Reactor

Reactor
Recipe	Quartz 10x Pipe 25x Iron 50x Wire 15x Rubber 30x
Raw Recipe	Stone 30x Copper 15x Iron 75x Grass 30x Quartz 10x
Config	Alarm(boolean)
Durability	15
Malleability	Fixed size

The Reactor is an object in the game that is used to generate Steam. It requires multiple uranium to fill all of its fueling rods, which must touch the reactor, and Water stored in the Container to run. The Steam output of a reactor increases as temperature increases. Reactors also need to be above 400 degrees to turn water into steam.

The temperature of the reactor can be increased or decreased by Polysilicon and can be determined by TemperatureSensor attached to it, which triggers when the reactor's temperature is within its temperature detection range value.

The appearance of the reactor is a yellow cube covered with textures and displays. The reactor has markings on the sides to indicate danger of Radioactivity and has a steam vent on the top. The reactor also has a display on the front that shows the temperature of the reactor, how high the control rods are and the amount of Uranium fuel in the reactor.

Uses and Operation

Fueling

The reactor can be automatically refueled using microcontrollers or delay wires, some example microcontroller refueling code can be found here with the auto-reactor tutorial. For maximum steam output, it must have 4 pieces of uranium inside. Even with fuel inside, reactors dont give off radiation. To remove a fuel rod from the reactor, place a polysilicon set to flip-flop mode and trigger it. This will dispense either uranium or nuclear waste from the rod with the least fuel left, depending on the fuel level in the rod before ejection.

Inputs and Outputs

Reactor needs water and uranium to function, although that uranium should be dispensed into the reactor. It also should be noted that NuclearWaste is output through the back of the reactor as an item, which can be automatically picked up if you place a bin there. Water consumption is the same as steam production, which can be determined by this formula: (t-400)/15, where t is the temperature. It's important to say that the minimal steam production is 10 as long as temperature is above 400F.

Control rods

Reactors have control rods, which manage the reactor's heat gain/loss. To control them, you need two polysilicons with one on mode 0 and the other on mode 1. They can be controlled by having a Button on each one or having a temperature sensor connected to the reactor for each one (Read Automatic Reactor for more details). Raising and lowering the rods controls how much the reactor heats and cools. Control rods become less efficient when the temperatures are higher. Delay wires could also be used to keep the reactor stable, however lag makes them unreliable and will most likely cause a meltdown.

Meltdown

It may appear to be an easy and safe method of power generation, but always proceed with caution! A meltdown will occur if the reactor isn't monitored properly. A warning alarm will issue at ~1100 degrees but 1200 is when you'll meet the inevitable. The meltdown will cause an explosion that can destroy your base or ship.

In-game Description

"Generates steam using water and heat from radiation. Up to 4 pieces of uranium can be inserted into the reactor as fuel. If the temperature is above 400, it will begin to turn water into steam (rate dependent on temperature). If the temperature exceeds 1200 F, a meltdown will occur. The Reactor fuel status can be acquired through the :GetFuel() method with a microcontroller. Polysilicon is used to control a reactor, and fuel must be ejected manually: Activation lowers the control rods, decreasing reaction rate. Deactivation raises the control rods, allowing fuel to react. FlipFlop will eject fuel or waste from the fuel rod with the least fuel."

Configuration

• Alarm^(boolean) - Determines whether the reactor alarm system is enabled for when the reactor is near meltdown temperature.

Notes

• The reactor's explosion can be blocked by the shield of EnergyShield.
• Reactors have warning alarms that turn on when it goes above 1100F, but only turn off at 1000F.
  • This can be disabled by configuring the reactor's alarm property.
• Reactor sends trigger signal when any of rods run out of fuel, which can break some automated systems.
• NuclearWaste will be dispensed only if fuel level in the rod is below 97.5%.
• The meltdown explosion has a 500 stud radius, but deals significantly less damage compared to other explosions in the game.
• The Reactor's temperature can be changed by the temperature of any planet or by the heater to raise temperature and the cooler to decrease temperature, which are next to it.

Trivia

• Reactor is similar to Boiler, as it produces Steam when supplied with Water, but instead of Coal, Uranium is used.

Gallery

A reactor on its own.