Tombaugh Reactor

A Tombaugh Reactor is an artificial reactor-like arrangement of Precursor technology designed to convert matter in adjacent dimensions. It uses several Precursor artefacts, including four Lion Statues and one Dark Obelisk, and was conceived by Cliff Tombaugh, a researcher at Industrial Occult Systems. The first operational reactor, built by Occult Systems below the Avalon City Power Plant, was destroyed after it was sabotaged and entered core saturation. The reactor at the Avalon Power Plant consumed matter from the city of Augusta, ME in the two closest dimensions, Tachlat and Ikechol, and resulted in an interdimensional diplomatic crisis that forced Raven to improve its entropic radiation detection systems and account for all recovered Precursor artefacts; The Coalition later paid reparations to both dimensions.

Dreams Intelligence operates the last known remaining reactor. However, its design operates on a different principle where Helium-3 is fed into the obelisk instead of extradimensional matter. This allows the risk of actually consuming matter from other dimensions to be circumvented while still exploiting the matter-to-energy principles of the design.

Design

The core of a Tombaugh Reactor consists of a Dark Obelisk, used to convert matter to energy, surrounded on all four sides by Lion Statues, used to regulate the duty cycle of the obelisk and to channel the output entropic radiation such that it does not cause distortion to the manifolds of the core chamber itself. The core is in turn surrounded by four extraction pylons, which absorb the entropic radiation into an exofluid so it may be converted to thermal energy and used for power generation. Above the tip of the obelisk is a magnetically suspended galraite sphere that forms the origin of the bridge, similar to a bridge generator. The Mass Conversion Relay, off to the side, is a hybrid device built with Precursor components designed to randomise the extraction target, pull matter through the bridge, and feed it to the obelisk; it is also connected to control systems, allowing the power output of the system to be regulated somewhat.

To start the reactor, an entropic radiation pulse is required to tear open the bridge, so cold-starting is similar to the starting process for a bridge generator, minus targeting. The Mass Conversion Relay is then activated, pulling matter through the bridge, where it contacts the "matrix" at the top of the obelisk, and is ingested into the obelisk. When the obelisk pulses and consumes Niobium Colloid Catalyst (NCC), the matter contained within it is immediately converted to entropic radiation, fed through the lions, absorbed by the pylons, and used for energy generation. After ignition, the E-rad produced by the obelisk is enough to sustain the bridge on its own.

Safety

An active containment field during operation is absolutely necessary in order to direct the radiation towards the extraction pylons and prevent it from creating a condition of total core saturation. Core saturation is a disaster scenario where unrestrained radiation increases irradiation of the bridge manifold; this will create an exponential runaway condition resulting in the meltdown of the core as all thermal energy is expended into the surrounding area. Furthermore, exofluid circulation from the pylons must be continuous, as otherwise the pylons will melt and the reactor will begin dumping entropic radiation into its surroundings with extremely destructive results.

It is difficult to easily shut down an active Tombaugh Reactor due to the self-sustaining nature of its reaction and the extreme hazard produced by the entropic radiation field. The emergency shutdown process is somewhat as follows:

• Detach the Mass Conversion Relay from its carrier to cut power and prevent new matter from being pulled in. This lowers the E-rad field to levels not immediately lethal, and allows physical access to the core chamber
• Halt the flow of catalyst into the obelisk by deactivating the niobium fuel core
• Physically move the statues out of alignment to break the pulse cycle
  The statues may also be physically destroyed to immediately shut down the reactor. However, doing this while it is operational will result in a core saturation scenario as observed in the Avalon Reactor Meltdown.