Post by Alain Vircyn on Aug 9, 2007 19:20:10 GMT -5
Terrans, being as focused as they are on not repeating the mistakes of their ancestors, do not use fossil fuels, nor do they use nuclear power or antimatter where they can help it. Most power is generated either by advanced solar catch systems, that can absorb light and other emissions from the sun and other sources. The domes of most of the thirteen cities have nanoscale solar catches, which provide a good fraction of the city's power during the daylight hours.
The primary source of power for a Terran city, however, lays in the Geothermal Spire system, huge nanotech spikes that shoot down two miles or more into the earth, and gather energy in the form of motion, heat, and magnetic fields at an amazing rate and volume. A single spire can generate enough power in this manner to outperform an entire grid of nuclear power plants, and the Terrans use this energy to power both civilian utilities and military weapons systems. These pale, however, in comparison to the Grand Spire of Atlantis, which some speculate may penetrate clear to the core of the planet, and the power output of which has never been fully calculated.
Spires, however, are entirely stationary mechanisms that take decades to complete, and so are completely useless for mobile applications. The Power Cell, however, can be sized down to fit in a watch, and though power outputs vary greatly, large units can rival the output of a small Spire. Power cells utilize overlapping zero-point and sub-planck scale fields to generate cold fusion in deuterium, an isotope of hydrogen that is refined from water using energy from the Spires. Power cells are extremely efficient, for instance a Titan, even with its colossal energy demands, can run on a single deuterium tank for more than a week, even in heavy combat situations.
Power cells, however, loop much of the power they generate back into the reaction to sustain it, and so little of that is accessible in many cases. The problem was rectified some twenty years after the invention of the power cell with something called the Triumvirate system, in which the power cells are arrayed in threes, and the fields are made to resonate between the three, allowing the reactions to sustain themselves with far lower power demands, meaning more can be used as viable output. Naturally, these systems are much bulkier, though the fact that their output can be as much as 500% of the normal output per power cell, or 1500% of what you would get with a single one, means that they more than make up for it in this way. This is manipulated by what is known as the bilateral angle, which can be adjusted on the fly to adapt to changing combat situations ((Civilian and stationary power cells always run at the maximum stable setting except when undergoing repair)). Power cells aboard Delta suits, however, use a simulated second and third power cell to induce much the same effect, and save the added weight and bulk of a full Triumvirate system. This is even more efficient than the other system in terms of fuel requirements, though it cannot achieve the same levels of power output, and also has a much greater potential for collapse. As such, Simulated-Triumvir power cells are usually limited to 800% of rated output.
No power cell has ever melted down in an uncontrolled manner, and since they utilize cold fusion, no cell is ever likely to. However, should it do so, and the zero point fields invert, the detonation could potentially be extremely powerful.
Power Cell settings for military armor
Mode One: no output.
Mode Two: diagnostics and nanorepair only
Mode Three: Movement and sensor systems, plus stealth systems - dark mode, remains difficult to detect, or used for noncombat operations around base or taining.
Mode Four: Combat mode, aka military power. Full power to all combat systems
Mode Five: Overload. Can be sustained for varying lengths of time depending on cell model, and can cause damage to internal systems. Prolonged use leads to cell instability and eventually overload and shutdown or meltdown.
Angles for Triumvirate systems
Mode One: 0
Mode Two: .1 - 3.6
Mode Three: 3.7 - 7.5
Mode Four: 7.6 - 10.5
Mode Five: 10.6 and up
Angles for Simulated Triumvir systems
Mode One: 0
Mode Two: .1 - 1.5
Mode Three: 1.6 - 3.3
Mode Four: 3.4 - 5.0
Mode Five: 5.1 and up
The primary source of power for a Terran city, however, lays in the Geothermal Spire system, huge nanotech spikes that shoot down two miles or more into the earth, and gather energy in the form of motion, heat, and magnetic fields at an amazing rate and volume. A single spire can generate enough power in this manner to outperform an entire grid of nuclear power plants, and the Terrans use this energy to power both civilian utilities and military weapons systems. These pale, however, in comparison to the Grand Spire of Atlantis, which some speculate may penetrate clear to the core of the planet, and the power output of which has never been fully calculated.
Spires, however, are entirely stationary mechanisms that take decades to complete, and so are completely useless for mobile applications. The Power Cell, however, can be sized down to fit in a watch, and though power outputs vary greatly, large units can rival the output of a small Spire. Power cells utilize overlapping zero-point and sub-planck scale fields to generate cold fusion in deuterium, an isotope of hydrogen that is refined from water using energy from the Spires. Power cells are extremely efficient, for instance a Titan, even with its colossal energy demands, can run on a single deuterium tank for more than a week, even in heavy combat situations.
Power cells, however, loop much of the power they generate back into the reaction to sustain it, and so little of that is accessible in many cases. The problem was rectified some twenty years after the invention of the power cell with something called the Triumvirate system, in which the power cells are arrayed in threes, and the fields are made to resonate between the three, allowing the reactions to sustain themselves with far lower power demands, meaning more can be used as viable output. Naturally, these systems are much bulkier, though the fact that their output can be as much as 500% of the normal output per power cell, or 1500% of what you would get with a single one, means that they more than make up for it in this way. This is manipulated by what is known as the bilateral angle, which can be adjusted on the fly to adapt to changing combat situations ((Civilian and stationary power cells always run at the maximum stable setting except when undergoing repair)). Power cells aboard Delta suits, however, use a simulated second and third power cell to induce much the same effect, and save the added weight and bulk of a full Triumvirate system. This is even more efficient than the other system in terms of fuel requirements, though it cannot achieve the same levels of power output, and also has a much greater potential for collapse. As such, Simulated-Triumvir power cells are usually limited to 800% of rated output.
No power cell has ever melted down in an uncontrolled manner, and since they utilize cold fusion, no cell is ever likely to. However, should it do so, and the zero point fields invert, the detonation could potentially be extremely powerful.
Power Cell settings for military armor
Mode One: no output.
Mode Two: diagnostics and nanorepair only
Mode Three: Movement and sensor systems, plus stealth systems - dark mode, remains difficult to detect, or used for noncombat operations around base or taining.
Mode Four: Combat mode, aka military power. Full power to all combat systems
Mode Five: Overload. Can be sustained for varying lengths of time depending on cell model, and can cause damage to internal systems. Prolonged use leads to cell instability and eventually overload and shutdown or meltdown.
Angles for Triumvirate systems
Mode One: 0
Mode Two: .1 - 3.6
Mode Three: 3.7 - 7.5
Mode Four: 7.6 - 10.5
Mode Five: 10.6 and up
Angles for Simulated Triumvir systems
Mode One: 0
Mode Two: .1 - 1.5
Mode Three: 1.6 - 3.3
Mode Four: 3.4 - 5.0
Mode Five: 5.1 and up
