Mark V super efficient reactor theorycraft

1st Official Post

    If my math is correct a water cooled reactor with 6 chambers and 54 uranium cells heat balance would be:


    +54*50 heat/tick from cells = 2.700
    - 33 heat cooled by reactor (1) + water (20) + chambers (12)
    Net balance = 2.667 heat/tick


    It needs 81 ticks to cool down for each tick run (2.667 / 33).


    Pros:


    Easy to set up, just need a clock sending a pulse every 82 seconds (easy to do with Redpower mod) <- Need to check this as a reactor pulse <> to a minecraft tick, might need to set up a dual clock timer to send a 1 second pulse every 82 seconds.
    Most efficient configuration possible (can't be arsed to calculate but i assume it is around 4.3 or so)
    Runs for a long time (54 real life days)
    Lower set up cost than Mark II and III as no heat dispensers or coolant cells are required
    Awsome explosion in case you let it run for more than 3 ticks.


    Cons:


    Low EU/Sec (14ish i think (1200 EU or so every 82 seconds)
    No margin for errors it can go boom in 4 ticks (seconds).
    Outputs EHV so it needs more expensive equipment to lower current to usable levels.


    Also adding a few heat dispensers and coolant cells will probably increase EU/Sec and decrease output voltage to more manageable levels at the cost of efficiency.


    The control logic would probably be an OR gate connected to a:
    - Timer connected to a NOT gate (on during 81 seconds off during 1 second)
    - Lever to manually shut down the reactor if needed
    - Safety circuit to shut down the reactor if the timer circuit is on for more than 1 second every 81 seconds + Push button to reset the safety circuit when it goes off


    What do you guys think?


    Will build a proof of concept reactor in a test map later today.

    output of this reactor is 1200EU/t*20 = 24000EU/second as it can run only one second per 81 seconds so 24000/81 = average 296EU/s which is only 14EU/t which is quite low. so if you don't target high efectivity (over 4) you can easily make Mark I reactor with higher constant output.

    Quote from nou_spiro

    output of this reactor is 1200EU/t*20 = 24000EU/second as it can run only one second per 81 seconds so 24000/81 = average 296EU/s which is only 14EU/t which is quite low. so if you don't target high efectivity (over 4) you can easily make Mark I reactor with higher constant output.

    The whole point of this is to target really high efficiency. If run correctly in tandem with a mass fabricator and a good breeder this would prove to be a massively self-regenerating energy resource. Highly volatile, but highly awesome. I like it.

    Confirmed it works.


    I had to use two timers and a toggle latch for it to work though, one is set at 82 seconds and the other one to one second. The first one turns the reactor + the second timer on and the second timer turns the reactor and itself off. I am using Redpower mod for the timers and toggle latch.


    Output was 24.064 EU per cycle as expected ( = 293/sec = 14,6/tick)

    Quote from grincore

    Confirmed it works.


    I had to use two timers and a toggle latch for it to work though, one is set at 82 seconds and the other one to one second. The first one turns the reactor + the second timer on and the second timer turns the reactor and itself off. I am using Redpower mod for the timers and toggle latch.


    Output was 24.064 EU per cycle as expected ( = 293/sec = 14,6/tick)

    I think for end-game production a few dozens of these are probably the way to go. Combined with breeders and mass fabricators of course. As an engineer I always value efficiency above all else :).

    Quote from grincore

    Indeed. And by making a group you only need to have one control circuit. Also the extreme high voltage they deliver makes it easy to set them up far from our bases.


    Pics of my test configuration


    http://imgur.com/a/vrvqZ#TYlQM

    would you send them through a transformer first, to increase package size to 2k? I secluded nuclear islands with unfortunate operators to keep the chunk loaded controlling the various circuits. Do you think one could replace the redstone circuitry with the control block alblaka's about to implement? I hope it isnt too slow to react, it would make things even simpler.

    Any kind of control block or the thermometer mod would make things simpler.


    Edit: Not sure about package size is it 24k per reactor tick or each reactor tick is converted into 20x1200 EU ticks?

    Umm... Well, it is interesting and very efficient, but... Average output is sucks... It less than the output of the simpliest chamberless Mk.I with efficiency 2. And this one needs a lot of the uranium to start. It requires a lot of resources - six chambers, HV-transformer, and so on... If you want to feed the fabricator, you need a lot of these reactors... It is too slow, isn't it?

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    Your heat callculation isn't correct. Uranium produces 50heat only if is surrounded with 4 uranium. This is correct only for 28 uranium in center, but on sides has each uranium only 3 others uranium, and for corners has only 2 others uranium.
    Total heat is lower:
    28*50 + 22*40 + 4*30 = +2400 h/s
    With cooling (-33) is total produced heat +2367 h/s


    And effeciency is 4.44

    • Official Post

    By my calculations, without any scrap input needed, this will produce enough UUM in a full cycle to create 40 uranium, as well as leaving about 18 depleted cells. A good breeder can turn that into significantly more than the original 54 uranium cells, even if you factor in the cost of UUM-made tin and coal, and running the macerator for the coal dust. The tattered remains of the laws of thermodynamics throw up their metaphorical hands in disgust and leave the world of Minecraft forever. We've successfully turned time into energy. 8|

    Quote from Drashian

    By my calculations, without any scrap input needed, this will produce enough UUM in a full cycle to create 40 uranium, as well as leaving about 18 depleted cells. A good breeder can turn that into significantly more than the original 54 uranium cells, even if you factor in the cost of UUM-made tin and coal, and running the macerator for the coal dust. The tattered remains of the laws of thermodynamics throw up their metaphorical hands in disgust and leave the world of Minecraft forever. We've successfully turned time into energy. 8|

    Loving it!

    instead of building this, you can just build 30 solar panels with the same result ^_~ And even better - they doesn't need uranium.

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    Solar arrays are less compact, cannot be stacked vertically AND needs a clear view of the sky. That makes them vastly inferior for hidden, astethic, and/or compact bases :sleeping:



    BTW:


    <-----------------------------------------------------
    Use uran to power mass fabricator that produces more uran

    Use solar panels to power the mass fabricator to produce more solar panels ^_~


    And 30-panels array is not very big, (5x6 m), my reactor cover is bigger (9x9), an they doesn't need any resources to operate, so you can use the produced matter to... i don't know... to make some iridium, to make more iron, gold, and so on. Yes, you can make some uranium, enrich it in the breeder, but it will take an eternity.

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    Quote from Kuu

    Use solar panels to power the mass fabricator to produce more solar panels ^_~


    And 30-panels array is not very big, (5x6 m), my reactor cover is bigger (9x9), an they doesn't need any resources to operate, so you can use the produced matter to... i don't know... to make some iridium, to make more iron, gold, and so on. Yes, you can make some uranium, enrich it in the breeder, but it will take an eternity.

    One who agrees with me on breeding being a waste of time :)
    yes you could get an energy win by producing matter derived uranium but it just takes too much time the only problem with solar panels is 1 generator each and wiring

    Yes, i'd like the idea of powering the Fabricator by the reactor, but not by the reactor with average output of 14 eu/t! And it is better to dig the uranium rather than fabricate it by the fabricator... I mentioned the solars because if you want fully-indipendent mass or energy factory, the solar one would be much easier to build and maintain.

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    Of course it is by far much better to dig the uranium but I am thinking of automated (except for reactor filling ofc) energy increasage using buildcraft

    Well, you shold build an efficient reactor, but with the normal average output, and use the scrap generator. Yes, may be efficiency (aka "matter multiplier") will be less than using crazy Mk.V + breeders, but one "matter cycle" will be much shorter...

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