Starship Engines

By: Anthra Andromda

Starship engines come in two flavors; for strictly interstellar
propulsion, and for combined interstellar/planetary travel and
atmospheric use. This paper will treat the latter of these. The
engine described here is suitable for either interstellar or
atmospheric travel.

This engine is of a dual-mode design; it will optionally produce
either gravitons or tachyons.

ENGINE DESIGN

The engine or propulsion unit proper consists of six discrete
elements (see fig. 1).

1) the shield coil - required to protect the crew/inhabitants
of the ship from any harmful radiation. The shield
itself is a high-power electromagnet operating in a
steady state (DC).

2) the exciter coil is in reality an auto-transformer,
operating much like a 'Tesla coil', but at much higher
power levels, voltages, and frequency. Its purpose is
to excite the atomic structure of the core material
into production of either tachyons or gravitons (these
two events occur at different power levels and
frequencies).

3) This element is the 'pump', its operation is much like a
magnetic shock-tube. It will start and maintain
movement of particles from the core in the direction of
the exhaust.


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4) The focusing element. Here the responsibility is to shape
the particle stream into something useful. This is the
element that can either make the basic unit an engine
or a weapon.

5) The core, is a stack of particle producers separated by
some insulating material. In a dual mode engine the
material for one kind of particle acts as an insulator
for the other.

6) Not shown in the figure is the control system, this is
normally a collection of high speed computers and high
energy power control circuits.


+--------------------------------------------+
| a |
| +-----------+-----+-----------------+-----+
| | b | c | | d |
| +-----------+-----+-----------------+-----+
| | e |
| +-----------+-----+-----------------+-----+
| | | | | |
| +-----------+-----+-----------------+-----+
| |
+--------------------------------------------+

fig. 1

a. Shield coil.
b. Exciter coil.
c. Pump
d. Focus coil/yoke
e. Quartz/niobium core.


+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+
| Q | N | Q | N | Q | N | Q | N | Q | N |
+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+

fig. 2

ENGINE SHIELDING

The shield coil surrounding the 'engine unit' is of a design that
will allow for the development of high magnetic fields. This field
is required especially in interstellar propulsion; tachyons can be
very ionizing and therefore destructive.

The magnetic shield can me made by using large gauge wire (low gauge
numbers) and winding many turns.

The gage of the wire is important here, as it will determine the
amount of electrical current that the magnet can handle.

If it is at all possible, the use of small diameter, insulated
copper tubing may be used. By pumping coolant through the magnet
larger fields may be generated.


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On the outside of the shield magnet a material such as 'mu-metal' or
some other magnetic shielding should be used, so as to further
shield the operators from the engine.

This sub-system is probably the most difficult to build. While the
construction of the magnet itself is not difficult, the power supply
may be another matter.

Electromagnets, by their nature, develop a field that is
proportional to the amount of current (amperes) flowing through
them. Thus it is important to build a power source that can not only
develop a sufficiently high voltage, but it must also supply the
required current. This power should be as close to 'pure' DC (direct
current) as possible.

EXCITER COIL

The exciter of the system is very much like the 'Tesla coil' or
auto-transformer. As an example of an auto-transformer, I submit the
television 'flyback' transformer.

While these examples are by comparison crude, they will serve in the
construction of a model. As in the auto-transformer, the 'turns
ratio' is important. The higher the ratio the greater the voltage
that may be developed.

Another important factor here is the impedance of the sub-system.
Since this will be working at high frequencies (several megahertz
for graviton production, and 10 to 100 times higher for tachyons)
the AC resistance or impedance must be taken into account, this
impedance must be kept to a
minimum.

This part of the system, like the shield, does its job by the
magnetic field it generates, therefore, the current flow through the
exciter must be as high as possible, though not as high as the
shield.

Again the power supply is important, it should be able to provide
the necessary voltage (several hundred volts) at moderately high
current levels (up to 30 amps).

THE PUMP

This element functions much like a 'magnetic shock tube' but again
at high frequencies (megahertz). While the power levels here are
somewhat reduced, it is still important to have enough power to do
the job.

The function of the pump is to 'pull' quanta of either gravitons or
tachyons from the 'stack' and send them down the length of the
engine.

This is done by setting up a traveling magnetic wave, see fig. 3 for
a crude schematic of this pump. It is again important to consider
the impedance of this component.




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multiple turns on coil
+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+------>
| | | | | | | | |
= = = = = = = = = pulsed
capacitors-> = = = = = = = = = DC input.
| | | | | | | | |
--------------------------------------->


It will be noticed that the input to this element is pulsed DC, and
that the element is referred to as an AC element.

The nature of this such that it functions in the following manner.

When power is applied the capacitors charge in turn creating the
effect of many smaller electromagnets stacked end to end, when the
last capacitor in the chain is charged, power is removed, thus
allowing the capacitors to discharge

(high voltage/current diodes across each magnet element
will allow for proper discharge of the capacitors).

When the capacitors are discharged power is once again applied.

Because of the nature of the pulsed DC and the current requirements,
high speed switching electronics are called for to control this
element.

FOCUSING ELEMENT

The focusing element used here would be much like the 'yoke' used in
television. The purpose here is to create a beam of particles and to
'bend' that beam in the desired direction.

The requirements for the focusing coils are greatly relaxed, but,
the need for high power still exists.

CONTROL SYSTEM

If this system were to be used only as a 'steady state demo' the
requirements here would be small.

Simple power supplies and switching circuits would be the only
requirement. However, if the system were to be used in a starship
the requirements would change.

In a flight situation the dynamic control of 'exhaust' and power
levels would exist. If used in a planetary mode, one could probably
'get away' with using something like a personal computer (I
personally would recommend at least a '386' based machine).

However if used in interstellar flight then the use of something
like a 'Cray' would be more in order (though I would doubt that even
the fastest of machines known here on earth would suit).

In an interplanetary mode, where one is not traveling 'faster than
light', again a PC (486) would probably work.

So that's basically it. A suitable air/space frame for a ship and

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three of these engines and one could go 'star-hopping'. Though I
would warn against 'faster than light' travel due to the 'unknown'
factors involved.

It has been said that when one attempts to travel faster than light
it must be done 'smartly', i.e. the "jump to light speed". It is
said that to merely accelerate through the light 'limit' is
dangerous.

If there are any questions or comments, I can be reached through Jim
Stewart at the BBS known as ORDO ARGENTUM ASTRUM (fidonode 1:346/13)
or on the UFO echo.

--------------------------------------------------------------------


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