Manual section on nuclear generator

manual.md

@@ -1147,6 +1147,136 @@ an elevation of +30 or higher.  It generates more at higher elevation,
 reaching maximum output at elevation +50 or higher.  Its surroundings
 don't otherwise matter; it doesn't actually need to be in open air.
 
+### nuclear generator ###
+
+The nuclear generator (nuclear reactor) is an HV power generator that
+generates a large amount of energy from the controlled fission of
+uranium-235.  It must be fuelled, with uranium fuel rods, but consumes
+the fuel quite slowly in relation to the rate at which it is likely to
+be mined.  The operation of a nuclear reactor poses radiological hazards
+to which some thought must be given.  Economically, the use of nuclear
+power requires a high capital investment, and a secure infrastructure,
+but rewards the investment well.
+
+Nuclear fuel is made from uranium.  Natural uranium doesn't have a
+sufficiently high proportion of U-235, so it must first be enriched
+via centrifuge.  Producing one unit of 3.5%-fissile uranium requires
+the input of five units of 0.7%-fissile (natural) uranium, and produces
+four units of 0.0%-fissile (fully depleted) uranium as a byproduct.
+It takes five ingots of 3.5%-fissile uranium to make each fuel rod, and
+six rods to fuel a reactor.  It thus takes the input of the equivalent
+of 150 ingots of natural uranium, which can be obtained from the mining
+of 75 blocks of uranium ore, to make a full set of reactor fuel.
+
+The nuclear reactor is a large multi-block structure.  Only one block in
+the structure, the reactor core, is of a type that is truly specific to
+the reactor; the rest of the structure consists of blocks that have mainly
+non-nuclear uses.  The reactor core is where all the generator-specific
+action happens: it is where the fuel rods are inserted, and where the
+power cable must connect to draw off the generated power.
+
+The reactor structure consists of concentric layers, each a cubical
+shell, around the core.  Immediately around the core is a layer of water,
+representing the reactor coolant; water blocks may be either source blocks
+or flowing blocks.  Around that is a layer of stainless steel blocks,
+representing the reactor pressure vessel, and around that a layer of
+blast-resistant concrete blocks, representing a containment structure.
+It is customary, though no longer mandatory, to surround this with a
+layer of ordinary concrete blocks.  The mandatory reactor structure
+makes a 7×7×7 cube, and the full customary structure a
+9×9×9 cube.
+
+The layers surrounding the core don't have to be absolutely complete.
+Indeed, if they were complete, it would be impossible to cable the core to
+a power network.  The cable makes it necessary to have at least one block
+missing from each surrounding layer.  The water layer is only permitted
+to have one water block missing of the 26 possible.  The steel layer may
+have up to two blocks missing of the 98 possible, and the blast-resistant
+concrete layer may have up to two blocks missing of the 218 possible.
+Thus it is possible to have not only a cable duct, but also a separate
+inspection hole through the solid layers.  The separate inspection hole
+is of limited use: the cable duct can serve double duty.
+
+Once running, the reactor core is significantly radioactive.  The layers
+of reactor structure provide quite a lot of shielding, but not enough
+to make the reactor safe to be around, in two respects.  Firstly, the
+shortest possible path from the core to a player outside the reactor
+is sufficiently short, and has sufficiently little shielding material,
+that it will damage the player.  This only affects a player who is
+extremely close to the reactor, and close to a face rather than a vertex.
+The customary additional layer of ordinary concrete around the reactor
+adds sufficient distance and shielding to negate this risk, but it can
+also be addressed by just keeping extra distance (a little over two
+meters of air).
+
+The second radiological hazard of a running reactor arises from shine
+paths; that is, specific paths from the core that lack sufficient
+shielding.  The necessary cable duct, if straight, forms a perfect
+shine path, because the cable itself has no radiation shielding effect.
+Any secondary inspection hole also makes a shine path, along which the
+only shielding material is the water of the reactor coolant.  The shine
+path aspect of the cable duct can be ameliorated by adding a kink in the
+cable, but this still yields paths with reduced shielding.  Ultimately,
+shine paths must be managed either with specific shielding outside the
+mandatory structure, or with additional no-go areas.
+
+The radioactivity of an operating reactor core makes starting up a reactor
+hazardous, and can come as a surprise because the non-operating core
+isn't radioactive at all.  The radioactive damage is survivable, but it is
+normally preferable to avoid it by some care around the startup sequence.
+To start up, the reactor must have a full set of fuel inserted, have all
+the mandatory structure around it, and be cabled to a switching station.
+Only the fuel insertion requires direct access to the core, so irradiation
+of the player can be avoided by making one of the other two criteria be
+the last one satisfied.  Completing the cabling to a switching station
+is the easiest to do from a safe distance.
+
+Once running, the reactor will generate 100 kEU/s for a week (168 hours,
+604800 seconds), a total of 6.048 GEU from one set of fuel.  After the
+week is up, it will stop generating and no longer be radioactive.  It can
+then be refuelled to run for another week.  It is not really intended
+to be possible to pause a running reactor, but actually disconnecting
+it from a switching station will have the effect of pausing the week.
+This will probably change in the future.  A paused reactor is still
+radioactive, just not generating electrical power.
+
+A running reactor can't be safely dismantled, and not only because
+dismantling the reactor implies removing the shielding that makes
+it safe to be close to the core.  The mandatory parts of the reactor
+structure are not just mandatory in order to start the reactor; they're
+mandatory in order to keep it intact.  If the structure around the core
+gets damaged, and remains damaged, the core will eventually melt down.
+How long there is before meltdown depends on the extent of the damage;
+if only one mandatory block is missing, meltdown will follow in 100
+seconds.  While the structure of a running reactor is in a damaged state,
+heading towards meltdown, a siren built into the reactor core will sound.
+If the structure is rectified, the siren will signal all-clear.  If the
+siren stops sounding without signalling all-clear, then it was stopped
+by meltdown.
+
+If meltdown is imminent because of damaged reactor structure, digging the
+reactor core is not a way to avert it.  Digging the core of a running
+reactor causes instant meltdown.  The only way to dismantle a reactor
+without causing meltdown is to start by waiting for it to finish the
+week-long burning of its current set of fuel.  Once a reactor is no longer
+operating, it can be dismantled by ordinary means, with no special risks.
+
+Meltdown, if it occurs, destroys the reactor and poses a major
+environmental hazard.  The reactor core melts, becoming a hot, highly
+radioactive liquid known as "corium".  A single meltdown yields a single
+corium source block, where the core used to be.  Corium flows, and the
+flowing corium is very destructive to whatever it comes into contact with.
+Flowing corium also randomly solidifies into a radioactive solid called
+"Chernobylite".  The random solidification and random destruction of
+solid blocks means that the flow of corium is constantly changing.
+This combined with the severe radioactivity makes corium much more
+challenging to deal with than lava.  If a meltdown is left to its own
+devices, it gets worse over time, as the corium works its way through
+the reactor structure and starts to flow over a variety of paths.
+It is best to tackle a meltdown quickly; the priority is to extinguish
+the corium source block, normally by dropping gravel into it.  Only the
+most motivated should attempt to pick up the corium in a bucket.
+
 administrative world anchor
 ---------------------------
 
@@ -1208,8 +1338,6 @@ subjects missing from this manual
 
 This manual needs to be extended with sections on:
 
-*   power generators
-    *   nuclear
 *   powered tools
     *   tool charging
     *   battery and energy crystals