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[blue emu]

This thread is a follow-up to my original Dwarfhatten Megaproject thread, here: http://www.bay12games.com/forum/index.php?topic=34769.0 ... which is now so old that I'm a bit hesitant to resurrect it (thread necromancy!)

I'm trying to design and build the whole thing for plain vanilla DF, without any mods other than Mike Mayday's GFX mod.

I'm moving into the final design stage for my experimental nuclear reactor. My current design ideas are roughly as follows:

Level z+1 (above the core):
- a matrix of Lead bars positioned on floor-hatches, which are connected to levers which will drop them down into the core to serve as control rods.

Level z (reactor core):
- An outer shell made of Lead Blocks (constructed as a wall), lined with Beryl-gem windows (neutron reflectors), inside which are rows of Pitchblende (Uranium) ore blocks, with each Pitchblende block positioned over a floor-hatch. All the floor-hatches are connected to a single lever, which can be used in an emergency to SCRAM the pile down one level into Level z-1. This Lead outer shell can be filled with water, to act as a Moderator.

Level z-1 (below the core):
- A series of 1x1 Lead rooms, directly underneath the Floor-hatches on Level z, to act as containment / isolation vessels if the pile needs to be SCRAM'd in an emergency. The floors of the rooms will be Steel grates, to drain out any water that accompanies the falling Pitchblende... no sense SCRAM'ing both the nuclear fuel AND moderator.

In order for this design to work, I'll need to know if Stockpiles can be designated over floor-hatches, and whether the stockpiled item actually does drop through the z-Level if the hatch is opened. If no-one knows for certain, I can always test it myself.

Does anyone else have any suggestions, observations or useful experience in this sort of construction project?

[Kanddak]

No, stockpiles can't be designated over buildings. You'll need to micromanage dump zones.
You should also be aware that hatches can't be supported by other hatches in mid-air, and even if they could it would be much more economical to build a few bridges.

[blue emu]

No, stockpiles can't be designated over buildings.

Damn! That means no Stockpiles on retractible Bridges, either. Endless fooling around with tiny Dump-zones sounds like the only practical option. Oh well... at least I'll only have to set it up once.

[Sphalerite]

Lead isn't used for control rods.  It can be used for shielding, but other materials are used for the control rods.  Boron is common, but there's no boron in vanilla DF.  Silver also can be used.  It's not common in real reactors, but you can make it in DF.  Also, you want to be able to insert and retract the control rods so you can start and stop the reaction.  Make a lot of giant silver spikes and place retracting spike traps between the pitchblende and graphite blocks, attached to levers in the control room.

[Lawec]

Graphite is used for control rods IIRC, and I think it is in the game aswell

[smjjames]

Graphite is used for control rods IIRC, and I think it is in the game aswell

Yea it is, but it's extremely rare. You'd be hard pressed to find a dwarf civ and maybe a human civ that has it. If either civ is a large one, that helps, but still.

[Sphalerite]

Graphite is a moderator.  It makes the reactor react more.  (Well, in general ... moderation is actually a pretty complex thing, and there are conditions where adding graphite will reduce the reactivity, but in most reactors more graphite = more reaction).

For control rods you want neutron absorbing material.  Boron, cadmium, hafnium, and most other good neutron absorbers are unavailable in DF.  But silver also works, and you can make weapons out of it, so a spike trap with a giant silver spike in it would be an acceptable stand-in for a control rod.

[Count Dorku]

Graphite is a moderator.  It makes the reactor react more.  (Well, in general ... moderation is actually a pretty complex thing, and there are conditions where adding graphite will reduce the reactivity, but in most reactors more graphite = more reaction).

So moderators make reactors less moderate. Y'know, when you get right down to brass tacks, the universe makes no sense.

[Osmosis Jones]

They do however moderate the neutrons down from ridiculously fast to a more reasonable velocity, increasing their likelihood of interacting with the nuclei.

[Sphalerite]

Yeah, it's complex.  There's an optimal velocity for neutrons to be at to continue the chain reaction, and moderators slow down the neutrons to reach that point.  How much moderation you want depends on the kind mix of fuel you're burning, the size and geometry of the reactor, and lots of other stuff.  Most reactors are run under-moderated for safety, because it's a lot easier for something going wrong with the core to decrease the moderation rather than increase it.  Running over-moderated is a bad idea because water is somewhat of a moderator, and the last thing you want if you lose your cooling water is for the reactor to get more reactive.  On the other hand, water can also be a neutron absorber, so it gets pretty complicated.

Of course, it's kind of moot since you can't actually build a working nuclear reactor in DF, just a pretty mockup.  I'm looking forward to the custom workshop feature in the next major release and being able to mod in working reactors and uranium enrichment facilities and such.

[Osmosis Jones]

...and once we get the lighting update, we can have the pretty blue Cherenkov radiation too!


Incidentally Blue, are you making the reactor an open pool reactor, or closed vessel? Open pool is nicer, and since this isn't for energy generation, probably better suited. Of course, you'll need at least 3-4 z-levels of water to prevent radiation poisoning...

[blue emu]

Incidentally Blue, are you making the reactor an open pool reactor, or closed vessel? Open pool is nicer, and since this isn't for energy generation, probably better suited. Of course, you'll need at least 3-4 z-levels of water to prevent radiation poisoning...

I was planning to create a closed vessel out of Lead, lined with Berylium (ie: Beryl-based gem windows), filled with flowing water. As far as radiation poisoning goes... I was planning to use my Dwarves as a sort of ad-hoc radiation detector: when they start throwing up and glowing in the dark, that means that I need better shielding (and/or some new Dwarves).

[Osmosis Jones]

Ahhh, but you see, that's what nobles are for! Build some 'viewing platforms' on each level above the core (with some windows to keep the water in), and lock a noble in each one. Then, you have a direct map of radiation intensity as a function of core proximity, by plotting the number of mutations against the number of map tiles