Star Trek's Enterprise: Warp Propulsion Systems

Galaxy Class Starship
U.S.S ENTERPRISE NCC-1701-D
Warp Propulsion Systems

Warp Field Nacelles

The energetic plasma created by the M/ARC, and passed along the power transfer conduits, quickly arrives at the termination point, the warp engine nacelles. This is where the actual propulsion work is done. Each nacelle consists of a number of major assemblies, including the warp field coils (WFC), plasma injection system (PIS), emergency separation system (ESS), and maintenance docking port.

Warp Field Nacelle

The basic structure of the nacelles is similar to that of the remainder of the starship. Tritanium and duranium framing members are combined with longitudinal stiffeners, and overlaid with 2.5 meters of gamma-welded tritanium hull skinning. The addition of three inner layers of directionally strengthened cobalt cortenide provides protection against high levels of warp-induced stress, particularly at the attachment hardpoints on the support pylons. All framing and skinning of the nacelles and the support pylons accommodates triply redundant conduits for SIF and IDF systems. Attached to the inner framing members are shock attenuation cylinders for the warp field coils, as well as thermal isolation struts for the plasma iniection system.

The emergency separation system would be used in the event that a catastrophic failure occurred in the PIS, or if a nacelle damaged in combat or other situation could not be safely retained on its support pylon. Ten explosive structural latches can be fired, driving the nacelle up and away at 30 m/sec.

During starbase layovers and low-sublight travel, with the M/ARC powered down, the maintenance docking port allows any work pod or shuttle equipped with a standard docking collar to attach, permitting engineering crews and hardware rapid access to the interior of the nacelle. Normal monitoring visits from within the starship are made by single-occupant turbolift through the support pylon.

PLASMA INJECTION SYSTEM

At the terminus of each PTC is the plasma injection system, a series of eighteen valved magnetic injectors linked to the warp engine controllers. There is one injector for each warp field coil, and the injectors may be fired in variable sequences, depending on the warp flight function being executed. The injectors are constructed of arkenium duranide and single-crystal ferrocarbonite, with magneticconstriction toroids of nalgetium serrite. Control inputs and feedback are handled by twelve redundant links to the optical data network (ODN). Small timing discrepancies between the computer and the injectors exist during any initial startup of the coils or change in warp factors, due to the physical distance from the computer to the engines. These are rapidly smoothed out by predictive phase-synchronization software routines, thereby achieving as close to realtime operation of the engines as possible. The injector open-close cycle is variable, from 25 ns to 50; ns. Each firing of an injector exposes its corresponding coil to a burst of energy to be converted into the warp field. At Warp Factors 1-4, the injectors fire at low frequencies, between 30 Hz and 40 Hz, and remain open for short periods, between 25 ns and 30 ns. At Warp Factors 5-7, the firing frequencies rise from 40 Hz to 50 Hz, and the ini ors remain open for longer periods, 30 ns to 40 ns. At Warp Factors 8-9.9, the injector firing frequencies rise. to 50 Hz, but there is a tailoff of the injector cycle time, owing to limitations of residual charges in the magnetic valves, po- tential conflict with the energy frequencies from the M/ARC, and input/feedback control reliability. The longest safe cycle time for high warp is generally accepted to be 53 ns.

WARP FIELD COILS

The energy field necessary to propel the USS Enterprise 1 is created by the warp field coils and assisted by the specific configuration of the starship hull. The coils generate an intense, multilayered field that surrounds the starship, and it is the manipulation of the shape of this field that produces the propulsive effect through and beyond the speed of light, c.

Warp Field Coil Segment (Typical)">

The coils themselves are split toroids positioned within the nacelles. Each half-segment measures 9.5 x 43 meters and is constructed from a core of densified tungsten-cobalt-magnesium for structural stiffening, and imbedded within a casting of electrically densified verterium cortenide. A complete pair measures 21 x 43 meters, with a mass of 34,375 metric tonnes. Two complete sets of eighteen coils each masses 1 .23 x 13" metric tonnes, accounting for close to 25% of the total starship mass. The casting process, as discussed previously in 5.1, proved to be somewhat difficult to repeat reliably during the early phases of the Galaxy Class Project. Improvements in materials and procedures led to more exact copies for use in the spacecraft, though the installation of closely matched pairs of coils within a nacelle is still practiced. During coil refurbishment at a major starbase yard, the maximum time between the youngest and oldest coil should be no more than six months.

When energized, the verterium cortenidewithin acoil pair causes a shift of the energy frequencies carried by the plasma deep into the subspace domain. The quantum packets of subspace field energy form at approximately 1/3 the distance from the inner surface of the coil to the outer surface, as the verterium cortenide causes changes in the geometry of space at the Planck scale of 3.9 x 10E-33 cm. The converted field energy exits the outer surface of the coil and radiates away from the nacelle. A certain amount of field energy recombina tion occurs at the coil centerline, and appears as a visible light emission.

WARP PROPULSION

The propulsive effect is achieved by a number of factors working in concert. First, the field formation is controllable in a fore-to-aft direction. As the plasma injectors fire sequen tially, the warp field layers build according to the pulse frequency in the plasma, and press upon each other as previously discussed. The cumulative field layer forces reduce the apparent mass of the vehicle and impart the required velocities. The critical transition point occurs when the spacecraft appears to an outside observer to be traveling faster than c. As the warp field energy reaches 1000 millicochranes, the ship appears driven across the c boundary in less than Planck time, 1.3 x 10E-43 sec, warp physics insuring that the ship will never be precisely at c. The three fonnrard coils of each nacelle operate with a slight frequency offset to reinforce the field ahead of the Bussard ramscoop and envelop the Saucer Module. This helps create the field asymmetry required to drive the ship forward.

Subspace Field Geometry of Galaxy Class Starship

Second, a pair of nacelles is employed to create two balanced, interacting fields for vehicle maneuvers. In 2269, experimental work with single nacelles and more than two nacelles yielded quick confirmation that two was the optimum number for power generation and vehicle control. Spacecraft maneuvers are performed by introducing controlled timing differences in each set of warp coils, thereby modifying the total warp field geometry and resultant ship heading. Yaw motions (XZ plane) are most easily controlled in this manner. Pitch changes are affected by a combination of timing differences and plasma concentrations.

Third, the shape of the starship hull facilitates slippage into warp and imparts a geometric correction vector. The Saucer Module, which retains its characteristic shape from the original concept of an emergency landing craft, shape the forward field component through the use of a 55 elliptical hull planform, found to produce superior peak tional efficiency. The aft hull undercut allows for varyi degrees of field flow attachment, effectively preventing pinwheeling, owing to the placement of the nacelles off vehicle Y-axis center of mass. During Saucer Module ration and independent operation of the Battle Section, interactive warp field controller software adjusts the field geometry to fit the altered spacecraft shape (See: Warp Field Theory and Application). In the event of accidental loss of one or both nacelles, the starship would linearly dissociate, due to the fact that different parts of the structure would be traveling at different warp factors.

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Copyright © 1998 Tan Ngo-Dang Contact: tangowebmedia@sympatico.ca URL: http://www.oocities.org/area51/rampart/5407/warp_3.htm	Created on 02/23/98 Updated on 12/20/98 Page status: final