[1.0.2] Re-entry heating rebalance (made harder) & heatshield conduction fix (v.1.1)

[DJK]

This part:

@PART[HeatShield*]
{
    @thermalMassModifier = 0.5
}

in my MM config file sets the thermal mass modifier for all heat shields. Note that this is just a modifier, not the actual thermal mass. The thermal mass is calculated as follows:

[SIZE=2]thermalMass = dryMass * standardSpecificHeatCapacity * thermalMassModifier + resourceMass * hsp[/SIZE]

For more information on thermal mechanics, please see this thread.

With that in mind, the 3 heat shields will balance out between them since bigger = heavier = more thermal but at the same time, bigger = more surface area exposed = more friction = more heat. Apart from that, there is another factor involved. Based on what is attached to a heat shield, and with conduction now working, bigger heat shields conduct more heat to other parts due to contact surface area, but that in turn is counteracted by the fact that said parts with bigger surface area have more thermal mass.

They use up roughly the same percentage of ablator from their maximum amount, if used with their intended command pods (or parts with corresponding size).

I tried to find common ground between them so that they will work relatively as the default ones rather than tweaking them individually and applying different values.

No idea about what bulkhead is intended for though, but i'm just blindly assuming it is something related to attachments maybe?

Edited May 7, 2015 by DJK

[mitiya]

Hello. I tested mk1-2 Command Pod without heat shield, and it not burned during reentry (2.5km/s). With and without your config. Any idea how make it burn ?))

[xXIndestructibleEVAXx]

Irrelevent, please ignore this post

[ZobrAA]

@ZobrAA - PHYSICSGLOBALS does indeed work.. You need to have the actual module manager config file in KSP/Game Data though, not in the main KSP folder. You also need to use module manager 2.6.3. You could clear the module manager cache though, see if that helps.

Thx! I missed MM 2.6.3 update somehow...

[Snafu225]

So there is a really strange problem for me though...

When re-entering everything heats up except the heatshield.

I installed the thermal monitor mod and according to this mod, the heatshield is at about 285° whereas Mystery Goo and probe core, which are perfectly shielded heat up extremely fast until it explodes. Explosions everywhere but the heatshield itself hasn't lost a single digit of ablator.

I even tried to tweak the settings myself, but the result stays the same.

Could this have to do with far?

Other than that I really love it, as reentry without it is kindergarten

[Darkphas3]

Does someone help me to achieve this with a noob explanation how-to?

1- heating on re-entry like in 1.0 at 120% (that's what I was playing with) but without canceling the "good" updates on "Nerv" , service bays, chutes and other items that were improved on 1.0.2. All I want is my heatshield back and the need to come into the atmosphere in a good angle. I'm afraid to change atmospheric general values, idk how will affect game in other aspects like Duna and parachutes?

2- Is there a way to turn those termic gauges and the new termic overlay on parts permanently off? or do I have to press f10 everytime I fly? hate to not have surprises, if I want to know I stick a thermometer.

3- one extra issue - Any easy fix for the heatshield not transfering heat for adjacent parts after 0% ablator?

I have seen posts about changing cfg back to 1.0 but I need to be reassured that it wont affect other things or cause unbalancing in game cause I love it too much to break things up. I will keep on playing on my 1.0 until I find a solution to my issue. Thank you so much for your time, this community is awesome, I noticed it already.

Have a nice day and may the liquid fuel be with you... always

[Snafu225]

Well at least for question number two there's a mod: http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/120731-1-0-2-Temperature-Gauge-Killer

[jstnj]

DJK do you have any familiarity with Deadly Reentry's code and do you think it would play nice with your mod?

[DJK]

So there is a really strange problem for me though...

When re-entering everything heats up except the heatshield.

I installed the thermal monitor mod and according to this mod, the heatshield is at about 285° whereas Mystery Goo and probe core, which are perfectly shielded heat up extremely fast until it explodes. Explosions everywhere but the heatshield itself hasn't lost a single digit of ablator.

I even tried to tweak the settings myself, but the result stays the same.

Could this have to do with far?

Other than that I really love it, as reentry without it is kindergarten

I haven't tested this with FAR, but i suspect that it does indeed have something to do with it. AFAIK, FAR replaces atmosphere rather than tweaking the existing settings.. or so it did at one point (pre 1.0).

Does someone help me to achieve this with a noob explanation how-to?

1- heating on re-entry like in 1.0 at 120% (that's what I was playing with) but without canceling the "good" updates on "Nerv" , service bays, chutes and other items that were improved on 1.0.2. All I want is my heatshield back and the need to come into the atmosphere in a good angle. I'm afraid to change atmospheric general values, idk how will affect game in other aspects like Duna and parachutes?

2- Is there a way to turn those termic gauges and the new termic overlay on parts permanently off? or do I have to press f10 everytime I fly? hate to not have surprises, if I want to know I stick a thermometer.

3- one extra issue - Any easy fix for the heatshield not transfering heat for adjacent parts after 0% ablator?

I have seen posts about changing cfg back to 1.0 but I need to be reassured that it wont affect other things or cause unbalancing in game cause I love it too much to break things up. I will keep on playing on my 1.0 until I find a solution to my issue. Thank you so much for your time, this community is awesome, I noticed it already.

Have a nice day and may the liquid fuel be with you... always

1- Changing the physics.cfg settings to the 1.0 values should do the trick. I believe the individual part "good" updates are coming from their own .cfg file.

2- As Snafu225 said.. I personally use that mod as well and it works pretty well.

3- The fix i used in my tweaks is giving the heat shields thermal mass. They had a 0.01 modifier or something similar. You'll have to balance the ablator afterwards.

DJK do you have any familiarity with Deadly Reentry's code and do you think it would play nice with your mod?

I'm not familiar with DRE's code. You could simply just use a module manager config file which just raises the convectionVelocityExponent value and start from there. DRE has also a higher value than stock, but lower than in my config.

Could try something like this:

@PHYSICSGLOBALS:FINAL
{
    @convectionVelocityExponent = 3.35
}

That basically increases convection temperature the higher you go and i'm sure that will work, but as for the heat shield part of the module manager config i provided, they might be in conflict with DRE.

Note that having a higher convectionVelocityExponent will render the heat shields (DRE heat shields as well) less effective.

Edited May 15, 2015 by DJK

[Sokar408]

I haven't tested this with FAR, but i suspect that it does indeed have something to do with it. AFAIK, FAR replaces atmosphere rather than tweaking the existing settings.. or so it did at one point (pre 1.0).

1- Changing the physics.cfg settings to the 1.0 values should do the trick. I believe the individual part "good" updates are coming from their own .cfg file.

2- As Snafu225 said.. I personally use that mod as well and it works pretty well.

3- The fix i used in my tweaks is giving the heat shields thermal mass. They had a 0.01 modifier or something similar. You'll have to balance the ablator afterwards.

I'm not familiar with DRE's code. You could simply just use a module manager config file which just raises the convectionVelocityExponent value and start from there. DRE has also a higher value than stock, but lower than in my config.

Could try something like this:

@PHYSICSGLOBALS:FINAL
{
    @convectionVelocityExponent = 3.35
}

That basically increases convection temperature the higher you go and i'm sure that will work, but as for the heat shield part of the module manager config i provided, they might be in conflict with DRE.

Note that having a higher convectionVelocityExponent will render the heat shields (DRE heat shields as well) less effective.

This patch doesn't work with FAR at all. While the Ablator use is the as with stock (not including this patch), the craft itself isn't protected at all, and explodes due to overheating

[Captain Planet]

@DJK If we wanted to play with the 1.0 aero values in lieu of the 1.0.1 aero values, would we need to change anything in your config to match those numbers? I really want to play with your heating patch but the 1.0.1 atmo is just silly to me.

[Starwaster]

I haven't tested this with FAR, but i suspect that it does indeed have something to do with it. AFAIK, FAR replaces atmosphere rather than tweaking the existing settings.. or so it did at one point (pre 1.0).

FAR replaces the drag model, both now and then. The atmosphere itself remains untouched by FAR and is just as thin or dense as it was without FAR.