Codex Energy Centrifuge Cascade

Centrifuge Cascade

The Centrifuge Cascade enriches uranium: it turns Yellowcake into Enriched Uranium, the raw material of every fuel rod. It is a box of Reinforced Casing full of Gas Centrifuges; more centrifuges work faster, but never make more product. Where it sits in the chain: see Nuclear Fuel Cycle.

How it works

1. Yellowcake comes in through the Item Input Port. A batch starts as soon as one input slot holds 4 Yellowcake.
2. Every centrifuge does one unit of separative work per tick and uses 40 E for it.
3. When the batch has its 2,400 units, one Enriched Uranium and three Depleted Uranium go to the output slots.
4. Without Yellowcake the cascade re-enriches Depleted Uranium: 6 of them and 4,800 units give one Enriched Uranium and nothing else.

Building

Shown size: 5 wide, 4 high, 4 deep (adjustable: Width 3–16, Height 4–16, Depth 4–16).

One example of many: within the rules on this page, size and arrangement are up to you; the Build Projector shows the plan in every allowed size.

	Key	Block	Count
	A	Reinforced Casing	59
	C	Gas Centrifuge	12
	B	Industrial Sight Glass	5
	F	Energy Input Hatch (Tier 1)	1
	D	Item Input Port	1
	E	Item Output Port	1
	0	Centrifuge Cascade Controller	1

Step by step

Each picture adds one layer, from the bottom up; the newest layer is bright. The controller wall faces you on the left.

Step 1: Layer 1

Parts in this step: Reinforced Casing (A) ×20

Step 2: Layer 2

Parts in this step: Reinforced Casing (A) ×9, Gas Centrifuge (C) ×6, Industrial Sight Glass (B) ×2, Centrifuge Cascade Controller (0) ×1, Item Input Port (D) ×1, Item Output Port (E) ×1

Step 3: Layer 3

Parts in this step: Reinforced Casing (A) ×10, Gas Centrifuge (C) ×6, Industrial Sight Glass (B) ×3, Energy Input Hatch (Tier 1) (F) ×1

Step 4: Layer 4

Parts in this step: Reinforced Casing (A) ×20

Rules

• Size: at least 3 wide, 4 high and 4 deep, at most perf.maxStructureSize (default 16, allowed 5–32) blocks in every direction.
• Edges and corners: only Reinforced Casing.
• Walls, floor and roof: Reinforced Casing, Industrial Sight Glass, Inspection Hatches, the ports and the controller.
• Inside: air and Gas Centrifuges, in any arrangement.
• Needed: at least two Gas Centrifuges.
• Controller: in a wall face (not on an edge), front facing out, with the inside directly behind it.
• Ports (each works only on its outer face):
• Item Input Port: Yellowcake and Depleted Uranium in.
• Item Output Port: Enriched and Depleted Uranium out.
• Energy Input Hatch: energy in; each hatch lets in up to the rate of its tier.

Tip

Data packs A data pack can add blocks of other mods to the tag qnet:multiblock/industrial_sight_glass; they then count as sight glass.

Operation in depth

• Separative work per tick = the number of centrifuges, as long as the buffer holds 40 E for each of them. With less energy only as many centrifuges run as the energy pays for.
• Energy per batch is always 2,400 × 40 E, no matter how many centrifuges you build; more centrifuges only spend it faster.
• Time per batch = 2,400 ÷ centrifuges ticks: ten seconds per batch with the twelve centrifuges of the example, a whole minute with only two.
• A loaded batch keeps its progress when the energy runs out and goes on when energy comes back.
• The products only leave together: when the Enriched Uranium and the Depleted Uranium do not both fit into the four output slots, the finished batch waits.
• Yellowcake always comes first; Depleted Uranium is only taken when no slot holds 4 Yellowcake.

The screen

• Status line (see below).
• Bars: energy and separative work of the loaded batch (how far it is).
• Values: separative work per tick and the number of centrifuges.
• A flow diagram: Yellowcake → Centrifuges → Enriched and Depleted.
• 2 input slots and 4 output slots.

Status line

Status	Meaning
Waiting for yellowcake (4 per batch)	No batch is loaded: no slot holds enough Yellowcake (or Depleted Uranium for a tails batch).
Enriching	The centrifuges work on a batch.
Waiting for energy	A batch is loaded, but the centrifuges do not run. Usually the energy is missing; the same text shows when the finished batch waits for room in the output.

Automation

• Pipes put Yellowcake and Depleted Uranium in through the Item Input Port (only these two items are accepted) and take the products out through the Item Output Port.
• Pipe the Depleted Uranium straight back into the input: the cascade enriches it whenever it has no Yellowcake.
• A Grid Monitor can pause the cascade when energy runs short.

Error messages

Message	What to do
The controller must sit in a wall, front facing out	Put the controller into a wall face, front outwards, with the inside behind it.
Structure too small (…)	Build at least 3 wide, 4 high and 4 deep.
Structure too large or not closed near …	Close the wall there, or make the box smaller.
Wrong block at … (expected: Reinforced Casing)	Only Reinforced Casing on edges and corners.
Wrong block at … (expected: Air, Gas Centrifuge)	Only air and centrifuges inside.
Missing parts: Gas Centrifuge ×…	Build at least two centrifuges inside.
Port not allowed here: …	Only item ports and Energy Input Hatches work on the cascade.
Second controller at …	Remove the other controller.

Breaking it

Breaking the controller drops the contents of its six slots. A loaded batch and the energy in the buffer are lost.

In the world

While the cascade works, every centrifuge spins fast around its own vertical axis behind the glass.