Craige--
Those are some pretty cool concepts. It's obvious why they didn't make it
into Traveller, but I agree with the idea that some of what you detail may
be "what is really going on" in LHyd tankage, rather than the simplified
visualization we've had for 35 years. It also would be something for a
future version of FF&S, because there will never be an end to new ideas
for that.
Dave
> Hi Scott and others,
>
> FIrstly thanks to Marc Miller and the other Traveller greats.
>
> THanks to Dave, Great to see this mailing list powering again!
>
> I have actually been working on some algorithms for metal hydrides
> and buckminster fullerines. I don't think these are canon for
> traveller. I suspect the fuel tanks of starships are not open spaces
> as indicated in traveller but are actually matrices of either metal
> hydrides or organometal fullerines at Imperial standard tech levels. I
> think that the open space fuel tanks were probably just the cheapest
> option of the three in economic terms and thus the most likely to be
> employed by the greatest number of commercial vessels.
>
> Â
>
> Fullerines
> Increasing fuel efficiency of staship drives for the Traveller game:
>
> LiN and LiBe2H7 are solid state materials that can absorb large
> amounts of hydrogen (9% wt) reversibly at around temp 250 C.
>
> Â
>
> Organometalic fullerines C48B12 [ScH2] and C60 [ScH2]12 are stable and
> can absorb 8.77% and 7.0 wt% respectively
>
> Â C 48 Â Â 12x48=576
> Â B 12Â Â 12x10.95=131.4
>
> Sc 12Â Â 12x44.95= 539.4
>
> 539.4 + 131.9 + 576 = 1247.3
> 1247.3 x 0.0877= 109.3
>
> Binding energies of H2 molecules in eV/H2 range between 0.22 and
> 0.45** (**sci fi)
>
> Fullerines manufactured by an electric arc between two graphite rods
> in a Helium atmosphere. THen dissolve te condensed vapours in organic
> solvents such as ...
>
> http://www.nrel.gov/hydrogen/pdfs/hydrogen_storage_novel_organometallic_buckyballs.pdf
> [1]
>
> Perhaps metal hydride hydrogen fuel tankage would increase fuel
> density by a factor (not yet determined) while increasing the cost of
> the fuel purification by a similar factor and becoming effective. IMTU
> Metal Hydrides become efficient at around TL 12. Fullerines become
> effient at around TL 13. I suspect that these technologies are
> enhanced by both gravatic focusing and nanobot technologies. However
> probably only military ships and/or ships belonging to the nobility
> would use these options.  So far it seems that metal hydrides would
> provide only a small proportion of the total tankage and so increase
> the number of G-turns available to ship But fullerines would actually
> create another category of ships that are actually capable of two or
> more jumps before refueling is required. The actual increase in
> efficiencies would depend on the proportion of the tankage area is
> required by the metal hydrides or the organometalic buckminster
> fullerine and the actual proportional increase in the storage of
> hydrogen. That is not easily calculated and probably requires some
> hand waving and a dictate by the GM such as
>
> Metal HYdride 150% efficiency at 250% cost of fuel processing
> equipment and requiring a fuel engineer crew member.
>
> Organometallic fullerines may allow 200% fuel effiency at a much
> higher cost such as 1000% fuel processing cost and perhaps a regular
> ship maintenance cost such as an increased fuel price by a factor of
> ten. (Significant hand waving exercise)
>
> Regards,
>
> Craige Cook
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From:
> To:""
> Cc:
> Sent:Wed, 27 Jun 2012 12:29:53 -0400
Those are some pretty cool concepts. It's obvious why they didn't make it
into Traveller, but I agree with the idea that some of what you detail may
be "what is really going on" in LHyd tankage, rather than the simplified
visualization we've had for 35 years. It also would be something for a
future version of FF&S, because there will never be an end to new ideas
for that.
Dave
> Hi Scott and others,
>
> FIrstly thanks to Marc Miller and the other Traveller greats.
>
> THanks to Dave, Great to see this mailing list powering again!
>
> I have actually been working on some algorithms for metal hydrides
> and buckminster fullerines. I don't think these are canon for
> traveller. I suspect the fuel tanks of starships are not open spaces
> as indicated in traveller but are actually matrices of either metal
> hydrides or organometal fullerines at Imperial standard tech levels. I
> think that the open space fuel tanks were probably just the cheapest
> option of the three in economic terms and thus the most likely to be
> employed by the greatest number of commercial vessels.
>
> Â
>
> Fullerines
> Increasing fuel efficiency of staship drives for the Traveller game:
>
> LiN and LiBe2H7 are solid state materials that can absorb large
> amounts of hydrogen (9% wt) reversibly at around temp 250 C.
>
> Â
>
> Organometalic fullerines C48B12 [ScH2] and C60 [ScH2]12 are stable and
> can absorb 8.77% and 7.0 wt% respectively
>
> Â C 48 Â Â 12x48=576
> Â B 12Â Â 12x10.95=131.4
>
> Sc 12Â Â 12x44.95= 539.4
>
> 539.4 + 131.9 + 576 = 1247.3
> 1247.3 x 0.0877= 109.3
>
> Binding energies of H2 molecules in eV/H2 range between 0.22 and
> 0.45** (**sci fi)
>
> Fullerines manufactured by an electric arc between two graphite rods
> in a Helium atmosphere. THen dissolve te condensed vapours in organic
> solvents such as ...
>
> http://www.nrel.gov/hydrogen/pdfs/hydrogen_storage_novel_organometallic_buckyballs.pdf
> [1]
>
> Perhaps metal hydride hydrogen fuel tankage would increase fuel
> density by a factor (not yet determined) while increasing the cost of
> the fuel purification by a similar factor and becoming effective. IMTU
> Metal Hydrides become efficient at around TL 12. Fullerines become
> effient at around TL 13. I suspect that these technologies are
> enhanced by both gravatic focusing and nanobot technologies. However
> probably only military ships and/or ships belonging to the nobility
> would use these options.  So far it seems that metal hydrides would
> provide only a small proportion of the total tankage and so increase
> the number of G-turns available to ship But fullerines would actually
> create another category of ships that are actually capable of two or
> more jumps before refueling is required. The actual increase in
> efficiencies would depend on the proportion of the tankage area is
> required by the metal hydrides or the organometalic buckminster
> fullerine and the actual proportional increase in the storage of
> hydrogen. That is not easily calculated and probably requires some
> hand waving and a dictate by the GM such as
>
> Metal HYdride 150% efficiency at 250% cost of fuel processing
> equipment and requiring a fuel engineer crew member.
>
> Organometallic fullerines may allow 200% fuel effiency at a much
> higher cost such as 1000% fuel processing cost and perhaps a regular
> ship maintenance cost such as an increased fuel price by a factor of
> ten. (Significant hand waving exercise)
>
> Regards,
>
> Craige Cook
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From:
> To:""
> Cc:
> Sent:Wed, 27 Jun 2012 12:29:53 -0400