[Suggestion] More Nuclear Options

[TubaHorse]

I've loved Mekanism since I first used it in the old Voltz pack, and it's a must in any current modpacks that I play with. I saw a thread recently about nuclear fission in the mod, and how the developer didn't want to because every other mod and their cousin was implementing a type of fission reactor. However, I feel that Mekanism would benefit from some fission options. This would require a few new resources, machines, and multiblock structures, but I feel like it would be a great expansion to the mod.

I feel if fission reactors were added to the mod, it would have to be a step up from standard fission reactors. Which is why I think a variety of Gen IV reactor concepts could be great. This would include the usual PWR/BWR reactors we see nowadays, but also a CANDU reactor, a PFBR (plutonium fast breeder) and a LFTR (liquid fluoride thorium reactor), each with their own benefits and complexities. Here are my ideas.

First, the new resources that would be needed. Ores that would need to be added are uranium ore, monazite ore (thorium), beryllium ore, and fluorite ore. Helium would need to be added and compatible with the rotary condensentrator, and could be obtained with uranium/monazite ore w/ a special machine or collected from a fusion reactor. If fluorite ore is put in an enrichment chamber, it will yield fluorite crystals to allow a higher yield of fluorine gas in processing.

The machines required to handle these new materials are as follows: -Gas Collector: uses energy to extract helium from radioactive ore. Does not use the ore up, but extracted ore cannot be put through again. Can also be used to extract fluorine gas from fluorite ore or crystals, crystals yield more than ore.

-Fluorinator: This machine will see multiple uses. It is used to turn uranium into uranium hexafluoride (UF6) which is used in ore processing. It is also used to turn lithium into lithium fluoride, and beryllium to beryllium fluoride. Those two are then put into the salt mixer with thorium ingots to make fuel salt, or put in a chemical infuser to make blanket salt. The fluorinator is also used to take spent fuel salt or bred blanket salt and extract an amount of fuel salt from it, leaving behind waste. More on this later.

-Centrifuge: This is used in uranium fuel processing. This takes UF6 from the fluorinator and separates into rich UF6 and depleted UF6. Depleted UF6 can be put into the centrifuge again to obtain a small extra amount of rich UF6 and yielding fully depleted UF6.

-Calcifying Ceramic Furnace: This machine converts depleted UF6 to depleted uranium fuel pellets, and rich UF6 to enriched uranium fuel pellets. Enriched fuel pellets are then crafted into fuel rods for use in the BWR/PWR reactors using 6 steel ingots and 3 pellets. Depleted uranium pellets can be crafted into fuel bundles for use in the CANDU reactor using 5 steel ingots and 4 pellets. 8 uranium rods are then arranged in a ring on a 3x3 crafting grid to form a fuel assembly for use in a reactor - do not stack. 5 depleted fuel bundles are arranged in an X formation with a 3x3 crafting grid to make a CANDU fuel assembly - do not stack.

-Pressuriser: Used to pressurise water in a PWR or CANDU primary water loop. Placed between the mechanical pipe exiting a heat exchanger and entering the reactor inlet port. Can use power/tick to pressurise the water, or if it's filled with helium (gas), no power is used and helium is not expended.

-Waste processor: Inputs liquid sulphuric acid and spent fuel assemblies and exports a fluid waste product that must be stored. If liquid waste is put into the machine, it will output plutonium nuggets and will have a chance to output a nugget of neodymium.

-Advanced wind turbine: An upgraded version of the default wind turbine that outputs higher joules/tick that requires neodymium to craft.

-Polonium Decay Tank: Can turn bred blanket salt into extra fuel salt to boost fuel recycling yields. More on this later.

-Heat Exchanger: Takes hot water from turbine and cools it, or cools hot gas from closed cycle turbine. Can output heat through pipes for use in evap. tower or can be plugged into heatsink to dump.

-Heatsink: Passively dumps waste heat from heat exchangers. (Can also take heat from lava and export heat while making obsidian without water)

So, with all of those machines and materials established, how do we use them all? Here are my ideas on how the different types of nuclear reactors could work. -Boiling Water Reactor: The player will construct a 5x5x5 hollow multiblock out of fission reactor casings and glass if they wish. Then on the top surface, the middle block should be a fission reactor controller - shift+right click to change to BWR mode. 2 reactor ports can be placed on the side and configured for output or input. In the BWR configuration, steam will be output and normal water will be input after being put through a standard turbine. In the GUI for the reactor controller, there should be options to put the fuel assembly, change control rod levels, and see readouts of relevant information. The fuel assembly slowly will use a health bar that, when 0, makes the item a spent fuel assembly.

-Pressurised Water Reactor. The player will construct a 5x5x5 hollow multiblock out of fission reactor casings and glass if they wish. Then on the top, in the middle block, a fission reactor controller should be placed. Configure to PWR mode. In PWR mode, the reactor will input pressurised water and output hot pressurised water. The heat exchanger will output normal water that will need to be repressurised. The heat exchanger will input normal water or helium gas and output steam to turn a turbine, or hot helium to drive a closed cycle gas turbine. In the GUI, fuel assemblies can be placed, control rods can be modified, and necessary readouts can be seen.

CANDU Reactor: They player builds a 5x3x3 box (resembling a rectangular prism lying on its long face) and places the reactor controller in the middle of one of the 3x3 faces configured to CANDU mode. The multiblock will not complete until the block is configured to CANDU mode. The reactor inputs pressurised heavy water and outputs hot heavy water. This goes into a heat exchanger and must be repressurised before entry. It uses depleted fuel bundles as fuel.

-Plutonium Fast Breeder Reactor: Like the previous 2, 5x5x5 hollow cube made of casing or glass, with controller in top middle block configured to plutonium fast breeder mode. The reactor inputs sodium from brine electrolysis and outputs hot sodium. It is fueled by MOX fuel assemblies. The assemblies are started with 1 piece of plutonium and 1 enriched uranium fuel pellet, which make a MOX pellet. These are then crafted with 6x steel ingots and 3x MOX pellets to create a MOX fuel rod. 8 of these in a ring in a 3x3 crafting grid will yield 1 MOX fuel assembly. The heat exchanger inputs the hot sodium and outputs normal sodium, no pressuriser required. This reactor will only work with a helium-filled heat exchanger, as water is too dangerous to have near sodium. If the hot sodium is put in to a water-filled heat exchanger, it may explode (can be disabled in config).

-Liquid Fluoride Thorium Reactor: This reactor is the most complex out of the ones here, but can provide the most power because of the availability of its fuel and how its fuel can be reused. There are 2 different LFTR units that can be built. One is a single-fluid reactor, the other is a 2 fluid reactor. In a single fluid setup, the player will build a 5x5x5 cube and place the controller in the top middle block set to LFTR1 mode. The reactor will input fuel salt (made by mixing thorium ingots with lithium fluoride and beryllium fluoride in the salt mixer) and output hot fuel salt. This goes into a heat exchanger and outputs spent fuel salt. This must be put though a fluorinator which will output 50% of the fuel that goes in. 1000mb turns into 500mb. This can be put back into the reactor and used. IN the controller GUI, a uranium fuel rod or piece of plutonium must be placed to start the reactor (like a hohlraum module in fusion reactor). In 2 fluid mode, the player will build a 3x3x3 hollow cube, with the corners being fission reactor casing and the top and bottom middle blocks being reactor ports. Around that will be a 1 block gap, then a 7x7x5 cube of reactor casing or glass, leaving a ring around the central 3x3x3 cube, but with no gap on the top or bottom. The reactor will need inputs of fuel salt, blanket salt, and will output both hot fuel salt and bred blanket salt. The bred blanket salt can be sent through a fluorinator to provide extra fuel salt that can be input into the core. Furthermore, the bred blanket salt can be input to a polonium decay tank where it slowly turns into rich blanket salt, which produces even more fuel salt when processed. With some number tweaking, the blanket salt processing along with the fuel processing from the spent salt and also the polonium decay tank should lead to a 90% return yield on fuel, putting less requirement on creating new salt.

Also, 2 other multiblocks -Closed Cycle Gas Turbine: This would actually be a standard industrial turbine the mod already has build it, just configured (shift+right click w/ configurator) to CCG mode. It inputs hot helium and outputs helium and heat, which can be piped into a heat exchanger and heatsink, or a thermal evapouration tower. It spins faster and outputs more power than a standard turbine. A potential drawback could be that waste heat must be used otherwise the turbine will output less power.

-Heat exchanger: 3x3x5 hollow upright rectangular prism of heat exchanger casing w/ 4 spaced valves. One side has input for hot fluid coming from a reactor and output for cool liquid going back, and the other side outputs steam or hot helium, then in puts water or helium returning from a turbine.

This is a big idea I've had that I've been going over in my head for a long time. It is a lot, and sounds complex, but it would be an amazing addition to Mekanism. I've yet to see a mod introduce a PFBR or LFTR that hasn't been abandoned yet, or has no documentation on how it works. With the mod's wonderful mechanics and multiblock features, I feel some fission reactors would be amazing. I'd even be willing to offer my time for help with texturing things such as the item icons, fluid colours, and block textures that aren't the advanced 3D models seen elsewhere: such are the ore blocks or multiblock parts.

Also, I'm typing this during my free time at work so I don't have the ability to give drawn diagrams yet, but once I get home I will add some diagrams for the multiblocks as well as resource flowcharts to better explain how this all works.

[aidancbrady]

For the past couple years now I’ve actually been really tempted to add fission mechanics to Mekanism as it’s own module (Mekanism: Fission or something similar). Really appreciate the detailed write-up- once I have some more free time I’ll try to get some work done on this.

[TubaHorse]

That's exciting to hear! Looking forward to any and all updates

[TubaHorse]

Also, here are my ideas for the flow of the different reactor types C means controller Asterisk is a port I didn't include the 1 fluid LFTR because it's the same as 2 fluid, but with a 5x5x5 core and no blanket salt ports. It would look just like the PFBR but instead of sodium, it'd use fuel salt

[voidsong-dragonfly]

On 1.7.10 there is a mod called ReactorCraft that has almost all of what you say, and is even more freeform (parts can be used in any configuration to make any type of reactor you want)

[TubaHorse]

I'm more than familiar with that mod and used to love it, but Reika's mods don't play nice with either my system or the modpacks I try to put them in. Plus, it seems he's abandoned the project and won't be updating to 1.12.2 and up.

[voidsong-dragonfly]

He has not abandoned it, as he is still updating on 1.7.10. He has said he will update to a later vwrsion when he sees no other option.

[TubaHorse]

That's another thing, I feel Reika is a bit abrasive in how he handles his mods. It's his way or the highway. (Also the LFTR in reactorcraft has no documentation and is barely functional). But that's not a discussion for this board.

[themechman]

Also, another suggestion to this, if I may.

bdew's Advanced Generators, Pressure Pipes and IC2exp is how I am doing my Fission setup. The fluid exchange is done in AG's heat exchanger, which produces Mekanism compatible steam. At the smallest 5x5 base turbine, I produce ~16,000 RF/t. Whereas if I did this with IC2's generators, it would be laggy as all heck and 8x more work.

This causes you to add 2 or 3 additional mods to the mix, but I find the added items VERY flexible. Behind the gridwork is the Mekanism turbine at an impressive 11x11 base. The same ic2 reactor now produces a staggering 62k RF/t. I use this to charge the laser array to run the Fusion reactor next to it.

[TubaHorse]

Hey it's been ages since I've checked in on this, but I just saw it was marked as a feature after logging in. I hope that means that fission reactors are a possibility!