614: Chapter 614: Thruster Selection

"Then let's use a nuclear-powered engine," Oriental Chen replied.

"Alright, what kind of thruster would you like to use?" Xiao Lin continued to ask.

Thrusters are used in conjunction with power engines.

Different power engines can be paired with different thrusters.

Power engines that use nuclear energy as their working energy can use particle thrusters, electromagnetic thrusters, and warp thrusters.

Particle thrusters primarily obtain reverse kinetic energy by ejecting high-energy particles outwards. The core principle is the law of conservation of momentum.

Electromagnetic thrusters generate a high-density magnetic field through electrical energy, utilizing magnetic energy to achieve forward propulsion. The core principle is converting electromagnetic energy into kinetic energy.

Warp thrusters achieve forward propulsion by forming a distorted space, allowing the spacecraft to gain higher potential energy, which is then converted into kinetic energy. The core principle is converting electromagnetic energy into potential energy, and then converting potential energy into kinetic energy.

The three types of thrusters each have their pros and cons.

Particle thrusters have a lower barrier to use and almost no requirements for the energy density of the power engine.

The disadvantage is their weak acceleration capability; for large spacecraft, achieving sufficient acceleration is very difficult.

Especially when entering a near-solar orbit, where the gravitational acceleration of the sun must be overcome, particle thrusters struggle to do so.

Additionally, the principle of particle thrusters is momentum conservation, which requires storing highly compressed helium particle rods on the spacecraft. Kinetic energy is only obtained by accelerating helium particles with electromagnetic energy and ejecting them in reverse.

This means that if the helium particle rods run out, the particle thruster cannot be used.

This is like standing on a frictionless flatbed cart with a pile of small iron balls in the cart.

Without external assistance, how can you make the flatbed cart move?

Of course, by throwing the small iron balls outwards.

If you throw an iron ball to the south, the flatbed cart will gain kinetic energy to the north. In this way, the flatbed cart can move.

If you want the flatbed cart to maintain sufficient acceleration, you have to throw iron balls desperately.

This is the working principle of a particle thruster.

If the small iron balls in the flatbed cart run out, the flatbed cart will lose control.

Evidently, the disadvantages of particle thrusters are very obvious.

Therefore, Oriental Chen decisively passed on this option.

Electromagnetic thrusters consist of two parts: a magnetic field exciter and a magnetic force receiver. The magnetic field exciter forms a vortex-like closed magnetic field through changing currents. When the magnetic field lines pass through the magnetic force receiver, an instantaneous acceleration in the direction of the magnetic field is obtained.

The advantage is that the spacecraft can achieve higher acceleration and has strong maneuverability.

The disadvantages are:

1. The thruster is bulky and takes up space.

2. There are high demands on the spacecraft's design, and it cannot be designed arbitrarily.

3. The electromagnetic coils can only be placed on the outside of the spacecraft, which poses a safety risk. If the outer shell is damaged, the power system will be the first to be damaged.

4. Magnetic field lines are all closed, and a strong reverse magnetic field will be generated around the spacecraft. This limits its use to open space, restricting its application scenarios.

Warp thrusters have similar advantages to electromagnetic thrusters, also offering high thrust and strong maneuverability.

Their disadvantage is also limited application scenarios.

However, a good point is that they do not generate a magnetic field, so the area around the spacecraft is not as dangerous.

The Space Station where the spacecraft will be produced needs to be able to dock them, making electromagnetic thrusters very inconvenient to use.

Now, the only choice left is the warp thruster.

"Warp thruster," Oriental Chen said.

"Alright, are there any limitations on the type of spacecraft to be produced?" Xiao Lin continued to ask.

"Let them all be transport spacecraft," Oriental Chen said.

Nuclear-powered spacecraft have poor combat capabilities, and Oriental Chen believed there was no need to design them as warships.

Their sole mission is to travel between Blue Star and the Sun, transporting zhen crystal back and forth.

"Alright, what about the spacecraft size?"

"Miniature."

Miniature spacecraft are unmanned spacecraft and can be as large as a car.

"Alright. Commander, the settings are complete. The second-level annular cabin has begun construction, with an estimated completion time of 3 days," Xiao Lin said.

"Wait, that many?" Oriental Chen was startled by the full capacity of the second-level annular cabin.

After all six second-level annular cabins are completed, they can accommodate 18,000 miniature space transport spacecraft.

"Commander, if you think the capacity is too large, you can set individual functions for the six annular cabins," Xiao Lin said.

"Let's just leave it as is!" Oriental Chen thought about it and decided against changing it.

It's better to have more miniature spacecraft.

After all, the distance between Blue Star and the Sun is vast, and the round trip cycle for spacecraft is long. In addition, electric-powered spacecraft have a high failure rate, so having more of them can reduce the risk.