[Request] Stock Jet solution

[TheSpaceManiac]

This could very easily be a suggestion too, but I'd like to see if anyone could try doing this as a mod. (and was suggested by somebody in the thread for stock turbines)

So the idea is that instead of having the stock turbines directly attached to the 'engine' piece as they originally were supposed to be like, the turbines are a separate part that turn IntakeAir into another resource like "CompressedAir" or "ExhaustAir", which the engine parts we have currently would use along with liquid fuel.

Edited March 13, 2016 by TheSpaceManiac

[Snikersnee]

Turbojet

Ramjet

Scramjet

Feel free to correct my naming.

 

Not all jet engines compress their air. Not for me, although I bet some hardcore fans would like it. 

[Stoney3K]

I already toyed with this idea as well, with having separate parts to make up turbine engine components.

You would have "source" parts which generate ExhaustAir and BleedAir resources from IntakeAir and LF, or maybe even from LF and O, or from MonoPropellant (like on the Shuttle APUs). These gas generators would simply run at a certain speed according to pressure demand, or at maximum if they cannot keep up with that demand.

On the other side, you would have "sink" parts which could either generate thrust (RCS or primary nozzles) at various rates of consumption, or generate other resources like ElectricCharge or ShaftPower for arrangements like APUs, stationary generators and turboshaft engines. The sink parts would periodically consume ExhaustAir or BleedAir resources to do their work, and these would be topped up by the generator parts.

The player would not have to worry about any of the internal plumbing, just about having enough LF and IntakeAir to keep the gas generators going, and installing enough gas generators to supply their nozzles with exhaust air. In a typical "intake-compressor-nozzle" arrangement where each part is matched 1-on-1 with its corresponding set, that would match up perfectly. However, attaching mismatched engines with more demanding nozzles would, for example, push an underpowered engine to its limits, consuming excessive fuel and causing overheats.

The Panther afterburner can also be simulated in a sink (rocket) part which consumes both LF and ExhaustAir as propellants.

I'm already cooking up some modded parts which use this principle, including a high-thrust VTOL engine and a stationary APU. I'm also working on animated air intakes which animate when you close or open them. Jet RCS nozzles (Harrier-style "puffer ducts") are already working.

Edited March 17, 2016 by Stoney3K

[TheSpaceManiac]

20 hours ago, Snikersnee said:

Turbojet

Ramjet

Scramjet

Feel free to correct my naming.

 

Not all jet engines compress their air. Not for me, although I bet some hardcore fans would like it. 

That's a good point, I was mostly thinking about turbojets and turbofans. Perhaps it would be only required for turbojets/fans...

[Stoney3K]

10 hours ago, TheSpaceManiac said:

That's a good point, I was mostly thinking about turbojets and turbofans. Perhaps it would be only required for turbojets/fans...

Ramjets/scramjets would fit in the same paradigm without any trouble.

A ramjet intake would just be a 'generator' part which generates nearly zero ExhaustAir or flames out below a certain speed and above a certain speed, as opposed to a turbojet which can generate ExhaustAir at lower speeds (subsonic) as well. Both subsonic ramjets and turbojets can share the same exhaust nozzle.

Scramjets would work in a similar way but only generate ExhaustAir with supersonic airflow, and their exhaust nozzles would be horribly inefficient when you go subsonic with them (making it a better choice to close the intakes/exhausts and switch over to subsonic jets if you have both). You can even go crazy and make the scramjets overheat when you try to push too much air down their throats.

Even a hybrid enigine like the RAPIER/SABRE would function like it *actually* does, with the precooler cooling the air so the jet will not overheat. A seamless transition where a scramjet is injected with more and more Oxidizer at higher altitudes would also be possible. Or nuclear jets, fusion jets, arcjets, anything that burns your favorite fuel and generates the ExhaustAir at the appropriate rate would be fair game. The same goes with consumer parts like generators, turboprops, life support (air conditioning) or maybe even ship turbines.

BTW, there is a big difference between a turbojet and a turbofan: A turbojet will only use its exhaust air as thrust, while a turbofan uses a part of the exhaust air to drive the massive fan (much like a turboprop), so in game mechanics terms, a turbofan would generate thrust from both ExhaustAir and IntakeAir at a proportional ratio (the bypass ratio), while a pure turbojet nozzle is basically a rocket that runs on ExhaustAir.

Edited March 18, 2016 by Stoney3K