Non-standard interstellar journy
- Thread starter snrdg082102
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As I read it, and mileage will definitely vary on this, skimming takes about 8 hours and the fuel purifiers can process full tanks in about 4-6 hours, so IMTU fuel is skimmed, refined, liquefied and then pumped into the tanks.
If a ship has less purification capacity than normal, then skimming will take longer than typical.
Duke Craig
SOC-12
I would agree with your analysis applied to CT.
But TNE is a 'bit' more detailed and allows more inferences.
(see next post)
Duke Craig
SOC-12
Inferences from FPM
One of the things that I really like about TNE is that each type of starship actually has customised fuel purification machinery (FPM).
The TNE data provided is MegaWatts and time to purify fuel load in meters cubed.
This gives a grittier more “gearhead” feel to TNE which I, for one, really like!
Most designs in TNE do have FPM but few have fuel scoops, thus most starships are dependent on a fuel tanker or starport at least for unrefined fuel. This doesn't prevent GMs from adding fuel scoops to variants on otherwise standard ship classes.
INFERENCE
Thus in most advanced systems (i.e. TL 11-15 and starport A-C) IMTU, there are dedicated fuel skimmers and tankers which provide unrefined fuel (Cr 50-100) or refined fuel (Cr 500-1000) at discount prices to all and sundry.
Though they are not really mentioned in canon, the fuel skimmers are probably in the 1-5,000 ton range and the fuel tankers are probably much larger and define the largest ships in Traveller. I wouldn’t be surprised if they are in the multimillion tonnage range and provide many shops and services, passengers, cargos, even starship manufacture and long term accommodation.
Also, these fuel tankers are probably situated in far orbit to gas giants and asteroid belts rather than near a main world which would be supported by one or more starports.
Incidentally, I am not saying that fuel skimmers are not mentioned, because the AHL has four dedicated 400 ton fuel skimmers; I’m saying that fuel skimmers supporting the fuel tankers are not mentioned, just inferred in the canon.
Lastly, much of the mission of the SDB navy would be to protect this infrastructure from hostiles such as pirates or invasions and patrol the space-lanes between these bases and the economic main world.
Thanks for reading, Enjoy!
One of the things that I really like about TNE is that each type of starship actually has customised fuel purification machinery (FPM).
The TNE data provided is MegaWatts and time to purify fuel load in meters cubed.
- The # of Megawatts defines the size of the FPM.
- Time is variable in each class of ship.
- The fuel load defines the size of the fuel tanks in meters cubed (tons).
This gives a grittier more “gearhead” feel to TNE which I, for one, really like!
Most designs in TNE do have FPM but few have fuel scoops, thus most starships are dependent on a fuel tanker or starport at least for unrefined fuel. This doesn't prevent GMs from adding fuel scoops to variants on otherwise standard ship classes.
INFERENCE
Thus in most advanced systems (i.e. TL 11-15 and starport A-C) IMTU, there are dedicated fuel skimmers and tankers which provide unrefined fuel (Cr 50-100) or refined fuel (Cr 500-1000) at discount prices to all and sundry.
Though they are not really mentioned in canon, the fuel skimmers are probably in the 1-5,000 ton range and the fuel tankers are probably much larger and define the largest ships in Traveller. I wouldn’t be surprised if they are in the multimillion tonnage range and provide many shops and services, passengers, cargos, even starship manufacture and long term accommodation.
Also, these fuel tankers are probably situated in far orbit to gas giants and asteroid belts rather than near a main world which would be supported by one or more starports.
Incidentally, I am not saying that fuel skimmers are not mentioned, because the AHL has four dedicated 400 ton fuel skimmers; I’m saying that fuel skimmers supporting the fuel tankers are not mentioned, just inferred in the canon.
Lastly, much of the mission of the SDB navy would be to protect this infrastructure from hostiles such as pirates or invasions and patrol the space-lanes between these bases and the economic main world.
Thanks for reading, Enjoy!
Last edited:
snrdg082102
SOC-14 1K
Hello all,
Okay, I may have got a clue where I was going with the information that came out of Book 5 High Guard 1979 (HG 79) page 32 which stated that a fuel purification plant can process one ton of gas in 1 minute or one ton of water in ten minutes. Book 5 High Guard 1980 (HG 80) indicates that the purification plants listed are set-up to process 1,000 tons of fuel.
Linking the two bits of information processing 1,000 tons of fuel in a gaseous state takes 1,000 minutes or about 16.67 hours and processing liquid takes about 167.67 hours.
As atpollard indicates skimming takes 8 hours in CT, MT Imperial Encyclopedia p. 88 says approximately 10 hours. The MT Referee's Manual p. 83 agrees with 6 hours to process a full load and adds the detail that the fuel scoops intake is 20% of the hull tonnage per hour.
Using the processing time of 6 hours HG 1980 or 360 minutes my math the purification plant processes 2.777778 tons of gas per minute versus the 1 ton per minute from HG 79.
MT, TNE, and T4 appear, I have only begun combing through the various Traveller rule sets on the topic so I'm not 99.9% sure of my conclusion, to use the same information which as Duke Craig indicates for TNE provides more detail on the time fuel processing takes.
I like your idea Duke Craig of a "multimillion tonnage range and provide many shops and services, passengers, cargos, even starship manufacture and long term accommodation" which is in my opinion a mobile star/space port.
At this point a starship in CT appears to need to remain in a system a minimum of 8 hours at a gas giant + the transit time to the nearest unrefined fuel source from both the jump exit and entry points. As a guess I would say that the time in between jumps goes from the standard week or 168 hours to approximately 24 hours. On p. 12 of the TNE core rulebook (GDW 300) there is an example which uses 3 days between jumps to go from the Solomani/Hiver border to the Imperial/Zhodani border.
I think my calculation was about 2 days between jumps to cover the 103 parsecs, per the adventure in Alien Module 3, from the secret base to the Zhodani capital in nearly a year as stated by Gvurrdon.
Thanks again for all the data being provided on how refining fuel is the key to how long between jumps. Of course pulling up to a starport or other facility with refined fuel or unrefined fuel probably cuts the time down a little bit.
Hopefully, I've made some sense my brain may have had too much fun while AWOL.
Okay, I may have got a clue where I was going with the information that came out of Book 5 High Guard 1979 (HG 79) page 32 which stated that a fuel purification plant can process one ton of gas in 1 minute or one ton of water in ten minutes. Book 5 High Guard 1980 (HG 80) indicates that the purification plants listed are set-up to process 1,000 tons of fuel.
Linking the two bits of information processing 1,000 tons of fuel in a gaseous state takes 1,000 minutes or about 16.67 hours and processing liquid takes about 167.67 hours.
As atpollard indicates skimming takes 8 hours in CT, MT Imperial Encyclopedia p. 88 says approximately 10 hours. The MT Referee's Manual p. 83 agrees with 6 hours to process a full load and adds the detail that the fuel scoops intake is 20% of the hull tonnage per hour.
Using the processing time of 6 hours HG 1980 or 360 minutes my math the purification plant processes 2.777778 tons of gas per minute versus the 1 ton per minute from HG 79.
MT, TNE, and T4 appear, I have only begun combing through the various Traveller rule sets on the topic so I'm not 99.9% sure of my conclusion, to use the same information which as Duke Craig indicates for TNE provides more detail on the time fuel processing takes.
I like your idea Duke Craig of a "multimillion tonnage range and provide many shops and services, passengers, cargos, even starship manufacture and long term accommodation" which is in my opinion a mobile star/space port.
At this point a starship in CT appears to need to remain in a system a minimum of 8 hours at a gas giant + the transit time to the nearest unrefined fuel source from both the jump exit and entry points. As a guess I would say that the time in between jumps goes from the standard week or 168 hours to approximately 24 hours. On p. 12 of the TNE core rulebook (GDW 300) there is an example which uses 3 days between jumps to go from the Solomani/Hiver border to the Imperial/Zhodani border.
I think my calculation was about 2 days between jumps to cover the 103 parsecs, per the adventure in Alien Module 3, from the secret base to the Zhodani capital in nearly a year as stated by Gvurrdon.
Thanks again for all the data being provided on how refining fuel is the key to how long between jumps. Of course pulling up to a starport or other facility with refined fuel or unrefined fuel probably cuts the time down a little bit.
Hopefully, I've made some sense my brain may have had too much fun while AWOL.
snrdg082102
SOC-14 1K
Hello again to all,
In Post 41 Bill Downs wondered where the refined and unrefined fuel was stored during gas giant skimming or water refueling. While looking for something else in HG 1980 p. 34 in the small craft Fuel section is the following information: "The drives do not require fuel purification plants to allow the use of the unrefined fuel."
If I am interpreting the statement the power plant and drives of small craft, which are also non-starships by definition, can use unrefined fuel without a problem. Non-starships >= 100 tons by extension, I hope anyway, can also use unrefined fuel for the power plant and maneuver drive. A starship is different from non-starships of matching tons is the jump drive which appears to need refined fuel. My guess is that the fuel tankage for the power plant might be where the unrefined fuel is held during the purification process.
In Post 41 Bill Downs wondered where the refined and unrefined fuel was stored during gas giant skimming or water refueling. While looking for something else in HG 1980 p. 34 in the small craft Fuel section is the following information: "The drives do not require fuel purification plants to allow the use of the unrefined fuel."
If I am interpreting the statement the power plant and drives of small craft, which are also non-starships by definition, can use unrefined fuel without a problem. Non-starships >= 100 tons by extension, I hope anyway, can also use unrefined fuel for the power plant and maneuver drive. A starship is different from non-starships of matching tons is the jump drive which appears to need refined fuel. My guess is that the fuel tankage for the power plant might be where the unrefined fuel is held during the purification process.
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