[OFFICIAL] List of good reactor designs - IC² Forum (2024)

What is this topic?:
Listing the best reactor designs sorted by mark intended for ppl who want to make their reactor but are wondering about the design. They can look here and see all good designs in 1 topic. All credits go to the one who created the reactor design. Post your reactor in this topic and if its good enough i will ad it to the list. This is not a topic to teach you how reactors work. See this topic for some info about the components: Component summary

Rules:
-No useless eff 1, low eu/cost etc. I want this list to contain high quality reactors that have been properly designed.
-No mods other than IC2. Reactors that use redpower 2 or buildcraft or any other mod are not allowed.
-Eu/tick is measured as average eu/tick
-Obsolete reactors will be removed (a reactor will be considered obsolete when another reactor does exactly the same but better like with lower cost)
-Credits go to the first person that post in this topic. Iam not gonna check the whole forum if you see someone taking credit for your design pm me and show me the evidence. Improving a reactor means credits go the the person that improved it.
-Breeders have to manage their heat automatically. That means no babysitting. Use heating cells to achieve this.

Terminology:
Reactor ticks = 1 reactor tick is 1 second.
Cycle = 10000 reactor ticks. Uranium cells last for 10000 ticks.
Efficiency = amount of average ticks per uranium cell for each reactor tick.

Beginner reactors:
These reactors are focused on making as much eu that is possible at the highest efficiency.

Reactor 1:

• Link: Mark I EC
• Eu/tick: 35
• Efficiency: 2,33
• Cost: Iron 54, Copper 84, Tin 10, Gold 4
• Running costs: 0 UU
• Credits: SSD

Reactor 2:

• Link: Mark I EB
• Eu/tick: 60
• Efficiency: 3
• Cost: Iron 68, Copper 149, Tin 19, Gold 12
• Running costs: 0 UU
• Credits: Rick

Reactor 3:

• Link: Mark I EB
• Eu/tick: 100
• Efficiency: 3,33
• Cost: Iron 98, Copper 186, Tin 25, Gold 22
• Running costs: 0 UU
• Credits: Zombie

Reactor 4:

• Link: Mark I EC
• Eu/tick: 120
• Efficiency: 2
• Cost: Iron 80, Copper 228, Tin 10, Gold 16
• Running costs: 14,4 UU
• Credits: Lightone

Reactor 5:

• Link: Mark I EB
• Eu/tick: 120
• Efficiency: 3
• Cost: Iron 108, Copper 260, Tin 24, Gold 16
• Running costs: 24 UU
• Credits: Rick

Reactor 6:

• Link: Mark I EA*
• Eu/tick: 140
• Efficiency: 7
• Cost: Iron 238, Copper 718, Tin 128, Gold 50
• Running costs: 88,8 UU
• Credits: Rick

Reactor 7:

• Link: Mark I EA
• Eu/tick: 160
• Efficiency: 4
• Cost: Iron 207, Copper 351, Tin 63, Gold 24Running costs: 9,6 UU
• Credits: INSANEAcyborg

Reactor 8:

• Link: Mark I EB
• Eu/tick: 170
• Efficiency: 3,4
• Cost: Iron 148, Copper 492, Tin 33, Gold 64
• Running costs: 9,6 UU
• Credits: Sliderpro

Reactor 9:

• Link: Mark I EA
• Eu/tick: 280
• Efficiency: 4,67
• Cost: Iron 331, Copper 769, Tin 99, Gold 64
• Running costs: 28,8 UU
• Credits: Zombie

Reactor 10:

• Link: Mark I EB
• Eu/tick: 360
• Efficiency: 3
• Cost: Iron 300, Copper 724, Tin 64, Gold 48
• Running costs: 28,8 UU
• Credits: Lightone

Reactor 11:

• Link: Mark I EB
• Eu/tick: 420
• Efficiency: 3
• Cost: Iron 316, Copper 983, Tin 65, Gold 60
• Running costs: 84 UU
• Credits: SSD

Hybrid reactors:
These reactors combine normal reactors with breeders. Usually has lower output and efficiency than normal reactors and breed less cells than breeders but they can do both at the same time.

Reactor 1:

• Link: Mark 1 breeder EA
• Cells charged per uranium cell: 0,25
• Eu/tick: 230
• Efficiency: 3,83
• Cost: Iron 261, Copper 685, Tin 75, Gold 84
• Credits: uolamer

Breeders:
These reactors are purely made to breed cells. They produce almost no eu but they will breed alot of cells.

Breeder 1:

• Link: Cheapbreeder
• Heating configuration (with timing): Autopilot
• Cells charged per uranium cell: 28
• Efficiency: 1
• Eu/tick: 5
• Cost: Iron 96, Copper 403, Tin 47, Gold 2
• Credits: stretchydeath

Breeder 2:

• Link: Efficient breeder
• Heating configuration (with timing): Autopilot
• Cells charged per uranium cell: 84
• Efficiency: 1
• Eu/tick: 5
• Cost: Iron 181, Copper 1196, Tin 93, Gold 2
• Credits: Rick

Old designs:
A list of good reactor designs (IC² v1.103 and earlier)

A few starter reactors, both MK 1:

First one, no chambers, 35EU/t, 7M/cycle, 3 single U-cells at eff 2.33, cost 81 iron, 143.5 copper, 16 tin, 12 redstone, 31 rubber and 8 cobble.

Second one, 3 chambers, 60EU/t, 12M/cycle, 4 single U-cells at eff 3, cost 149 iron, 239.5 copper, 16 tin, 12 redstone, 31 rubber and 8 cobble.

Pics:

Quote from baturinsky

NNot sure if second design works, vents in the middle gain heat fast

They gain heat for a few seconds before the HE's are able to rensfer enough of it to the outer HVs. Both of the reactors have run a full cycle now without heating up past a few percent.

I decided to make a max efficiency MkI reactor. With multi-uranium cells and reflectors I came up with the following design:

http://imgur.com/iugED

MkI Reactor ; 180 eu/t ; 36m eu / cycle ; 22 eu / t / uranium.

If the single uranium cells are replaced with reflectors, it becomes:
MkI Reactor ; 140 eu/t ; 28m eu /cycle ; 35eu / t / uranium.

Not gonna bother to tabulate resource costs: They're high. But, if you're playing the efficiency game, I feel the second one sets the bar pretty high for a Mk1 reactor.

Quote from Rick

I will start adding designs to the first post once the planner is updated.

Is talonius working on the planner btw? I havent heard him in a while.

Quote from gknova6

320EU/t Output
No excess heat
Not too sure on the total EU, If someone can calculate it, that'd be greatly appreciated.

wont work after the coolant cells die the reactor will heat up and explode

MK-I 260eu/t (520 if you're using 10eu/pulse option)

Quote from koi

MK-I 260eu/t (520 if you're using 10eu/pulse option)

made it cheaper for you

Quote from xaix1999

wont work after the coolant cells die the reactor will heat up and explode

It won't work for a full cycle, no.

Quote from gknova6

It won't work for a full cycle, no.

the heat vents are doing nothing also