[TML] [Merchant Shipping] Some ideas I came up with to make merchant shipping more interesing

[Timothy Little]

On Wed, Apr 16, 2008 at 10:30:32AM -0700, Evyn MacDude wrote:
> IMHO, the bootstrap power plant probably will be something like
> a Fuel cell, reason being that something simple and easy to fuel
> and refuel is preferable.

Given the ready availability of liquid hydrogen, it certainly is
possible.

Though energy banks in Traveller are cheap, durable, reliable,
compact, have high energy density and astonishing power density.  A
1000 MJ bank is about the size of a large car or small truck battery.

Given the comparative costs, volume, and likely necessity for load and
supply averaging, I'd be tempted to say that every fusion plant has an
energy bank of reasonable capacity built in, kept fairly well charged.
The shut-down process for the plant would include checking that the
energy bank has enough charge to start it back up.

I expect there would be a means to charge the bank externally, though.


- Tim