Nuclear power production

[Revenant]

I'm having some difficulty using nuclear reactors and I was hoping someone could lend a hand. I'm not getting nearly the amount of power output I would assume is reasonable from a nuclear reactor. I've been testing using what is essentially the template reactor included in the game with the generator replaced with a ducted fan just to see what would happen. The best I can get it to do is drive forward at a relatively slow speed even after gearing for higher RPM. The ducted fan tooltip says it works better the more torque is applied, but gearing for higher torque over RPM causes massive losses in power output. The steam turbine doesn't even seem to have particularly good output on its own, barely even different than a small diesel engine. Am I using them wrong or are nuclear reactors just not very good? I assumed if properly used they would be heavy and expensive, but effective and long lasting. As it stands, they seem long lasting but just not worth the price, size, and danger.

I've also looked around for good guides, but nothing seems to cover anything about how to make a reactor "good" and instead just talks about "making a reactor". Would really appreciate any info on most efficient temperatures and all that as well. I've tried testing myself to see what works, but with how long it takes to heat up Im getting a bit annoyed at having to make a spreadsheet just to have a clue how steam engines work in this game.

[Jester]

Gear Setup as followed:
Turbine-(recom. 2 or 3), two to four gearboxes set to 3:1 facing turbines, mod.clutch set to 1, two flywheels, mod. clutch set to 1, standard clutch set betw. 0.5 - 0.625, generator, enjoy power :)

[Lystent]

The nuclear bit has limited impact on the performance of the whole setup; it is arguably OP. The part that is letting you down is just the steam bit; affects coal-fire as well. Without exploits, you are dealing with a significantly weak engine (And that is not even mentioning the thrust/weight). With exploits, it is pretty average. Exploits I am aware of would mostly be partially engaged clutches (including those going to flywheels), and pumps for steam flow between every turbine (including the boiler). The "steam pumps" are especially effective as it maximizes the steam flow, thus giving you the most of every turbine.

[Revenant]

Originally posted by Jester:

Gear Setup as followed:
Turbine-(recom. 2 or 3), two to four gearboxes set to 3:1 facing turbines, mod.clutch set to 1, two flywheels, mod. clutch set to 1, standard clutch set betw. 0.5 - 0.625, generator, enjoy power :)

I feel this is exploiting something, but that worked like a charm. Thanks.

[Lystent]

Originally posted by Revenant:

Originally posted by Jester:

Gear Setup as followed:
Turbine-(recom. 2 or 3), two to four gearboxes set to 3:1 facing turbines, mod.clutch set to 1, two flywheels, mod. clutch set to 1, standard clutch set betw. 0.5 - 0.625, generator, enjoy power :)

I feel this is exploiting something, but that worked like a charm. Thanks.

The game doesn't seem to properly calculate power transfer through partially engaged clutches (hence the 0.5-0.625 values).

[Jester]

welcome