Other Space Kaiden
Better than other-other space Kaiden
Stargo Defense Enterprises
_____________________________________________________________
http://th07.deviantart.net/fs51/PRE/f/2009/267/6/5/Hybrid_Jet_Engine_by_ttvortex.jpg
_____________________________________________________________
Base Information
Intent:
To create a unique engine type for exclusive use withing Stargo Enterprise vessels. It will expand the lore of my company while making a new technology for the lore of the board as a whole.
Development Thread:
If needed
Manufacturer:
Stargo Defense Enterprises
Model:
P.I.E Mk I
Affiliation:
Stargo Defense Enterprises
Modularity:
No
_____________________________________________________________
Production Information
Production:
Mass Produced
Material:
- Durasteel
- Magnetic Generators
- Fusion coils
- Fusion Reactor
- Liquid Coolant Pumps
- Miscellaneous other engine mechanics
_____________________________________________________________
Description
The Pulsed Ion Engine Mk I is a new revolution in Ion Drive technology. Created by Stargo Defense Enterprises scientists, this engine is designed to limit thrust, fuel and power loss that is generally faced with stream based thrusters and engines. This engine utilizes magnetic fields to control and contain Ion Energy within the reaction chamber before expelling it in pulses to propel the ship through space or the atmosphere. The reason behind this innovation is because the loss you often face with engines utilizing streams and "continuous burn" technology as all engines in the galaxy have up until this point. A normal Ion Engine will expel continuous streams of ion energy from the, also continuous, fusion reactions taking place deeper in the engine. This method, though effective, causes two major downfalls. The virtually unregulated expelling of so much energy at once results in high amounts of fuel and energy losses, often more fuel and power is being used to propel a ship at a given speed than what is actually needed. Even at "Peak Efficiency" these types of engines still suffer from high energy loss.
What a pulse engine does differently, is more closely regulate the power being expelled. When a ship is attempting to move at a given speed, the engine will send out series of small pulses to propel the ship along on its course. These pulses are closely monitored by electronic scanners so that every pulse is estimated within a close fraction with the exact energy output needed to propel the ship at that given speed. This not only saves energy, but optimizes the engines energy output to lengths that have never before been seen in this galaxy. Atop this already marvelous advantage, pulses are much easier to manipulate at a whim than a continuous stream of energy. Where an engine using continuous burn would need to first slow the burn (or in this case the fusion reactions) and then optimize them for the proper speed, the pulse engine simply begins to expel larger and more frequent pulses of energy it already has contained. This allows for quicker, sharper turns as well as decreasing the time between speeding up and slowing down; increasing maneuverability.
Now for an in-depth look at how exactly the engine functions. The process begins with the liquid coolant prematurely cooling the fusion reactor of the engine, as an extra defense against meltdown. Liquid Chemical reactants are then poured into the fusion chamber to begin the fusion which will be needed to propel the vessel on its directed course. The fusion then creates swells of Ion particles which are then expelled into a second magnetic chamber where the particles are magnetically contained between two sets of electrically charged magnets. Depending on the required speeds and maneuvers, these magnets are charged at variables according to the needs; thus making the magnetic field stronger or weaker. At slower speeds the magnetic field is stronger, thus containing the particles for longer periods of time before they escape the chamber and are expelled as thrust. At higher speeds, the field is weakened and thus lowering the time between pulses as the particles escape the chamber more quickly.
The magnetic field is generally applied in such a way that the field is stronger in the back and weaker in the front, so as the particles move through the chamber they are under less and less pressure, thus regulating the speeds at which the pulses are expelled.
__________________________________________________________________
Weaknesses
The engines are most recognized by their unique sound created by their pulsing thrusters. It is mostly described as a very loud, very rapid "thwomping" noise, akin to a blaster if being fired at impossible rates (Example). This, in of itself, is not a weakness until paired with the other portions of its downfall.
The biggest downfall of this engine is the mechanical stress the working parts are put under. Due to the need to regulate the pulses, many working parts that are not present in standard Ion Engines are equipped to this machine. Magnetically sealed shutter doors, rotating magnets and other miscellaneous parts put this machine under much more stress than usual. This leaves the engine much more vulnerable to attack than other engines of its class. Attacks that other military engines might be able to shrug off, could completely decimate this engine and leave it non-functional or extremely damaged. This often calls for extra shielding on the vessel which can come at its own costs as well.
Furthermore, due to the increase in mechanical parts required to run the engines, the start-up time of the engines is geared up from its continuous burn counter-parts. If left in an ideal state for long periods of time, or if being turned on after being turned off, the engines can take several moments to boot up to full strength. This can leave ships unable to respond quickly if left unused for long periods. While this is not so much a problem for Capital ships, it can be a problem for sub-capital vessels who stay dormant for long periods. This brings us to our next downfall.
At the current moment, these engines are restricted to ships of the capital class (corvette or above). As this is new technology, the ability to properly scale it down has not yet been achieved. The engines simply require too many operational parts to be scaled down until a later model. While the opportunities of this technology at smaller scales are grand, the ability to do it currently escapes current understanding. Development will continue on this matter, however.
________________________________________________________
Strengths
While more vulnerable to attack, having longer start-up times and being restricted to capital ships, the engines makeup with their strengths. As mentioned in the first portion of this description, these engines limit the amount of wasted fuel and energy put out during flights. By limiting this waste, the ship can run longer and more efficiently by saving power that can be diverted to other systems.
Atop of this, the engines are also much easier to regulate in terms of how much power they are exerting at any one time. This makes speeding up, slowing down a much faster and sharper process that can raise maneuverability in most vehicles.
It is also a strength that all patents to this technology are owned by Stargo Defense Enterprises for exclusive use in vessels crafted by them.
