Steam Reactor - TinyModularThings/IC2Classic GitHub Wiki

Nuclear Reactors are fun. But what if you want more power? Enter the Steam Reactor, a Reactor with the same design rules, but which converts Water into Steam rather than directly producing EU.

Note: The Steam Reactor does not emit Steam on its own, and as such cannot be used with only IC2C. Another mod, capable of fluid transport, must also be installed to make a Steam Reactor useful.

As with the Nuclear Reactor, testing designs in the Reactor Planner is highly recommended.

Design

The Steam Reactor uses the same design ideas as the Nuclear Reactor. Its multiblock structure uses Steam Reactor Chambers rather than regular Reactor Chambers, but is otherwise the same.

There are a few differences to the list of components the reactors can use.

  • Steam Reactors cannot use Heat Packs
  • Steam Reactors cannot use Electric Heat Vents. In stead, they can use Steam Heat Vents.
  • Steam Reactors cannot use Depleted Isotope Cells and thus cannot be used as Breeders

Steam Reactors do not output EU. In stead, Steam Heat Vents take in Water and heat, and convert them into Steam, which can then be extracted from the Reactor to generate energy. Therefore, while regular Heat Vents can be installed in a Steam Reactor, their use is effectively a waste of energy.

Additionally, Steam Reactors process heat pulses more frequently. Normal Reactors process one heat pulse every second (once every 20 server ticks). Steam Reactors process one heat pulse every server tick, resulting in much faster changes in reactor temperature. However, Fuel Cells still have their normal lifespans (-1 durability every second).

The Steam Reactor multiblock contains two fluid tanks, one for Water, one for Steam. The Water tank holds 2000mB; the Steam Tank holds 20,000mB. These tanks can be expanded by adding Reactor Chambers (+1000mB Water, +5000mB Steam per Chamber), and can be accessed from any side of any Reactor Chamber. Steam Heat Vents refill themselves from the Water tank, and automatically output to the Steam tank. If the Reactor's Steam tank is full, Steam Heat Vents will stop functioning, which can easily result in things overheating.