Suggestion: external reactor cooling system for your nuclear reactors

  • In order to make reactors even more efficient and advanced, I suggest an external cooling system.
    A set of 2 machines and a pipe.
    Heat absorber is placed inside 3x3x3 grid near the reactor. It can absorb up to triple amount heat compared to water. Though it must be connected to the cooler outside. Efficiency will vary depending on cooler surrounding (3x3x1 grid).
    -0.125h/t per each lava block
    0.125h/t per each solid block
    0.250h/t per each air block
    0.375h/t per each water block



    Since cooler is a cool industrial equipment, it will consume 2eu/t while active.



    Now, the recipes:


    Heat absorber:
    We all know reactor can easily reach 10000 heat or more. That's why we need a special plating to ensure heat absorber won't melt.
    Even then, iridium plating will melt once reactor reaches 12100 heat.
    Iridium Intergrated Plating Intergrated Plating
    Intergrated Heat Dispenser Coolant Cell Coolant Cell
    Iridium Intergrated Plating Intergrated Plating


    Copper Pipes (6x):
    Copper Ingot Copper Ingot Copper Ingot
    Coolant Cell Coolant Cell Coolant Cell
    Copper Ingot Copper Ingot Copper Ingot


    Cooler:
    (note - pump is in the middle)
    Intergrated Plating Coolant Cell Intergrated Plating
    Intergrated Heat Dispenser Extractor Intergrated Heat Dispenser
    Intergrated Plating Advanced Circuit Intergrated Plating

  • I really like this idea!
    I had my own idea about a special cooling element component which would teleport heat to a block which would be outside the reactor cooling area
    but I like your idea better!

  • Would/should it be possible to use the waste heat to run generators??


    What do you mean by "run generators"?
    Reactor is assumed to produce electricity by itself and heat is only a side-product.
    I'm not even talking about transferring heat between reactors (another very nice idea).


    Making heat just a resource for heating up the generator turbines might be a good idea, but then it all will become a complete revamp for the whole generation system. We will need another "pipe" system to transfer heat from generators (actually just furnaces) to turbines, and then turbines will convert heat to electricity. This is already enough to start a completely different mod. Though it's a very nice idea.

  • Actually, heat could be turned into EU, by a geothermal generator because in real life a geothermal generator is not only powered by lava but also extreme amounts of heat, so what i suggest is just to make the geothermal generators able to run off the heat of the reactor, which would help prevent meltdowns but not get rid of that danger, and it would also save all the heat as EU, it would be a win win. And also give a needed use for the geothermal generator. Plus It would make sence, besides the reactor can heat up enogh to make lava so it should be able to power geothermal generators with their heat.

  • Well I would say that it could be limited to the heat transfer system that you talk about...
    So, you have an input block near the reactor and then you pipe that over to an output block which has a 3*3*3 space to emit heat into whatever you place there.
    Could, be heat turbines (or Geothermals as Electrobob992 suggested) only running above a certain heat level (which is provided by the output block to each individual inside the 3*3*3 area).

  • I'd say turning that heat into EU would be too much. The cooling system should consume power to allow creating even more different reactor designs while keeping the system complex enough.


    Of course you can make a coolant item which will give you 1eu/t and drain 10 heat from reactor, but that'd be too much for a fair play even if its recipe was a diamond block surrounded by iridium plates.


    Somehow this makes me think about a complete modification of IC machines - turning a machine block/adv.machine block into "reactor" for some gears you will have to put inside by yourself and get the result you want.

  • Look at the custom nuclear items pending addon thread: there is some new reactor content for those who wish to experiment with alternative reactor designs