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How to Make Uranium 238 in Minecraft

Uranium 238 — Minecraft block

Uranium 238

Uranium-238 is the non-fissile IC2 uranium isotope used as a neutron-absorbing filler in Nuclear Reactor Fuel Rod recipes.

Block ID ic2:uranium-238
Mod Industrial Craft 2
Game versions
1.19.2 1.12.2

Description

Uranium-238 is the non-fissile uranium isotope added by the Industrial Craft 2 (IC2) mod for Minecraft, used as a fuel-extender component when crafting reactor Fuel Rods. Uranium-238 is obtained by processing Uranium Ore through the IC2 Thermal Centrifuge, which separates natural uranium into the rare fissile Uranium-235 isotope and the abundant Uranium-238 isotope. Uranium-238 does not sustain nuclear fission on its own inside the IC2 Nuclear Reactor, but Uranium-238 forms the bulk of reactor fuel: an Enriched Uranium Nuclear Fuel combines six Uranium-238 with three Tiny Piles of Uranium 235. A Canning Machine then fills an Empty Fuel Rod with that fuel to produce a Fuel Rod (Uranium), which runs a full 20,000-second cycle in current IC2 Experimental builds. Uranium-238 reflects real-world nuclear chemistry, where U-238 makes up about 99.3% of natural uranium and is the primary source of depleted uranium. In current IC2 builds, Uranium-238 is radioactive: keeping it in the inventory without a Hazmat Suit steadily poisons the player, while a Uranium Block compressed from nine Uranium-238 units is safe to handle.

Guide

How to obtain and use Uranium-238 in Industrial Craft 2

  1. 1

    Mine Uranium Ore

    Locate Uranium Ore between bedrock and Y=64 in IC2-enabled worlds and mine it with an Iron Pickaxe or better.

  2. 2

    Macerate the ore

    Run the Uranium Ore through an IC2 Macerator to get 2 Crushed Uranium Ore per block; uranium ore cannot be smelted in a furnace.

  3. 3

    Wash, then thermal-centrifuge

    Wash the crushed ore in an Ore Washing Plant, then run the purified ore through a Thermal Centrifuge powered by EU; the output splits into bulk Uranium-238 and rare Tiny Piles of Uranium 235.

  4. 4

    Craft a Fuel Rod

    Craft Enriched Uranium Nuclear Fuel on a crafting table from 6 Uranium-238 and 3 Tiny Piles of Uranium 235, then fill an Empty Fuel Rod with the fuel in a Canning Machine.

  5. 5

    Load the reactor

    Insert the finished Fuel Rod into an IC2 Nuclear Reactor and surround it with cooling cells to sustain a safe full 20,000-second cycle.

Note

The Thermal Centrifuge must heat up before each run and uses 48 EU/t (24,000 EU per item); skipping the Ore Washing Plant drops the Uranium-238 yield from 12 to 8 per ore.

How to craft this block

Ingredients: Uranium Block Uranium Block x1
Crafting
Uranium Block
Uranium 238
9
Uranium 238

Used in crafts

Related blocks

Frequently asked questions

How do you get Uranium-238 in Industrial Craft 2?

Mine Uranium Ore, macerate it into crushed ore, then process the dust in a Thermal Centrifuge. The centrifuge output separates the rare Uranium-235 isotope from the bulk Uranium-238.

Is Uranium-238 radioactive in IC2?

Yes. Uranium-238 is radioactive in current IC2 builds: keeping it in the inventory without a Hazmat Suit steadily poisons the player. A Uranium Block made of nine Uranium-238 units is the safe exception.

Can Uranium-238 power a reactor alone?

No. Uranium-238 is non-fissile and cannot sustain a chain reaction by itself. Uranium-238 only works as the bulk of nuclear fuel: it fills six of the nine recipe slots, with Tiny Piles of Uranium 235 (or Plutonium in MOX fuel) taking the rest.

How much Uranium-238 does a Fuel Rod need?

Enriched Uranium Nuclear Fuel — the filling of one Fuel Rod (Uranium) — takes 6 Uranium-238 and 3 Tiny Piles of Uranium 235; MOX Nuclear Fuel also uses 6 Uranium-238 plus 3 Plutonium.

What is the real-world basis for Uranium-238?

Uranium-238 mirrors natural uranium chemistry: U-238 forms about 99.3% of natural uranium on Earth and is the main component of depleted uranium used in industry.