Nuclear Reactor: Difference between revisions
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==Generating Heat== | ==Generating Heat== | ||
The '''Fission Rate''' and the fuel rods determine how much heat is available. <code>heat_generated = 2 × fission_rate × total_heat_potential</code> where | The '''Fission Rate''' and the fuel rods determine how much heat is available.<br><code>heat_generated = 2 × fission_rate × total_heat_potential</code> where | ||
*<code>heat_generated</code> is the temperature of the reactor without heat consumed by Turbine Output and | *<code>heat_generated</code> is the temperature of the reactor without heat consumed by Turbine Output and | ||
*<code>total_heat_potential</code> is the sum of the Heat Potentials of all unspent [[Fuel Rod|Fuel Rods]] in the reactor. Note that different fuel rods have different Heat Potentials. The reactor will supply the total heat potential on the wire connection fuel_out | *<code>total_heat_potential</code> is the sum of the Heat Potentials of all unspent [[Fuel Rod|Fuel Rods]] in the reactor. Note that different fuel rods have different Heat Potentials. The reactor will supply the total heat potential on the wire connection fuel_out |
Revision as of 22:24, 11 February 2023
Data is potentially outdated | |
Last updated for version 0.19.11.0 Last mentioned in changelog 1.1.18.0 The current game version is 1.4.6.0 |
Nuclear Reactor | ||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Usable device for generating electrical power. | ||||||||||
Statistics* | ||||||||||
Item Slots | 4 Fuel Rod slots | |||||||||
Max Power Output | 5000 kW | |||||||||
Repairable | ||||||||||
Required Skill | Electrical Engineering 55 | |||||||||
Required Item | Screwdriver | |||||||||
|
Nuclear Reactor | ||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Usable device for generating electrical power. | ||||||||||
Statistics* | ||||||||||
Item Slots | 4 Fuel Rod slots | |||||||||
Max Power Output | 20000 kW | |||||||||
Repairable | ||||||||||
Required Skill | Electrical Engineering 55 | |||||||||
Required Item | Screwdriver | |||||||||
|
The Nuclear Reactor is an installation. It uses fuel rods to produce power to the submarine.
Function
The nuclear reactor's function is to generate power for other installations on the submarine. As long as the reactor is active, every other connected device on the ship will remain active as well. Power generated by the reactor is sent to other installations via wiring. Power distribution requires Junction Boxes to work, as the reactor cannot send power to other installations directly. Maintaining the power network is one of the most important aspects of a round, as the submarine cannot function without power.
The nuclear reactor undergoes nuclear fission, in which atoms are split apart, cause large amounts of energy to be released. The rate at which these reactions take place is measured by the fission rate. The resulting reaction also causes heat to be released that raises the overall temperature of the reactor. If the temperature raises past 6,482 degrees for too long, the reactor will catch on Fire. If the temperature stays over 7,965 degrees for too long, it will meltdown, creating a massive radioactive explosion. It is possible to fix the submarine and reactor after a meltdown, but it is difficult due to radiation, lack of power and, often, hull breaches. Because of this, the cooling and fission rates must be adjusted to keep the temperature at a desired level - which is usually the same as the amount of power consumed by the electrical grid of the submarine.
Fuel Rods are required for the nuclear reactor to function. The reactor can hold up to four rods. They will be slowly consumed at a rate proportionate to the Fission Rate. Fuel Rods can be removed and replaced at any time.
If the reactor is in water, it will take damage over time, down to 10% condition.
Even when not in water, a reactor will slowly deteriorate over time, proportional to turbine output and fission rate. A reactor will not deteriorate below 10% condition by itself.
If the reactor reaches 0% condition and has a fuel rod in, it will instantly meltdown.
Mechanics
Turbine Output
Setting the Turbine Output determines the power output of the reactor as long as there is enough heat. power_generated = (turbine_output ÷ 100) × reactor_max_power
. In other words, the Turbine Output is the percentage of the reactor's Maximum Power Output that will be supplied.
Maximum Power Output varies between the reactors of different submarines. This can be changed in the Submarine Editor.
- Maximum Power Output can be increased via upgrades.
The Turbine requires and consumes heat. If there isn't enough heat, the reactor's output will be limited.
- The temperature required for a given Turbine Output is
temperature_required = (turbine_output ÷ 100) × 5000
ortemperature_required = turbine_output × 50
- The Turbine will reduce temperature in proportion to Turbine Output. For every 1 Turbine Output, temperature is reduced by 100.
temperature_consumed = 100 × turbine_output
- By combining these, the total heat generation needed to offset Turbine Output's heat consumption and reach the needed temperature can be calculated.
total_heat_required = temperature_required + temperature_consumed
ortotal_heat_required = turbine_output × 50 + turbine_output × 100
ortotal_heat_required = turbine_output × 150
- Turbine Output constantly consumes heat, so suddenly increasing the turbine output without increasing fission rate will reduce the temperature of the reactor.
- This will decrease the power output instead of increasing it, since the lower temperature will limit the reactor's output.
- Similarly, if turbine output is too low relative to fission rate a heat build-up may occur.
Therefore, Turbine Output must be balanced with heat generation by adjusting the Fission Rate.
Note: if the reactor outputs much more power than is needed, junction boxes will gradually become damaged. And if load is higher than maximum output, electrical devices may flicker or stop working.
Generating Heat
The Fission Rate and the fuel rods determine how much heat is available.heat_generated = 2 × fission_rate × total_heat_potential
where
heat_generated
is the temperature of the reactor without heat consumed by Turbine Output andtotal_heat_potential
is the sum of the Heat Potentials of all unspent Fuel Rods in the reactor. Note that different fuel rods have different Heat Potentials. The reactor will supply the total heat potential on the wire connection fuel_out
The Fission Rate required for sustaining a given Turbine Output can be calculated using the formulas above:
total_required_heat = turbine_output × 150
heat_generated = 2 × fission_rate × total_heat_potential
The needed amount of heat will be generated when total_heat_required = heat_generated
, therefore:
2 × fission_rate × total_heat_potential = turbine_output × 150
orfission_rate = turbine_output × 75 ÷ total_heat_potential
Note: if rods are added and/or fission rate is increased but heat is not used by increasing the turbine output, then the reactor overheats and takes damage, eventually leading to a meltdown
- Time before meltdown occurs can be increased via upgrades.
Fuel Rods
Special Case: Only 1 Uranium Rod
In addition to determining the heat generated at a given fission rate, Heat Potential will also limit the maximum Fission Rate if the total Heat Potential is less than 100.
The only way to get heat potential less than 100 is to use exactly 1 Fuel Rod, which has a Heat Potential of 80 and will cap Fission Rate at 80%.
Because it cannot generate enough heat, a sole Uranium Rod can only reach up to 85% maximum power output, however the Turbine output must be set to 85% or lower. If Turbine Output is above 85% with a single rod, the power output will drop to only 56% at 100% Turbine Output due to the loss in temperature.
- In general, it is best to avoid this scenario by keeping heat potential above 100. This can be done by using more rods or by using rods with higher heat potential.
- It is possible to momentarily pass 80% fission, though the reactor will quickly correct this back down to 80% on the gauge.
Fuel Efficiency
Fuel rods deteriorate proportionally to the fission rate and fuel consumption rate of the reactor, the lower fission rate the longer each rod lasts.
- In the Submarine Editor, the fuel consumption rate of reactors can be changed. (Default: 0.2)
- Fuel consumption rate can be decreased via upgrades.
- The equation for per rod fuel consumption is
(Fuel Consumption Rate * Fission) / # of rods
- Therefore, The per rod consumption for a reactor containing 2 rods at 90% fission with the default consumption rate would be
(0.2 * 0.9) / 2 = 0.06/s
- Therefore, The per rod consumption for a reactor containing 2 rods at 90% fission with the default consumption rate would be
The fission rate is linear, so using rods one at a time or all at once provides the same amount of runtime overall. For example, using 4 of the same type of rod just causes each rod to lose durability at 1/4th speed.
There are some other benefits to using multiple rods, mainly that changing rods is less frequent and less movement of the needle is needed for fission rate.
- Reducing load to the reactor can decrease the fission rate and increase overall runtime.
Indicators
Critical Heat:
- The temperature is at or above 7965 and the reactor is on.
- The reactor is melting down.
Critical Output:
- The power output is more than 150% (1.5x) of the current load and the reactor is on.
Critically Low Temperature:
- The temperature is below 2331 and the reactor is on.
Note: There are no penalties or consequences for having a critically low temperature provided there is enough heat to satisfy the Turbine Output.
Gauges
- The left gauge, labeled "Fission Rate", indicates the current fission rate of the reactor.
- The right gauge, labeled "Turbine Output", indicates the current turbine output of the reactor.
- Red areas show unrecommended settings.
- Yellow areas show "ok" settings.
- Green areas show recommended settings.
Temp Low:
- The temperature is below 3515 and the reactor is on.
Note: There are no penalties or consequences for having a low temperature provided there is enough heat to satisfy the Turbine Output.
Overheat:
- The temperature is at or above 6482 and the reactor is on.
- The reactor will shortly burst into flames.
Output Low:
- The power output is less than 90% (0.9x) of the current load.
Output High:
- The power output is more than 110% (1.1x) of the current load.
Fuel Low:
- The available fuel is less than the fission rate and the reactor is on.
Fuel Out:
- The available fuel is less than 1% of the fission rate and the reactor is on.
Meltdown:
- The reactor is halfway past the meltdown timer and is on. OR The reactor has condition 0 and is on.
SCRAM:
- The reactor is powered off and the temperature is more than 0.
Temperature Graph
- The colored squares indicate the current temperature of the reactor.
- The bottom red notches indicate the lowest "ok" temperature for the reactor.
- The top red notches indicate the highest "ok" temperature for the reactor.
- A flashing red section above the top red notches indicate that the reactor is overheating, and may burst into flames or explode.
Power/Load Graph
- "Load" indicates the current load of the connected power grid.
- "Output" indicates the current power output of the reactor.
- The yellow line is power output.
- The blue line is grid load.
Example scenarios |
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Load is increased instantaneously, causing a low-power situation while the reactor increases its Fission Rate (which takes a little bit to catch up) and possibly Reaction Rate (unless there was already enough extra heat being generated).
Load is decreased instantaneously resulting in far more power generated than required, which causes damage to the junction boxes until the Turbine Output decreases (and Fission Rate, too, to avoid excess heat).
More fuel rods without changing the Fission Rate results in dramatically increased heat, causing damage to the reactor and a possible meltdown, unless the Turbine Output is increased to consume that heat. No extra power is generated unless the Turbine Output is increased accordingly.
Since heat level has not increased, the power generated won't actually go up, and might actually go down. This will be a "temp low" situation.
The turbine is no longer consuming the heat that is generated, so the reactor will begin to get hotter and possibly overheat and meltdown. |
Usage
When a reactor is selected, a control panel opens up. The panel displays two gauges, a bar graph, and a line graph. They represent the fission rate, turbine output, temperature, and reactor load/output respectively.
In this control panel, players can manually set the fission rate and turbine output of the reactor or toggle automatic control.
Manual Control
Under manual control, the Fission and Turbine are controlled manually. A player should be stationed near the reactor to adjust the fission and turbine appropriately for the ship's fluctuating power requirements.
Manual control can respond to power fluctuations faster than Automatic mode and Wire Control, but requires player attention. The suggested regions are affected by Electrical Engineering, which can compensate for slightly inaccurate placement.
- Start the reactor using the button on the top-right labelled "Power". The light next to the button should glow.
- Ensure automatic control is off. The light next to the switch should be off.
- The sliders beneath Turbine Output and Fission Rate can be drag & dropped. When hovering the mouse over one of the sliders, they can also be adjusted using the keyboard movement keys. Using the and will directly increase or decrease targeted temperature temporarily.
Note: In general, the turbine output should be near center of the green zone (to exactly meet the load). The color-coded zones of the Fission Rate should be ignored, as they do not reflect the heat generation needed to support the Turbine Output. Optimal Fission Rate will often be in the yellow or red zones, and should be adjusted proportionally to Turbine Output and the fuel rods.
Automatic Control
Enabling Automatic Control adjusts Fission and Turbine automatically. It reacts to changes in load slower than a human can, but requires little player attention.
- Start the reactor using the button on the top-right labelled "Power". The light next to the button should glow.
- Turn on automatic control using the switch on the top-right labelled "Automatic Control". The light next to the switch should be on.
- The reactor will slowly adjust Turbine Output towards the load and Fission Rate towards the middle temperature (5000).
Note: It is possible to use multiple fuel rods with regular Automatic Control, however this requires the fission to be lowered manually or shutting the reactor off before adding the extra rods. Otherwise the adjustment will be too slow and a fire will start if no preparation is done.
Connection Panel for Nuclear Reactor Hover over pins to see their descriptions. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Requires: Screwdriver |
Wire Control
Wire control adjusts Fission Rate and Turbine Output remotely through Wiring Components. Wire control overrides both Automatic and Manual controls. It can also be used to warn about overheating, meltdowns, and used to remotely shut down the reactor.
Wiring, similar to Automatic, has a limited rate of change. Updates to the Fission Rate or Turbine Output electrical connections will adjust the reactor's actual Fission Rate or Turbine Output at a rate of 5 per second until it reaches the value provided by the electrical connection.
- The shutdown input can be used to remotely shutdown the reactor, unlike other inputs it will activate if any non-null signal is sent. (So sending 0 still shuts it down)
- The reactor cannot be started remotely. However, by leaving the reactor on and setting Fission Rate and Turbine Output to 0, a state functionally identical to shutdown can be achieved. From this state, the reactor can be engaged remotely by increasing the Fission Rate and Turbine Output.
Fuel Rods
Fuel Rod Type | Durability | Heat Potential | Electrical Skill to Craft | Crafting Materials | Crafting Time | Store Price |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Fuel Rod | 100 | 80 | 25 | Uranium | 10 | 135-150 Marks |
Thorium Fuel Rod | 200 | 100 | 60 | Thorium | 10 | 225 Marks |
Fulgurium Fuel Rod | 150 | 150 | 40 | Fulgurium Bar | 10 | Not purchasable |
Volatile Fulgurium Fuel Rod | 400 | 150 | 70 and Danger Zone | Fulgurium Bar | 25 | Not purchasable |
Volatile Fulgurium Fuel Rods inflict 0.2 Radiation Sickness per second to nearby characters within 2.5 meters and 1/s within 1 meter, regardless of whether the rod is in the reactor, in a container, or in a character's inventory.
Any crew handling them or in proximity of the reactor should be equipped with radiation protective Gear.
The PUCS will grant 90% resistance to Radiation Sickness, while a Hazmat Suit paired with any other type of Diving Suit will provide 70% resistance.
Meltdown
When a reactor reaches 0% condition, and if there is a fuel rod in it, it will meltdown, generating a large radioactive explosion. Fuel rods in the reactor will be completely exhausted.
Item |
Afflictions on Hit |
Structure Damage |
Kinetic Force |
Explosion Radius (m) |
---|---|---|---|---|
Burn : 500
Deep Tissue Injury : 500 Stun : 15 |
300 |
25.0 |
7.5 | |
Burn : 500
Deep Tissue Injury : 500 Stun : 15 |
300 |
25.0 |
7.5 |
Default Submarines Max Power Output
Submarine | Max Output | Fuel Consumption Rate |
---|---|---|
Azimuth | 3,500 | 0.2 |
Barsuk | 4,200 | 0.2 |
Berilia | 6,500 | 0.3 |
Dugong | 3,000 | 0.2 |
Herja | 4,800 | 0.2 |
Humpback | 3,100 | 0.2 |
Kastrull | 5,000 | 0.3 |
Orca | 3,500 | 0.3 |
Orca 2 | 4,000 | 0.3 |
R-29 | 5,200 | 0.2 |
Remora | 5,000 | 0.3 |
Typhon | 5,000 | 0.25 |
Typhon 2 | 5,200 | 0.2 |
Winterhalter | 8,500 | 0.3 |
Camel | 5,200 | 0.2 |
Related Talents
Talent | Tree | Description |
---|---|---|
Buzzin' ID: buzzing
|
Engineer Physicist Spec. 2 |
Your reactor's Max Output is increased by 10%. |
Cruisin' ID: cruising
|
Engineer Physicist Spec. 2 |
Your reactor's Fuel Efficiency is increased by 20%. |
Media
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A Nuclear Reactor during a meltdown.
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A Nuclear Reactor on fire.
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A Nuclear Reactor used in outposts.
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Reactor active ambience
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Reactor overheat alarm
Installations | |
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Submarine Weapons | |
Small Turrets
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Large Turrets
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Loaders
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Other
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Navigation | |
Machines | |
Electrical | |
Structure | |
Other | |
Alien | |