Ejecting the Power Plant

[Redcap]

I wouldn't think that dumping the plant itself would be a solution, and as mentioned earlier by others, may even be a bigger problem all round.

Instead, I have formed the opinion that venting the core material through, for example, a ventral or dorsal blow-open panel, would be a much better bet; yes, you'd likely singe the fuselage as you dumped the material out the ventlock, yes, there'd be a RADHAZ problem in recovering any material that didn't cook itself in the immediate aftermath, but the reaction would be stopped cold (sic, appropriately enough), as additional fuel would be denied to the ongoing reaction, thus saving the day.

I think that's easy enough to follow. I now await mass driver shots punching holes in the idea ;-)

(EDIT)

NOTE: The above relies on traditional Traveller Fusion cores for validity, forget trekkie-style AM this and that, I'm old school ;-)

 

[Rigel Stardin]

Recap I'm in total agreement with you. Dumping the plasma out of the reactor, would be the fastest way of preventing the from going "Kaboom". However Damage inflected upon the ship may cause the "kaboom" anyway or a flame jetting out the gas port because the crew can't shut off the fuel. Which inturn, starts the ship spinning at an extremely fast rate, flattening everything to mush on the inside as the centrifical force take affect...

 

[aramis]

A Fusion plant won't kaboom anyway. It may vent plasma into the engine room, and that's a close parallel in terms of destruction, but it's not gonna "BOOM".

WOrst case is a shattered rad-shielding leaking rads all over but not interfering at al with function...

 

[mike wightman]

There's a very good chance that fusion reactors use grav tech to confine the plasma and raise the pressure to initiate and maintain the fusion reaction.

At higher TLs nuclear damper tech will be incorporated to increase the strong force.

Knock either of these out and your plasma cools really quickly.

Power plant destroyed crits do not make the ship explode

 

[aramis]

A shattered Fusion PP will cook anyone in Engineering, tho!

 

[McPerth]

In MGT, a seccond hit on a PP implies radiation hazard to the crew...

 

[Patron Zero]

As always, throwing the spanner in the works but here goes.....

If one can-could eject a PP or similar device, could said device be purposely made to go 'critical' ?

Such supposed on turning the PP into an improvised mine of sorts, maybe a tad space-operatic but in a desperate situation desperate actions might be one's only option.

 

[BytePro]

It also posses the question of 'point defense' - intentionally sacrificing part of the ship ala 'reactive armour'...