[Traveller_TNE] Re: New fuel storage tanks? and a new piece of equipment

--- In , "rogerclarktopaz"
<rogerclarktopaz@...> wrote:
>
> I've been keeping an eye on the new hydrogen fuel cars that are
> coming out and I ran across two new types of fuel tanks...

Not to be a wet blanket but the easiest way to go is to say that these
are how it's always been done in Traveller, in the future, maybe only
better ;)

It's pretty clear it's never been simple hydrogen gas. It's also clear
it's never been simple liquid water with the hydrogen extracted as
needed (which would also allow more H per volume than simple hydrogen
gas iirc.

It's easy to see from the damage results and certain colour bits of
text over the years that it is likely super (or at least highly)
pressurized and cooled liquid hydrogen.

But an argument could be (and has been) made for it being some kind of
matrix too. Chiefly this is from the canon usage of lanthum for the
jump grid, since it turns out lanthum is also a good hydrogen sponge,
again iirc. The biggest problem with making it a sponge matrix is
there would have to be a cost associated with it whereas fuel tanks
are usually included in the hull cost for free. And you have a problem
with working in the collapsible and removable/take down fuel tanks
neither of which would work well as sponge matrix types.

So for the OTU if anybody asked I'd just say "Of course, that's how
it's done and always has been." But for your own TU it's certainly
something you could add, after coming up with a good reason why it
wasn't done before but is (all of a sudden) done now. Otherwise you
have to rework every bit of technology that uses hydrogen fuel in the
game, and then see how that impacts every bit of downstream element,
such as the economics of shipping, and fix all that too ;)

Or not, like I said I'm not trying to dissuade you, just present the
issues involved in any basic change to the standards.

Dan "far-trader" Burns