Reactor, Large | |
---|---|
Category: | Energy Source |
Status: | Functional |
Function: | |
Provides electrical power for other components. | |
Fits small ship | |
Mass: | 2,776 kg |
Capacity: | 1,000 L |
Power: | 14.75 MW |
Fits large ship and station | |
Mass: | 72,295 kg |
Capacity: | 8,000 L |
Power: | 300 MW |
Data Controls: | [edit] [purge] (?) |
The Large Reactor is a power block in Space Engineers. This generator has the highest power output rate.
Variants[]
It is important to note that this article discusses two specific reactor variants:
- Large Reactors for Large Ships (7.5m x 7.5m x 7.5m) and
- Large Reactors for Small Ships (1.5m x 1.5m x 1.5m).
They are not to be confused with the Small Reactor variants.
Power output and Usage[]
The Large Reactor is twenty-seven times the size of the Small Reactor (3x3x3 instead of 1x1x1), the large reactor being more weight-efficient (MW/reactor-mass kg) by about 1.326 times (on a large ship) as much. On a small ship, a large reactor produces about 1.639 times more power per kg of reactor mass than a small one. The Large Reactor creates 300 MW on a large ship or station, and 10.5 MW on a small ship.
Fuel Consumption[]
In Creative mode, no Uranium is used up to generate power; however in Survival Mode, the Large Reactor consumes Uranium ingots. One Uranium ingot (1 kg) at full power usage (300MW) last 12 seconds.
This means uranium consumption can be calculated as 1 MWh per 1 kg of uranium ingots. This applies to all sizes of reactors on both small and large grid ships.
Consumption Calculator[]
Uranium consumption rate, max time, and max power output can all be calculated with the following formulas. Where:
- U : Uranium ingots in kilograms (Kg)
- t : time in decimal hours (h; i.e. 1.5 hours)
- P : Power in MegaWatt (MW)
Calculate Uranium Consumption Rate[]
Calculating uranium consumption for a given power usage and time can be done by the following formula:
- U = t * P
Provide the time in hours with decimals, that is, 1h30min = 1.5h. To transform a time to decimal format, divide the minutes (30min) and by 60 (30min/60 = 0.5h), then add the left-over hours (1h + 0.5h = 1.5h).
As a practical example, assume your station needs 3.67 MW average of power for the next 2 hours and 45 minutes. You will need to provide the minimum uranium ingots to keep it going.
- Separate the minutes out (45) and divide them by 60 for a result of 0.75 (45/60=0.75). then add the hours: 2.75.
- Now multiply the time (2.75) and needed power (3.67MW): 2.75h * 3.67 MW = 10.0925 Kg
- Always round up to the whole number, 11 in this case.
Calculate Max Time[]
You can also calculate the functional time for a given amount of Uranium and the power usage doing so:
- t = U / P
To convert decimal hours to normal hours, do the same as above, but multiply by 60.
For example, to convert 1.433h, multiply the decimals by 60: 0.433 * 60 = 26 minutes, add the hour --> 1h26m
As a practical example, let's assume your ship uses 4.92MW while idle and you only have 20kg of Uranium.
- First divide the Uranium (20kg) by the power usage (4.92MW): 20 Kg / 4.92 MW = 4.065h
- Put this result in minutes by multiplying it by 60 (multiply by 3600 to get seconds): 4.065 x 60 = 4h 3.9min (54sec)
- So after about 4 hours 3min, the ship will run out of fuel.
Calculate Average Power[]
Finally, calculate the average power for a given amount of uranium and known amount of time for operation:
- P = U / t
As a practical example, if you need to hold a position against an enemy for 23 minutes and have 215 Kg of Uranium Ingots remaining, you may want to know the average amount of power you can provide to weapons and thrusters:
- Change the time to decimal hours: 23 min / 60 = 0.38 h
- Devide the uranium by the time: 215 Kg / 0.38 h = 565.79 MW (two large grid large reactors are needed as each only outputs a max of 300 MW)
Inventory[]
With Realistic settings, the Large Reactor has an inventory with a capacity of 1,000L for small ships and 8,000L for large ships. The inventory only accepts Uranium Ingots as fuel. If any of the inventory panels are attached to a conveyor system, the reactor will automatically pull ingots from valid inventories when it runs low.
Troubleshooting[]
If the Large Reactor does not produce any power, first make sure its inventory contains (or it's conveyored to an inventory containing) Uranium Ingots.
Second, ensure the Large Reactor is not the sole source of power on the grid: You will also need a Small Battery (or Solar Panel, connected other powered grid, etc.) to kickstart the conveyor system! Despite being a power producing block, the Large Reactor itself requires power to start up, this is because it depends on the conveyor system to pull fuel, and the conveyor system requires power to work.
Recipe[]
Large Reactor | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Component | Large Ship/Station Required | Large Ship/Station Optional | Small Ship Required | Small Ship Optional |
Computer | 75 | — | 25 | — |
Motor | 20 | — | 5 | — |
Superconductor | 100 | — | — | — |
Reactor Comp. | 2,000 | — | 50 | — |
Large Steel Tube | 40 | — | 3 | — |
Metal Grid | 40 | — | 9 | — |
Construction Comp. | 70 | — | 9 | — |
Steel Plate | 800 | 200 | 40 | 20 |