On 28 Jun 2012 at 11:14, Craige Cook wrote:
>
>
> 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.
Consider that if you are using realistic physics, *mass* of the
"tank" matters.
They *may* let you get more hydrogen in a given volume than LH2 will.
But they'll *mass* a hell of a lot more than a "simple" tank
containing the same mass of hydrogen.
For things like cars & trucks, you can (probably) get away with the
mass increase to save the volume.
But you sure as heck can't in a reaction drive powered spacecraft.
With thruster plates, it depends on which handwave you use.
--
Leonard Erickson (aka shadow)
shadow at shadowgard dot com
>
>
> 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.
Consider that if you are using realistic physics, *mass* of the
"tank" matters.
They *may* let you get more hydrogen in a given volume than LH2 will.
But they'll *mass* a hell of a lot more than a "simple" tank
containing the same mass of hydrogen.
For things like cars & trucks, you can (probably) get away with the
mass increase to save the volume.
But you sure as heck can't in a reaction drive powered spacecraft.
With thruster plates, it depends on which handwave you use.
--
Leonard Erickson (aka shadow)
shadow at shadowgard dot com