GA 37W Experimental Boiling Water Reactor [WIP]

[Gandalf2k15]

(This is a work in progress, looking for input regarding the reactor function and design, might finish this, might not.)

Micron Control Systems GA 37W Experimental Boiling Water Reactor (WIP)

The MCS GA37W is an experimental boiling water reactor or EBWR designed for use in SS13. The GA37W uses a nuclear fission reaction to bring water up to an extreme temperature, the resulting steam is then pumped into either one or two MCS ACT(Active Condensor Turbine) high-speed steam turbines which operate at high RPM to drive one or two MCS DGF(Dynamic Gyroscopic Flywheel) super high output alternators.

The GA37W will take up a total space of 3x3 tiles for the reactor, 1 tile for the reactor output steam ducts, 2x2 tiles for the turbines, 1 tile for the turbine output shaft, and 2x2 tiles for the alternators.

The EBWR reactor type uses the reactor core to heat water which turns into steam which then drives a steam turbine.

Example basic setup:

GA 37W Reactor Vessel

The MCS GA37W reactor is a boiling water reactor designed for experimental station use and is directly compatible with other MCS brand power plant components.

Operating Parameters

The operating temperature of the reactor pressure vessel(RPV) is 588K (315 °C; 599 °F) with a maximum operating temperature of 900K (626 °C; 1160 °F). The normal operating pressure is 6.9 MPa with a maximum pressure of 9 MPa.

The reactor uses a closed-loop containing light water which can be replenished if a leak occurs. During normal operation, a supply of inert nitrogen is required.

The reactor temperature directly correlates to the amount of nitrogen within the system. The more nitrogen in the system, the better the cooling potential is. This is how Engineers can push the MOT beyond specification to perform experiments. The input gas can also be swapped for other gasses. Though, the results may shock you.

The reactor primary containment vessel(PVC) is made out of 30mm iron sheets, backed by several layers of plasteel.

The RPV is suspended in a water suppression pool which acts as an energy-absorbing medium in the event of a meltdown.

Fuel

The GA37W is capable of utilising several different types of fuel in its fission reaction.

The fuel used will determine the reactor's stable operating temperature.

Due to the small amount of fuel utilised in this compact reactor, the rods will need to be changed at regular intervals.

Uranium-235: 20 minutes operating time; stable temperature 600k Plutonium-239: 30 minutes operating time; stable temperature 800K Mox: 40 minutes operating time; stable temperature 3000K (values to be adjusted for gameplay)

Spent fuel rods must be stored in the spent fuel rod pool as they remain extremely radioactive even after their use.

Moderators

The GA37W is capable of using several types of moderators, the primary type being graphite. The moderator is integral to slow the neutrons down so they are able to interact with the nuclear fuel to sustain the reaction.

Graphite: Moderator efficency 100% Beryllium: Moderator efficency 120%

Control

Control rods are essential in the GA37W EBWR and come in two different types. The control rods are used to determine the reaction temperature.

In this reactor, the control rods are the main way of controlling the reaction temperature.

Boron: Integrity 100% Cadmium: Integrity 300%

Layout

The GA37W BWR has slots for 4 nuclear fuel rods and 4 control rods as well as 1 moderator unit slot.

Meltdown

A reactor meltdown occurs when the reactor temperature is exponentially increasing, when the temperature increases, the reaction rate increases, when the reaction rate increases, the temperature increases when the temperature increa-... you get the point. As the temperature surpasses the point of criticality, a few things will happen.

• The reactor room will start heating up as the reactor vessel is unable to keep up with the cooling demand. Pressure is rising.
• The reactor will begin emitting nuclear particles. Pressure is rising.
• The surrounding reactor area will start catching fire as the temperature increases.
• The reactor will begin exhausting molten graphite and boron, mixed with spicy fuel. Pressure is critical. (This is the point of no return)
• Once the reactor vessel pressure reaches critical, simply put, it will explode. Erupting in a massive shower of molten radioactive fuel, boron, and massive chunks of the moderator. This will shower the surrounding area in radiation(a radiation storm, but cool). The reactor will continue emitting ungodly amounts of radiation in the form of a neutron beam(it will choose from north, east, south, or west.) which will travel through the station in the form of a blue 3 wide "beam" until the engineers remove the remaining fuel.

If the engineers have not disconnected the output of the reactor from the turbine, the turbine will absolutely overload and destroy itself too, and in the process, the alternator.

In the event of a catastrophic meltdown(reactor temperature is exponentially increasing) an alarm will sound notifiying the station of an imminent explosion.

T47 Active Condensor Turbine

The MCS T47-ACT active condenser turbines use cooling to turn the steam back into usable feedwater which is then pumped back into the reactor for a closed-loop system. Due to the fact the turbine housing contains a Peltier cooling plate, there is no need for a condenser.

Operating parameters

The MCS T47-ACT is rated for an input steam temperature of 588 K (315 °C; 599 °F). The maximum operating temperature is 650K.

Input pressure is rated at 7MPa(liquid form) which is then output into the turbine in steam form.

Turbine operating RPM is 4500, with a maximum operating RPM of 6000. There are dynamic braking systems to ensure this upper limit is not reached.

Output shaft RPM is direct.

Failure

Due to the fact there is a massive spinning blade inside the turbine housing, the risk of decapitation is high. Should the blade exceed its maximum operating RPM, it will being to take damage. Once it takes enough damage, it will shatter inside the turbine housing and send its tile-sized pieces of shrapnel flying through the air, decapitating anyone who dares to stand in the way.

[image here]

Dynamic Gyroscopic Flywheel Alternator

This power plant utilises the DGF MK2 Alternator to convert turbine kinetic energy into usable station power.

The conversion rate is TBA.

It has a maximum input shaft RPM of 5500.

Maximum output power: TBA

This alternator utilises a flywheel to store kinetic energy in the event of a reactor malfunction or shutdown. Due to the size of the flywheel, the startup time to operating RPM is around 3 minutes. The shutdown time to 0 RPM is around 10 minutes. Meaning in the event of a reactor outage, the alternator will continue producing power at a steadily declining rate for 10 minutes.

The alternator utilises a brake to slow itself down in emergencies.

Failure

In the event of an over RPM situation, the alternator unit will begin emitting EMP's and arcing until it explodes.

Control systems

Reactor

The reactor will have it's own dedicated control terminal in the control room. This terminal will control and display the following:

• Core temperature
• Core pressure
• Core integrity
• Reaction rate
• Nitrogen level
• Water level
• Notifications
• Control rod integrity
• Fuel rod degridation
• Pressure output
• Startup button
• Shutdown button
• Control rod insertion slider
• SCRAM button (Fully inserts control rods)

In order to open the reactors access hatch, the reactor reaction rate must be 0, and there must be no pressure within the vessel. The reactor pressure hatch is secured with bolts and welds.

To change control rods, fuel rods or moderator units, you must remove the pressure hatch and remove them manually.

Turbine

The turbine will have a dedicated terminal which will be within the control room too. It will contain the following:

• Input pressure
• Output pressure
• Turbine RPM
• Turbine integrity
• Brake slider

Alternator

The alternator will have a dedicated terminal in the control room which will display the following:

• Input RPM
• Output energy
• Alternator brake slider

Equipment

Fuel rods

Empty fuel rods are the starting block of fuel rods, they can be made using 2 sheets of plasteel and are not dangerous on their own.

Filled fuel rods are however very dangerous and must be handled using a full radiation suit. Anyone not wearing a full radiation suit will suffer immediate radiation burns. Fuel rods should be stored in the reactor spent fuel pool until ready to be used.

Fuel

Uranium-235 is the primary fuel type and is supplied to the station as standard in the form of fuel pellets.

Plutonium-239 is a combination of uranium and plasma, this is a more efficient fuel type.

MOX is a combination of Plutonium-239, Uranium-235, and diamond. It is the most efficient fuel type.

The fuel alone is not dangerous past its natural reactivity.

Reactor machine mill

The reactor machine mill is used to convert raw materials into usable reactor components. It is the primary machine used in the construction and maintenance of reactor power plants.

Recipes:

Fuel rod: Can be made using 2x Plasteel sheets and outputs 1 fuel rod.

U-235 fuel pellets: Made using raw uranium sheets. 1-1 conversion ratio.

P-239 fuel pellets: Made by combining U-235 fuel pellets and plasma. 1 pasma + 1 U-235 fuel pellet = 2 P-239 fuel pellets.

MOX fuel pellets: Made by combining U-235 fuel pellets and P-239 fuel pellets and diamond. 1 U-235 fuel pellet + 1 P-239 fuel pellet + 1 diamon sheet = 1 MOX fuel pellet.

Graphie moderator unit: 10 iron sheets + 10 silver sheets = 1 graphite moderator unit.

Beryllium moderator unit: 1 graphite moderator unit + 10 diamond sheets.

Boron control rods: 10 plasteel sheets = 1 boron control rod.

Cadmium control rods: 1 boron control rod + 5 diamond sheets = 1 cadmium control rod.

The fuel enrichment plant is used to fill empty fuel rods with radioactive fuel pellets.

(recipes to be amended)

Moderator

The moderator within the nuclear reactor is used to slow the neutrons down within the reactor during normal operation. The better the moderator the more reactive and efficient the fuel can be.

Control rods

Control rods are an integral safety feature of the reactor, these can be used to control the reactivity of the reactor, and in turn the temperature. Inserting the rods all the way is how you shut the reactor down for maintenance. Pulling them all the way out is a sure-fire way to start a meltdown.

Steam duct

The steam ducts which take the form of a large pipe connect the reactor output and input to the turbines.

Driveshaft

Connect the turbine output to the alternator.

Spent fuel pool

The spent fuel pool will be a small area designated to store spent fuel. Spent fuel must be submerged in water.

Operating Parameters

Reactor: Converts water into steam. Turbine: Converts thermal energy into kinetic energy, also converts steam back into water for the reactor. Alternator: Converts kinetic energy into DC.

Power Calculations

Once I have studied nuclear physics some more I will flesh this out.

Job Interactions

The primary operator of the GA37W EBWR will be station engineers.

The engineers will be responsible for initial setup, maintenance and fuel rod disposal. They must be monitoring the reactor at all times to ensure a sustainable reaction is present. They are also responsible for ensuring the reactor operates safely.

Reactor tasks

The most common reactor tasks are as follows:

Startup The reactor will start with no fuel rods, no control rods, and no moderator unit installed. The engineers will need to open the pressure hatch, install the required components, then reinstall the pressure hatch.

After this has been completed, the engineers will need to connect the reactor to the turbine and the turbine to the alternator.

Once all components are connected and secured, the engineers will have to run the reactor through a calibration cycle, where the reactor will check all components and then begin a test reaction. This takes 1 minute to complete.

After the calibration cycle has confirmed all components are operational, the startup button will presnt itself, at which point the engineer can start the reactor up. Once the reactor has begun reaction, they will be responsible for controlling the control rods until the reactor becomes stable and reaches its optimal operating rate.

Shutdown

For maintenance of the reactor, the shutdown procedure must be followed. This consists of fully inserting the control rods and then hitting the shutdown button within the panel. This will engage the turbine brakes until internal pressure reaches zero.

Once the alternator has reached 0 RPM, the pressure hatch bolts will unlock, and the engineers will be able to perform upgrades or maintenance.

Maintenance

The reactor uses fuel to power its reaction, this fuel eventually runs out and turns into spent nuclear fuel rods. These fuel rods must be removed in order for the reactor to safely operate. If these rods are not removed, a runaway reaction can occur.

Once the reactor has been shut down, the engineers can slowly remove the spent fuel rods from the reactor(in full radiation suits) and move it over to the spent fuel pool where it will sit until it has cooled down. Dropping this spent fuel onto the floor will cause it to melt through. It must be extracted using tongs.

The engineer can then replace the spent fuel and perform any other upgrades they wish to perform and then start the reactor back up.

Experiments

The reactor is capable of performing experiments for science, such as reaching a certain point of criticality, which can even create anomalies. If the engineers are able to keep sustain a critical event, they can supply science with points.

Emergencies

In the event of a reactor meltdown, the engineers are responsible for attempting to get it under control by any means possible. If this reaction continues to run away, the engineers will be responsible for evacuating the department and praying to god.

Development Requirements

Code

TBA

Sprites

(Credits to NSV for core reactor sprite) Reactor: Requires off state, cold running state, hot running state, meltdown state. 96x96

Turbine: Requires a turbine housing sprite(normal and damaged) and a turbine sprite(normal, slightly damaged, very damaged and destroyed.) The turbine will be animated via code. 64x64

Alternator: Big thing that is either on, off, or damaged. 64x64

Fuel rods: Needs to be 1 of each fuel type(overlays) and a spent overlay as well as an empty fuel rod sprite. 32x32

Control rods: Normal and damaged. 32x32

Moderator unit: Normal and damaged. 32x32

Steam ducts: Just a pipe. 32x32

Driveshaft: Just a shaft. 32x32

Sounds

Reactor: Low power, high power, overloading, alarm.

Turbine: Slow, fast, too fast.

Changelog

:cl: add: reactor /:cl: