tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6649591714373684167.post708326868530735154..comments2024-02-29T16:43:55.241-05:00Comments on Lurking Rhythmically: Traveller Tuesday: More on Starship FuelErin Palettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09984632637166408245noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6649591714373684167.post-53506619222574563822013-04-20T12:18:04.155-04:002013-04-20T12:18:04.155-04:00Thank you! And welcome aboard. :)Thank you! And welcome aboard. :)Erin Palettehttp://lurkingrhythmically.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6649591714373684167.post-73289946448844555692013-04-20T12:16:38.371-04:002013-04-20T12:16:38.371-04:00I just died a little inside...but from laughter.
M...I just died a little inside...but from laughter.<br />My new favorite blog of all time. Yours.Faraday Defconnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6649591714373684167.post-30972776910695118032013-04-14T16:17:00.082-04:002013-04-14T16:17:00.082-04:00THANK YOU. At least someone thinks I wasn't a...THANK YOU. At least someone thinks I wasn't a complete idiot.Erin Palettehttp://lurkingrhythmically.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6649591714373684167.post-7396370199730679472013-04-14T16:04:01.325-04:002013-04-14T16:04:01.325-04:00Storing fuel as D2O would have the added benefit o...Storing fuel as D2O would have the added benefit of serving as radiation shielding. And while not as toxic as ammonia, it is fatal if ingested in sufficient quantity (50% or more of your daily intake) as I understand it. So a D2O leak into the crew compartment IS a big deal, even if it is not as big a deal as an ammonia leak or methane leak. The flip side, what do you do with the oxygen produced from electrolysis of D2O? Do you use it for life support? Or do you vent it? I was a fan of the ammonia solution because it was the only solution that kept nitrogen in the mix. CHON, carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, are the essential elements of life, and depending on where you are (such as our moon Luna) nitrogen and carbon become the "more necessary" elements to support life (oxygen can be harvested from the regolith).Jim Armstrongnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6649591714373684167.post-86708686696850948652013-04-11T22:25:35.976-04:002013-04-11T22:25:35.976-04:00While technically the simplest method of separatin...While technically the simplest method of separating deuterium from hydrogen is to let it form water and then boiling it (the boiling temperatures are different) it's also possible through the use of a quantum-level sieve (certain alloys form sieves at a quantum level when cooled to below -200 degrees celsius). So it should be possible for a fuel shuttle to separate hydrogen from deuterium while collecting it. Quantum sieves are a bit of a future tech, so what efficiency a quantum sieve has is up to you if you don't actually want to actually go from basic hydrogen to top level fuel. Non-enriched fuel could basically be quantum-enriched, so that while by fully refining it you do achieve a concentration it's not a ratio of 3200:1 by weight.BigDemonicBunnynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6649591714373684167.post-9877295755959111582013-04-10T19:12:44.844-04:002013-04-10T19:12:44.844-04:00H+H fusion to get juice and He
If it's that s...<i>H+H fusion to get juice and He</i><br /><br />If it's that simple, the entire concept of refined fuel (and its quintuple cost) becomes ridiculously irrelevant, and entire chunks of economy and game design get thrown out. <br /><br />Well spotted about vapor pressure, however.Erin Palettehttp://lurkingrhythmically.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6649591714373684167.post-34176708033897082013-04-10T19:02:23.085-04:002013-04-10T19:02:23.085-04:00You don't need to carry deuterium! Run the po...You don't need to carry deuterium! Run the power plant in a breeder cycle. H+H fusion to get juice and He, strip a neutron from the He to get the better He3 for fuel, sling that neutron back at the H and you get a deuterium. Inject a bit of lithium in there and you make even more neutrons and you can have a Dt+T reaction.<br /><br />As far as wrapping the ship in explosives, what are you using for an oxidizer? The life system? That limits the size of the boom considerably, especially if the leak stays undiscovered for a while. Vapor pressure is a wonderful fire retardant, you're electric fuel pump in your gas tank proves it every day.McThagnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6649591714373684167.post-73261324988759487022013-04-10T13:23:42.991-04:002013-04-10T13:23:42.991-04:00Obligatory PS regarding the military: their front...Obligatory PS regarding the military: their frontier refueling operations are a bit different, since their capital ships use refueling shuttles and other small craft. If those craft have fuel processors, then they stay in the gas giant's atmosphere as they refine while the capital ship stays in high orbit above the GG in overwatch mode. If they don't, it's safe to assume the capital ship has pre-refinement holding tanks sufficient to hold the payloads of several of these ships. <br /><br /><br />Either way, there are going to be lots of small craft ferrying back and forth between the mother ship and the gas giant.Erin Palettehttp://lurkingrhythmically.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.com