Organisation: personal mailbox at The Next Challenge BBS
The subject says it all, Scott Kellogg has returned from the wilds
of New Jersey. At least for last weekend. Here's his fist missive
for the TML, and I'll be posting his other one per day. Messages to
him can be sent to me, (and I'll pass them along), or direct.
Here's Scott:
Begin part 1 of 8
*******************************************************************
Howdy Folks!
Perhaps some of you thought I'd dropped off the face of the Earth,
but like a bad penny I show up with a disk full of designs for your
amusement. Just in case you're wondering I'm headed for grad school
in Physics this fall and with luck I'll get a computer account to
talk with ya'll in a more conventional form.
Are there any TML people at the following Universities?
University of Alabama: Tuscaloosa?
Alburn University?
Univerisity of Texas: Arlington?
Texas Tech University?
The unluckyest of the above may be hosting little old me and I want
to play some TRAV! (unemployment is BORING!) If there is anyone out
there at the above please send me a card! I'd like to find out more
about the above.
Scott Kellogg [phone removed] or [phone removed]
[address removed]
As I have in the past, I have found a little brain teaser for the
design experts of TML...
Design problem #117[a]: NUCLEAR FISSION REACTOR FUEL CONSUMPTION
I did a little computation from a book I have on contemporary naval
vessels using the stated range of several ships and their reactor
power output to calculate the total fuel consumed (as given by
MegaTrav rules).
These estimates are based that the reactor ran at full power
constantly over the range and speed traveled. This is a BAD
assumption, but it should give us an order of magnitude. The USS
Nautilus had three reactor cores in it's life. The first should
have consumed 136.7% of the total weight of the ship, The second
core should have consumed 201.0% of the ship. The third core should
have consumed 327.8% of the total weight of the ship.
Ok, lets assume that on average the ship ran on 1/3 power she still
ends up consuming 109.3% of the ship!
The Nimitz with a range of 1 million nautical miles (50,000hrs)
burns up 157.4% of itself if you assume full power, 52.5% if you
assume 1/3 power.
The Enterprise (20,000hrs) burns up 67.9% of itself at full power,
or 22.6% at 1/3.
The Kirov (6000 hrs) burns up 45.9% at full power or 15.3% at 1/3.
The following assume a 6 month (4,320hr) fuel supply at full power
Class full power 1/3 pwr 1/4 pwr
Le Redoutable 107% 36% 27%
Resolution 108% 36% 27%
Lafayette 110% 37% 28%
Trafalgar 169% 56% 42%
Rubis 112% 37% 28%
Delta 161% 54% 40%
Typhoon 173% 58% 43%
Sturgeon 191% 64% 47%
Valiant 193% 64% 48%
Ohio 194% 65% 49%
Swiftsure 193% 64% 48%
Charlie 203% 67% 51%
Permit/Thresher 216% 72% 54%
Yankee 236% 79% 59%
Skipjack 264% 88% 66%
Los Angeles 267% 89% 67%
Oscar 295% 98% 74%
Echo 312% 104% 78%
Victor 318% 106% 80%
Sierra 360% 120% 90%
Virginia 570% 190% 143%
Alfa 876% 292% 219%
!!!!!!!??????????
Even if the ship only runs at 10% on the reactor you still consume
10.7% of the ship in the least case scenario!
Suffice to say, I think the stated fuel consumption for fission
reactors is, to say the least, excessive. What happens? do they
dismantle the hull of the ship and eventually parts of the reactor
itself, shoving them into the reactor. The crew stands around on a
shrinking iceberg and dutifully throw themselves into the reactor
when all else is consumed in the reactor? Regrettably they can
only use 100% of the ship that way. I wonder how the Alfa's crew
manages?
I have no magic answers to the above problem, but in the designs i
include I have divided the fuel consumption by 8760 so that 1
hour=1 year. Not a very good assumption but it will have to do.
Keep in mind, that reducing the fuel consumption of fission plants
by even a small amount makes radioactives have a higher energy
density than the hydrogen fuel of fusion reactors! If you change
fission fuel consumption, you're gonna have to change fusion fuel
consumption too!
I am afraid that being unemployed has not especially affected my
tendency to come up with Trav designs. There will follow a group of
designs for your amusement. Hope it doesn't clog the air waves.
Take care,
Scott Kellogg
*******************************************************************
End of part 1 of 8
- - --Name = STEPHEN SMITH Mailbox # = 68