Engines overheating? Here's a fix.

[Foxster]

Usually when you get some engines a bit too close they can quickly over heat...

Now, if you add something to act as a heatsink the item shares the engine heat but its not always easy to fix something to the side of an engine. That's where Octogonal Struts come in!

As soon as you fire the engines up the cases blow off...

The Octogonal Struts pass the engine exhaust straight through and don't overheat themselves. The overheating of the engines is gone...

[TheCanadianVendingMachine]

yea, but you don't get any thust. Thats the problem

[iStickyDuck]

Overheating is due to large fuel flow. Just put a small fuel tank in-between the engine and main fuel tank

[Hodo]

yea, but you don't get any thust. Thats the problem

I wasn't going to say anything and let them figure it out on their own.

There is another way to kill the heat issue.

Use the engines in their correct designed areas. Nukes shouldn't be used on the ground, yes they will overheat.

[Foxster]

yea, but you don't get any thrust. Thats the problem

Have you tried? Cos actually you do.

[Technical Ben]

Well, you can use the nukes close to the ground or through the atmosphere. But only for short periods, or at the right velocities. They can make nice all purpose rocket engines for small craft (though not really on Kerbin, more on the other planets... Eve excluded, but then again, nothing fairs well on Eve ).

[Foxster]

I wasn't going to say anything and let them figure it out on their own.

There is another way to kill the heat issue.

Use the engines in their correct designed areas. Nukes shouldn't be used on the ground, yes they will overheat.

If you you fly 4 as I have shown in space then they will overheat.

[Hodo]

If you you fly 4 as I have shown in space then they will overheat.

I don't cluster 4 engines that are that heavy together when I can just get one engine that can do the work of two and a half of those engines.

I rarely cluster 4 engines together for anything now. They have the affect of adding a bunch of dead weight to the back of something I don't need that much weight on. It is far simpler to use a larger engine that actually fits.

Oh and iStickyDuck gave you the correct fix for the issue. A smaller tank between the two, will fix the overheat issue.

[Foxster]

I don't cluster 4 engines that are that heavy together when I can just get one engine that can do the work of two and a half of those engines.

I rarely cluster 4 engines together for anything now. They have the affect of adding a bunch of dead weight to the back of something I don't need that much weight on. It is far simpler to use a larger engine that actually fits.

Oh and iStickyDuck gave you the correct fix for the issue. A smaller tank between the two, will fix the overheat issue.

Sometimes you want the particular ISP or thrust of a group of engines. Throwing a big engine in just doesn't always do the job to optimise TWR and/or dV.

It doesn't have to be a small tank. "Overheating is due to large fuel flow" is meaningless. What's really happening is that the heat is being shared by the parts - that's how heat works in KSP. You can just as well use an Octogonal Strut above the engine. I just happen to like it below the engine.

[Hodo]

Sometimes you want the particular ISP or thrust of a group of engines. Throwing a big engine in just doesn't always do the job to optimise TWR and/or dV.

It doesn't have to be a small tank. "Overheating is due to large fuel flow" is meaningless. What's really happening is that the heat is being shared by the parts - that's how heat works in KSP. You can just as well use an Octogonal Strut above the engine. I just happen to like it below the engine.

I actually use a 2.5m nuke engine that has the same ISP as the smaller LV-1N 1.25m nukes you have there. The difference is it has 150kn of thrust and weighs I think 6 tons. It is more than enough to maintain even some of my heaviest craft in my .23.5 install before .24.2, with a TWR of .1:1 in space. Don't need much more than that to get around.

[Foxster]

I actually use a 2.5m nuke engine that has the same ISP as the smaller LV-1N 1.25m nukes you have there. The difference is it has 150kn of thrust and weighs I think 6 tons. It is more than enough to maintain even some of my heaviest craft in my .23.5 install before .24.2, with a TWR of .1:1 in space. Don't need much more than that to get around.

Ah, right. That's not a stock engine though. You can do anything with a mod.

[Hodo]

Ah, right. That's not a stock engine though. You can do anything with a mod.

Might as well be stock. Even without it I still don't use more than clusters of 2 when it comes to nukes. One of my biggest SSTO space planes the SP-406, which could haul 108 tons in to orbit, uses 2 LV-1N nukes for meneuvering in orbit.

[Gargamel]

I'm just not seeing the purpose of this.

It's easier to just add the smallest tank above the engine.

Even when I cluster 8 LVN's, I don't get overheat issues.

[Sirrobert]

Can't you just tune down the thrust a tiny bit? That's always enough. Or just add a smaller fueltank

Also, I've NEVER seen NERVAs overheat. Not even when clustered. Kinda impressed if you do manage to do it.

And yes I've clustered them like you did, for interplanetery stages

[Cerberus738]

Can't you just tune down the thrust a tiny bit? That's always enough. Or just add a smaller fueltank

Also, I've NEVER seen NERVAs overheat. Not even when clustered. Kinda impressed if you do manage to do it.

And yes I've clustered them like you did, for interplanetery stages

I've never had them overheat either. they get hot but have never exploded. They only explode when in an atmosphere. and then its OOOOOOH THE HUMANITY! Also i've stopped clustering them too. If i need more thrust i just go with a bigger engine. I actually really dislike the nuke. Its so fat and slow.

[Sirrobert]

Exactly, they heat up to half way point and than stop

[NKL]

A smaller tank between the two, will fix the overheat issue.

Or a metal piece of any kind + fuel line =)