Nuclear Reactor

The Nuclear Reactor as it appears prior to Patch 3

### Notes

Self-destruction can cause damage to nearby unitsOvercharge causes damage to the reactor

## Introduction

The **Nuclear Reactor** is China's main power plant. Generals Tao and Leang use a more advanced version of it.

## Overview

Since Mankind learned to master the science of the atoms, 31 countries (including the United States and China) invested into nuclear energy as a source of electricity production. Some of those countries such as France (known as the world's second largest nuclear electricity producer after the USA), Slovakia, Ukraine and Hungary even made it their major source of electricity production.

The Nuclear Reactor itself consists of a trapezium-shaped structure formed by many types of cuboids with the largest one being topped by a cooling tower on a small rectangular foundation. Its function is, obviously enough, to produce electricity. The process of electricity by nuclear energy is the following: inside the reactor, there is a fission core with nuclear combustibles (uranium or plutonium) arranged in fuel assemblies and bathing in pressurized water. Control rods are inserted in the fission core to control these combustibles' fission rate and the amount of neutrons generated by them. The fission heats up the core; the heat is carried away by the water that will either boil to steam to directly drive a turbine or to a heat exchanger such as a steam generator that boils a secondary water pool to drive the turbines. These turbines then work out an alternator that produces electricity. The electricity is redirected to another area via electric cables and the waste heat produced by the power plant's machines is rejected to the atmosphere via cooling towers. The electricity produced will be used to power structures via grid towers and electric cables. In case of sudden power outage and sufficient power is needed, the power plant can force its components to work more vigorously in order to produce more power but this process will often overburden the system and will damage the reactor via overheating, eventually causing it to explode. The power plant can be upgraded by using a new type of control rods with the different Isotope count so that the rods will not decay in extreme amounts of radiation when damaged. Fai can even garrison his troops inside the power plant (often with concrete walls and sandbags) to deter infiltrators or as an extra defense against enemy battalions that managed to get inside his base.

Nuclear energy is among the most productive and cheapest sources of electricity but power plants themselves are expensive to build and the process is difficult to handle and dangerous to the point that it can cause some serious environmental and territorial damage (i.e. the Chernobyl Disaster in 1986 or the Fukushima Accident in 2011). Besides, the nuclear waste generated by the reactors can be severely polluting if not managed and evacuated thoroughly (the Handford Site in the State of Washington, US, has had a bad reputation because of this), not only that but the gamma ray-based radiations emitted by the waste can last for centuries.

For such reasons, the USA recently invested in less productive but less dangerous, more eco-friendly and manageable cold fusion energy, although it was believed to be technologically impossible to work out.

As for China, the country acknowledged a significant rise to power and decided to seriously invest in nuclear energy not only as a weapon but also as a source of electricity to provide to its whole territory, whose population is so large that demands in electricity are very high and must be met effectively and fast. This explains the presence of nuclear reactors as China's power plants in the game.

The Nuclear Reactor is among the most productive power plants in *Contra* as it can produce 10 points of energy (while Cold Fusion Reactors and Ion Power Plants can only produce 5), which proves to be convenient for vastly-expanding Chinese military bases. This can help get more free space for other buildings and defensive structures without having to worry too much about power.

However, these power plants are rather expensive, not very durable and will explode if destroyed. The explosion will leave radiations behind, which can harm allied troops as much as enemies. Their loss will prove more risky for base power supply since losing one Nuclear Reactor is equivalent to losing two Cold Fusion Reactors or Ion Power Plants, especially if the player didn't build many of those.

There is an option for the player to overcharge a Nuclear Reactor in order to increase its power supply rate by 50%. Be careful though: the process damages the reactor and will destroy it if the overcharge option is not switched off in time.

## Upgrades

* **Overcharge** - Overheats individual Nuclear Reactor to increase its power production by 50% but will also damage it.

## Assessment

Pros:

* Produces a lot of energy (10 points).
* Occupies decently small space.
* Can increase its power supply rate with Overcharge option.
* One Nuclear Reactor is equivalent to two Cold Fusion Reactors or Ion Power Plants, thus rendering it less necessary to build in numbers.

Cons:

* Rather expensive ($1,000).
* Explodes when destroyed.
* Leaves radiation when destroyed.
* Overcharge option damages it continuously and will eventually destroy it.

## Trivia

* Originally, General Fai's nuclear power plants can be garrisoned with 5 infantry units like a bunker. This ability was removed in Contra 009 FINAL Patch 2.