Jump to content

[0.20] Modular Fuel System 1.3/realistic fuels, reconfigurable fuel tanks and engines

ialdabaoth

By ialdabaoth
in KSP1 Mod Releases

 Share

Recommended Posts

ialdabaoth

ialdabaoth

Posted
  • Author
Posted
Bug found at the engine config UI. The ISP isnt changing when you switch engine modes.

Yep! Already noticed this and fixed, I'm just trying to test the next release before I break everything (still have a 102F fever :( )

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Hades

Hades

Posted
Posted

Something is wrong with the configurable ASAS modules part of the plugin. Having MFS installed makes my default probe cores completely uncontrollable. Does anyone else experience this? Deleting ASAS_Pods.cfg seems to fix it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
hellion13

hellion13

Posted
Posted (edited)

LOLS didnt read the part where it says that LH2 and O2 evaporate, built a rocket for Duna using those fuels and when i got there i had no fuel LMAO. I'd have to say I like being able to configure how much fuel i have, especially when building a saturn V style launcher, ive never liked having leftover fuel really in the tanks when i stage when the real rocket staged, seemed a waste. it was a bit of trial and error but now i can run out of fuel right when i need to, this prolly doesnt make any sense but all well...:cool:

Edited by hellion13
Link to comment
Share on other sites
cardajowol

cardajowol

Posted
Posted

fixed my double issue, was finding the same issue with other mods, It was that I had another modulemanager.dll in the plugin folder too...=/ - Also I still see some issues with Mechjeb/Engineer working out the proper deltav stats that still a bug?

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Chestburster

Chestburster

Posted
Posted
fixed my double issue, was finding the same issue with other mods, It was that I had another modulemanager.dll in the plugin folder too...=/ - Also I still see some issues with Mechjeb/Engineer working out the proper deltav stats that still a bug?

That bug should be caused by the engine switcher. Isp is not changed as you can see with engineer. Ill do some more research tomorrow when i get home.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
666lumberjack

666lumberjack

Posted
Posted (edited)

Hey, thanks for the work on this awesome mod! I have two questions:

1. How involved is the process of adding new fuels/oxidizers? I'm hoping I just need to mess around with the .cfg files, but I'd really appreciate any guidance you give here. I'd like to implement a Hydrogen+Lithium fuel with higher mass than H2, greater specific impulse and a faster boil-off rate and a Fluorine Oxidizer with heavier tanks, better Isp and very slightly faster boil-off. Assuming I can figure out the way you have the .cfg files set up, of course. I've also considered adding Methane and Propane as fuels, again assuming I can figure things out. I found a great paper from this German guy which outlines a whole bunch of fuel/oxidizer combos, so theoretically I could add a bunch of them in.

2. You don't specify a license in the OP - I presume I'm ok to modify the files for personal use, but what about distribution if people are interested? I understand if you'd prefer that I don't; it's your mod after all.

Edited by 666lumberjack
Link to comment
Share on other sites
ialdabaoth

ialdabaoth

Posted
  • Author
Posted
Hey, thanks for the work on this awesome mod! I have two questions:

1. How involved is the process of adding new fuels/oxidizers? I'm hoping I just need to mess around with the .cfg files, but I'd really appreciate any guidance you give here. I'd like to implement a Hydrogen+Lithium fuel with higher mass than H2, greater specific impulse and a faster boil-off rate and a Fluorine Oxidizer with heavier tanks, better Isp and very slightly faster boil-off. Assuming I can figure out the way you have the .cfg files set up, of course. I've also considered adding Methane and Propane as fuels, again assuming I can figure things out. I found a great paper from this German guy which outlines a whole bunch of fuel/oxidizer combos, so theoretically I could add a bunch of them in.

2. You don't specify a license in the OP - I presume I'm ok to modify the files for personal use, but what about distribution if people are interested? I understand if you'd prefer that I don't; it's your mod after all.

Everything I release is CC-sharealike: mention how awesome I am and you can release whatever derivative works you want. ;)

Link to comment
Share on other sites
SchroedingersHat

SchroedingersHat

Posted
Posted

I think it would be interesting/more realistic if the rate of evaporation depended on tank size. This puts hydrogen rockets further into the territory of 'you only want it for huge rockets or cold places'. Surface area would be the thing it really depended on, but volume is a pretty close approximation. Something like:


double loss = 10*Math.pow(tank.maxAmount,2/3) * tank.loss_rate * (part.temperature - tank.temperature) * delta_t; // loss_rate is calibrated to 300 degrees.

Would approximate the cube-squared nature of it. It is worse for tanks under 1000 volume, but better for tanks above. This would also encourage one massive H2 tank and a separate one for LOX

Link to comment
Share on other sites
ialdabaoth

ialdabaoth

Posted
  • Author
Posted

Update: I have abandoned making RCS thruster blocks with choosable fuel types. :( Squad's implementation of ModuleRCS just isn't compatible with switching.

Everything else tests out, so I should have an update soon.

Chestburster, may I incorporate some of your cfg file changes?

Link to comment
Share on other sites
ialdabaoth

ialdabaoth

Posted
  • Author
Posted

Actually, I've decided on a different approach. Because HydraEngineController is careo's baby, as I've modified it I've been less and less comfortable with what I'm doing (if my stuff breaks, I want to take the blame for it rather than careo).

So, I've used some of careo's code and most of my own ModularEngines code to create a functional work-a-like to HydraEngineController, called ModuleHybridEngines. My version is cooler, in that it respects PROPELLANT { DrawGauge = true } properly.

Luckily, you can convert a HydraEngineController to a ModuleHybridEngines like this:


@PART[B9_SABRE_M]
{
    @MODULE[HydraEngineController]
    {
        @name = ModuleHybridEngines
        ...(stuff)
    }
}

Now that I've done this, I feel a lot more comfortable adding new 'features' to hybrid engines, so yes - I think I can set it up so that you can switch modes in the VAB/SPH before my next release.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Chestburster

Chestburster

Posted
Posted

That sounds great! I realy like where the MFS is going :-D

But one more question. Would it be possible to change the fx_definition with the switch? As far as i understand from the .cfg editing point it isnt.. but asking never hurts.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
ialdabaoth

ialdabaoth

Posted
  • Author
Posted

Unfortunately, due to the way Squad handles the FX loading, any attempts I've made to reload the fx (and believe me, I've tried MANY!) have been doomed to failure.

However, I have a second idea for how to proceed, although it's a bit crazy.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
erbmur

erbmur

Posted
Posted

First off I want to say that I have just started to use this mod and really like what it has done with the game.

I seem to be having a problem with the B9 Saber Engines. Been looking over the comments not too many posts above but not sure if they relate to the issues that seem to be having. I want to apologies in advance if this bug/misunderstanding of the mod has been talked about before and fixed/on the list of things to do.

I seem unable to modify the fuel properties of the Saber engines in the VAB. I downloaded the latest release of the configs (V1.2 posted above) which allowed me to modify the properties of other B9 engines, such as the low profile one, but the Saber engines still appear to be un-editable.

From the names B9/saber being thrown around already on this page am I to understand that this is something that is already being looked at or am I just being thick in not understanding how this thing works? :(

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Chestburster

Chestburster

Posted
Posted (edited)

B9 SABRE engines run only on LH2+IntakeAir / LH2+LO2 with the RealFuels config. The system is modeled after reallife rocket propellants and thus the SABRE's (even tho they arent fully developed yet) wont run on other fuels.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SABRE_%28rocket_engine%29 if you want to read more about it :-)

Edit: Btw. after reading http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rocket_propellant it looks like the Monoprop (hydrazine) and Oxidizer (hydrogen peroxide) should be switched and a new fuel, Nitrogene tetroxide, should be added. The default LF+OX combination could then be changed to Nitro(75%)+hydra(25%).

Edited by Chestburster
Link to comment
Share on other sites
erbmur

erbmur

Posted
Posted

Thanks for the link! That should keep me entertained at work for a while.

I'm not sure if it is because the fuel used by the sabers cannot be changed or if its because of another reason, but if i build a simple craft (command pod -> fuel tanks -> saber engine), and click to modify the fuel that is present within the tank, I don't get the option that appears with other engines saying "Configure Remaining Volume to {engine mixture}".

Am I missing something?

Link to comment
Share on other sites
ialdabaoth

ialdabaoth

Posted
  • Author
Posted
B9 SABRE engines run only on LH2+IntakeAir / LH2+LO2 with the RealFuels config. The system is modeled after reallife rocket propellants and thus the SABRE's (even tho they arent fully developed yet) wont run on other fuels.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SABRE_%28rocket_engine%29 if you want to read more about it :-)

Edit: Btw. after reading http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rocket_propellant it looks like the Monoprop (hydrazine) and Oxidizer (hydrogen peroxide) should be switched and a new fuel, Nitrogene tetroxide, should be added. The default LF+OX combination could then be changed to Nitro(75%)+hydra(25%).

Remember that you need to specify mixtures as volume ratios in KSP, not as mass ratios! That has bit me in the ass a few times.

Actually, I'm pretty sure that the MonoPropellant resource in KSP is intended to be HAN (Hydroxylammonium Nitrate); the Isp is spot-on and the density is close.

My last set of experiments were towards making different monopropellants. Really, MonoPropellant (HAN), Oxidizer (hydrogen peroxide), and Hydrazine should all be useable as monopropellant, with MonoPropellant having an Isp of 260, Hydrazine 230, and Oxidizer 190. (if you want to get technical, Xenon should be useable to, with an Isp of around 70 or so since you're just farting decompressed gas out the nozzle). Unfortunately, I can't get ModuleRCS units to switch propellants in the editor, no matter what. The next time I see Mu or C7 I'll probably pester them about that.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Guest
This topic is now closed to further replies.
 Share
Go to topic listing
×
×
  • Create New...