Arcane Power (0.4.0)

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There is something moving inside the containment field. The instruments call it a reaction. The engineers call it a power source. Neither makes the emergency shutters feel thick enough.

You have learned how to wake it. You have learned how to draw power from it. Make sure you also learn how to let it go.

Build an industrial arcane power plant: mine rare fuel, maintain its containment, recover heat through a modular Brayton cycle and bank the electricity. Keep an escape route for the core when containment fails.

The Reactor

• One large-grid Arcane Reactor with animated assembly, rotating rings, tile replacement and core ejection
• 10% standalone / flat 80% Brayton conversion; Brayton needs 1 GW cooling per GW electrical output
• Fuel input: Aether 5 GW / Helion 50 GW / Empyrean 250 GW; Helion and Empyrean require Brayton
• Two functional controllers provide 2/3/4 rings; at least one advanced controller unlocks Brayton
• Demand-based fuel use, gradual ramp, grid-powered containment and a shutdown reserve
• Manifolds retract behind curved sliding panels; mode changes wait for shutdown and cooling

Power Progression

[table] [tr][th]Setup[/th][th]Electrical output[/th][/tr] [tr][td]Standalone Aether[/td][td]500 MW[/td][/tr] [tr][td]T1 Brayton Aether[/td][td]4 GW[/td][/tr] [tr][td]T1 Brayton Helion[/td][td]14 GW[/td][/tr] [tr][td]T2 Brayton Helion[/td][td]40 GW[/td][/tr] [tr][td]T2 Brayton Empyrean[/td][td]200 GW[/td][/tr] [/table]

Build a Brayton Plant

Build up to four independent circuits, each with one turbine and its own cooling. One to four circuits provide 25/50/75/100% capacity at normal tier efficiency. Keep outlets separate, align H/C bores, use reactor adapters and cap unused pipe mouths. Use one physical large grid; conveyors and subgrids cannot carry heat.

• One duplex pipe family with framed/bare straights, elbows, risers, tees, crosses, adapters and caps
• T1 turbines: 3.5 GW each; T2: 50 GW each, unlocking Empyrean. Regular/mirrored, 2x2x5 cells, one lower socket
• Reflective glass, animated flow, spinning blades and a copper-wound armature behind inspection windows
• Built-in compressors and reactor-generated CO2; no separate tank, generator, heater or recuperator

Circuits need no filling or pressure setup. Keep containment powered during startup/cooldown. Cooling below electrical output builds a backlog; irreversible failure arms at 125% heat. Invalid circuits isolate; losing all stops generation. Manual Start with all four circuits defective latches a fault. One valid circuit permits startup. Advanced-controller loss stops Brayton.

Atmospheric coolers reject 5 GW T1 / 50 GW T2 at full air density; vacuum gives none. Fit a 3x3x2-cell hull opening and leave 2.5 m beyond both fans: half-clear gives 25% cooling; blocked gives none.

Space radiator sections reject 2 GW T1 / 20 GW T2 in ideal exposure. Connect underneath; bases track edge-on. Add two extensions at the top shaft on the same grid; match Up; any yaw works. Grind either panel face to remove a section. Keep the 3x3-cell sweep and both faces clear. Each panel retains 100/75/50% cooling at 0/50/100% sun, including shade/weather. Glow shows cooling; detached/excess panels provide none. Full-output Empyrean needs 50 GW cooling per circuit / 200 GW total.

Feed the Field

Mine asteroid Aetherite, Helionite and Empyrite; refine concentrates and fill crafted canisters with Aether, then upgrade to Helion and Empyrean. Spent fuel returns no canister.

Aether recovers 10 Aether Residuum per canister in either mode. Upgraded turbines need 20 units, upgraded coolers/panels 10. Fractional/blocked recovery survives saves; conveyors can export it. Empyrean requires upgraded turbines.

The 80-tile shell accepts mixed Standard/Reinforced/Advanced tiles with increasing lifetimes. Conveyors replenish fuel and tiles. Shutdown retains the shell; ejection loses it. Neglect increases wear, fuel use and failure risk.

Give It a Way Out

Fit 1-15 aligned vent ducts and an outlet above the reactor. Keep the outlet clear and point it somewhere expendable. Manual ejection and automatic ejection at 60% integrity require working controllers, route and actuation power/reserve. Broken routes pause launch while heat and critical timers continue. Security mode shuts down generation if the vent route is lost.

Ejecting a critical core moves the danger. It does not cancel it.

Arcane Energy Core

A 3x3x3 battery stores 1,000 MWh. Base/standard/advanced transfer: 4/40/200 GW charging, 10/100/1,000 GW discharge. Four bays accept capacity, transfer or stabilizer modules. Capacity adds 10,000/100,000 MWh. Stabilizers support matching/lower tiers and reduce upkeep/recovery; duplicate tiers do not stack.

• Native Auto/Recharge/Discharge modes with 90% charging efficiency
• Emergency reserve available to eligible reactors
• Burst discharge: double output for ten seconds
• Jump-drive surge: charge all affordable drives in 5 seconds with a batch-scaled discharge boost; normal jump restrictions apply
• Shared ability recovery, reactor-support priority and animated charge indicators

Align 1x3x1 modules on the same grid. Detached cells retain charge/upkeep; destruction loses charge; copied/projected/new storage starts empty. Vanilla batteries also provide startup/backup power.

Know What Is Happening