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STAR WARS

Chapter 6 - Power

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6.  Power


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6.1     Select Fusion Reactor

        The fusion reactor powers the systems of a starship and should
        be large enough to power-up all major system of the starship
        at once. It is not necessary to have one large reactor, it can
        be split into several smaller ones in order to avoid collateral
        damage and increase the survivability in case of an accident.

        Add the power consumption of the following systems:

        Chapter 3.1 :   Hull
                3.2 :   Maneuverability
                3.3 :   Sublight Drive
                3.4 :   Hyperdrive
                4A.2:   Weapons
                4A.5:   Pods
                5.1 :   Communications Equipment
                5.2 :   Sensors
                5.3 :   Electronic Warfare
                5.4 :   Countermeasures
                5.5 :   Shields
                8.12:   Mining Equipment

                        = Total Power Demand


        Starships normally have a in-built redundancy in their reactors.
        This makes it easier to upgrade power-hungry systems without
        having to install a larger reactor and it also increases battle
        survivability.

        Civilian starships normally have ten to twenty percent more
        power than necessary while military starships can have as much
        as four times the power needed.

        Multiply Total Power Demand with a factor between 1.0 to 4.0.
        The result is the Power Rating. This rating is the output of
        the reactor per hour, measured in Power Units (PU).


        Fusion Reactor Mass: Power Rating / 1000
        Fusion Reactor Cost: Power Rating^0.5 x 200

        Note: It is possible to build a reactor with a lower output
              than necessary, but this makes it impossible to have all
              systems working at the same time.



6.2     Add Batteries

        Batteries is a must if you want to have some form of power when
        the fusion reactor is either stopped, damaged or destroyed.


        * Emergency Batteries

        This type of batteries can only sustain the life support of a
        ship for five minutes.

        Mass: Number of persons carried x Consumables, in days / 1000
        Cost: Number of persons carried x 50

        Note: The number of persons used in the formula must be the
              same as in chapter 8.2: Life Support.


        * Backup Batteries

        In the event of a fusion reactor failure, these batteries are
        the only power source available to run the ship. They can also
        be used to boost the amount of power available to the systems
        in a ship.

        Mass: Number of Power Units / 1000
        Cost: Number of Power Units x 5

        Example: You want to have 1000 PU (Power Units) in backup
                 batteries. Mass becomes 1000 / 1000 = 1 Ton, while
                 the cost is 5000 credits.



6.3     Determine number of Fuel Cells

        The number of fuel cells sets the upper limit for how long a
        starship can travel, fight etc. The formulas below gives a
        generic number for how many fuel cells a starship has, but it
        is always possible to increase/decrease the number available.

        * Starfighters:

        Number of Fuel Cells: Consumables, in hours / 12, rounded up
        Mass: Number of Fuel Cells / 20
        Cost: Number of Fuel Cells x 1000


        * Starfighter-scale ships:

        Number of Fuel Cells: Total Mass Limit / 5, rounded up
        Mass: Number of Fuel Cells / 10
        Cost: Number of Fuel Cells x 250


        * Capital-scale ships:

        Number of Fuel Cells: Total Mass Limit / 100, rounded up
        Mass: Number of Fuel Cells
        Cost: Number of Fuel Cells x 250


        * Fuel Consumption Table          1)

        TASK                            FUEL CONSUMED
        Entering Hyperspace             1 Cell
        6 hours in Hyperspace           1 Cell
        Month of RealSpace ops.         1 Cell
        Hour of Combat Maneuvers        1 Cell
        Hour of atmospheric flight      1 Cell

        1) The original Fuel Consumption table is from page 77 in
           Galaxy Guide 6 - Tramp Freighters, 1st edition

        Note that the fuel consumption table is really only usable
        for starfighters and starfighter-scale starships, and should
        not be used for capital-scale starships.



6.4     Select Alternative Refueling Capability

        There are several methods to refuel a starship in flight.
        Below are the most common ones listed.
        The Recharging Rate is the number of fuel cells recharged per
        hour. Example: 5 cells/hour.


        * Fuel Scoop

        Fuel scoops makes it possible to refuel from gas giants or
        planets by dipping into the atmosphere or seas and removing
        gases which are processed into fuel.

        Mass: Recharging Rate x 3
        Cost: Recharging Rate x 3000



        * Inflight refueling probe&receptacle

          This type of equipment can only receive fuel from specially
          equipped ships (tankers).


                * Fuel Probe

                A probe can only use the hose&drogue method of inflight
                refueling.

                Mass: Recharging Rate / 5
                Cost: Recharging Rate x 100

                Note: This is a fixed probe. If you want a retractable
                probe, mass and cost is multiplied by 1.25.


                * Receptacle

                A receptacle can only use the pivoted flying boom method
                of inflight refueling.

                Mass: Recharging Rate / 10
                Cost: Recharging Rate x 300



        * Inflight refueling gear

          This type of equipment makes it possible to transfer fuel to
          starships specially equipped with fuel receiving gear.


                * Hose&Drogue

                A hose&drogue is a flexible cable towed after a star-
                ship (commonly called tanker) which can be connected
                to a fuel probe on another starship in order to transfer
                fuel.

                Mass: Recharging Rate / 5
                Cost: Recharging Rate x 300


                * Pivoted Flying Boom

                A pivoted flying boom is a stiff rod several meters long
                attached to a starship (tanker) which can be connected
                to a fuel receptacle on another starship in order to
                transfer fuel.

                Mass: Recharging Rate / 5
                Cost: Recharging Rate x 500



        * Solar Converters

        Solar converters are huge, molecule-thick solar-absorbent sails.
        The closer to a sun the ship is, the faster is it refueled. The
        recharging rate out-system is determined by how fast the solar
        converter recharges in-system. It is a slow method and the re-
        charging rate is measured per day, not per hour.

        Mass: Recharging Rate, in-system x 3
        Cost: Recharging Rate, in-system x 3600


        The formula is:

        Recharging rate out-system = Recharging rate in-system / 4

        Example: (20/5) means that it recharges 20 fuel cells per day
                 in-system, 5 fuel cells per day out-system.




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