Nuclear Power Problems

[sponge14]

I don't understand why, out of seemingly nowhere, my power production will drop in half and I will get low power warnings on buildings. I should be generating around 460MW, and sometimes I indeed do generate that much. But then out of nowhere I drop down to what I show in the screenshots. I have 9 offshore pumps,. and powered pumps along the water route to keep the pressure up so I don't think it's a water issue but I not sure.

[astroshak]

Without a better view of the entire power plant, we can’t really proofread your power plant.

What I can tell you is, that those 4 reactors in that two 1x2 configuration cannot provide more than 320 MW of power, at 160 MW each.

160 MW calls for ( factoriocheatsheet.com/#nuclear-power ) 2 Offshore Pumps, 16 Heat Exchangers, 28 Steam Turbines. You would need that for each of your 1x2 setups.

1 HE uses 103 water/sec, to make 103 Steam/sec (500C steam). One Steam turbine uses 60 Steam/sec… to generate 5.82 MW of power.

160 / 5.82 = 27.49 Turbines; rounding up to 28 due to inability to put half a Steam Turbine down.
27.5 Turbines * 60 Steam/sec = 1650 Steam/sec
1650 Steam/sec / 103 Steam/sec = just over 16 Heat Exchangers.

You have, per 1x2 reactor setup … 40 Steam Turbines and only 10 Heat Exchangers. 10 HE’s can only produce 1030 Steam… enough to supply 17.16666666 Steam Turbines with Steam, for 99.91 MW per setup, 199.82 MW overall in your pic.

At 103 Steam/sec one Heat Exchanger cannot supply two Steam Turbines with enough Steam. This explains why you only have half your Turbines working at all. That said … if you need less than half of that power, you will see all four Turbines per Heat Exchanger working, but that’s because the Steam Turbine is not pulling all the Steam it would under full load, allowing Steam to reach Turbines 3 and 4.

But, it is clear that you have more nuclear somewhere else, as you A) have 205 MW in that screenshot, and B) have 83 Steam Turbines put down. Those 3 additional Steam Turbines would account for the extra MW in your pic.

[eradicator]

I don't think it's a water issue but I not sure.

You can see if it's water by hovering over the heat exchangers. If they have 0 water *while the problem happens* you have a water problem. By intuition your pipes look insufficient (too many pipes between boilers, too many straight pipes) and what you describe "sudden rapid decrease" is also what would happen if it's water related - it works as long as the turbines don't use more water than you supply.

Mmh.. also if you're playing without mods you can't use 4 turbines for one heat exchanger under full load.

[sponge14]

Without a better view of the entire power plant, we can’t really proofread your power plant.

What I can tell you is, that those 4 reactors in that two 1x2 configuration cannot provide more than 320 MW of power, at 160 MW each.

160 MW calls for ( factoriocheatsheet.com/#nuclear-power ) 2 Offshore Pumps, 16 Heat Exchangers, 28 Steam Turbines. You would need that for each of your 1x2 setups.

1 HE uses 103 water/sec, to make 103 Steam/sec (500C steam). One Steam turbine uses 60 Steam/sec… to generate 5.82 MW of power.

160 / 5.82 = 27.49 Turbines; rounding up to 28 due to inability to put half a Steam Turbine down.
27.5 Turbines * 60 Steam/sec = 1650 Steam/sec
1650 Steam/sec / 103 Steam/sec = just over 16 Heat Exchangers.

You have, per 1x2 reactor setup … 40 Steam Turbines and only 10 Heat Exchangers. 10 HE’s can only produce 1030 Steam… enough to supply 17.16666666 Steam Turbines with Steam, for 99.91 MW per setup, 199.82 MW overall in your pic.

At 103 Steam/sec one Heat Exchanger cannot supply two Steam Turbines with enough Steam. This explains why you only have half your Turbines working at all. That said … if you need less than half of that power, you will see all four Turbines per Heat Exchanger working, but that’s because the Steam Turbine is not pulling all the Steam it would under full load, allowing Steam to reach Turbines 3 and 4.

But, it is clear that you have more nuclear somewhere else, as you A) have 205 MW in that screenshot, and B) have 83 Steam Turbines put down. Those 3 additional Steam Turbines would account for the extra MW in your pic.

So are you saying that the max heat exchangers that a 1x2 configuration of reactors can handle is 16?

I switched up based on what you said about 4 being too much, so now I am running 28 sets of 2 turbines, but I think 56 turbines is too much based on what you and the links you posted are saying?

[sponge14]

I don't think it's a water issue but I not sure.

You can see if it's water by hovering over the heat exchangers. If they have 0 water *while the problem happens* you have a water problem. By intuition your pipes look insufficient (too many pipes between boilers, too many straight pipes) and what you describe "sudden rapid decrease" is also what would happen if it's water related - it works as long as the turbines don't use more water than you supply.

Mmh.. also if you're playing without mods you can't use 4 turbines for one heat exchanger under full load.

I am not using any mods. I adjusted the water so that each pipeline from the offshores is only providing water to half the setup. That seems to have solved the water issue.

[astroshak]

You have two setups of 1x2 reactors.

Each setup needs 16 Heat Exchangers to operate at full power.
Each setup needs 27.5 (rounded up as stated above, to 28 ) Steam Turbines to operate at full power.

So, yes, you need 56 Steam Turbines between the two 1x2 Reactor setups.

What will blow your mind is the idea that putting those two 1x2 setups next to each other, so that you have a 2x2 setup, will generate an additional 160 MW power (480 MW as opposed to your 320 MW split in two 160 MW setups). Such a change would require additional Heat Exchangers and Steam Turbines, as well as even more water than you provide now.

[azesmbog]

I switched up based on what you said about 4 being too much, so now I am running 28 sets of 2 turbines, but I think 56 turbines is too much based on what you and the links you posted are saying?

2 turbines per heat exchanger is also not the best solution.
There is not enough steam at full and maximum load.
But nevertheless, I use it this way, compensating for the possible drop in power with additional sections of the heat exchanger + 2 turbines. And so on ad infinitum
Here is one of my last nuclear power plants with this concept.
The theoretical capacity is 46 GW, but under full load it will give out 40 GW, because there is not enough steam. The figures are approximate, but when these 40 GW are not enough for me, I have much to expand without any problems, if only there is enough water