User:Cherman0/Nuclear Generator

See Also: Power Grid

The Nuclear Generator (Nuke) is the main source of power on Clarion and Nadir. It generates power by using nuclear reactions to heat a gas loop, which is then used to spin a turbine and create power.

Parts of the Nuclear Generator

Nuclear Reactor

The nuclear reactor is the primary source of heat that the generator uses to make power. It is represented as a 7x7 grid of reactor rod ports, which engineers can insert fabricated rods into into. The reactor itself has one configurable setting, "control rod insertion". This is a percentage and represents a multiplier to the neutron cross-section of the control rods, allowing for the user to configure how much they impede the rate of reaction.

Reactor Rods

Four different types of reactor rods can be manufactured from the nuclear nano-fabricator: Fuel Rods, Control Rods, Heat Exchanger Rods, and Gas Channel rods. Each has a thermal cross-section and neutron cross-section stat, which represents how much allow or restrict the passage of heat or neutrons.

Whenever a neutron enters the reactor grid location of an inserted rod, it has a chance to interact with that rod based on its density and neutron cross-section. Denser rods and rods with a larger cross-section are more likely to interact with a neutron. If the neutron fails to interact it will simply continue in the same direction as previously. Otherwise, it will do RNG checks influenced by the rod's stats in the following order, and perform the first reaction that passes the RNG check:

1. Neutron-Stimulated Nuclear Reaction: Checks the rod's Neutron Radioactivity. If successful, a nuclear reaction occurs, releasing one to five neutrons in random directions at medium to high speeds and raising the rod's temperature by 50 degrees. This deletes the original neutron.
2. Nuclear Reaction: Checks the rod's Radioactivity. If successful, a nuclear reaction occurs, releasing one to five neutrons in random directions at slow, medium, or high speeds and raising the rod's temperature by 25 degrees. This deletes the original neutron.
3. Reflection: Checks the rod's Hardness. If successful, the neutron bounces back in the direction it came, plus or minus 45 degrees.
4. Moderation: Occurs if all other reactions do not occur. This lowers the neutron's speed by one stage, or deletes it if the neutron was already at a slow speed. If the rod was a control rod, it always deletes the neutron, regardless of its speed.

Radioactive or neutron radioactive rods can also undergo spontaneous neutron emission by passing separate RNG checks. These checks are independent of both the neutron interaction checks and each other:

• Spontaneous Neutron Decay: Checks Neutron Radioactivity and Neutron Cross-Section. If successful, a nuclear reaction occurs, releasing one to three neutrons in random directions at high speeds and raising the rod's temperature by 20 degrees. This reduces the rod's neutron radioactivity by 0.01 and raises its radioactivity by 0.005.
• Spontaneous Decay: Checks Radioactivity and Neutron Cross-Section. If successful, a nuclear reaction occurs, releasing one to three neutrons in random directions at slow, medium, or high speeds and raising the rod's temperature by 10 degrees. This reduces the rod's radioactivity by 0.01 and raises its nuclear waste by 0.005.

Fuel Rod

• Neutron Cross-Section: 1.0
• Thermal Cross-Section: 0.02

Fuel rods are optimally produced out of materials with high Radioactivity and/or Neutron Radioactivity. In order to ensure that they get hit by neutrons more often, it is also good for them to have high Density. Fuel rods can be considered to be the "standard rod", as they have no unique mechanics.