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Thoughts and Ramblings on Nuclear Power
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Raven!
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PostPosted: 06-Sep-2005 21:23    Post subject: Thoughts and Ramblings on Nuclear Power Reply to topic Reply with quote

Ok so here I am thinking and I have a thought! Since I just rebuilt Infantry (see my wonderful post in this section -- Go me!), why not rebuild vehicles as well? I'm not going to make them super strong or resistent to criticals, but I figure, its absolutely ridiculous to have them the way they are! Weights especially. GAH! And before you begin, I only want to work on water based vehicles. I'll get to land eventually, and as I'm sure you're all aware, one day I'll redesign BattleMechs and the weapon system Smile

Later.

For now....

Nuclear Powered Ships
Basically my problem with ship design is you're stuck between ultra expensive fusion power, or cheap and readily available, but heavy, ICE power. I'm proposing something new.

Nuclear Engine
The nuclear engine produces power which is used to turn the props of any ship. These powerful engines do have negative side effects, and are usually never mounted on BattleMechs, due to their size and configurations. However, ships, which tend to be longer and have a little more space, have found them to be useful pieces of technology.

Nuclear power has been used on any number of worlds as a cheap and effective power souce. Uranium is plentiful, and these plants so wide spread construction and use when fusion technology was rare. In many cases, worlds cannot justify the expense of fusion bottles when uranium can be found all over.

One example of this is the Magistry of Canopus world of Early Dawn. A water world with beautiful scenic beaches, it was the ideal vacation spot for those who liked to lounge near the water, margarita in hand. However, with the fall of the Star League, Early Dawn would become pray to pirates and raiders, and thus needed protection. Both defenders and enemies turned to hovercraft to fight over the watery terrain, however, the planetary government realized that surface ships and submarines could provide more firepower if only they could be build cheaply.

Since fuel was expensive and rare, they turned to the one fuel they had: vast uranium deposits on the Southern Islands.

Game Rules
* The Nuclear engine is calculated at the same weight and size as a Fusion engine, however, it costs the same as an ICE engine of the same weight.

* The nuclear engine produces double the heat of a fusion engine, and comes with only 5 heat sinks.

* When hit the engine has a 50% chance of releasing radioactive steam. The vehicle is considered destroyed and the crew dead (they're alive but have just been cooked. They're as good as dead). Safety mechanisms will shut down the nuclear reactor, but hot, radioactive steam continues to pour out of the unit hit. Treat this as a heavy smoke cloud. Any unprotected unit that enters this cloud gains 2 points of heat due to gamma radiation exposure, and, if playing a campaign, should be removed before the next battle. The cloud remains for ten rounds before disappating.

After the cloud disappates, any unit that enters the hex of the destroyed unit will also take damage as per above. This effect stays till the contamination is cleaned up.

*Nuclear engines are only available to ships.
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PostPosted: 07-Sep-2005 16:48    Post subject: RE: Thoughts and Ramblings on Nuclear Power Reply to topic Reply with quote

So, you're talking about a Fission engine? Just to be clear?

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Raven!
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PostPosted: 07-Sep-2005 17:04    Post subject: RE: Thoughts and Ramblings on Nuclear Power Reply to topic Reply with quote

Nuclear or Nuke sounds cooler. Brings to mind mushroom clouds!

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Rudel Gurken
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PostPosted: 08-Sep-2005 01:33    Post subject: RE: Thoughts and Ramblings on Nuclear Power Reply to topic Reply with quote

In Combat Equipment there are rules for fission-reaktors. They aren´t weighing under 5000 tons

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Sleeping Dragon
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PostPosted: 08-Sep-2005 04:49    Post subject: RE: Thoughts and Ramblings on Nuclear Power Reply to topic Reply with quote

I must agree with Rudel. Nuclear reactors are actualy just generating heat to produce steam that runs through turbine and generates electricity by standard electromagnetic induction (turbine rotates with magnets, ...). Not very practical when it's small.


[ This Message was edited by: Sleeping Dragon on 2005-09-08 04:50 ]
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Rudel Gurken
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PostPosted: 08-Sep-2005 06:43    Post subject: RE: Thoughts and Ramblings on Nuclear Power Reply to topic Reply with quote

Sorry! I´ve got Combat Equipment since yesterday and I hadn´t read it carefully enough: Min fission-engine weight is 5000 kg!
(but i don´t know how they put all the neccessary equipment in there!)

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McBride
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PostPosted: 09-Sep-2005 17:25    Post subject: RE: Thoughts and Ramblings on Nuclear Power Reply to topic Reply with quote

I could see it, 5,000 kg is still 5 tons, and they likely use materials lighter and stronger than what we currently have, thus saving weight, and it's likely they need less shielding than current reactors, saving some more mass again.

Just my thoughts on how it could be that light.
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