Fusion Drives

[clandistine1]

Hey everybody
Just asking to anybody out there,
How would fusion drive engines work like in the Halo games :?:
Cheers,
James

 

[neuvik]

Hey everybody
Just asking to anybody out there,
How would fusion drive engines work like in the Halo games :?:
Cheers,
James

Uh....how do they work in Halo?

I'd hope it's similar to how it works in real life...where isotopes of Hydrogen are fused together to form a new element, Helium. This fusion releases a neutron and heat which can be used in a variety of methods such as VASMIR to drive a ship.

There was a recent discussion over in Physics about it, viewtopic.php?f=10&t=22999
and over in Space Business and Technology folder here at SDC you can find several discussion on modes of transportation.

 

[Shpaget]

(Never played Halo)
Well fusion is a method of producing energy.
I don't know what a fusion drive would be, but the problem about propulsion isn't the energy requirement since the energy can be produced by other means such as fission reactors, the problem is transforming that energy into the "push" so your spaceship moves. That's a tricky part.

 

[nimbus]

Quick google shows no clear picture or hints of an actual fusion reactor design for Halo. Only details enough to fit/help the Halo plot. E.G. "detonate the fusion cores".

 

[yevaud]

Plausible fusion drive systems envision an ingition mechanism similar to that used by ITER - multiple lasers on a Deuterium target. The plasma created is momentarily held in an open ended magnetic pinch-bottle effect, with the highly energetic plasma guided at large velocity out the back end of the sucker.

Well, that's the idea anyways.

Multiple problems suggest themselves, and one benefit.

The benefit is not having the requirement to hold the millions of degrees plasma more than momentarily, as it's not created to create heat (=power production), but simply for the plasma itself; a very different pinch effect than utilized for current fusion experiments.

Guiding the plasma may be a problem. Will you get significant ISP, or just a big poof of rapidly expanding, cooling plasma?

Also, any ignition system would by needs have to be capable of continual operation - injecting Deuterium targets precisely and perfectly each time - to accelerate. E.g. a long series (minutes, hours, days, etc.) of constant pulses, rather than one long continuous burn.

 

[clandistine1]

Cheers

Plus

Quick google shows no clear picture or hints of an actual fusion reactor design for Halo. Only details enough to fit/help the Halo plot. E.G. "detonate the fusion cores".

Acutualy if you read the books, all human ships use fusion reactors, the covenant use plasma reactors
...
i don't get the difference

 

[nimbus]

So the books have details of how those fusion and plasma engines work?

 

[eburacum45]

Take a look at Project Rho's Engine List; some really good fusion rockets there
http://www.projectrho.com/rocket/rocket ... l#mcfusion

 

[docm]

Franklin Chang-Diaz has been very open that turning VASIMR into a fusion drive is on his "Do List". Basic advantage is that it would generate its own power at a very high level, negating the need for a fission reactor or huge solar array.

 

[yevaud]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VjFv5V77E1A[/youtube]

 

[clandistine1]

So the books have details of how those fusion and plasma engines work?

Basically