Starship Power Transfer Systems

The power-transfer system on typical large spacecraft is, in many ways, more complex than the circulatory system of a living creature. Many systems call for massive amounts of power, and while generating this is easy enough; getting it from point A to point B is a challenge. This challenge made even bigger on warships, where the line between A and B might be a smoldering hole, and the power must first be routed through Point C.

Super Conductors

The main-stay of any ship-wide distribution system is the superconductor. Main power transfer lines, which run throughout the ship, are typically these. Most civilizations require super-cooled superconductors, which use liquid gasses to cool the conductor to cryogenic levels. These systems, in addition to being very fragile, require the use of low-temperature liquid gasses; most notably hydrogen and helium. These gasses require substantial energy to produce, enough to cut in to the over-all power budget of the ship. Either facilities for liquefying gas must be carried on board, or a supply of the gas must be replenished regularly. While ships have many uses for liquefied gasses, not all civilizations have mastered the technical means to produce reliable, ship-board gas plants.

Since the late Golden Age, the Gudersnipe Foundation has mastered the use of room-temperature super-conductors using highly-exotic compounds in ceramic crystal structures. While these systems require some cooling to operate at peak efficiency, the requirements can generally be achieved by the normal HVAC components of the ship's life support systems. In some areas, additional water-cooling is used, and inn extreme cases actual refrigeration is employed.

The super-conductor itself is in fact a slow-moving liquid contained inside multiple layers of shielding. Foundation power conduits are built with inter-linking sections about a foot long with shielding and replacement conductive material inside, which allows for the rapid and easy repair of damaged conduits. A typical main power conduit will be about one foot in diameter. Non-military vessels use a flexible power-transfer line that, while much more difficult to repair, is far less expensive to produce and maintain. The line typically tops out at around ten inches in diameter and when severed must usually be entirely replaced in between interface points.

Super-Conductive Interface

Of course, a direct energy transfer line from the reactor to every major system would be a nightmare. Standard power transfer systems would require the use of a power vault, breaking the super-conductive line and creating a distribution station, stepping down voltages, then stepping back up for continuation of the transmission. This is unacceptable, especially in military ships; where any damage to the distribution station could cripple the ship.

Enter the super-conductive interface; a piece of technology spaces alone the super-conducting power conduit that draw electricity from it without breaking the the over-all circuit. Super-conductive interfaces are, in many ways, the most challenging part of any transfer system. The interface has two major components: a conductor linked to the main conduit(which must itself be superconductive), and a very powerful resistor, able to "hold back the flow" and let through just the power required. In some cases, the interface is then linked to a conventional power transfer station, providing normal amounts of power to a variety of sub-systems.

For extra high-power systems, such as weapons and engines, the interface may itself be linked to a second superconducting power-conduit to provide high energy(but lower than the over-all measure of the main conduit) to one of these systems.

As a safety measure, most interfaces will incorporate a mechanical component which physically separates the line in the event of an emergency or to power-down the system. (Effectively a very large circuit breaker).

Power Vaults

The breaker room, or power vault, is a human-accessible, shirtsleeve compartment in which operators can access power-distribution subsystems directly. Usually computer-control of these systems will be available from main engineering or the bridge, and direct access to the chamber is only required in emergencies. A typical large-sized civilian-grade ship may have only one or two, while a military vessel will likely have dozens, each heavily shielded, with some acting as hot backups for others.

In the battleship model, there are significantly more independent sub-systems(mostly backup or distributed systems) requiring power. Additionally, energy needs to be re-routed around damage, so the different vaults act like switching stations on a grid. Energy supply to the lower-power systems is virtually uninterruptible.

A typical vault will, if possible, be placed away from the exterior of the ship; usually within a heavily shielded section or placed behind other components which provide protection. While most warships largely subscribe to the "all or nothing" principle of armor design, a power vault near the exterior of the ship will probably have additional protection.

Grounding

Grounding is, possibly, one of the most challenging parts of power system engineering. Since, by its nature, a spacecraft is very far from the ground, you obviously can't just run a line into the dirt somewhere. The ship needs a changeless area to dump the excess energy. A favorite solution in most civilian designs is the outer hull, which is large and can easily disipate a lot of current.

This is less than preferable aboard military craft, despite carrying very heavy armor. Typically these craft are dealing with much higher voltages in far more widespread areas. A large civilian passenger liner, for example, would locate it's power production facilities near it's engines, and likewise place the shield emitters accordingly. The entire rest of the ship would require no more power than a typical suburban neighborhood. A warship, meanwhile, has high-powered weapons systems, and distributed shield capacity.