The best reactor setup from what I know is a 7x7x7 reactor with 5 control rods in and x shape in the middle. With this setup it maximizes power created with least amount of fuel used(Also creates the most power of a 7x7x7 reactor.). This setup is nothing fancy and isn't very expensive, it can also obliviously fit into one chunk so you don't need more than 1 chunk loader. This is for "passive power gen" and not "active power gen" meaning this is just for the reactor and does not include turbines. (Read comments for math and stuff :3)
Now try making that on Infinity Evolved Expert mode where each one of those 40k fuel rods will require a pellet of RTG fuel from IC2, which in turn requires plutonium that can only be obtained from running IC2 reactors for several hours just to get a couple of pieces [DOUBLEPOST=1449108822][/DOUBLEPOST]This is my favourite design, it produces exactly enough steam for 8 ludichite turbines, which can be built onto the sides with matching import/export ports to form a single closed loop system: BigReactor simulator
BigReactor simulator Does this work too? has the EXACT same thing for it, just a WEE bit cheaper on enderium, eh? your design is so weird
My design takes advantage of the fact that radiation only travels NSEW so you don't need any cryo in the corners, and the resonant ender on the outer edge is a better energy conductor than cryo after the radiation is cooled by the 3 layers of cryo before it.
hence the KappaRoss, I still think using other blocks in place would be better, but i don't play with bigreactors so i wouldn't know
I use the following design with a couple modifications BigReactor simulator The Diamonds blocks are on layer two on the top, I put the cryo on top of those and flow fills the three columns shown. That way only takes 4 diamond blocks and 4 buckets of cryo to cool the reactor. Then make it a tall as possible, no more cooling needed. Never been short on power. expanded the concept to rediculous levels with BigReactor simulator on Monster. Bur never took it over 1% (99% control rods), not bad for 24 diamond blocks and 24 buckets of cyro.
For max efficiency you are technically better off building wider+shorter reactors than tall+thin even if it does require a lot more cryo, as the breeding reactions between rods only occur horizontally not vertically, so having a reactor that is half as tall but has with twice as many rods will produce more energy/t for less fuel/t even though the actual capacity is the same. Also if you see how in my design I have 4 layers between the rods and reactor casing as the inefficient "hot" radiation takes 3-4 blocks to "cool down", as when hot radiation hits the sides it lowers the efficiency rating.
In terms of RF/t per mB fuel efficiency chaosblad3's reactor is a good one for both passively cooled reactors and turbines, and the OP's 7x7x7 X shaped (assuming he means 7 is the inside dimension, and assuming 5 control rods - this basically BigReactor simulator ) isn't too bad for passively cooled, but bad for turbines. Ofc turbines are vastly superior in every way, so can't really compare the two of them. For a reactor that feeds turbines, I prefer this one, it is vastly cheaper than chaosblad3's one (much less volume and surface), similarly fuel efficient, has a smaller footprint and also produces slightly more steam: BigReactor simulator If you push it to 7x7x7 it will produce 25% more steam/t than chaosblad3's one, at a slightly higher fuel efficiency and still smaller/cheaper. BigReactor simulator (depending on the power needs it can be better fuel efficiency to use a 9th rod in the middle, with or without rod insertion control) This is worse than the 2 others for passively cooled reactors tho, well fuel efficiency wise.
My design is based on the idea that it produces exactly enough steam for 8 turbines without any excess, and all 8 turbines can be built so they are touching the sides of the reactor so you can make the entire thing a closed loop system without needing any tesseracts to transfer the fluids
What turbines? Do you have a picture of what the dimensions are on them/how many blades/Enderium or Ludacrite.
The standard max efficiency 4 ludichite coils and 10*8 blades in a 7x7x16 outer frame. The last server I had this design on was the previous inf node 2 which has since been reset, so I can't get any proper screenshots now, but this is basically what the end result should look like when seen from above, total output ~224,000 RF/t: The way I had them they were all vertically aligned at the top, with the turbines hanging down below, then I used the space between the turbines below the reactor to build the tier 7 draconic core, with 4 input pylons in the 4 dark blue spots to pull in the energy from all 8 turbines. And FYI the reason I insist on adding the unnecessary graphite blocks in the corners is because if the design has no flowing liquid blocks then it won't cause FPS lag for people with slow computers, where as if you don't block in the cryo and ender then as it flows into the corners it will.
@chaosblad3 I do the same thing except above and below the reactor instead of next to so it is all in the same chunk. Then I put the core on top and tesseract the power to it.
Best is Steam Turbines. It's almost best in generating power with a laser drill, that mines coal. Why? Just build a big turbine with ludicirum coils, 32 of 5x5x3 steam boilers. And Much of RF. Because SirWilli's tank I call it SirEmpty tank because: Admin/staff comes, fills it, then Tomorrow, It's empty, again.
This reactor is always my first game reactor, it can run up to 2 turbines (2.5 really). This reactor has a pretty decent mb/mb. BigReactor simulator And this is probably my mid-end game reactors, is a bit less efficent but it can run up to 28 turbines. BigReactor simulator