Big Reactors

Big Reactors is a mod that adds multi-block power systems capable of providing large amounts of RF power to Minecraft. The specific arrangement and material of mod blocks in each multi-block structure determines the performance and behavior of the system as a whole.

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Reactor Parts
Reactor Controller All reactors must have exactly one Reactor Controller block. This block provides the main interface for monitoring the status of the reactor.

Reactor Access Port Access Ports are buffers that contain unused fuel and waste. Right-clicking a port brings up an interface that allows to add fuel, remove waste, and toggle inlet/outlet mode. An active reactor will use the fuel from the 'Inlet' port and dump waste into the 'Outlet' port.

A Big Reactor needs at least one access port.

Yellorium Fuel Rod The core of the reactor is an arrangement of Yellorium Fuel Rods. These must be stacked to stretch the entire interior height of the reactor. The entire volume of the reactor may be filled with fuel rods, but it does not have to be.

Reactor Control Rod Above each stack of fuel rods there must be a Reactor Control Rod, this block tells the reactor where the fuel rods are so it can fill them with fuel.

Reactor Power Tap

Reactors that provide RF energy directly need to have at least one Reactor Power Tap as part of the structure.

The Power Tap can attach to any compatible Cable or Conduit that accepts RF power.

Reactor Coolant Port

Coolant Ports allow fluids to be injected into and drained from the reactor. Reactors that provide RF directly use coolant ports to keep the core at a safe operating temperature. Those that run steam turbines use coolant ports to feed the turbine with steam.

Reactor Computer Port

The Computer Port intalled on a Reactor, allows ComputerCraft blocks and items to control it.

Reactor RedNet Port

Like the Computer Port, the RedNet Port allows a reactor to interface with a RedNet network.

Building It
Reactors and turbines are multi-block structures: they are made up of individual blocks arranged according to specific rules which together create a large functional machine. Both reactors and turbines must be built as a closed, mostly hollow box with no holes and complete edges, including corners. The edges of this box must be Reactor Casing or Turbine Housing, and the faces Reactor Glass or Turbine Glass, respectively.

In addition to these containment blocks, a number of other blocks are necessary to make a functioning reactor or turbine. None of the these blocks can be placed on the edge or corner; they must be somewhere in the faces of the reactor, sometimes in very specific places. Right clicking on the reactor casing or turbine housing will tell you if anything is missing. Important: Ensure there are no metallic blocks within a 1 block radius of your turbine! Doing so results in unpredictable behavior with the turbine.

Download this spreadsheet to calculate the required materials and their cost for any size Reactor structure.

Use this Big Reactor Simulator to test the efficiency of different Reactor design.

Temperature
The fuel inside the fuel rods generates power, radiation and heat. Heat is transferred to the adjacent 4 blocks from the fuel rods into a coolant or fuel rod block, and likewise radiation is transferred up to 4 blocks (dependant on adjacent block absorption) in the north, south, east and west direction.

Radiation and heat cause the temperature in the reactor to rise and consume more fuel, at higher temperatures there is a penalty to fuel consumption.

Coolant
A coolant reduces the temperature of a reactor, and moves heat from the reactor core to the reactor casing. The higher the casing heat, the higher the energy output and heat transfer rate of coolants.

It is important to note that the coolant discussed in this section is completely unrelated to the Reactor Coolant Port. These would be more accurately described as the moderating material of your reactor, whereas the coolant port accepts only water for the generation of steam. Any fluid coolants must be manually added to the reactor during construction, exactly as you would with solid coolant materials. Those looking to fill large reactors with fluids that fall, such as Gelid Cryotheum, may want to consider using buildcraft's Flood Gate.

Each material has various parameters that govern how it affects the reactor: SO ENDERIUM IS THE BEST BASICALLY *****
 * Absorption: How much radiation this material absorbs and converts to heat. Ranges from 0 (none) to 1 (all).
 * Heat Efficiency: How efficiently radiation is converted to heat. Ranges from 0 (none) to 1 (all).
 * Moderation: How well this material moderates radiation. This is a divisor, and greater than or equal to 1.
 * Conductivity: Amount of heat transfered on each exposed face.