Does nuclear reactor lose heat in space without any heat consumption?

[god bless you]

Looks like I have too many stocks of uranium.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3406686054
Plan to have some ships with nuclear power as backup.
As what I observed on heating tower on land, I will not lose heat if there is no consumption.
Is heat mechanism of nuclear reactor as same as heating towers?

[PunCrathod]

Originally posted by god bless you:

Is heat mechanism of nuclear reactor as same as heating towers?

Yes.

[god bless you]

Originally posted by PunCrathod:

Originally posted by god bless you:

Is heat mechanism of nuclear reactor as same as heating towers?

Yes.

Great!
There won't be any waste after heating up by time even if solar power is enough.

[Fletch]

Reactors will keep running (wasting) the uranium fuel cells once the reactor pegs out at 1000 degrees -- so any produced heat over 1000 degrees is immediately wasted/lost. Any heat less than 1000 degrees will not be wasted -- if there is no consumption demand for the heat (converting it to steam / producing electricity), then that temperature will stay at its level forever.

Reactors will continue to eat one uranium fuel cell every 200 seconds whether you are generating any usable electricity or not.

Plan to have some ships with nuclear power as backup.

If your goal is to have solar as primary, and nuclear as the backup, you'll want to add a circuit to regulate the reactor if wasting the uranium cells is a concern: https://wiki.factorio.com/Tutorial:Nuclear_power#Always_on!

Otherwise, ditch the solar panels and just run the thing on nuclear -- or treat the solar as your backup for when you run out of nuclear fuel, which is what you'll have if you don't regulate the nuclear reactor.

[god bless you]

I control it by another way, place enough steam tank buffer.

initial condition: Steam below an certain limit & temperature < 500
=> trigger insert once
=> timer countdown
=> loop back initial condition.

Just ensure the efficiency of heat changers greater than reactors.
The temperature will be fixed around 500.

[kremlin]

I think once a reactor core reaches 500 it doesn't go below 500 unless more components are added to the thermal network, so if the circuit condition is < 500 temperature it might not trigger.

[god bless you]

or maybe ≤ 500

[Chindraba]

Probably have to do some testing and checking. The heat pipes cool as they get farther from the reactor and the heat exchanger needs to be 500 or higher to work. Need to find out how hot the reactor has to be to keep that last heat exchanger working and then use that instead of the 500.

[Fletch]

The wiki (that I linked) sets it to 650 degrees...should be a decent buffer. Using steam tanks and monitoring its level is another good way to regulate a reactor -- and probably the best way when you have multiple reactors and you want to maximize the neighbor bonus (you want all reactors in the group to start/stop at the same time).

Originally posted by Chindraba:

Probably have to do some testing and checking. The heat pipes cool as they get farther from the reactor and the heat exchanger needs to be 500 or higher to work. Need to find out how hot the reactor has to be to keep that last heat exchanger working and then use that instead of the 500.

Valid point -- I expect Aquilo (haven't gotten there yet) will make me think longer about the heat pipes and how heat pipe length plays into things. What you point out is probably another benefit for using steam tank(s) as the condition -- you are monitoring the desired outcome (steam levels) instead of monitoring what you hope will lead to the desired outcome (reactor temps).

[SlyDevil]

The reactor doesn't lose heat in space, only when you produce power.
I use some solar panels for when i am in the inner system and nuclear reactor with steam storage that feeds one fuel cell when the steam is at half capacity and reactor is under 505 temperature and the ship only used few fuel cells for many many hours.

[rock_n_girl]

Originally posted by god bless you:

I control it by another way, place enough steam tank buffer.

initial condition: Steam below an certain limit & temperature < 500
=> trigger insert once
=> timer countdown
=> loop back initial condition.

Just ensure the efficiency of heat changers greater than reactors.
The temperature will be fixed around 500.

i think it could be muck easier.
just put condition on hand "temp < 520"
not 500 to avoid moment when you could stay without energy.
And put limit to hand - pick only 1 item (you dont need to put 10 items into reactor)

basically this is it.

i dont think you need timers or something else

[rock_n_girl]

Originally posted by god bless you:

Looks like I have too many stocks of uranium.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3406686054
Plan to have some ships with nuclear power as backup.
As what I observed on heating tower on land, I will not lose heat if there is no consumption.
Is heat mechanism of nuclear reactor as same as heating towers?

if you put all this uranium to ship it will work.. 100 years? ) do you need that mutch ?

[god bless you]

Originally posted by rock_n_girl:

Originally posted by god bless you:

I control it by another way, place enough steam tank buffer.

initial condition: Steam below an certain limit & temperature < 500
=> trigger insert once
=> timer countdown
=> loop back initial condition.

Just ensure the efficiency of heat changers greater than reactors.
The temperature will be fixed around 500.

i think it could be muck easier.
just put condition on hand "temp < 520"
not 500 to avoid moment when you could stay without energy.
And put limit to hand - pick only 1 item (you dont need to put 10 items into reactor)

basically this is it.

i dont think you need timers or something else

The insert limit is not controllable in this game.
There must be some other conditions to achieve this goal.
Sure, the stack size should be 1.
The purpose of timer is stop 2nd insert during the temperature raising stage.
But yes, there is another simple way to do this.
check the fuel inside the reactor
Fortunately, currently burning fuel are counted.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3407404592

[god bless you]

Originally posted by rock_n_girl:

Originally posted by god bless you:

Looks like I have too many stocks of uranium.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3406686054
Plan to have some ships with nuclear power as backup.
As what I observed on heating tower on land, I will not lose heat if there is no consumption.
Is heat mechanism of nuclear reactor as same as heating towers?

if you put all this uranium to ship it will work.. 100 years? ) do you need that mutch ? :NeedCoffeine:

It's just my style. I don't like waste.

[kremlin]

People love to say the uranium is so plentiful that it will last forever.
But if you build a larger reactor and start using tons of power you'd be surprised at how fast those fuel cells disappear.