So based on the answers for the Plasma Scoop, these engines can literally run out of fuel? I have always been under the impression that the plasma drive was basically a huge fusion reactor, and thus had an almost endless supply of resources. Is there any official reference to this "fuel" anywhere? I don't remember ever hearing about such a thing in any of the BL novels or whatnot. Just curious.

kenshin138 said:

Fusion reactors, in theory, work by combining (or 'fusing') light elements such as hydrogen, helgium, etc. to produce heat. While it would in theory give you a lot of energy for a little fuel, starships in 40k are massive. As such, they actually have the potential to burn through that fuel.

The second from the Rogue Trader series of books by Andy Hoare contains a description of replacing a plasma core on a ship. In essence, a new core is brought in by a group of AdMech, and the whole thing is so corrosive that the AdMech in question literally disintegrate during the process. That is, if memory serves right.

size while certinly decreasing the effecncy of said engines is some what off set by size alowing larger stores

and for the main q while fusion power is certinly more effecint fuel is most defentily required 2 things on this.

first, The saposdly unlimited fuel supply thing comes from the fuel saposdly being a renuble resourse witch on a socital lvl whould make it unlimited but not on the basis of a single ship though even this could be argued over.

2nd I seem to rember hearing some where that creating thrust is an enifecint use of power and thus whould burn through the fuel faster then just powering systems but my memory has never been the best so best to turn this over to those more interested in hard science

Hmm, good point. I guess I forgot the scale we were talking about. Looking around it seems this has never really been explained well.

Also, the thing mentioned in Star of Damocles is actually "refuellng" the warp drive. Its quite...interesting to say the least.

There's a reference in Execution Hour to a squadron of Cobras being ambushed in a system while "recharging their warp drives", as well as a frankly creepy warp drive refuelling sequence in Star of Damocles.

There were also mentions of refuelling stations as far back as the old Inquisition War and Eye of Terror novels.

My own read is that the plasma drives are burning a deuterium/He3 slurry- pretty much any low atomic weight would do it, but smaller the better, in terms of energy efficiency.

Word of Sam is that keeping the fuel bunkers topped up is only a problem if the GM wants it to be- although refuelling should happen when the ship docks, same as topping off other supplies.

Well crap. Here I had plans for a lost colony built around the remains of their colony ship for ~400 years. Down to 2 working plasma reactors they have strung power conduit across their only town and use that as their power source, though they lack the knowledge to repair the other dead reactors. Guess they converted it to some kind of local fuel in all that time!

If you're not using the reactors to power the entire ship, it'd make sense that it lasts longer? Perhaps now your hook for the colony is that in addition to crippling damage to the reactor cores, they've run so short on the blessed fuel that the town verges on the brink of destruction. Brownouts are common, people who 'waste' electricity are strung up from dead power lines in the streets, and the Explorers find themselves in the company of the town's governor, who keeps every light in his house burning at all times...

It'd still work.

Stealing shamelessly from Traveller- if the plasma reactors are essentially big fusion chambers running on deuterium/He3 slurry, you should be able to run them on unrefined fuel, at the expense of energy efficiency and a little more waste radiation. And given it doesn't have to push the colony around space and keep it alive, no worries.

The best part- unrefined fuel shouldn't be a problem, unless they're on an airless rock or in some massive desert, as the raw material you'd refine to get deuterium is... water. Hell, If I were building a colony or exploration ship I'd include the necessary gear to refine my own fuel via electrolysis.