[2300] Fission reactor questions

[Anonymous]

BTT - One engineering principle that would carry through is to make the reactors safer, also smaller as well.

OK, so let's morph the topic a little.

As I mentioned in my OP this is for the ship and vehicle design sequence for an alternate 2300 setting, perhaps I should have added [2300] to the title but I don't think I can tweak it now.

MgT makes no mention of minimum size to a fusion plant, you simply buy them off the shelf for adventure class ships and while it may say somewhere that they're fusion plants, I can't remember at the moment and really, it's not important, MgT calls it a power plant and calls it good. Power plants don't come into the equation for the vehicles, they're simply there doing their thing with the GM left to add the detail.

2300ad has fusion power plants starting at 5000m^3 which is pretty much where MgT 2300 has them too - 350dT (converts to 4900m^3, close enough). MgT 2300 has a fission plant starting at 70dT which is 980m^3, pretty close to the smallest US naval reactor I have numbers for (assuming again it's an apple and apple comparison which in all honesty it's likely not to be but lets ignore that for the moment huh?) That sample is on the small side so who knows? It's still a fair bit larger than the size of the SMRs that are in the design phase today in the early 21st century.

MgT 2300 doesn't specify the TL of fusion or fission power plants, for MHD turbines and fuel cells there are the old commercial, new commercial/old military and new military levels that are roughly aligned to TLs 10, 11 and 12 respectively. It doesn't make much sense to me but I am guessing it's cos there aren't differences in the original 2300 and they're optional rules in HG for Traveller.

Seems appropriate to me that TL introduces improvements so I'll tweak that but MgT 2300 has fission available from TL10 to the military and TL11 to commercial shipping. Given that we've had fission powered ocean going ships for the last 50 years that doesn't make any sense to me.

Likewise, Traveller introduces fusion at an earlier TL and MgT 2300 has fusion reactors available to the military at TL 11 and civilians at TL12.

What then is the logic for a minimum size for a fusion power plant in 2300?

Can they be made smaller? That's a bit of a trick question really as the minimum size limit really boils down to "what do you want it to be?"

But have at it, what are y'all opinions?

 

[dragoner]

The size of some of the proposed fusion reactors have been fairly small, a lot smaller than the 350dtons. MHD turbines are largely fantasy, a technology that didn't work out.

 

[Anonymous]

Hey! Stick to fusion! We'll come to MHD later!

:wink:

 

[Infojunky]

Right off the bat, 2300 operates like the real world, as such the concept of "Tech Level" doesn't apply like it does in the 3rd Imperium. And yet is does. Or there are 3 Levels in 2300, Old, Current and Brand Spanking New. Labeled in the game naval equipment as Old Commercial, New Commercial/Old Military, and New Military.

To Quote from the Naval Architects Manuel;
"Note that three different levels of quality are
available. In general, "old commercial" are available anywhere
starships are built. "Modern commercial and old military" are
available at better shipyards. "Modern military" are not available
to the general public, and in most cases their exact internal components
and means of construction are classified."

What then is the logic for a minimum size for a fusion power plant in 2300?

It is the smallest volume they could fit all the Machinery in.

Can they be made smaller? That's a bit of a trick question really as the minimum size limit really boils down to "what do you want it to be?"

Sure, I can probably even dig out ratios for what Advance tech in 2300 would look like. But 5000 cubic meters for a small cities power station isn't bad.

But have at it, what are y'all opinions?

If I could get my group to play 2300 that is What I would run....

 

[Anonymous]

It is the smallest volume they could fit all the Machinery in.

Yeah, OK, I get that, but the number seems arbitrary

Sure, I can probably even dig out ratios for what Advance tech in 2300 would look like.

Would love to see the numbers and the book sourced from please.

But 5000 cubic meters for a small cities power station isn't bad.

But, assuming it's 150MW thermal output, it's still equivalent to a 1960s fission reactor. I don't know the electrical output of the USN reactors but assuming it's close to the SHP for the ship/boat it's roughly a third of the thermal. Looking at the numbers for the energy produced in fission versus fusion quoted here it's nearly 4 times as much from a kilo of fuel. If the thermal output of a 5000m^3 fusion plant is 3 times at 450MW, that's still not the 4 times we're expecting from the numbers and it's from a larger reactor.

Make sense?

 

[AndrewW]

As I mentioned in my OP this is for the ship and vehicle design sequence for an alternate 2300 setting, perhaps I should have added [2300] to the title but I don't think I can tweak it now.

Edit the first post.