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{{Experimental}}
== Disclamer ==
Before reading this tutorial, you need to be informed that the damage of an exploded reactor is often exaggerated here and a properly designed nuclear reactor in IC2 is completely safe even to put inside your home (unless someone messed up the components inside).
== Nuclear Physics 101 ==
== Nuclear Physics 101 ==


Welcome, to the Industrial Craft School of Nuclear-arity!<br>
Welcome, to the Industrial Craft School of Nuclear-arity!<br>
Here, we shall give some tips and tricks to avoid turning your '''new home''' into a '''melting slag heap'''!
Here, we shall give some tips and tricks to avoid turning your '''shiny new home''' into a '''melted slag heap'''!
 
=== Further Reading ===
Nuclear reactors are very valuable, have enormous energy-producing potential, and without a doubt have a steep learning curve.
 
A complete breakdown of how each reactor component works is available on [http://forum.industrial-craft.net/index.php?page=Thread&threadID=446 the IC2 forum], or on the [[Nuclear Reactor]] page of the wiki.


=== Step 1: Finding [[Uranium_Ore|Uranium Ore]] ===
=== Step 1: Finding [[Uranium_Ore|Uranium Ore]] ===
[[file:Uranium_ore.png |200x200px| link=|right]]
[[file:Uranium_ore.png |200x200px| link=|right]]
There is no easy way to find Uranium Ore short of mining, mining, mining. It appears randomly in '''very''' small veins, and has been seen on the surface at sea level. It also appears rarely in the walls of caverns. It must be mined with an Iron or better Pickaxe, and will drop 1&times; [[Uranium]] when successfully mined.
There is no easy way to find Uranium Ore short of mining, mining, mining. It appears randomly in '''very''' small veins, and has been seen on the surface at sea level. It also appears rarely in the walls of caverns. It must be mined with an Iron or better Pickaxe.


=== Step 2: My First Reactor(tm) ===
=== Step 2: My First Reactor(tm) ===


The Chernobyl-2 [[Nuclear Reactor]] is expensive to build, relying as it does on hard-to-obtain elements like Glowstone and energy-intensive materials like [[Advanced Alloy|Advanced Alloy Plates]]. Don't expect to build one in your first week.
The [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chernobyl_disaster Chernobyl-4] [[Nuclear Reactor]] is expensive to build, relying as it does on hard-to-obtain elements like Glowstone and [[Dense Lead Plate]]s. Don't expect to build one in your first week.


If you think you've got the stocks make one, then let's do it!  
If you think you have the material to make one, then let's do it!
Advanced materials you will need:
Advanced materials you will need:


14 [[Advanced Alloy|Advanced Alloy Plates]]
*1 [[Advanced Circuit]]
 
*1 [[Generator]]
4 [[Integrated Reactor Plating]]
*3 [[Reactor Chamber|Reactor Chambers]]
 
4 [[Advanced Circuit|Advanced Circuits]]
 
1 [[Generator]]
 
2 [[Reactor Chamber|Reactor Chambers]]


Wait... what? Reactor chambers? What on Earth?  
Wait... what? Reactor chambers? What on Earth?  
Line 29: Line 34:
Well, hopefully containing it... more on that later.
Well, hopefully containing it... more on that later.


First you'll need 2 cooling cells, each made by putting a [[Water Cell]] through an [[Extractor]]:
First you'll need 12 [[Lead Plate]]s for the Reactor Chambers.
{{Grid/Machine
You can then use these to build your 3 Reactor Chambers:
|Type=Extractor
|Top=Water Cell
|Bottom=RE Battery (Charged)
|Output=Cooling Cell
}}
After this, craft our Reactor Plating.
{{Grid/Crafting Table
|A1=|B1=Copper|C1=
|A2=Copper|B2=Advanced Alloy|C2=Copper
|A3=|B3=Copper|C3=
|Output=Integrated Reactor Plating
}}
Got it? OK. Have a biscuit, and carry on.
You now need 2 [[Integrated Heat Dispenser]] units, to manage internal heat distribution:
{{Grid/Crafting Table
|A1=Copper|B1=Advanced Circuit|C1=Copper
|A2=Cooling Cell
|B2=Integrated Reactor Plating
|C2=Cooling Cell
|A3=|B3=|C3=
|Output=Integrated Heat Dispenser
}}
Once you have these, you can create your Reactor Chambers:
{{Grid/Crafting Table
{{Grid/Crafting Table
|A1=Advanced Alloy|B1=Integrated Heat Dispenser|C1=Advanced Alloy
|A1=|B1=Lead Plate|C1=
|A2=Integrated Reactor Plating|B2=Machine|C2=Integrated Reactor Plating
|A2=Lead Plate|B2=Machine|C2=Lead Plate
|A3=Advanced Alloy|B3=Integrated Reactor Plating|C3=Advanced Alloy
|A3=|B3=Lead Plate|C3=
|Output=Reactor Chamber
|Output=Reactor Chamber
}}
}}
Almost there!  
Almost there!  
{{Grid/Machine
|Type=Compressor
|Top=Lead Plate|IA=9
|Bottom=RE Battery (Charged)
|Output=Dense Lead Plate
}}
*Note: You have to Compress 9 Lead at once.


Using the remaining Alloy Plates, Advanced Circuits, and your new Reactor Chambers, craft the wonder that is the Chernobyl-2 Nuclear Reactor:
Using the Generator, Advanced Circuit, some Dense Lead Plates and your new Reactor Chambers, craft the wonder that is the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chernobyl_disaster Chernobyl-4 Nuclear Reactor]:
{{Grid/Crafting Table
{{Grid/Crafting Table
|A1=Advanced Alloy|B1=Advanced Circuit|C1=Advanced Alloy
|A1=Dense Lead Plate|B1=Advanced Circuit|C1=Dense Lead Plate
|A2=Reactor Chamber|B2=Generator|C2=Reactor Chamber
|A2=Reactor Chamber|B2=Reactor Chamber|C2=Reactor Chamber
|A3=Advanced Alloy|B3=Advanced Circuit|C3=Advanced Alloy
|A3=Dense Lead Plate|B3=Generator|C3=Dense Lead Plate
|Output=Nuclear Reactor
|Output=Nuclear Reactor
}}
}}
Line 72: Line 61:
Congratulations! World Domination is a step closer to reality!
Congratulations! World Domination is a step closer to reality!


=== Step 3: Finding Your 3-Mile Island ===
=== Step 3: Finding Your [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three_Mile_Island_accident 3-Mile Island] ===


Siting your [[Nuclear Reactor]] is crucial! '''Proximity and Containment''' is key here.
Siting your [[Nuclear Reactor]] is crucial! '''Proximity and Containment''' is key here.
Line 78: Line 67:
These two considerations are interdependent- heavily shielding a reactor with carefully placed [[Reinforced Stone]] means it can be safely sited quite close to your precious mansion/fortress/hobbithole; whereas an unshielded reactor should be sited far, far away from anything and everything you hold dear.
These two considerations are interdependent- heavily shielding a reactor with carefully placed [[Reinforced Stone]] means it can be safely sited quite close to your precious mansion/fortress/hobbithole; whereas an unshielded reactor should be sited far, far away from anything and everything you hold dear.


=== Step 4: Heavy Water ===
=== Step 4: Cooling ===


'''Cooling''' is absolutely vital.
'''Cooling''' is absolutely vital.
Placing your reactor at the centre of a 3x3 cube of water is considered the very minimum in cooling requirements. Still and flowing water have the same cooling effect. Additional [[Reactor Chamber|Reactor Chambers]], [[Cooling Cell|Cooling Cells]] and [[Integrated Heat Dispenser|Integrated Heat Dispensers]] will all have a positive effect on cooling. See the [[Nuclear Reactor]] page for a complete breakdown of heating and cooling in nuclear systems.
You will need to build and install components into the reactor to keep it cool; an overheating reactor will ruin your day. See the [[Nuclear Reactor]] page for a complete breakdown of heating and cooling in nuclear systems.


=== Step 5: The Green Glow ===
=== Step 5: The Green Glow ===
Line 89: Line 78:
=== Step 6: Cells of Plenty ===
=== Step 6: Cells of Plenty ===
So, how to we process Uranium, you ask? Easy!
So, how to we process Uranium, you ask? Easy!
You have to [[Compressor|Compress]] it into shiny new [[Uranium Fuel Ingot|Uranium Fuel Ingots]]:
You have to [[Thermal Centrifuge|Centrifuge]] it into [[Tiny Pile of Uranium 235|Tiny Piles of Uranium 235]] and [[Uranium 238]] and mix those in a crafting table to create [[Uranium|Enriched Uranium]].  Put that in a [[Canning Machine]] with a [[Fuel Rod (Empty)]] to get a [[Fuel Rod (Uranium)]].
{{Grid/Machine
 
|Type=Compressor
{|
|Top=Uranium
|{{Grid/Centrifuge
|Bottom=RE Battery (Charged)
|Top=Purified Crushed Uranium Ore
|Output=Refined Uranium
|Output1=Tiny Pile of Uranium 235|OA1=2
|Output2=Uranium 238|OA2=5
}}
|{{Grid/Crafting Table
|A1=Uranium 238|B1=Uranium 238|C1=Uranium 238
|A2=Tiny Pile of Uranium 235|B2=Tiny Pile of Uranium 235|C2=Tiny Pile of Uranium 235
|A3=Uranium 238|B3=Uranium 238|C3=Uranium 238
|Output=Uranium
}}
|{{Grid/Canning Machine
|can=Fuel Rod (Empty)
|input=Uranium
|output=Fuel Rod (Uranium)
}}
}}
|}
These are suitable for use in the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chernobyl_disaster Chernobyl-4 Nuclear Reactor], each capable of outputting ''incredible'' amounts of power!
=== Step 7: The Soothing Hum of Power ===
Reactors are capable of outputting considerable power: '''each''' [[Uranium Cell]] will output 5 EU/tick, meaning that high-output Reactors need high-level infrastructure to avoid machinery damage: [[HV Transformer|HV_Transformers]], [[MFS_Unit|MFS Units]] and [[Glass_Fibre|Glass Fibre Cables]] are a common sight in a nuclear installation. Uranium Cells also have a considerable lifespan: each can produce between '''2,000,000 to 14,000,000 EU!'''
=== Step 8: Holy [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fukushima_Daiichi_nuclear_disaster Fukushima]! <small>(with apologies to the easily offended!)</small> ===
If the proper precautions are taken, a Nuclear plant is as safe as a solar panel.
When things '''do''' go wrong though - they go wrong in spectacular fashion. The resultant blast of an overheated reactor will level everything in a ~30 block radius that isn't Reinforced or Obsidian. Thankfully a [[Reinforced Door]] still provides protection even when open, but be careful of siting anything in line with the power cable output from the containment vessel, as this is the one weak point in any nuclear plant.
== Nuclear Physics 201 ==
Welcome to Nuclear Physics 201.  I'll be your professor for this class.  While NP101 is a strongly recommended class, it is not required.  At this time, please turn in your death and injury waivers.
There are 2 types of nuclear reactors, Heat (or Fluid) and EU.  Contrary to what you may have heard in Nuclear Physics 101, EU does NOT output at 50% of a Heat reactor.  Each reactor setup can show some RELATED jumps or dips in power, the power differences are NOT strictly 1:1, and a few EU reactors can actually do BETTER in EU mode than in Heat mode.


Then shove those ingots into an [[Empty Cell]] to make a [[Uranium Cell]]!
=== Required Work ===
First, anyone making a fluid reactor should immediately begin making distilled water. 


{{Grid/Crafting Table
Second, Everyone needs to download the latest IC2 Experimental Reactor Planner Beta from this location:
|A1=Empty Cell|B1=Uranium Fuel Ingot|C1=
 
|A2=|B2=|C2=
https://github.com/MauveCloud/Ic2ExpReactorPlanner/releases
|A3=|B3=|C3=
 
|Output=Uranium Cell
=== Reactor Setup ===
}}
Both an EU reactor and a Heat Reactor have a "reactor grid" to place components to generate heat or EU, and to remove the heat.  A Heat Reactor also has locations to place and remove coolant, on each side of this grid.
 
[[file:Both Reactors.png|600px]]
 
Basic reactor grid patterns are the same through either EU or Heat generation.  For example, you can place a setup for an EU generating reactor directly into a fluid reactor with no errors, and vice versa.  The difference you will find is you will get a different final result of EU from an EU reactor compared to a Heat Reactor. 
 
A Heat Reactor REQUIRES a secondary cooling source.  Putting a functional Heat Reactor online without enough EXTERNAL cooling will still blow up your project, no matter how well constructed the internal grid.  Exploding your final project for ANY reason will fail you, so MAKE SURE you have enough secondary cooling on your Heat Reactors!
 
[[file:Expandable_Steam_Plant.png|600px]]
 
=== EU Reactors ===
EU Reactors are simple.  plug in your proper grid of parts and it'll output EU.  If there's nowhere for the EU to go, it dumps it.  That's not to say getting all of those resources is simple!  Check the examples below to see how much material goes into making a full-size reactor.
 
=== Heat Reactors ===
Heat Reactors take MUCH more to put in place, both in their extra containment shell and their external cooling.  A Heat Reactor is created by placing a reactor with 6 attached chambers in the center of a 5x5x5 block of Reactor Pressure Vessel blocks.  You will also need one of these blocks to be a Reactor Redstone Port to turn on the reactor, one to be a Reactor Access Hatch to fill the reactor with equipment and coolant, and likely 3 to be Reactor Fluid Ports.
 
The external containment shell is 98 Reactor Pressure Vessel Blocks.  Likely 5, but as many as 14, will need 7 more blocks each, because the special blocks take 8 RPV blocks each.  So likely you will need 98+35 = 133 RPBs.
RPVs take 5 lead to make 4, so you will need 5/4 of 133 in lead, or 170 Lead just to make the Containment Shell.
 
You will also need something like 40 Buckets of coolant.  Coolant is made with either some lapis and some distilled water, or LOTS of lapis and regular water.  You will also want something like 40 additional buckets of Distilled water if you are running a steam plant from this reactor; more in a moment!
 
So you have a reactor, and you have it contained properly, and you have it filled with all of the equipment to run a reaction and vent the heat. 
 
'''DON'T TURN ON THAT REACTOR!'''  If you haven't set up a way to carry the heat away from the reactor EXTERNALLY, you will still see it melt or blow up in a red-hot minute!
 
'''SEE Black Bordered section in Heat Reactor above.'''
 
Put a fluid ejector into a Reactor Fluid Port, and it will eject Hot Coolant into items adjacent.  Pipe, Tank or direct attach to a Liquid Heat Exchanger full of heat conductors , and the LHE will change the Hot Coolant into regular coolant and output heat.  Have it eject that coolant back to tanks, pipes, or directly to the reactor and you have a loop pulling heat away from the reactor.
 
'''DON'T TURN ON THAT REACTOR!'''  If you haven't set up a way to pull the heat from the LHE, it will stop working and you will be sitting on a reactor-bomb again.
 
'''See Apparatus OUTSIDE black-bordered section in picture above, with the orange squares representing LHEs to give off heat.'''
 
The simple way to pull the heat from the reactor is a Stirling Engine.  Match the squares of the LHE and Stirling Engine together, and you will get your heat used up, with a 50% EU return.
 
The complex way is to use a boiler and steam turbines.  This is MUCH more material intensive, and takes some extra planning to make sure it works, but you get 75% of your heat as EU.
 
'''DON'T TURN ON THAT REACTOR!'''
 
'''Picture above does NOT show energy storage.  Reactor above will explode.'''
 
Did you make sure you are storing or using all of your EU?  If you can't use or store the EU, the engines you have will stop working, then the LHEs will not be have anywhere to transfer heat, then your reactor will blow up.  None of this is a factor with EU reactors, which don't care about if you can store their EU, or where their heat goes.
 
Once you have a proper external heat loop, and heat user, and energy storage or other product use/storage, THEN you can feel comfortable about turning on your heat reactor.  I would still monitor the parts for 5-10 minutes to make sure everything is going as planned.
 
=== HOW TO READ THE SIMULATOR ===
The diagram below shows the simulation stats you receive.  The most important ones are highlighted and described.
 
[[file: SIMULATOR EXAMPLE.png|600px]]
 
=== '''HEAT REACTOR CHECKLIST: ''' ===
1. Is my reactor grid set up properly?  Did I stop to make more items and not put them in?
 
2. Did I put coolant in my reactor?  Did I put enough?
 
3. Did I put ejectors and pullers into the Fluid Ports?
 
4. Did I put Heat Exchangers and ejectors into the LHEs?
 
5. Did I set up coolant distribution properly?  Are pipes, tanks and distributors all set as they should be?  Are ejectors or pullers properly placed?
 
6. Did I place the orange squares together, or facing the proper direction?
 
BOILERS:
 
7. Did I place enough distilled water into the boilers?
 
8. Did I put turbines into the turbines?  WHY ARE THE CALLED THE SAME THINGS?  (Steam Kinetic Generators!)
 
9. Did I set up water collection?  Did I put Ejectors and Pullers into proper places?
 
=== Example EU / Heat Reactors ===
Sure, you can play around with the grid on your own.  I STRONGLY suggest using the simulator you were supposed to have obtained from the Required Work section..  For those who are trying to BLOW THEM SELVES UP or trying to make some non-stable mumbo-jumbo, you'll get no help here today.  (Maybe the TA will help, he sometimes dabbles on his own time...)
 
If you want it in "Mark I-V" speak, all of these are Mark I's, except for one.
 
They are described as '''<FUEL & REFLECTORS>, <EU Reactor Output per tick>, <Heat Reactor Output per tick> (Heat conversion to EU)''', with the simulator code afterwards.
 
4 Quad, 320E, 1280H (75% Heat to EU = 960 EU)
 
0003030C09110D0C0903000C0D0C0D0C0D11030C0D0C0D0C0D0C0D0C0D0C0D0C0D0C0D0C0D0C0D0C0D0C0D0C0D110D140D140D110D11
 
[[file: 4Q-320-1280.png|600px]]


These are suitable for use in the Chernobyl-2 Reactor, each capable of outputting ''incredible'' amounts of power!
2 Quad 4 Refl, 240E, 1344H (75% Heat to EU = 1008 EU)


=== Step 7: The Soothing Hum of Power ===
2303230C09110D0C0903230C0D0C0D0C0D11230C0D0C0D0C0D0C0D0C0D0C0D0C0D0C0D0C0D0C0D0C0D0C0D0C0D110D140D140D110D11


So, here is the point of the Nuclear Reactor. By placing 1 more [[Uranium Cell]] into the Reactor and surrounding it with [[Coolant Cell]]s. Each Cell will provide a staggering '''TWO MILLION EU''' of Energy, and your Reactor outputs '''10 EU/t.''' That's equivalent to a coal-burning [[Generator]], but the uranium lasts so much longer than coal!
[[file: 2Q4R-280-1344-1.png|600px]]


=== Step 8: Holy Fukushima! <small>(with apologies to the easily offended!)</small> ===
6 Bi, 260E, 1120H (75% Heat to EU = 840 EU)


If the proper precautions are taken, a Nuclear explosion can be mostly contained and the damage sustained minimal. In the wrong situation though, a Nuclear disaster can leave you with a pretty impressive hole in the ground where your prized workshop used to be. ALWAYS ensure your reactor has '''at least''' 1 square of water surrounding it in every possible direction, and screen it with [[Reinforced Stone]] for maximum protection.
0202020009110D0C09020202000C0D0C0D110000000C0D0C0D0C0D0C000C0D0C0D0C0D0C0D0C0D0C0D0C0D0C0D110D140D140D110D11


[[file: 6B-260-1120-1.png|600px]]


=== Optional Step ===
MOX, 3x Quad, 1040 EU  (do not use in heat reactor, heat to 7500 for 1040EU)
Nuclear reactors are very valuable and without a doubt have a decent learning curve.


A complete breakdown of how each reactor component works is available on the IC2 forum [http://forum.industrial-craft.net/index.php?page=Thread&threadID=446 Here]
06060C0B0B09140914060C0D0C000C0D0C0D0C0D0C0D0C0D0C0D140B0C0D0C0D0C0D0C0D0B0D0C0D0C0D0C0D14001409140914091409


{{Navigation|Tutorials=yes|Secrets=yes}}
[[file: 3Q-1040-1.png|600px]]


[[Category:Tutorial]]
[[Category:Tutorial]]

Revision as of 02:09, 7 January 2020

Experimental-Only Content: This information has been updated to the V2.X version of IC².
The most recent version of IC² is V2.8.<html>.

Disclamer[edit]

Before reading this tutorial, you need to be informed that the damage of an exploded reactor is often exaggerated here and a properly designed nuclear reactor in IC2 is completely safe even to put inside your home (unless someone messed up the components inside).

Nuclear Physics 101[edit]

Welcome, to the Industrial Craft School of Nuclear-arity!
Here, we shall give some tips and tricks to avoid turning your shiny new home into a melted slag heap!

Further Reading[edit]

Nuclear reactors are very valuable, have enormous energy-producing potential, and without a doubt have a steep learning curve.

A complete breakdown of how each reactor component works is available on the IC2 forum, or on the Nuclear Reactor page of the wiki.

Step 1: Finding Uranium Ore[edit]

Uranium ore.png

There is no easy way to find Uranium Ore short of mining, mining, mining. It appears randomly in very small veins, and has been seen on the surface at sea level. It also appears rarely in the walls of caverns. It must be mined with an Iron or better Pickaxe.

Step 2: My First Reactor(tm)[edit]

The Chernobyl-4 Nuclear Reactor is expensive to build, relying as it does on hard-to-obtain elements like Glowstone and Dense Lead Plates. Don't expect to build one in your first week.

If you think you have the material to make one, then let's do it!

Advanced materials you will need:

Wait... what? Reactor chambers? What on Earth? It's the core of the nuclear reactor, containing all your precious reactor components and fuel. Well, hopefully containing it... more on that later.

First you'll need 12 Lead Plates for the Reactor Chambers. You can then use these to build your 3 Reactor Chambers:


Grid Lead Plate.png


Grid Lead Plate.png
Grid Machine.png
Grid Lead Plate.png


Grid Lead Plate.png


Grid Reactor Chamber.png


Almost there!

Grid Lead Plate.png
Grid RE Battery (Charged).png
Grid Dense Lead Plate.png

Lead Plate

Lead Plate


  • Note: You have to Compress 9 Lead at once.

Using the Generator, Advanced Circuit, some Dense Lead Plates and your new Reactor Chambers, craft the wonder that is the Chernobyl-4 Nuclear Reactor:

Grid Dense Lead Plate.png
Grid Reactor Chamber.png
Grid Dense Lead Plate.png
Grid Advanced Circuit.png
Grid Reactor Chamber.png
Grid Generator.png
Grid Dense Lead Plate.png
Grid Reactor Chamber.png
Grid Dense Lead Plate.png
Grid Nuclear Reactor.png


Congratulations! World Domination is a step closer to reality!

Step 3: Finding Your 3-Mile Island[edit]

Siting your Nuclear Reactor is crucial! Proximity and Containment is key here.

These two considerations are interdependent- heavily shielding a reactor with carefully placed Reinforced Stone means it can be safely sited quite close to your precious mansion/fortress/hobbithole; whereas an unshielded reactor should be sited far, far away from anything and everything you hold dear.

Step 4: Cooling[edit]

Cooling is absolutely vital. You will need to build and install components into the reactor to keep it cool; an overheating reactor will ruin your day. See the Nuclear Reactor page for a complete breakdown of heating and cooling in nuclear systems.

Step 5: The Green Glow[edit]

At this point, you should have a complete reactor, ideally situated inside a reinforced stone tank of water. No time for congratulations, though... we need fuel for the beast! Raw Uranium ore simply will not do, so it's time for:

Step 6: Cells of Plenty[edit]

So, how to we process Uranium, you ask? Easy! You have to Centrifuge it into Tiny Piles of Uranium 235 and Uranium 238 and mix those in a crafting table to create Enriched Uranium. Put that in a Canning Machine with a Fuel Rod (Empty) to get a Fuel Rod (Uranium).


Grid Uranium 238.png
Grid Tiny Pile of Uranium 235.png
Grid Uranium 238.png
Grid Uranium 238.png
Grid Tiny Pile of Uranium 235.png
Grid Uranium 238.png
Grid Uranium 238.png
Grid Tiny Pile of Uranium 235.png
Grid Uranium 238.png
Grid Uranium.png


These are suitable for use in the Chernobyl-4 Nuclear Reactor, each capable of outputting incredible amounts of power!

Step 7: The Soothing Hum of Power[edit]

Reactors are capable of outputting considerable power: each Uranium Cell will output 5 EU/tick, meaning that high-output Reactors need high-level infrastructure to avoid machinery damage: HV_Transformers, MFS Units and Glass Fibre Cables are a common sight in a nuclear installation. Uranium Cells also have a considerable lifespan: each can produce between 2,000,000 to 14,000,000 EU!

Step 8: Holy Fukushima! (with apologies to the easily offended!)[edit]

If the proper precautions are taken, a Nuclear plant is as safe as a solar panel.

When things do go wrong though - they go wrong in spectacular fashion. The resultant blast of an overheated reactor will level everything in a ~30 block radius that isn't Reinforced or Obsidian. Thankfully a Reinforced Door still provides protection even when open, but be careful of siting anything in line with the power cable output from the containment vessel, as this is the one weak point in any nuclear plant.


Nuclear Physics 201[edit]

Welcome to Nuclear Physics 201. I'll be your professor for this class. While NP101 is a strongly recommended class, it is not required. At this time, please turn in your death and injury waivers.

There are 2 types of nuclear reactors, Heat (or Fluid) and EU. Contrary to what you may have heard in Nuclear Physics 101, EU does NOT output at 50% of a Heat reactor. Each reactor setup can show some RELATED jumps or dips in power, the power differences are NOT strictly 1:1, and a few EU reactors can actually do BETTER in EU mode than in Heat mode.

Required Work[edit]

First, anyone making a fluid reactor should immediately begin making distilled water.

Second, Everyone needs to download the latest IC2 Experimental Reactor Planner Beta from this location:

https://github.com/MauveCloud/Ic2ExpReactorPlanner/releases

Reactor Setup[edit]

Both an EU reactor and a Heat Reactor have a "reactor grid" to place components to generate heat or EU, and to remove the heat. A Heat Reactor also has locations to place and remove coolant, on each side of this grid.

Both Reactors.png

Basic reactor grid patterns are the same through either EU or Heat generation. For example, you can place a setup for an EU generating reactor directly into a fluid reactor with no errors, and vice versa. The difference you will find is you will get a different final result of EU from an EU reactor compared to a Heat Reactor.

A Heat Reactor REQUIRES a secondary cooling source. Putting a functional Heat Reactor online without enough EXTERNAL cooling will still blow up your project, no matter how well constructed the internal grid. Exploding your final project for ANY reason will fail you, so MAKE SURE you have enough secondary cooling on your Heat Reactors!

Expandable Steam Plant.png

EU Reactors[edit]

EU Reactors are simple. plug in your proper grid of parts and it'll output EU. If there's nowhere for the EU to go, it dumps it. That's not to say getting all of those resources is simple! Check the examples below to see how much material goes into making a full-size reactor.

Heat Reactors[edit]

Heat Reactors take MUCH more to put in place, both in their extra containment shell and their external cooling. A Heat Reactor is created by placing a reactor with 6 attached chambers in the center of a 5x5x5 block of Reactor Pressure Vessel blocks. You will also need one of these blocks to be a Reactor Redstone Port to turn on the reactor, one to be a Reactor Access Hatch to fill the reactor with equipment and coolant, and likely 3 to be Reactor Fluid Ports.

The external containment shell is 98 Reactor Pressure Vessel Blocks. Likely 5, but as many as 14, will need 7 more blocks each, because the special blocks take 8 RPV blocks each. So likely you will need 98+35 = 133 RPBs. RPVs take 5 lead to make 4, so you will need 5/4 of 133 in lead, or 170 Lead just to make the Containment Shell.

You will also need something like 40 Buckets of coolant. Coolant is made with either some lapis and some distilled water, or LOTS of lapis and regular water. You will also want something like 40 additional buckets of Distilled water if you are running a steam plant from this reactor; more in a moment!

So you have a reactor, and you have it contained properly, and you have it filled with all of the equipment to run a reaction and vent the heat.

DON'T TURN ON THAT REACTOR! If you haven't set up a way to carry the heat away from the reactor EXTERNALLY, you will still see it melt or blow up in a red-hot minute!

SEE Black Bordered section in Heat Reactor above.

Put a fluid ejector into a Reactor Fluid Port, and it will eject Hot Coolant into items adjacent. Pipe, Tank or direct attach to a Liquid Heat Exchanger full of heat conductors , and the LHE will change the Hot Coolant into regular coolant and output heat. Have it eject that coolant back to tanks, pipes, or directly to the reactor and you have a loop pulling heat away from the reactor.

DON'T TURN ON THAT REACTOR! If you haven't set up a way to pull the heat from the LHE, it will stop working and you will be sitting on a reactor-bomb again.

See Apparatus OUTSIDE black-bordered section in picture above, with the orange squares representing LHEs to give off heat.

The simple way to pull the heat from the reactor is a Stirling Engine. Match the squares of the LHE and Stirling Engine together, and you will get your heat used up, with a 50% EU return.

The complex way is to use a boiler and steam turbines. This is MUCH more material intensive, and takes some extra planning to make sure it works, but you get 75% of your heat as EU.

DON'T TURN ON THAT REACTOR!

Picture above does NOT show energy storage. Reactor above will explode.

Did you make sure you are storing or using all of your EU? If you can't use or store the EU, the engines you have will stop working, then the LHEs will not be have anywhere to transfer heat, then your reactor will blow up. None of this is a factor with EU reactors, which don't care about if you can store their EU, or where their heat goes.

Once you have a proper external heat loop, and heat user, and energy storage or other product use/storage, THEN you can feel comfortable about turning on your heat reactor. I would still monitor the parts for 5-10 minutes to make sure everything is going as planned.

HOW TO READ THE SIMULATOR[edit]

The diagram below shows the simulation stats you receive. The most important ones are highlighted and described.

File:SIMULATOR EXAMPLE.png

HEAT REACTOR CHECKLIST: [edit]

1. Is my reactor grid set up properly? Did I stop to make more items and not put them in?

2. Did I put coolant in my reactor? Did I put enough?

3. Did I put ejectors and pullers into the Fluid Ports?

4. Did I put Heat Exchangers and ejectors into the LHEs?

5. Did I set up coolant distribution properly? Are pipes, tanks and distributors all set as they should be? Are ejectors or pullers properly placed?

6. Did I place the orange squares together, or facing the proper direction?

BOILERS:

7. Did I place enough distilled water into the boilers?

8. Did I put turbines into the turbines? WHY ARE THE CALLED THE SAME THINGS? (Steam Kinetic Generators!)

9. Did I set up water collection? Did I put Ejectors and Pullers into proper places?

Example EU / Heat Reactors[edit]

Sure, you can play around with the grid on your own. I STRONGLY suggest using the simulator you were supposed to have obtained from the Required Work section.. For those who are trying to BLOW THEM SELVES UP or trying to make some non-stable mumbo-jumbo, you'll get no help here today. (Maybe the TA will help, he sometimes dabbles on his own time...)

If you want it in "Mark I-V" speak, all of these are Mark I's, except for one.

They are described as <FUEL & REFLECTORS>, <EU Reactor Output per tick>, <Heat Reactor Output per tick> (Heat conversion to EU), with the simulator code afterwards.

4 Quad, 320E, 1280H (75% Heat to EU = 960 EU)

0003030C09110D0C0903000C0D0C0D0C0D11030C0D0C0D0C0D0C0D0C0D0C0D0C0D0C0D0C0D0C0D0C0D0C0D0C0D110D140D140D110D11

4Q-320-1280.png

2 Quad 4 Refl, 240E, 1344H (75% Heat to EU = 1008 EU)

2303230C09110D0C0903230C0D0C0D0C0D11230C0D0C0D0C0D0C0D0C0D0C0D0C0D0C0D0C0D0C0D0C0D0C0D0C0D110D140D140D110D11

2Q4R-280-1344-1.png

6 Bi, 260E, 1120H (75% Heat to EU = 840 EU)

0202020009110D0C09020202000C0D0C0D110000000C0D0C0D0C0D0C000C0D0C0D0C0D0C0D0C0D0C0D0C0D0C0D110D140D140D110D11

6B-260-1120-1.png

MOX, 3x Quad, 1040 EU (do not use in heat reactor, heat to 7500 for 1040EU)

06060C0B0B09140914060C0D0C000C0D0C0D0C0D0C0D0C0D0C0D140B0C0D0C0D0C0D0C0D0B0D0C0D0C0D0C0D14001409140914091409

3Q-1040-1.png