User:Immibis/Water reactor

This Dwarven Water Reactor design is based on the design of the same name on the Water wheel page. It produces approximately 4 2/3 Urist McPowerUnits per Urist McCubicSpaceUnit. (a windmill farm will produce 1 1/9 or 2 2/9, depending on the map, making it 4.2 or 2.1 times as space-efficient).

Layout

w = waterwheel, channel underneath
* = gear assembly
| = horizontal axle (N/S)
= = horizontal axle (E/W)
- = horizontal axle (E/W), channel underneath
G = gear assembly, channel underneath
% = screw pump, input end
V^<> = screw pump, output end
. = floor
_ = channel
# = wall

z-level 0            z-level -1

 ###    water input  ###
 #_# <- from above   #.#
################    ##.#############
#w w#w w#w w#w w    #.#.#.#.#.#.#.#.
#w*w#w^w#w*w#w^w    #.#.#.#.#.#.#.#.
 w|w w%w w|w w%w    #.#.#.#.#.#.#.#.
-=G=-=G=-=G=-=G=    .#.#.#.#.#.#.#.#
 w%w w|w w%w w|w    #.#.#.#.#.#.#.#.
#wVw#w*w#wVw#w*w    #.#.#.#.#.#.#.#.
#w w#w w#w w#w w    #.#.#.#.#.#.#.#.
################    ################

Repetition

The design above can be repeated as many times as desired (possibly without adding extra inputs). Each repetition will produce a net 1344 units of power (1600 units produced, 256 units used). Build a wall at the far-right end, with a channel in the middle tile (at the end of the row of gear assemblies and axles)

Starting

The reactor needs at least 256 units of power to start (more if you repeated the design). This can be achieved by connecting an external source of power, or by the waterwheels running as water fills the machine. External power will most likely be required if there aren't enough water inputs. The machine will take some time to fully start, but the external power source can be removed once it is producing enough power to run itself.

Stopping

Good luck! Even if you drain the water from the machine and cut off the input, enough water will probably remain to keep it running for a long time, or even forever. The easiest way would be to attach a frozen gear assembly or axle, but if your map doesn't have ice you'll have to just pour magma on it and rebuild everything, unless you can waste enough power to bring everything to a halt. Another idea: Try filling the entire reactor with 7/7 water. Filling it with 7/7 water makes it run more efficiently :p

Untested safer version

z-level 0            z-level -1

################    ################
#w w#w w#w w#w w    #.#.#.#.#.#.#.#.
#w*w#w^w#w*w#w^w    #.#.#.#.#.#.#.#.
 w|w w%w w|w w%w    ##.#.#.#.#.#.##.
==G===G===G===G=    ................
 w%w w|w w%w w|w    ##.#.#.#.#.#.##.
#wVw#w*w#wVw#w*w    #.#.#.#.#.#.#.#.
#w w#w w#w w#w w    #.#.#.#.#.#.#.#.
################    ################

The differences from the main design are:

• There should be no water flooding the central walkway.
• The central walkway doesn't have as many gaps in it.
• Water doesn't have to move diagonally in the central pipe. This means it will fill up a LOT faster, and can be filled from either end (or both).
• It might be possible to drain it, or it might not. If you used retracting bridges for the floor in the middle row of z-1, you would be able to drain it very easily.

I haven't tested this design yet. Use at your own risk. Tested it just now. The machine cannot be filled to 7/7 or it won't run, you want about 4 or 5 instead. It is perfectly safe, as intended, and dwarves can walk along the middle without drowning.