MatterBeam

For balance purposes, the reactors do not produce electric charge directly, and for simplicity's sake, they do not throttle down.

I will update the kerbalstuff page.

I think this is true if all reactors tried to achieve the same power output, but in this case, they do not. A higher temperture 800MW reactor generates less waste heat, a lower temperature 800MW reactor is less efficient.In general, I try to make lower temperature reactors also produce less power, so that they follow a more intuitive pattern for the player. USI reactors produce electric charge, so their output has to be scaled against the 1 to 100ec/s consumption of most parts. USI Core's 2.5m reactor produces 1550ec/s, enough to power several colonies, but if 1ec/s:1kW, it is actually very weak. The converters are instructed to dump excess, so they are continuously on.

I'm going forward using empirical data, since the calculated waste heat would number in the 767MW/1534000000000 temperaturemultiplier units. I've got the solid core and gasseous core behaving correctly now. The only problem comes with the interactions between time warp and radiators. For example, placing two large deployable radiators on the gaseous core in physics warp stabilizes it at 360K. At 100x timewarp, it reaches the realistic 1350K I was aiming for. 1000x stops thermal calculations up to 10000x.... but returning from 10000x leaves all parts very cool, but the reactor core loaded with energy. As in, it jumps to 10000K+. If the 4000K shutoff wasn't in place, that heat would transfer to the part and make everything explode. I had to mash the 'start reactor' button for the core heat to dissipate and for the regular heat mechanisms to take over.

Thank you for the support.

The reactor is only as strong as its weakest part. It's not silly. A 2600K tolerance part usually means a mono-bloc of high heat tolerance material. The NERV was actively cooled by the flow of liquid hydrogen, and most designs aimed for the 2700-3000K range, because above that, the weakest components start melting. For my reactors, there are three temperatures: core, interior and skin. Skin is irrelevant. Taking the example of the Solid Fission reactor, the core can handle 2000K temperatures. However, the coolant will boil off at about 1100K, hence a temperature limit of 1100K. The Gasseous core technically contains 25000K uranium vapor, but the working fluid is at 3000K. However, the actively cooled quartz that contains the uranium has a failure temperature of 1400K. Also, this is supposed to be a very simplified reactor mod. Every step of extra complexity, that doesn't add interactive gameplay in my opinion moves away from the objective of the mod. I reloaded and tweaked the .cfg files a dozen times to reach the following results. Solid Fission Reactor: TemperatureModifier { key = 0 8000000 key = 400 800000 key = 800 400000 key = 1000 40000 key = 1400 800 key = 2000 200 } GeneratesHeat = true ThermalEfficiency { key = 0 0.3 0 0 key = 400 0.6 0 0 key = 800 0.8 0 0 key = 1000 1.0 0 0 key = 1200 1.2 0 0 key = 1400 0.8 0 0 key = 2000 0.6 0 0 } } MODULE { name = ModuleCoreHeat CoreTempGoal = 3000 CoreToPartRatio = 0.1 CoreTempGoalAdjustment = 0 CoreEnergyMultiplier = 0.1 HeatRadiantMultiplier = 0.1 CoolingRadiantMultiplier = 0 HeatTransferMultiplier = 1 CoolantTransferMultiplier = 0 radiatorCoolingFactor = 1 radiatorHeatingFactor = 0.01 MaxCalculationWarp = 1000 CoreShutdownTemp = 10000 MaxCoolant = 5000 } Equilibrium temps: (atmospheric) 1054K core /916K internal /860K surface (vaccuum) 1054K core/ 933K internal /883K surface Radiators have no effect on Core temp. Gaseous core: TemperatureModifier { key = 0 8000000 key = 1000 800000 key = 2000 400000 key = 3000 40000 key = 3600 800 key = 4000 200 } GeneratesHeat = true ThermalEfficiency { key = 0 0.3 0 0 key = 500 0.6 0 0 key = 2000 0.8 0 0 key = 3000 1.0 0 0 key = 3500 1.2 0 0 key = 3600 0.8 0 0 key = 4000 0.6 0 0 } } MODULE { name = ModuleCoreHeat CoreTempGoal = 3000 CoreToPartRatio = 0.1 CoreTempGoalAdjustment = 0 CoreEnergyMultiplier = 0.1 HeatRadiantMultiplier = 0.1 CoolingRadiantMultiplier = 0 HeatTransferMultiplier = 1 CoolantTransferMultiplier = 0 radiatorCoolingFactor = 1 radiatorHeatingFactor = 0.01 MaxCalculationWarp = 1000 CoreShutdownTemp = 10000 MaxCoolant = 5000 } Equilibrium temps: (atmospheric) 3627K core /1447K internal /1241K surface (vaccuum) 3627K core/ 1482K internal /1278K surface Adding radiators reduces core temp to about 3020K. Thank you for all your help!

I will do some tests with higher low-end efficiency and lower temperaturemodifier values. Do any specific settings in ModuleCoreHeat help with this?

Output resource is a custom unit. The input unit had to be arbitrarily low, commonly available and self-replenishing, so I chose electric current. So what you're saying is that I should increase cold efficiency to unrealistic values for gameplay purposes? How does heat output scale with efficiency? Directlty proportional? Squared? By the way, thank you both for helping.

Someone sticky this somewhere.

Here they are: Solid Fission reactor designed to reach 1000K and explode at 1600K. PART { name = SolidFission module = Part author = ZZZ, Fractal mesh = Nuke_Reactor_Jr.mu rescaleFactor = 3 node_stack_top = 0.0, 0.25, 0.0, 0.0, 1.0, 0.0, 1 node_stack_bottom = 0.0, -0.25, 0.0, 0.0, -1.0, 0.0, 1 TechRequired = basicScience entryCost = 50000 cost = 10000 category = Utility subcategory = 0 title = Solid Fission Reactor manufacturer = SimpleNuclear description = A fission reactor generating thermal energy. It contains solid rods of Uranium cooled by molten lithium salts. Energy is extracted by a heat exhanger. It is dense and durable, and requires very little cooling, making it best suited for rockets intended for atmospheric re-entry. // attachment rules: stack, srfAttach, allowStack, allowSrfAttach, allowCollision attachRules = 1,1,1,1,0 mass = 8.5 dragModelType = default maximum_drag = 0.2 minimum_drag = 0.3 angularDrag = 2 crashTolerance = 30 breakingForce = 4000 breakingTorque = 4000 maxTemp = 1600 RESOURCE { name = MWt amount = 0 maxAmount = 2000 } MODULE { name = ModuleResourceConverter ConverterName = Reactor StartActionName = Start Reactor StopActionName = Stop Reactor INPUT_RESOURCE { ResourceName = ElectricCharge Ratio = 0.1 } OUTPUT_RESOURCE { ResourceName = MWt DumpExcess = true Ratio = 765 } OUTPUT_RESOURCE { ResourceName = ElectricCharge DumpExcess = true Ratio = 0.1 } AutoShutdown = false TemperatureModifier { key = 0 40000000 key = 400 4000000 key = 1000 400000 key = 1400 20000 key = 1600 40 key = 4000 0 } GeneratesHeat = true ThermalEfficiency { key = 0 0.01 0 0 key = 400 0.5 0 0 key = 1000 1.0 0 0 key = 1400 1.2 0 0 key = 1600 0.1 0 0 } } MODULE { name = ModuleCoreHeat CoreTempGoal = 1000 //Internal temp goal - we don't transfer till we hit this point CoreToPartRatio = 0.1 //Scale back cooling if the part is this % of core temp CoreTempGoalAdjustment = 0 //Dynamic goal adjustment CoreEnergyMultiplier = 1 //What percentage of our core energy do we transfer to the part HeatRadiantMultiplier = 1 //If the core is hotter, how much heat radiates? CoolingRadiantMultiplier = 0 //If the core is colder, how much radiates? HeatTransferMultiplier = 1 //If the part is hotter, how much heat transfers in? CoolantTransferMultiplier = 0.1 //If the part is colder, how much of our energy can we transfer? radiatorCoolingFactor = 1 //How much energy we pull from core with an active radiator? >= 1 radiatorHeatingFactor = 0.01 //How much energy we push to the active radiator MaxCalculationWarp = 1000 //Based on how dramatic the changes are, this is the max rate of change CoreShutdownTemp = 10000 //At what core temperature do we shut down all generators on this part? MaxCoolant = 5000 //Maximum amount of radiator capacity we can consume - 50 = 1 small } RESOURCE { name = ElectricCharge amount = 0 maxAmount = 1 } MODULE { name = TweakScale type = stack defaultScale = 2.5 } } Gaseous Core reactor designed to reach 3000K and explode at 3600K PART { name = GasCoreReactor module = Part author = Vap & Fractal mesh = Nuke_Reactor_Sr.mu rescaleFactor = 1.28 node_stack_top = 0.0, 0.975, 0.0, 0.0, 1.0, 0.0, 2 node_stack_bottom = 0.0, -0.975, 0.0, 0.0, -1.0, 0.0, 2 TechRequired = basicScience entryCost = 200000 cost = 50000 category = Utility subcategory = 0 title = Gas Core Reactor manufacturer = SimpleNuclear description = A fission reactor generating thermal energy. A quartz lightbulb holds gasseous uranium at 25000K, emitting ultraviolet light. Liquid Hydrogen is used as a heat exchange medium. It is bulky and requires impressive amounts of cooling, but allows for very powerful rockets. Best used on an interplanetary rocket. // attachment rules: stack, srfAttach, allowStack, allowSrfAttach, allowCollision attachRules = 1,1,1,1,0 mass = 3.4 dragModelType = default maximum_drag = 0.2 minimum_drag = 0.3 angularDrag = 2 crashTolerance = 6 breakingForce = 300 breakingTorque = 300 maxTemp = 3600 RESOURCE { name = MWt amount = 0 maxAmount = 2000 } MODULE { name = ModuleResourceConverter ConverterName = Reactor StartActionName = Start Reactor StopActionName = Stop Reactor INPUT_RESOURCE { ResourceName = ElectricCharge Ratio = 0.1 } OUTPUT_RESOURCE { ResourceName = MWt DumpExcess = true Ratio = 686 } OUTPUT_RESOURCE { ResourceName = ElectricCharge DumpExcess = true Ratio = 0.1 } AutoShutdown = false TemperatureModifier { key = 0 40000000 key = 1000 4000000 key = 2000 200000 key = 3000 2000 key = 3600 400 key = 4000 0 } GeneratesHeat = true ThermalEfficiency { key = 0 0.01 0 0 key = 500 0.05 0 0 key = 1000 0.5 0 0 key = 2000 0.55 0 0 key = 3000 1.0 0 0 key = 3500 1.2 0 0 key = 3500 0.8 0 0 key = 4000 0.1 0 0 } } MODULE { name = ModuleCoreHeat CoreTempGoal = 3000 //Internal temp goal - we don't transfer till we hit this point CoreToPartRatio = 0.1 //Scale back cooling if the part is this % of core temp CoreTempGoalAdjustment = 0 //Dynamic goal adjustment CoreEnergyMultiplier = 1 //What percentage of our core energy do we transfer to the part HeatRadiantMultiplier = 1 //If the core is hotter, how much heat radiates? CoolingRadiantMultiplier = 0 //If the core is colder, how much radiates? HeatTransferMultiplier = 1 //If the part is hotter, how much heat transfers in? CoolantTransferMultiplier = 0.1 //If the part is colder, how much of our energy can we transfer? radiatorCoolingFactor = 1 //How much energy we pull from core with an active radiator? >= 1 radiatorHeatingFactor = 0.01 //How much energy we push to the active radiator MaxCalculationWarp = 1000 //Based on how dramatic the changes are, this is the max rate of change CoreShutdownTemp = 10000 //At what core temperature do we shut down all generators on this part? MaxCoolant = 5000 //Maximum amount of radiator capacity we can consume - 50 = 1 small } RESOURCE { name = ElectricCharge amount = 0 maxAmount = 1 } MODULE { name = TweakScale type = stack defaultScale = 2.5 } }

Updated KerbalStuff to version v0.2

Hours of reading through Nertea's Dev thread and Roverdude's .cfg files has landed me with the following: TemperatureModifier { key = 0 40000000 key = 400 4000000 key = 1000 400000 key = 1400 200000 key = 1600 400 key = 4000 0 } GeneratesHeat = true ThermalEfficiency { key = 0 0.01 0 0 key = 400 0.5 0 0 key = 1000 1.0 0 0 key = 1400 1.2 0 0 key = 1600 0.1 0 0 } } MODULE { name = ModuleCoreHeat CoreTempGoal = 1000 CoreToPartRatio = 0.01 CoreTempGoalAdjustment = 0 CoreEnergyMultiplier = 0.1 HeatRadiantMultiplier = 0.05 CoolingRadiantMultiplier = 0 HeatTransferMultiplier = 0 CoolantTransferMultiplier = 0.01 radiatorCoolingFactor = 1 radiatorHeatingFactor = 0.01 MaxCalculationWarp = 1000 CoreShutdownTemp = 2000 MaxCoolant = 5000 } The good part? The reactor starts and stops, produces MWt and heats up. The bad part? Instead of achieving the CoreTempGoal of 1000K, it gets stuck at about 550K. This is without radiators. The following is part of a .cfg for a reactor designed to overheat and blow up if not connected to radiators: AutoShutdown = false TemperatureModifier { key = 0 40000000 key = 1000 4000000 key = 2000 400000 key = 3000 200000 key = 3600 400 key = 4000 0 } GeneratesHeat = true ThermalEfficiency { key = 0 0.01 0 0 key = 500 0.05 0 0 key = 1000 0.5 0 0 key = 2000 0.55 0 0 key = 3000 1.0 0 0 key = 3500 1.2 0 0 key = 3500 0.8 0 0 key = 4000 0.1 0 0 } } MODULE { name = ModuleCoreHeat CoreTempGoal = 3000 CoreToPartRatio = 0.1 CoreTempGoalAdjustment = 0 CoreEnergyMultiplier = 0.1 HeatRadiantMultiplier = 0.05 CoolingRadiantMultiplier = 0 HeatTransferMultiplier = 0 CoolantTransferMultiplier = 0.01 radiatorCoolingFactor = 1 radiatorHeatingFactor = 0.01 MaxCalculationWarp = 1000 CoreShutdownTemp = 4000 MaxCoolant = 5000 } The good? It heats up faster than the previous reactor... but gets stuck at 1470K, instead of reaching 3000K. Increasing the TemperatureModifier by x10, which I understand means a heat output of x10, does not change the stable temperatures of the reactors at all. I think the only person on Earth who fully understands the heating system is @RoverDude. Maybe I'll get in touch with His Holiness.

Thank you!

So this part of Tweakscale: TWEAKSCALEEXPONENTS { name = ModuleGenerator outputList { rate = 3 } } will affect the output here?: MODULE { name = ModuleResourceConverter ConverterName = Reactor StartActionName = Start Reactor StopActionName = Stop Reactor INPUT_RESOURCE { ResourceName = ElectricCharge Ratio = 0.1 } OUTPUT_RESOURCE { ResourceName = MWt Ratio = 765 } }

Trawling through the dev threads by Nertea's gang of resident experts, I think that: -TemperatureModifier is a curve that defines heat output at various current temperatures. In the above example, the part produces 2000000u/s at 0 kelvin, and 0u/s at 4000 kelvin. I have no idea what units 'u' is in. I hope it's watts.

Actually, it's the only possible step forward. Sunlight isn't powerful enough, and chemical rockets need ridiculous mass ratios to get anywhere. Also, in my search to understand the mystical secrets of ModuleCoreHeat, I found Nertea's development thread. A real treasure trove of information. Thank you, @Nertea , @Streetwind, @Psycho_zs.

I managed to establish reasonable mass, volume and output for the SolidFission and GasseousFission reactors, based on real-world proposals. I used those to balance the remaining three reactors. For now, a 2.5m-sized reactor produces between 490 and 2697MW, and weighs between 3.4 and 49 tons.

Thank you. Corrected.

Throwing an idea out here: Pilots are trained for specific command modules. All have basic one-star functionality in all command modules, but better training provides them extra-star bonuses. For example, a pilot who has flown ten times in a MK1 Cockpit would be very proficient with it. However, he would be unfamiliar with the controls of the MK3 Cockpit. The reasoning behind this is that rockets change much too often for pilots to be trained on a per-flight or per-mission basis. However, encouraging players to standardize at least parts of their rockets, and build specific training craft, would be a good thing. Thoughts? Also, @magico13, you truly are magical.

You'd need an intersection between someone capable of modelling and texturing relatively complex parts, and someone who can make sense of FireSpitter's model switching. That's... rare, and those capable are usually tied up in their own projects. In the meantime, I strongly recommend you look at Custom Clusters. For tips on how to use them, look at my RSS career rockets.

I have a set of reactors that I want to scale output to mass. Pretty standard stuff: 1.25m, 2.5m, 3.75m+ with a tweakscalefactor of 3. (That's as far as I understood from the current tutorial.)

One of the major tenets of this mod is customization. You will be able to add and remove any part of it without loss of functionality in the rest. In my opinion though, I'd like you to test out the fusion reactors before removing them. The full-power version of the mod will be based on today's fusion capabilities, scaled to use in space. They'd be no more or no less realistic than gas core reactors, for example. My mod is comprised of three parts: Reactors supplying MWt or MWe, engines consuming MWt or MWe, and stand-alone engines. The NERV will be rebalanced as a high thrust nuclear solid engine with no cooling requirements, based on the KIWI but recalculated for Liquid Fuel instead of Liquid Hydrogen

Any help?

Hi. Is there an updated tutorial on how to add tweakscale support to part mods? The guide on the old thread is completely messed up.

Updated with links to redistributed mods.