TJP
SOC-12
I'm not quite sure I understand how HEPlaR drives are supposed to work. So far I've come up with two theories:
1. HEPlaR drive is a fusion reactor that has been designed to leak in a controlled fashion. This leaking fusion plasma is the reaction mass that provides thrust (that can be accelerated further magnetically or gravitically to provide higner exhaust velocity). It uses either deuterium or "simple" hydrogen (can't remember what it was called...protium?) as fuel/remass. In other words, more or less a glorified fusion rocket.
2. HEPlaR has a fusion reactor to heat reaction mass (that can be almost anything, water's good) and then it is accelerated and expelled to provide thrust. This differs from version 1 above, in that the remass does not enter into the reactor but is only heated by it.
Now, I don't think either of the above explanations are correct. For starters HEPlaR drives didn't have an internal fusion reactor, but required power from an external source. They also seemed to consist only of a "thruster unit" that was recombining plasma (or something). Et cetera.
Neither the TNE rule book nor T4 FFS really explain the HEPlaR drive, even though both mention them. I recall that T4 FFS gave HEPlaR an incredible performance (the exhaust velocity was tremendous). However, that's not the issue here, I'd just like to know if any of you out there in cyberland know what HEPlaR is about.
PS. I suspect HEPlaR was just another example of technobabble, even though an elegant one (trying to pose as hard SF). I'm not scientifically educated enough to know the difference, though. I can only spot (as technobabble) stuff like delta-wave boron inducers and subspace radiation inverter coils. Trek anyone?
1. HEPlaR drive is a fusion reactor that has been designed to leak in a controlled fashion. This leaking fusion plasma is the reaction mass that provides thrust (that can be accelerated further magnetically or gravitically to provide higner exhaust velocity). It uses either deuterium or "simple" hydrogen (can't remember what it was called...protium?) as fuel/remass. In other words, more or less a glorified fusion rocket.
2. HEPlaR has a fusion reactor to heat reaction mass (that can be almost anything, water's good) and then it is accelerated and expelled to provide thrust. This differs from version 1 above, in that the remass does not enter into the reactor but is only heated by it.
Now, I don't think either of the above explanations are correct. For starters HEPlaR drives didn't have an internal fusion reactor, but required power from an external source. They also seemed to consist only of a "thruster unit" that was recombining plasma (or something). Et cetera.
Neither the TNE rule book nor T4 FFS really explain the HEPlaR drive, even though both mention them. I recall that T4 FFS gave HEPlaR an incredible performance (the exhaust velocity was tremendous). However, that's not the issue here, I'd just like to know if any of you out there in cyberland know what HEPlaR is about.
PS. I suspect HEPlaR was just another example of technobabble, even though an elegant one (trying to pose as hard SF). I'm not scientifically educated enough to know the difference, though. I can only spot (as technobabble) stuff like delta-wave boron inducers and subspace radiation inverter coils. Trek anyone?