and fully cooled.

A coolant cell's maximum heat is evident from its name. There are three types: Grid 10k Coolant Cell.png 10k Coolant Cell, Grid 30k Coolant Cell.png 30k Coolant Cell, and Grid 60k Coolant Cell.png 60k Coolant Cell, each used to craft the next.

Condensators[edit]

Similar to coolant cells, condensators can handle a large amount of heat. However, they destroy it instantly, reducing their own durability instead - and making them ineffective in a fluid reactor, since the heat is eliminated completely instead of transferred to the coolant.

Condensators can only be repaired through the use of Grid Redstone.png Redstone or Grid Lapis Lazuli.png Lapis Lazuli, and so their use in a reactor setup makes it a Single Use Coolant or SUC type.

Item Durability Repair methods
Grid RSH-Condensator.png RSH-Condensator 20,000 Grid Redstone.png Redstone in crafting grid: 10K
Grid Block of Redstone.png Block of Redstone via Grid Reactor Coolant Injector (RSH).png Reactor Coolant Injector (RSH): 17-20K
Grid LZH-Condensator.png LZH-Condensator 100,000 Grid Redstone.png Redstone in crafting grid: 5K
Grid Lapis Lazuli.png Lapis Lazuli in crafting grid: 40K
Grid Lapis Lazuli Block.png Lapis Lazuli Block via Grid Reactor Coolant Injector (LZH).png Reactor Coolant Injector (LZH): 85-100K