The Type W Barge (Type WH Fuel Barge)

[AnotherDilbert]

Would the barge be able to refuel collapsible tanks?

We are assumed to be able to use Collapsible tanks, i.e. pump fuel into them and out again, so that should not be an insurmountable problem.

Fuel Transfer Pumps are only absolutely necessary to pump the fuel fast enough for Drop Tanks, i.e. empty them in minutes. If we take an hour or hours to pump normal shipboard equipment should suffice?

Space refuelling should be easier than mid-air refuelling; there is not atmosphere buffeting the craft. If we have matched vectors we should more or less remain motionless relative each other. A grapple to hook the receiving craft would make it even safer?

 

[whartung]

Fuel Transfer Pumps are only absolutely necessary to pump the fuel fast enough for Drop Tanks, i.e. empty them in minutes. If we take an hour or hours to pump normal shipboard equipment should suffice?

It's very hard to fathom the scale of the fuel pumps necessary to handle Jump in general, much less drop tanks. Specifically on large ships. Especially in a zero-g, vacuum environment.

I once estimated that the flow rate for one of the large (100K +) ton ships was similar to the volume flowing over Niagra falls. The horseshoe falls flow at about 221 dTons of water per sec. Over 20 minutes (i.e. one HG turn for Jump when all of the fuel is consumed), that's 265K dTons of fuel.

So, a 100K ship during Jump 3 uses 10% of Niagra Falls over that time.

I'll let the resident hydraulic engineers napkin out the pump and piping requirements to move that.

 

[kilemall]

We are assumed to be able to use Collapsible tanks, i.e. pump fuel into them and out again, so that should not be an insurmountable problem.

Fuel Transfer Pumps are only absolutely necessary to pump the fuel fast enough for Drop Tanks, i.e. empty them in minutes. If we take an hour or hours to pump normal shipboard equipment should suffice?

Space refuelling should be easier than mid-air refuelling; there is not atmosphere buffeting the craft. If we have matched vectors we should more or less remain motionless relative each other. A grapple to hook the receiving craft would make it even safer?

Hmmm my understanding was that the fuel is used to execute the jump which makes it whatever time between jump initiation and the actual jump- usually minutes to less then an hour.

External/collapsed or no, that’s a lot of pumping in a short time.

 

[kilemall]

My normal package would be cheap reliable Gen sensors of normal range, with an added Neutrino Detector that can actually detect spacecraft at some range.

I’d make mass detectors as standard for starships as both backup detector to traditional EM and a necessity for safe jump calculation and execution.

 

[AnotherDilbert]

I'll let the resident hydraulic engineers napkin out the pump and piping requirements to move that.

It gets worse; if I understand the phase diagram for liquid hydrogen correctly, it must be kept at a narrow interval of temperature and pressure. Heat it and it turns into a gas and expands explosively, put pressure on it and it turn into a solid and block the fuel lines.

But to move it quickly the normal solution is to put it under pressure...

53rd century technology is miraculous in many ways.

 

[AnotherDilbert]

I’d make mass detectors as standard for starships as both backup detector to traditional EM and a necessity for safe jump calculation and execution.

The problem in T5 is the extra consoles and hence crew needed to handle all the sensors. Anything above the bare minimum is a luxury for small commercial ships.

I would say the bare minimum is Commo and radar/EMS, even long range visuals are borderline. There is always Portholes.

I add Neutrino Sensors more for adventuring potential.