Warp Drive: Difference between revisions

''This article was provided by Colin McHendry.''  

==Matter/antimatter reaction assembly (M/ARA)==

As the warp propulsion system is the heart of the starship, the M/ARA is the heart of the warp propulsion system. The M/ARA is variously called the warp reactor, warp engine core, or main engine core. Energy produced within the core is shared between its propulsion and the raw power requirements of major ship functions. The M/ARA consist of four subsystems:  

==Reactant injectors==

The reactant injectors prepare and feed precisely controlled streams of matter and antimatter into the core. The matter reactant injector(MRI) accepts supercold deuterium from the primary deuterium tankage (PDT) and partially preburns it in a continuous gas-fusion process. It then drives the resulting gases through a series of throttleable nozzles into the upper magnetic constriction segment. The MRI consists of a conical structural vessel 5.2 x 6.3 meters, constructed of dispersion-strengthened woznium carbmolydenide.  

Twenty-five shock attenuation cylinders connect it to the PDT and the major spacecraft framing members, maintaining 98% thermal isolation from the remainder of the Battle Section. In effect, the entire WPS "floats" within the hull in order to withstand 3x theoretical operational stresses. Within the MRI are six redundant cross-fed sets of injectors, each injector consisting of twin deuterium inlet manifolds, fuel conditioners, fusion preburner, magnetic quench block, transfer duct/gas combiner, nozzle head, and related control hardware. Slush deuterium enters the inlet manifolds at controlled flow rates and passes to the conditioners, where the heat is removed to bring the slush to just above the solid transition point. Micropellets are formed, preburned by magnetic pinch fusion, and sent down into the gas combiner, where the ionized gas products are now at 106K. The nozzle heads then focus, propel and align the gas streams into the constriction segments. Should any of the nozzels fail, the combiner would continue to supply the remaining nozzles, which would dilate to accommodate the increased supply. Each nozzle measures 102 x 175 cm and is constructed of frumium copper yttrium 2343.  

==Magnetic constriction segments==

The upper and lower magnetic constriction segments (MCS) constitute the central mass of the core. These components work to structurally support the matter/antimatter reaction chamber, provide a pressure vessel to maintain the proper core operating environment, and align the incoming matter and antimatter streams for combining within the matter/antimatter reaction chamber (M/ARC). The upper MCS measures 18 meters in length, the lower unit 12 meters. Both are 2.5 meters in diameter. A typical segment comprises eight sets of tension frame members, a turoidal pressure vessel wall, twelve sets of magnetic constrictor coils, and related power feed and control hardware.  

==Matter/Antimatter reaction chamber==

The (M/ARC) consists of two matched bell-shaped cavities which contain and redirect the primary reaction. The chamber measures 2.3 by 2.5 meters in diameter. it is constructed from twelve layers of hafnium 6 excelion-infused crabonitrium, phase-transition welded under a pressure of 31,000 kilopascals. The three outer layers are armored with acros-senite arkenide for 10x overpressure protection, as are all interface joints to other pressure bearing and energy-carrying parts of the system.  

==Dilithium Crystal Reaction==

The key element in the efficient use of M/A reactions is the dilithium crystal. This is the only material know to federation science to be nonreactive with antimatter when subjected to a high frequency electromagnetic (EM) field in the megawatt range, rendering it "porous" to antihydrogen. Dilithium permits the antihydrogen to pass directly through its crystalline structure without actually touching it, owing to the field dynamo effect created in the added iron atoms.  

The longer form of the crystal name is the forced-matrix formula 2<5>6 dilithium 2<:>1 diallosilicate 1:9:1 heptoferranide. This highly complex atomic structure is based on simpler forms discovered in naturally occurring geological layers of certain planetary systems. It was for many years deemed irreproducible by known or predicted vapor-deposition methods, until breakthroughs in nuclear epitaxy and antieutectics allowed the formation of pure, synthesized dilithium for starship and conventional powerplant use, through theta matrix composting techniques utilizing gamma radiation bombardment.