SUBJECT: STARSHIP ENGINES                                    FILE: UFO2195




                                   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.


                                     Page 1





             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.


                                     Page 2





      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.




                                     Page 3





                           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

                                     Page 4





      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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