multiple reactors in close proximity

  • I got the "smart" idea of creating several small stable reactors nearby one another to easily control power output to meet demand. However, building them in close proximity (2 blocks from one another, single chamber reactors), I came back to my base and had a nice big hole. It seems reactors bleed heat to several squares. What I'm trying to do is do this same technique but at a safe distance from one another.


    What I need to know, and what I've found very difficult to search on, is: What is the range a reactor can "cast" it's heat to another reactor?


    Put another way, how far away from one another must I build my reactors so they don't bleed heat to one another?


    I do apologize if this has been answered, upon trying to search all I could get was results on putting reactor chambers adjacent to the reactor to get more squares inside it.


    Also, super bonus question: Do the same rules apply to my breeder, which runs much hotter than my Mk 1?


    :Nuke TNT:

    • Official Post

    Im pretty sure they dont emit heat to each other, and if so, only right next to them. What Design where you using?


  • They don't bleed heat to each other at all. I've made stacks of them so I could use routers to manage them all at once.


    Most likely you had a wrong component or misplaced component in one of your reactors. If you used any of the designs from the New [Official] Reactors design thread, then they are almost all optimized down to the lowest cost, so there is little to no margin for error on cooling. If you misplace something or use the wrong exchanger a component will melt and then that will snowball into more components melting until you get a crater.


    A simple safety measure is to fill any gaps in a design (cheapest component is reactor plating) and then use build craft iron gate to help monitor the reactor. The iron and gate should be set to emit redstone signal if it has a full inventory and if it is getting a redstone signal. To make sure the redstone signal is not from itself use a repeater into the gate with on/off coming from your control room/energy storage units.


    Post a screenshot of your design or a link to it in the simulator.


    Breeders in the damage range or higher do have some affect on their surroundings, but I don't think they can affect any reactor blocks. Even near meltdown temperature it should only destroy water blocks and maybe anything flammable.

  • Thanks guys, I did consider the possibility of a misplaced component. I am a pretty active "double checker" but if you all have run reactors in very close proximity before, I can't think of another explanation.


    I will backup my world when I install the new one and set them both running...thanks for the help!


    I am at work and my system here hates java, and evernote unfortunately, where I have a backup screenshot of the build I used. I do know it uses 6 single uranium cells, they are in the bottom 2 rows (3 on top of 3 more), and the unit requires no operating copper and generates 20M EU in a single cycle. I love it because it's cheap and pretty darned efficient.


    Thanks again for the help!

  • with only a single chamber you can't possible cool 6 uranium rods in the bottom rows, unless you use lapis/ redstone...

  • with only a single chamber you can't possible cool 6 uranium rods in the bottom rows, unless you use lapis/ redstone...


    Do you even lift?


    Zombie's reactor:



    http://www.talonfiremage.pwp.b…d83b78y8enonfoolys5g23280



    If it is the one i linked to above, then all the components have to be in the right spot. You can't flip the fuel to the top or anything like that. On my monitor it is sometimes hard to pick out the gold exchangers vs the basic ones, so keep an eye on that.


    Also did you come back to a crater or just some damage? Maybe something else blew up in the area?

  • That's totally the one! Freakin awesome reactor!


    Quote

    On my monitor it is sometimes hard to pick out the gold exchangers vs the basic ones, so keep an eye on that.

    This has got to be the problem.


    When I was upstairs in my ready room I heard a big kaboom. I had my reactors at the end of my main inventory room, buncha boxes with all mah stuff. It was in a 2 thick layer of the advanced concrete stuff (forget the name, the dark greyish brown stuff), so it was thankfully all contained. I think the run time on the reactor was about 5 minutes. It killed 2 reactors and a breeder that were inside the room. Since my reactors are single chamber I'm building my breeder seperate and little bunkers around the reactors. Now I know I can stick em close by one another!