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[WIP] [1.05] THERMONUCLEAR TURBINES! 1.0 Nuclear Aircraft Engines


Eskandare

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Here is an SSTO design I made using your mod and is fully integrated in my career mode (my most efficient LKO orbiter).

I called the crew variant the Intrepid and the Comsat deployment variant the Armstrong, they both have docking ports to fill it's 2,568 vacuum delta-V once in orbit.

With a 20deg. 90km ascent profile there is around 1,800 delta-V left after circularization but the ascent is difficult and the timing must be perfect to prevent obliteration.

With a 45deg. 100km ascent profile it has around 800 delta-V left after circularization and a relatively safe ascent.

Re-entry is difficult as it must be initiated from a 71km stable orbit to reduce orbital velocity as much as possible, I also need to have almost empty tanks as I count on a high TWR for a quick re-entry burn. The aerobrakes are necessary or else the craft explodes everytime and maneuvers are completely impossible once atmospheric pressure started to work on your craft until speed is down to 500m/s at wich time you can switch the engines to air only.

q3Row2N.png

bucOYxr.png

zf55853.png

BzSHe9G.png

gIyPk0E.png
Edited by Comatorium420
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This stuff is fun.

A similar but related concept is the turborocket, for a lower-tech solution: It performs like a jet engine, but provides its own oxygen :D

The way it works is by using a small rocket motor to drive the turbine and heat the air that gets sucked in the front; it still needs air for thrust, but you could easily enough design one that can skip the oxygen-in-the-atmosphere bit.

Would such a device be a reasonable addition to a project like this? It's not nuclear, but it fills a similar niche. :)

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Here is an SSTO design I made using your mod and is fully integrated in my career mode (my most efficient LKO orbiter).

I called the crew variant the Intrepid and the Comsat deployment variant the Armstrong, they both have docking ports to fill it's 2,568 vacuum delta-V once in orbit.

With a 20deg. 90km ascent profile there is around 1,800 delta-V left after circularization but the ascent is difficult and the timing must be perfect to prevent obliteration.

With a 45deg. 100km ascent profile it has around 800 delta-V left after circularization and a relatively safe ascent.

Re-entry is difficult as it must be initiated from a 71km stable orbit to reduce orbital velocity as much as possible, I also need to have almost empty tanks as I count on a high TWR for a quick re-entry burn. The aerobrakes are necessary or else the craft explodes everytime and maneuvers are completely impossible once atmospheric pressure started to work on your craft until speed is down to 500m/s at wich time you can switch the engines to air only.

http://i.imgur.com/q3Row2N.png

http://i.imgur.com/bucOYxr.png

http://i.imgur.com/zf55853.png

http://i.imgur.com/BzSHe9G.png

http://i.imgur.com/gIyPk0E.png

Very, very nice! Could I possibly have the craft file? I'd love to include with the other example craft I'm including in my next release, of course credited to you.

Very nice! Can you upload this to KerbalX?

I use kerbal stuff because it is more centralized, but I'll look into it.

I think that a Mk 2 in line Air intake would go perfectly with this mod. If I had any modding skills i would make it but i have none ;.;

A couple of mods already have such an intake, MK II Expansion and OPT.

This stuff is fun.

A similar but related concept is the turborocket, for a lower-tech solution: It performs like a jet engine, but provides its own oxygen :D

The way it works is by using a small rocket motor to drive the turbine and heat the air that gets sucked in the front; it still needs air for thrust, but you could easily enough design one that can skip the oxygen-in-the-atmosphere bit.

Would such a device be a reasonable addition to a project like this? It's not nuclear, but it fills a similar niche. :)

Neat stuff! I may look into making this engine a low tech or perhaps mid-tech version, it seems more like having an early RAPIER.

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  • 4 weeks later...
Any news on the next release? No one likes a tease :P. I just really want those props!

Soon! :D

I'm in the middle putting together a couple of MKII VTOL engine sections and finishing the Nodachi 2.5m engine. I'll be releasing them all together with the Murasama on my next update. :)

The VTOL engines are for landing on planets with or without an atmosphere. I'll most likely make 1.25m, and radially attached versions too.

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  • 3 weeks later...
  • 1 month later...

Sorry for the slow update but... Good news everyone! I am going to be updating my models to something very similar to PorkJet new stock style! Pictures will be coming soon, promise.

BUT... Yes there is a "but", I'm in the transition of moving to a new job, or an even newer job (if google even looks at me twice). Nonetheless this change will consume some time, yet with all these changes IRL Thermal Nuclear 1.0 is slowly coming to fruition.

Preview of new changes:

-Engines configs are respec'ed to new calculations I have made. (hopefully closer to what I envision the real world engines may behave)

-New models and textures. Yes, PorkJet inspired me with his new models.

-Reducing Engines to Stock Behavior. Yes, no more plugins and will be using default FX. (just community resource will be used). This is to reduce RAM usage, also I am preparing for an easier transition 1.1, hopefully it will help.

Stay Tuned, your space planes will scream across alien skies in style!

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Sorry for the slow update but... Good news everyone! I am going to be updating my models to something very similar to PorkJet new stock style! Pictures will be coming soon, promise.

BUT... Yes there is a "but", I'm in the transition of moving to a new job, or an even newer job (if google even looks at me twice). Nonetheless this change will consume some time, yet with all these changes IRL Thermal Nuclear 1.0 is slowly coming to fruition.

Preview of new changes:

-Engines configs are respec'ed to new calculations I have made. (hopefully closer to what I envision the real world engines may behave)

-New models and textures. Yes, PorkJet inspired me with his new models.

-Reducing Engines to Stock Behavior. Yes, no more plugins and will be using default FX. (just community resource will be used). This is to reduce RAM usage, also I am preparing for an easier transition 1.1, hopefully it will help.

Stay Tuned, your space planes will scream across alien skies in style!

WHat kind of speed we talking. Please don't make these on good at kerbin toy scale...

Also what does "Reducing Engines to Stock Behavior" mean I never had a plugin from your mod?

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WHat kind of speed we talking. Please don't make these on good at kerbin toy scale...

Also what does "Reducing Engines to Stock Behavior" mean I never had a plugin from your mod?

Well Kebin may only need 3 km/s for orbit vs 7 km/s for Earth. The engines were already based on stock engines. So really there isn't any real changes needed. Actually I'm already happy with Whiplash performance from the Masamune. Kunai needs a little nerfing since it is actually based on real life concepts. I may or may not increase the efficiency of the Masamune.

I was thinking stock behavior as in just using just the non-plugin modules that are used in KSP, but it appears that the consensus is to keep everything as is... ok I'll just do the textures. Yes, TN comes with a few plugins.

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  • 3 weeks later...

The three nuclear engines you've released are amazing, but I feel like the vacuum TWR and ISP are too high compared to the stock NTR. Maybe try 80 kN for the Masamune and 60 kN for the Short, and reduce vacuum ISP to 720 on each? AIr-breathing thrust might need an adjustment too; maybe 115 kN for the Masamune and 85 kN for the Short?

The sounds are just the best, btw. Just... perfect.

Edited by ialdabaoth
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  • 3 weeks later...
On 11/12/2015, 10:19:19, ialdabaoth said:

The three nuclear engines you've released are amazing, but I feel like the vacuum TWR and ISP are too high compared to the stock NTR. Maybe try 80 kN for the Masamune and 60 kN for the Short, and reduce vacuum ISP to 720 on each? AIr-breathing thrust might need an adjustment too; maybe 115 kN for the Masamune and 85 kN for the Short?

The sounds are just the best, btw. Just... perfect.

I'll tweak the engines, I'm leaning this way. I definitely need to reduce the Kuni, it should be no more powerful then the regular jet engine.

 

On 11/14/2015, 6:00:25, Proteus said:

any one try this mod in 1.0.5?

Yes, but in space the exhaust effects disappear. :-/   But no worries, updates coming soon. 

 

On 11/14/2015, 6:12:10, Minecraf345 said:

Works just fine for me!

 

1.05 version coming soon!

 

 

 

 

 

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