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G'day all.

I was wondering if anything in the 40K universe uses Nuclear power. I've noted that in previous threads there's been a clear use of Nuclear weapons (most prominently Krieg) but not much mention of actual Nuclear power in the modern sense. I'm not very knowledgeable in the 40K background in details like this, so was wondering if someone here has any examples of its use.

Just for clarity, not just the Imperium, if it has been (or is currently being) used by anyone at all. I think I may have read that the 'new' Tau Ion weapons use a radioactive compound or something similar. Also, any examples of Orks using it would be great.

Cheers

Almost every level of technology imaginable exists somewhere in the 40k universe. So, without a doubt, I can say that someone somewhere is using a nuclear reactor. There are also plenty of types of ammunition which are depleted forms of radioactive elements not to mention the power sources for various vehicles. Basically the way the 40k fiction is set up you can justify just about anything you want. At least when it comes to the Imperium.

The Imperium has DAoT tech that allows them to use essentially every sort of substance as a fuel source, at about the same energy output too.
However, it is only a certain amount. But it is HIGH up there. Part of the reason why the environments of Imperial worlds are so fethed up is because they actually still use oil to an extent, plus they use ALOT of stuff as fuel.

Nuclear power though is going to be more power-outputting however so "promethium" in the Imperium is the second common fuel source..

They could literally use dirt as fuel if they wanted too.
Would be more energy outputting then gasoline but not as much as nuclear.

Aren`t plasma guns fission based like the sun? That could be considered nuclear.

 The Home Nuggeteer wrote:
Aren`t plasma guns fission based like the sun? That could be considered nuclear.

Dont you mean fusion?

I think Fusion still counts as 'nuclear' so the Plasma gun is certainly a nuclear weapon.

Everything from a sharp stick to a battle titan exists in the grimdark so certainly a 21st Century Nuclear reactor will be cooking away somewhere in the galaxy.

I thought the marine backpacks were mini fusion generators

 dekinrie wrote:
I thought the marine backpacks were mini fusion generators

Actually I think you're right, I am sure that is in the fluff somewhere.

Fission power is probably around, since both nuclear weapons and "rad granades" are mentioned. But I guess that fusion have replaced fission in most cases, since it (at least from our predictions here at M3) give more power and demands less rare fuel. Starships have one or more fusion reactors, various form av battlesuits have some kind of fusion powerplant and so on.

It is possible that planets with a lot of fissionable materials (uran, thorium etc) use fission reactors instead of fusion reactors. Also, I see fission reactors more like the powerplant of a hive city or imperial base, while fusion reactors are used for movable things like Titans, starships etc - and we all know which of these are covered by fluff and rules.

The Contemptor Dreadnoughts from Forgeworld got "atomantic shielding" which, if I remember correctly, refers to a energy shield powered by a nuclear reactor.

Nuclear power is present in many places. Those "generariums" that the AdMech installs all over the place to power their Forges and such are all plasma reactors, which is a type of nuclear power.

Somehow, I think that when GW wrote 'plasma reactors' into the fluff, they were trying to describe a post-nuclear technology, rather than a nuclear one...

AS far as I know. I have read mention that some of the imperial cities run on Fusion power plants. Ther eis a part of a IG book where several Ad mech personael overload a cities reactors to nuke a large number of ork and renegade IG in order to escape. So nuclear power exists in some for or another, Fission power likely does exist, and fusion is obviously used, mostly to power large things like ships or cities.

in terms of Nuclear Weapons. They exist, how do you think Krieg got so bad? someone nuked the planet ALOT until the non-loyal people were vaporized a thousand times over.

the Erradicator cannon uses sub-atomic charges which is possibly a derivative of nuclear weapons technology. so they do exist, but I dout they are used a lot. the radiation is a real problem.

The power-packs of SM PA are fusion reactors (whether or not they are licensed is another matter best left to another thread), and there are options for non-Marines to have the same options, to increase the operational time of their PA.

 Engine of War wrote:
AS far as I know. I have read mention that some of the imperial cities run on Fusion power plants. Ther eis a part of a IG book where several Ad mech personael overload a cities reactors to nuke a large number of ork and renegade IG in order to escape.

Ugh, thats not the way nuclear reactors WORK!!! >.<


All I know for sure about nuclear tech in 40k, is that nuclear weapons are evidently verboten (in reference to the Krieg thing, IIRC its stated specifically that they utilized forbidden nuclear weapons to end the civil war and in the process committed a sin against the Emprah or whatever).

Warhammer Second Edition, Codex Imperialis, page 42 wrote:
STC systems were created during the scientific high-point of the Dark Age of Technology... although most colonists required little more than designs for agricultural machinery, programs were included for all sorts of advanced constructions such as nuclear power grids and fission reactors. However, the early colonists needs were simple and were met by conventional energy forms and relatively low-level technology... the most technically-advanced knowledge now eludes the Adeptus Mechanicus, for the early colonists were simple folk whose needs were practical. Only rarely did anyone bother to take copies of the theoretical and advanced work which the STC contained.

This implies that nuclear power is most likely not used by the Imperium due to lack of knowledge about it, or perhaps is only used by a small number of STC-versed techpriests.

 throwoff wrote:
I think Fusion still counts as 'nuclear' so the Plasma gun is certainly a nuclear weapon.

Since when were Plasma guns Fusion related? I thought they worked by using handwavium fields to render their ammunition into an ionised state..

Well, Krieg had no problem using nuclear weapons.

Stated in Tau 4th ed codex that their primary power source is nuclear fusion tech. Not sure if still Canon or replaced, but you could say it was yoinked from the Tau (not that they fight or anything)

 Mysterious Pants wrote:

Warhammer Second Edition, Codex Imperialis, page 42 wrote:
STC systems were created during the scientific high-point of the Dark Age of Technology... although most colonists required little more than designs for agricultural machinery, programs were included for all sorts of advanced constructions such as nuclear power grids and fission reactors. However, the early colonists needs were simple and were met by conventional energy forms and relatively low-level technology... the most technically-advanced knowledge now eludes the Adeptus Mechanicus, for the early colonists were simple folk whose needs were practical. Only rarely did anyone bother to take copies of the theoretical and advanced work which the STC contained.

This implies that nuclear power is most likely not used by the Imperium due to lack of knowledge about it, or perhaps is only used by a small number of STC-versed techpriests.

Eh, sorta, but not really. It only lists the nuclear power grids and fission reactors as advanced constructions... and, in 1989, they were. Also, the human colonists were not, themselves, the people that would later become the AdMech. Just because the average Imperial Joe doesn't understand nuclear science doesn't mean the AdMech doesn't. Hell, the AdMech has a quantum computer on every Forge World, it's how they send information back to Mars.

chaos0xomega wrote:

 Engine of War wrote:
AS far as I know. I have read mention that some of the imperial cities run on Fusion power plants. Ther eis a part of a IG book where several Ad mech personael overload a cities reactors to nuke a large number of ork and renegade IG in order to escape.

Ugh, thats not the way nuclear reactors WORK!!! >.<


All I know for sure about nuclear tech in 40k, is that nuclear weapons are evidently verboten (in reference to the Krieg thing, IIRC its stated specifically that they utilized forbidden nuclear weapons to end the civil war and in the process committed a sin against the Emprah or whatever).

Im aware that's not how they work. But its a work of fiction and I can't stop that. (and they were fusion reactor anyways, but still)

Release the Dr. Device!

And for everyone who understood my reference, you get a cookie.

 Gashrog wrote:

 throwoff wrote:
I think Fusion still counts as 'nuclear' so the Plasma gun is certainly a nuclear weapon.

Since when were Plasma guns Fusion related? I thought they worked by using handwavium fields to render their ammunition into an ionised state..

Handwavium fields? I'm a bit of an expert in that field of knowledge, most people don't know much about it, but I can't blame them, it's a complicated subject. But it's a piece of cake for someone with my intellect. Not to mention my good looks. Chicks dig geniuses with good looks.

Tokamak could be today's GW's plasma reactor.
Technically it sustains thermonuclear fusion through high-tempertature plasma.

First idea of this thing was created in 50s.

chaos0xomega wrote:
Ugh, thats not the way nuclear reactors WORK!!! >.<

Better scifi writers than GW have no idea how nuclear reactors work. How many of them even know a reactor is SUPPOSED to be "critical" in order to have a reaction going to produce energy? And how many of them know anything about the safeguards reactors have these days? They don't blow up just because you shut down the computer controlling it, like in Star Trek... It usually means the reaction is automatically stopped since the system is actively keeping enough fuel together to cause a reaction in the first place.

Ofc, 40K Plasma Reactors explode. Big badaboom. I guess the AdMech, afraid someone will steal the technology, has reversed the original safety protocols to feed in extra fuel if the reactor is damaged or the control system tampered with.

chaos0xomega wrote:

All I know for sure about nuclear tech in 40k, is that nuclear weapons are evidently verboten (in reference to the Krieg thing, IIRC its stated specifically that they utilized forbidden nuclear weapons to end the civil war and in the process committed a sin against the Emprah or whatever).

The sin was the secession, the nukes were forbidden, but I think it was sanctionned considering the situation, not sure tho.

 Mysterious Pants wrote:

Warhammer Second Edition, Codex Imperialis, page 42 wrote:
STC systems were created during the scientific high-point of the Dark Age of Technology... although most colonists required little more than designs for agricultural machinery, programs were included for all sorts of advanced constructions such as nuclear power grids and fission reactors. However, the early colonists needs were simple and were met by conventional energy forms and relatively low-level technology... the most technically-advanced knowledge now eludes the Adeptus Mechanicus, for the early colonists were simple folk whose needs were practical. Only rarely did anyone bother to take copies of the theoretical and advanced work which the STC contained.

This implies that nuclear power is most likely not used by the Imperium due to lack of knowledge about it, or perhaps is only used by a small number of STC-versed techpriests.

2e is ridiculously obsolete.

The Imperium uses nuclear fusion technology so liberally they see a reliance on fission power as a sign of primitiveness (hence why they think the Rak'Gol have inferior tech).

Rak'Gol? What are they (other than a very thinly veiled Star Wars reference)?

chaos0xomega wrote:
Rak'Gol? What are they (other than a very thinly veiled Star Wars reference)?

http://warhammer40k.wikia.com/wiki/Rak'Gol

One of the coolest minor xenos in my opinion.

They sound like a species of absolutely evil xenos mary-sues.