Reactor and Cooling systems development.

[Greyson XMG]

I have some suggestions that might make large reactor operation more interesting.

Potential reactor system improvements:

1. A nuke reactor is by definition, hot. A in realistic terms, a cooling system would be required. This would allow for the introduction of a piping system. (operates exactly like conveyers, except carries liquids) The system would then have 3 parts… Reactor, heat sink (heat storage), and heat radiator.

Heat would be generated in the reactor, Dissipated by heat radiators, and any excess could be stored in heat sinks, until a period of inactivity could allow the radiators to catch up. When the reactor cooling system becomes overloaded, it trips off the reactor. Inconvenient in battle, so pay attention to your ships systems.

2. Have Uranium processed into fuel rods before they can be used in a large reactors.

3. The fuel rods must be placed manually into reactors, similar to Minecraft. This will allow variable output and efficiency depending on reactor configuration and cooling setup. A single reactor could be enormously powerful, if set up correctly with a high end cooling system. The same reactor could be made to provide long term low end power, and be completely hands free.

This would help an engine room be more than a display case. A large, and powerful engine room would require the occasional attention of players. And a VERY active ship might need a dedicated engineer. (Gasp! That word!)

To help with starter players, small reactors would be exempt from the above ideas. Best to think of them as nuclear batteries (Google it).

4. The pipes required to tie all this together could perform double duty with my engine propellant idea. (look it up). Short version: Mine ice, turn into H2 and O (hydrox) Store in tanks, and use as propellant.

5. The development of 2nd and 3rd tier fuels might enrich the game further (Plutonium and Antimatter) and perhaps even sneak Thorium in as the new fuel for small reactors.

All of this would help to add wonderful complexity and realism to SE, giving our players more fun when designing ships.


Any comments?

[Tang Dad 8 (O.A.G 2.0)]

I think that would bring Realism to the game and honestly that would make the game alot more interesting

[MonkeyCMonkyDo]

Such a great concept, I love the fact that you focus on the need for heat to be 'radiated' as the only form of heat loss in this vacuum enclosed system.

I clearly can tell I do not know science as in depth as you do at this point, out of interest though the first thing that comes to my mind is do we have the technology to turn heat into energy? Basically is there a way to convert this excess energy into a chemical or other stored energy form for use, thus making the whole principle here redundant?

It also makes me wonder, how do thrusters in space work right now? Why doesn't that heat just keep building up and up?

P.s. Have you read the newish book called 'The Martian'? I think you would love it, guy abandonced accidenteally on Mars (Set in todays timeframe) and his desperate struggle to try and survive, very scientifically.

[Greyson XMG]

Converting heat into engergy is what a Nuc reactor does. Uranium is used to make heat, and Turbines run on the steam generated. The waste heat needs to be dissapated... Hence the shaped cooling towers that stand over most Nuc reactor sites.

AND the thrusting engines also generate heat, but most simply gets dumped behind the ship in the form of exaust. Fuel flowing into the engines is typicaly used to cool the engines.

This has the advantage of preheating your fuel.

[STORM]

Although these sound quite good. I just dislike the fact that they have NO USE. What is the use of these rules? How does it enhance the game? If it simply adds "Realism", it simply isn't enough.

[Greyson XMG]

Custom configuration of a nuc reactor affects gameplay. More complexity, more realism, More interesting. If complexity is a problem, why have reactors at all, when a magic block can create infinite energy with no fuel? Complexity and variety is the attraction here.

[MonkeyCMonkyDo]

So as an engineer (who isn't really but workng on what you say :D ) Could I dump the nuc reactor excess heat into the thrusters as pre-heat to disapate it?

Also, I LOVE the realism, the plausability here. Just trying to rule out there is no other way to disappate this heat that we know of right now.

[Greyson XMG]

Thrusters propel a ship by expelling gas behind the ship. (newtons laws) The heat generated is mostly contained in that gas. A nuc reactor generates heat, but the thrusters are not a viable way to dump the heat. To use the thrusters as a heat dissapator, (sorta) you would need to dump the gas from the ship... that is wasted propelant. The mass of your coolant would be limited.

An analogy would be your car. Why have a radiator dissapating heat when you can dump your hot coolant on the road? The answer is that you would run out of water in minutes. and overheat. So wasting coolant is not an option.

[MonkeyCMonkyDo]

INteresting and thanks for the info on that :) What about some technology based on simple thermal radiation, like those 'heaters' you see for patios of pubs/bars nowadays that radiate the heat rather than convect it like a more common home heating system would. Could we utilize that technology (And by all means need to add it to the game) so that electricity could be used to dump heat?

Something else I am intrigued to explore is a materials that could be used in endothermic reactions?

[Greyson XMG]

Your likely thinking of principles that are used in common air conditioning.

Realisticly the way to dump heat is to build a simple radiator.
Nasa uses head disapation units (radiator) in current spacecraft with this exact function we are discussing for SE.

I believe that a model of exactly this has already been added to the workshop.

http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=295389652&searchtext=radiator

Sadly, it is for show only due to the fact that cooling dynamics have not yet been added to the game.

[Greyson XMG]

I hope pipes are added.

Cooling.. Propellant.. A working loo..... So useful.

[Improper Sandwich]

Realism is fun, but there are times where you can tell that who ever had the idea broke open the book and started making a mod or a game. Although realism adds depth to a game, we have to remember that we are all here to enjoy a game, and if realism is what you are looking for, then throwing iron into a refinery, telling you assembler to turn it into a plate and then slapping several of these plates together to make a steel block all in a matter of seconds is unrealistic as all get out. How real do you really want to make this game? All I know is at the end of the day, I am just trying to have fun, not work a second job.

[Greyson XMG]

True... but we are space engineers... Not Hello Kitty Island Advantures.

We are not playing this to have an easy time of it.

:P and if you want a TRUE spaceflight simulation, go look up the old ORBITER space simulator. I got quite good at navagating my way arround in that.

[Joseph Sneed]

+1 on the toilet add a sink and shower while your at it too.

[Gekkibi]

Waste heat is something that I'd like to see. It might be too much for some players because it would be yet another component you have to have. But just what Greyson said, we are space engineers. While the game should be easy to play it doesn't mean it should be simple and lack depth.

[Improper Sandwich]

Originally posted by Greyson (U.S.E):

True... but we are space engineers... Not Hello Kitty Island Advantures.

We are not playing this to have an easy time of it.

:P and if you want a TRUE spaceflight simulation, go look up the old ORBITER space simulator. I got quite good at navagating my way arround in that.

If this is the case then they need to impliment everything down to bladder and basic needs just like The Sims.

In reality, if they did make this a true simulator, you are going to see all kidns of charts, graphs, formulas, mathematical calculations, and headache. No thanks.