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[[Image:VoyagerWarpCore.jpg|thumb|400px]]
There are so many vital components that comprise a Warp Drive System that it is hard to know where to start. So let's start with the basics:
There are two distinct fuel storage systems on board any starship; the matter storage is generally a single large fuel tank holding a large amount of slush Deuterium- in the case of the [[Galaxy Class]] there is 62,500 m3 of actual Deuterium within 63,200 m3 of tankage space - the rest being accounted for by internal compartmentalisation of the fuel tank. The ship thus carries 12,500 metric tons of fuel, sufficient for a mission period of three years assuming normal use of warp and impulse drive, orbiting of planets, etc.
The antimatter is contained within much smaller pods; the standard starship antimatter pod is capable of holding 100 m3 of fuel for a total of 3,000 m3 in a Galaxy class Starship. Starfleet is somewhat reticent about revealing exactly how much antimatter is kept on board its starships, as this would allow threat forces to make detailed estimates of the total output of a ships power systems. It is known that the antimatter used in the Galaxy class is antihydrogen, and that it is kept stored within magnetic fields. In the event of a systems failure which threatens antimatter containment, the pods can be thrown clear of the ship by emergency systems of considerable reliability.
Fuel from the pods is sent to the reactant injectors; these are designed to condition and feed streams of matter and antimatter into the warp core. The matter reactant injector is located at the top of the warp core; it is a conical structure some 5.2 metres in diameter and 6.3 metres high. The injector is constructed of dispersion strengthened woznium carbmolybdenide. Shock attenuation cylinders connect it to the deuterium fuel tank and the skeletal structure of the ship, allowing it to 'float' free within the structure.
Within Starfleet vessels, the MRI contains redundant sets of crossfed injectors. Each injector would consists of a twin deuterium manifold, fuel conditioner, fusion pre-burner, magnetic quench block, transfer duct/gas combiner, nozzle head, and related control hardware. other designs are in use by civilian craft and other species. Although operation varies from class to class, in general slush deuterium enters the inlet manifolds and is passed to the conditioners where heat is removed. This brings the deuterium to just above solid transition point; micropellets are formed and then pre-burned by a magnetic pinch fusion system. The fuel is them sent on to a gas combiner where it reaches a temperature in the region of 106 K. Nozzle heads then focus the gas streams and send them down into the constriction segments.
Starfleet safety protocols require that should any nozzle fail, the combiner can continue to supply the remaining nozzles which would dialate to accomodate the increased fuel flow. The present generation of nozzles are constructed of frumium-copper-yttrium 2343.
The antimatter injector lies at the lower end of the warp core. Its internal design is distincly different from that of the matter injector owing to the dangerous nature of antimatter fuel; every step in manipulating the antihydrogen must use magnetic to keep the material from Physically touching any part of the structure. In some ways the ARI is a simpler device requiring fewer moving components. It uses the same basic structural housing and shock attenuation as the matter system, with adaptions for magnetic suspension fuel tunnels. The structure contains three pulsed antimatter gas flow separators; these serve to break up the incoming antihydrogen into small managable packets and send them up into the constriction segments. Each flow separator leads to an injector nozzle and each nozzle cycles open in response to computer control signals. Nozzle firing can follow highly complicated sequences resulting from the varying demands of reaction pressures and temperatures and desired power output, amongst other factors.
The magnetic constrictors make up the bulk of the warp core. They provide Physical support to the reaction chamber, pressure containment for the whole core and, most importantly, guide and align the fuel flow onto the desired location within the reaction chamber.
The matter constrictor is typically longer than the antimatter constrictor, as antimatter is easier to focus and so requires a shorter distance for the same accuracy. Typically, the magnetic constrictors are divided into segments; each segment will contain several sets of tension frame members, a toroidal pressure vessel wall, several sets of magnetic constrictor coils and related power and control hardware. Constrictor coils will have dozens of active elements, and on more advanced designs these will be configures to contain the magnetic field almost wholly within the constrictor, with minimum spillage into the exterior environment. Starfleet warp cores usually have the outermost layers of the constrictors constructed of a semi-transparent layer which allows harmless secondary photons to escape from the inner layers, creating a glow effect. This gives an immediate visual cue to the current activity rates within the warp core.
As the fuel is released from the injector nozzles, the constrictors compress it and increase the velocity considerably. This ensures the proper collision energy and alignment within the reaction chamber.
This is in many ways the "heart" of the ship. The principle function of any reaction chamber is to allow the matter and antimatter streams to come together and direct the resultant energy flow into the power transfer conduits. This apparently simple task is rendered highly complex by the need to allow the various sensor and other monitoring and control equipment to function within the chamber. The addition of dilithium to regulate and control the reaction, while allowing far higher efficiency and so increasing the power output, has also lead to ever more complex designs - most especially in more recent starships which are designed to allow continual recompositing of the dilithium whilst in use. Nevertheless, reaction chambers of today perform fundamentally the same task as those of a century ago or more.
The power transfer conduits are similar in nature to the magnetic constrictors of the warp core, in that they are ducts designed to use high energy magnetic fields to carry energetic plasma from one point to another. But where the magnetic constrictors operate only across relatively short distances and require a very high degree of precision with a comparitively low energy plasma, the PTC's must carry very energetic plasma across large distances with - relatively speaking - far less finesse.
Federation starships are equipped with a separate PTC line for each nacelle, a measure which increases resistance to battle damage or other failures. Since most Starships have twin nacelles, two PTC's will typically be arranged to be symmetrical about the ships centreline. These will proceed through the bulk of the engineering hull and along the connecting struts, if any, to the nacelles themselves.
Smaller versions of these heavy duty systems are also used to carry power to components such as the phasers, shields, and high energy scientific laboratories.
At the terminus of the Power Transfer Conduits are the plasma injectors. One of these devices is fitted in each nacelle, and has the task of sending a precisely aimed plasma flow through the centre of the warp coils.
Because of the relatively low accuracy with which the plasma flow is usually controlled by a PTC, the plasma injector system must often be designed to re-condition the fuel flow in order to dampen down turbulence and so ensure a smooth flow through the warp coils. In many Starfleet designs, most especially those systems with the highest raw power output, the plasma flow from the PTC is split into two parts and sent through swirl dampers before being recombined during the injection process. Long experience has found that this method reduces the size of the required hardware to a reasonable minimum.
==Antimatter containment==
==Antimatter containment==
Antimatter containment is the process whereby antimatter and matter are kept separated by the use of magnetic fields to prevent the oppositely charged particles from colliding, which would result in the mutual destruction of the matter and antimatter, along with a violent and explosive release of energy.
Antimatter containment is the process whereby antimatter and matter are kept separated by the use of magnetic fields to prevent the oppositely charged particles from colliding, which would result in the mutual destruction of the matter and antimatter, along with a violent and explosive release of energy.


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In 2366 the non-corporeal Koinonians drained antimatter from the antimatter pods to use it as energy to create their replica of Marla Aster. This was stopped by increasing the shield harmonics to match the antimatter containment effectively severing the Koinonian beam. (TNG: "The Bonding")
In 2366 the non-corporeal Koinonians drained antimatter from the antimatter pods to use it as energy to create their replica of Marla Aster. This was stopped by increasing the shield harmonics to match the antimatter containment effectively severing the Koinonian beam. (TNG: "The Bonding")


After Wesley Crusher experimented with a static warp bubble in main engineering in early 2367 and a flash of light was registered, Geordi La Forge ran a level-2 diagnostic of the antimatter containment and warp drive to make sure that none of the systems were affected by the experiment. (TNG: "Remember Me")
After Wesley Crusher experimented with a static warp bubble in main engineering in early 2367 and a flash of light was registered, Geordi La Forge ran a level-2 diagnostic of the antimatter containment and warp drive to make sure that none of the systems were affected by the experiment. (TNG: "Remember Me")  
 
==Antimatter inducer==
==Antimatter Inducer==
Antimatter inducers are warp drive components associated with a starships consumption of fuel. The principal behind the component is that the more efficient the inducer is, the less fuel is consumed during warp flight. (ENT: "Twilight")
Antimatter inducers are warp drive components associated with a starships consumption of fuel. The principal behind the component is that the more efficient the inducer is, the less fuel is consumed during warp flight. (ENT: "Twilight")


In an alternate timeline, Jonathan Archer came up with a way to upgrade the antimatter inducers. Upgrades based on his specs were described as "working nicely." (ENT: "Twilight")
In an alternate timeline, Jonathan Archer came up with a way to upgrade the antimatter inducers. Upgrades based on his specs were described as "working nicely." (ENT: "Twilight")


Montgomery Scott initially had difficulty locating the "damned" antimatter inducer on the Klingon Bird-of-Prey they managed to hijack from Commander Kruge. With Pavel Chekov's assistance, Scott pressed the necessary button to activate the inducer which quickly brought the ship up to full power. (Star Trek III: The Search for Spock)
Montgomery Scott initially had difficulty locating the "damned" antimatter inducer on the Klingon Bird-of-Prey they managed to hijack from Commander Kruge. With Pavel Chekov's assistance, Scott pressed the necessary button to activate the inducer which quickly brought the ship up to full power. (Star Trek III: The Search for Spock)  
 
==Antimatter relay==
==Antimatter Relay==
The antimatter relay is a component of the Enterprise's warp drive lined with a platinum-cobalt alloy. Commander Charles Tucker and five of his men had to strip over two hundred relays to obtain a half-liter of platinum to pay a trellium mine overseer with for the privilege of visiting Kessick. (ENT: "The Xindi")  
The antimatter relay is a component of the Enterprise's warp drive lined with a platinum-cobalt alloy. Commander Charles Tucker and five of his men had to strip over two hundred relays to obtain a half-liter of platinum to pay a trellium mine overseer with for the privilege of visiting Kessick. (ENT: "The Xindi")
 
==Deuterium Cartridge==
==Deuterium Cartridge==
The deuterium cartridges are components of a starship's warp drive system, presumably relating to the deuterium fuel source.
The deuterium cartridges are components of a starship's warp drive system, presumably relating to the deuterium fuel source.
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<center>
<center>
<gallery>
<gallery>
Image:NX Main Engineering.jpg|The warp core of an [[NX Class]] starship
Image:NX Main Engineering.jpg|The warp core of an [[NX class]] starship
Image:Constitution original engineering2.jpg|The warp core of a [[Constitution Class]] starship (2266)
Image:Constitution original engineering2.jpg|The warp core of a [[Constitution Class]] starship (2266)
Image:800px-Constitution class refit engineering.jpg|The warp core of a [[Constitution Class]] refit starship (2270s)
Image:800px-Constitution class refit engineering.jpg|The warp core of a [[Constitution Class]] refit starship (2270s)
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Image:796px-USS Equinox warp core.jpg|The enhanced warp core of a [[Nova Class]] starship
Image:796px-USS Equinox warp core.jpg|The enhanced warp core of a [[Nova Class]] starship
Image:VoyagerWarpCore.jpg|The warp core of an [[Intrepid Class]] starship
Image:VoyagerWarpCore.jpg|The warp core of an [[Intrepid Class]] starship
Image:Sovereign Warp Core.jpg|The warp core of a [[Sovereign Class]] starship
Image:Sovereign Warp Core.jpg|The warp core of a [[Sovereign Class starship
Image:Delta Flyer warp core.jpg|The warp core of the ''Delta Flyer II'' shuttle
Image:Delta Flyer warp core.jpg|The warp core of the ''Delta Flyer II'' shuttle
Image:786px-Dderidex-engine core.jpg|The warp core of a D'deridex Class warbird
Image:786px-Dderidex-engine core.jpg|The warp core of a D'deridex Class warbird
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