Created/Written
by: Tom Magdiarz and Instructor Relay
Updated by: LtJg John O`Ralley
Sources: ST-Encyclopedia, ST TNG + Ds9-Tech Manual, ST Physics, and me
StarDate: * 9510.24 Version 1
*
9704.24 Version 2.1
*
9802.00 Version 2.2
*
9906.24 Version 2.3 by Instructor Trolious and
UCIP's proud Corps of
Engineers CoE
*
0001.03 Version 3.0 by LtJg John O`Ralley and UCIP’s proud
Corps of
Engineers CoE
Contents:
1. Introduction
2. The Engines
2.1 Warp Drive
[matter/antimatter] *
2.2 EPS Taps *
2.3 Impulse Drive *
3. Warp/Subspace Fields *
3.1 Time Constraints
3.2 Static Warp shell
3.3 Warp Field Effect *
3.4 Variable Geometry warp nacelles *
4. Warp Factors
4.1 Subspace Density and gravitational constant
4.2 Warp Factor formulae
5. Basic Subsystems
5.1 Transporters *
5.2 Replicators
*
5.3 Holodecks *
5.4 Computers *
5.4.1 Bio-Neural Gel Packs *
6. TransWarp definition
6.1 Quantum Slipstream
6.2 Keltrinium
7. Engineering Jobs Per Ship Modes *
8. Other
Chief/Assistant Jobs *
9. Tools *
10. Final Notes
1. INTRODUCTION
Welcome
to the dark, misty cavern that we like to call the Engineering facility,
placed right here on the Academy grounds at Starbase 001 for specific
course-training on the knowledge required and expected from a Chief and
Assistant Engineering Officer on board a Star Fleet vessel.
Do not take this job lightly; it’s a very complex in depth post,
which will require care and your full attention.
Even if you aren’t an engineer, this guide will prove both
informative and helpful towards your duties as a Starfleet officer.
Back To The TOP
2. THE
ENGINES
No
need to be sweating cats and dogs already, we’ve hardly just begun. To
lighten things off, we'll begin with a graphical representation of the
whole Warp Drive progress that is the foundation to your job.
____
Port Nacelle
_.-' `-._
Warp
Coils .-'
` || || ' `-. P=Plasma
_______________ _
,' \\
// `. Transfer
/ ||||||||||| || \
/' \
_,-----._ /
\
Conduits
|_|||||||||||_||_/
/ E\\ ,' \ | | / `.
// \
E=EPS
| P
|
_] \ / \
,---. / \
// \
Taps
| P
\__,--------/\ ` |
\ /
\ / |/ - |
) P
,-' _,-'
|- |\-._ | .---, | -| == |
||P/_____,---' || |_|= ||
`-',--. \| -| -
==|
|:(==E=-Warp=o===E=_|-
|| ( O
)|| -| -
--|
||P\~~~~~Core._||
| |= || _,-.`--' /|
-| - ==|
) P
`-.__ `-.
|- |/-' | `---' |
-| == |
| P
/ `--------\/ ,
| / \
/ \ |\ - |
__|_P__|_______ _ ]E
/ \ /
`---' \ /
\\ /
| ||||||||||||| || \
\ //
`._/ | | \_.' \\
/
\_|||||||||||||_||_/
\ /
`-----' \
/
`. //
\\ ,'
Warp
Coils
`-._ || ||
_,-'
Starbard Nacelle
`-._____,-'
Warp
Coils
,----------------._
____
(_|||||||||||||_||_)
__...---~' `~~~----...__
X=Plasma
X__
.---‘
_===============================
Injector
,----------------._/'
`---..._______...---'
(_|||||||||||||_||_) . .
,--'
/ X__
.---' |
`/
'--------_- -
||| - -/
`----|----'
.
‘------------------- >
Deuterium Supply
|
|
Port Warp Nacelles Starboard
Warp Nacelles
Matter Reactant
[|||||||||||||||] [|||||||||||||||||||]
Injector
|
|
||
Plasma Injector
Plasma Injector
||
\
\
||
------------------------------
EPS --------Matter/Antimatter
Power taps
Reaction Chamber
|
||
EPS
||
power distrib
||
Antimatter Reactant
Injector
|
|
Antimatter
supply
Back To The TOP
2.1. Warp Drive [matter/antimatter]
Nearly 340 years ago, shortly after the third World War, a Scientist known as Zefram Cochrane began a project he endeavoured to be the "Warp Drive." Warp Drive was singlely the most important invention ever created for mankind. Shortly after its development, poverty, disease, famine, all of these things ceased to exist. Zefram's test ship was to be known as the Phoenix, whose test flight resulted in the First Contact of an alien race known as the Vulcans. Almost 100 years later, the Federation was established. Now a days, Warp Drive is the primary propulsion of most, Faster-than-Light (FTL) Confederation
spacecraft.
[Important!]
In the simplest of explanations, Matter and Anti-matter are both stored on opposing sides of each other, because of the explosive power they produce when collided. Anti-matter is most unstable, and as such it stored at the bottom with only a deck plate's distance in between for easy dumping.
Antimatter: Matter whose electrical charge properties are the opposite of "normal"
matter.
For example, a "normal" proton has a positive charge, but an antiproton has a negative charge. When a particle of antimatter is brought into contact with an equivalent particle of normal matter, both particles are annihilated, and a considerable amount of energy is released. Another example is the electron. A normal electron has a negative charge, but an anti-electron, called a positron, has a positive charge.
Positrons have less energy potential and are harder to keep stable in the annihilation process. As such, Protons and Anti-protons are used to power Faster-than-light propulsion. A little history on
anti-matter:
When the universe was first created, it contained 101 protons for every 100 anti-protons - which we believe may have caused the first big bang. Because of this, the majority of matter in the universe is in fact matter, and not
anti-matter.
The Confederation produces anti-matter in large concentrations utilizing quantum reversal devices, to complete the transition from matter to anti-matter, constructed in large Starfleet fueling facilities. Of course, in extreme cases of emergency, antimatter production on starships is possible, but never recommended ;)
Here, antiprotons and antineutrons are combined to form the nuclei of anti-heavy hydrogen. Warp cores then annihilate this with antiprotons to produce the immense power necessary for a starship's EPS, and propulsion. All of these anti-atoms are extremely difficult to keep stable. Huge electromagnetic fields are utilized to maintain the stability needed to house them. Unfortunately, anti-neutrons are nearly impossible to keep stable due to the fact that magnetic fields only work on objects that have an electric charge. Because of this, these subatomic particles rely upon the charge of the anti-matter nuclei to remain stable.
Anti-matter nuclei are shafted through magnetic tubes - not actually touching the tubes, magnetic confinement fields prevents such. Magnetic lock failures are therefore serious, you usually see Geordi running in the opposite direction, especially when it's the anti-matter tubes!
These nuclei then meet up in the Dilithium matter/anti-matter reaction chamber where they hit the Dilithium crystals. Since crystals are arranged in a "lattice" structure, this crystalline lattice makes it possible for the Dilithium to be the only thing "porous" to anti-matter, minus other cryogenic forms of
elements.
For the Dilithium to create a controlled annihilation of matter and antimatter, the anti-heavy-hydrogen protons, and the normal protons are all threaded through the atom lattices of the crystals where they meet, and eventually collide. The Dilithium crystals, known more commonly by their scientific formula:
2<5>6 dilithium 2<:>1 diallosilicate 1:9:1 heptoferranide
.. can regulate the antimater density, and thus the matter-antimatter reaction rate, since the lattices of the crystals remain a fixed distance both from atoms of normal matter and one another (just keep metreon radiation far out of reach from it :) When these two matters annihilate they create a type of warp plasma [Plasma is ionized gas, typically hotter than the corona of a star, which is around 2million degrees celsius]. This also creates a spike in gamma radiation about 1 geV(Giga-electron volts), thus the warp ion trail of antiprotons and gamma radiation that we often track cloaked ships with.
[Not as important]
One must also realize that for the controlled annihilation to become possible, one would have to have a reasonable amount of anti-matter nuclei for every amount of matter nuclei. The mistake that most cadets make at the academy is to believe that warp factor cochranes (units of subspace distortion) can be created on the premise of different annihilation ratios:
1:1
10:1
39:1
202:1
214:1
392:1
656:1
1024:1
1516:1
The only time the annihilation ratios (or intecjection ratios) are not constant is usually during low warp or engine startup (in which case you might see 10:1 or even 20:1) The most efficient utilization of the dilithium crystalline lattice is 1:1, however; Thus, the ratio used at high-warp (above warp 8) is 1 proton-neutron (matter nuclei) to every 1 antiproton-antineutron (nuclei). 1/1 1:1 what have
you..
That doesn't necessarily mean, however, that only one matter nuclei and one anti-matter nuclei are annihilated at the same time. Each lattice thread can control the annihilation of a matter and anti-matter nuclei. The matter and anti-matter stream is articulated well enough with the Dilithium crystals to keep the injection ratios as efficiently as possible..
Since billions of nuclei are annihilated at once, often, you aren't really powering warp drive on one nuclei of anti-matter and one of matter. The formulae usually relate to individual lattice threads.. Different intermix formulae can best determine how much matter and anti-matter go into the drive at one time, but.. Your mileage may very.
Back To The TOP
2.2. EPS
Taps
EPS Taps are those which divide the energy into 3 usable levels, all crucial to the operation of the ship. Taps for the Electro Plasma System [EPS] are available in three primary
types.
Type 1. A capacity flow for high-energy systems.
- Warp Nacelles, Defense systems, Field generators, etc
Type 2. A capacity flow for experimental devices.
- Science, Engineering and Medical labs, Holodecks, etc.
Type 3. A capacity flow for low-power input
applications.
- Computer core and all subsystems, lights, PADDs, etc.
Do your health a favor and keep away from EPS type 1 Tap failures. Just dump the engine core immediately and pray the Warp Coils (shaped like squashed horseshoes, and paired together to form rings to makeup the Nacelles - composed primarily of verterium cortenide) won't overload and explode before it's complete.
Having mentioned that, I want to point out that a core shutdown ceases the juice to the EPS taps, yet everything doesn't shut down. Lights, computers and life support, right? That is because Impulse is a separate system, which, like the Dilithium (warp) system, dumps its raw plasma energy into the EPS. Both feed the EPS.
Impulse is created through fusion (and the matter supply) which is more stable and keeps the ship running - originally warp drive was fusion based, and gradually it became more common a use for Sublight Impulse. If both Impulse and Warp are down, that's when backup generators need to maintain all ship's power usage. If neither engines are repaired soon, the generators eventually run out of energy and the ship is
lost. If repaired, the EPS circle around and promptly re-charge the backup generators. Without repair, escape pods and shuttles would be the only option.
Back To The TOP
2.3.
Impulse Drive
Impulse you ask? It explains
itself..
Vectored
Exhaust Director
|
_________________________
\
__.--'--,.-' ---------'--'--' /`-.__
|__--(--( | NX-74205 ====
/-----.`--._
`---.__\ --========)>
|__|___)_> `-.
|
\_________|________/
`----'
\
Driver
Coil Assembly
Impulse
_
Reaction
___.---' \
Chamber
__.---'
___.-\- \
\
\ __.---(______\\ \__
.
__.-\__)
___.---` `-.
\ _| \ ___.---'
\|| `.
oooo = Emergency Plasma
.-'
| 'oooo,--_.--.
\|`---`.
Vents
,--|EPS|___----' .' _.._`-. |
\__ _\_
|
|o|_
[[[[| > /
.'__- `. \ | |/___`--.
---|
|o o|======----
| |(o_)] | |
|-->-|___-- |
` |
|o|___[[[[|
> \ `._ -_.' / |
_|\___.--'
| `--|EPS|
----.___ `._ `' _.' |
/ /
| `-._| .oooo`--
`--' /|.---.'
| /
|__
/_ `---.___ /|| .'
| .
`-/__)
______`---._.-'
| /
/_
`---(___ // /
| Impulse `---.___
`-/- /
| Reaction
`---._/
| Chamber
\
-
--
\______
<-Vectored -- Driver -- Accelerator& <--
Impulse -- Impulse-- Impulse
Exhausted
Coil Generator
Reaction Reaction Reaction
Director
Assembly
|
Chamber Chamber
Chamber
EPS
\ ^
/
power taps
\ |
/
|
| |
|
EPS
Deuterium Fuel Supply
power distrib
(a.k.a. Matter Supply)
Now you have to realize that hydrogen, though it's the most abundant thing in the galaxy, is hard to store as a solid. As such, Deuterium is used to counteract this element (If you'll excuse the pun ;-) Deuterium contains highly concentrated amounts of Hydrogen isotopes, and is stored as a cryogenic slosh. As such, it can be used as a type of fuel. Now, after the controlled fusion of hydrogen creates a more denser type of helium, this gas is propelled justly out of the engine, after meeting with the EPS and the vectored exhaust director, to prepell the ship at some STL speed (Its fastest rate varies depending on the vessel or craft, but is normally limited to half light speed due to the time drag it
creates)
Back To The TOP
3. WARP/SUBSPACE
FIELDS
If you don't understand the explanation below, don't worry - it isn't crucial to. The better you get in Engineering, the more it will make sense to you. So keep it handy and refer back to it.
-= ((( WARP FIELD ))) =-
¯¯¯¯¯\
/¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯\
¯¯¯¯¯¯`.__|_.`¯¯¯¯¯\
\
¯¯¯¯¯¯\(xxxx|).`¯¯¯\ \
\
-----. \\./xxxx\
) \|
` /¯¯¯.(--]]xxxxx)
) | |
` \___. //`\xxxx/
) /|
__`___/(xxxx|).___/ /
/
| `___/ /
______/
\________/
A powerful, asymmetric subspace field is established around the ship by the warp nacelles. The field is composed of nested layers, each pushing against the one beyond it. This drives the ship forward at a super-luminal
velocity.
A tuned plasma stream from the warp core Matter/Antimatter Reactor (M/AMR) powers the nacelles. Injectors feed the plasma into warp field coil segments at specific times causing pulses to run the length of the nacelle, front to back. This peristaltic flow causes the push of the nested warp fields, and moves the ship forward.
The warp field wraps around the ship in a two-lobed bubble (Similar to a torus), with the locus at Main Engineering (by design). The shape of the ship determines the efficiency of the field, and this explains why the Enterprise has such a sleek design. The force created by the warp field needed to push the ship at super-luminal velocities can best be represented in dynes (units of force). Most often you'll use the term "Teradyne" to express
this.
Meanwhile, the subspace field reduces the inertial mass of the ship, aiding in maneuvering. In fact, a small subspace field is kept around the ship at Impulse speeds, so the Impulse drives have less mass to push around. However, this is only a side effect and is NOT the mechanism used to allow Faster-Than-Light (FTL) travel. You have to also understand that normal light protons are as light (Again, excuse the pun) as electrons, but contain a bit more mass - yes they have mass. These near mass-less particles are what make light travel possible in the electromagnetic universe.
Now, this isn't necessarily true for a starship. Since subspace contains significantly different properties than normal space, in essence, it allows the ship a kick in the boot for accelerations to beyond the speed of light. Something the subspace field does, which I'll talk about in a minute, not only reduces the mass of the ship, but it allows for the spatial drag factor (Created due to the physical nature of objects. In essence, objects that accelerate get "heavier" with speed, also dependent on the interstellar medium)
-= ((( SUBSPACE FIELD ))) =-
Ships in warp interact with things in normal space, one of the
reasons for the navigational deflector. Things in warp require a
subspace field to enter and stay in warp, and it takes an enormous amount of power to generate this. When the subspace field decays, a
ship drops out of warp returning to some STL velocity, but not necessarily a dead
speed.
A subspace field does reduce the inertial mass of an object within it, i.e. it appears lighter, but it does not lower the mass to zero, nor on its own would this effect allow FTL travel, as mass-less particles in our universe are still restricted to light speed. It turns out that this effect isn't even considered for warp travel, although it is used for impulse engines - less mass to push around.
Back To The TOP
3.1. Time
Constant
Ever look at one of those pretty chronological charts they keep in the command center of UCIP? Pretty nifty, right? Well, do you ever understand it? Of course not! What's to understand other than what's being read to you on your chrono :-/ Stardates are in effect the result of FTL (Faster than light travel) If you ever understand something, understand this: When you're traveling at warp speed, your clock is actually ticking slower than, say, a clock on a relatively stationary starbase. This is due to the time constraints faster than light travel places on our chronos. As such, stardates were designed to adjust for this "time drag." So in all normal general relativity, you could leave from Earth Thursday, return on a Saturday, where on the ship it's actually a Friday ;-)
Back To The TOP
3.2. Static Warp Shell
In 2367, a phenomenon occurred in which a 3d symmetrical bubble of subspace trapped the starship Enterprise, NCC 1701-D, and encompassed the ship. This subspace phenomenon had an unusual link between consciousness and the physical universe. The field itself was non-propulsive, since warp propulsion requires a peristaltic asymmetric field, but had significantly different properties than that of regular
subspace.
Also aboard that starship, some 4 years later, a Static Warp Shell was created to collapse an anti-time anomaly in the Devron system. This shell acted as an artificial subspace barrier that separated time from anti-time; ultimately, it collapsed the anomaly. This techniqure of encapsulating subspace can also be used for retrieval purposes, similar to that of a
transporter.
Use of this technology is not recommended for commercial use, but holds interesting applications for Starfleet Scientists. :)
Back To The TOP
3.3. Warp Field Effect
Not so recently, it has been seen that the continued use of FTL travel, particularly that involving Subspace (Warp Drive), causes cumulative damage to the structure of the subspace continuum. As the exposure to warp field energy increases, so does the chance of having a subspace
rupture.
This "warp field effect" becomes particularly severe when Warp 5 is exceeded. A noted scientist named Dr. Serova proved this effect to be true when, in 2370, Dr's Serova and Rabal littered an unstable subspace region, known as the Hekaras corridor, with Veteron mines.
Concentrations of veterons interact with warp coils in prevention of warp drive - thus knocking out the warp drives of passing Federation starships and gaining attention. When the Dr. purposely causes a warp core breach in the area, a subspace rupture was inevitably formed, proving her theory to be sound. For several years after that, Federation starships were limited in speed to warp 4.7 to prevent further irreparable damage to the Subspace continuum.
Back To The TOP
3.4. Variable Geometry Warp Nacelles
When Starfleet Scientists realized the need for a solution to "Warp Pollution", they began extensive research on Warp Field Geometries and subspace field mechanics. Some years after the incident at Hekaras II, Starfleet finally found a solution to its
problems:
Warp fields created by variable geometry warp nacelles.
Variable geometry warp drive involves a folding wind-and-nacelle configuration that no longer has a negative impact on subspace. The first such starship to imploy this type of technology was the USS Intrepid. The Intrepid class starship solves this problem through the use of inclined nacelles - nacelles that incline themselves upward during warp travel - and the use of the elliptical forward frame of the warp
field:
.-folded nacelle in inclined flight
/
/
________
/
__.------'--------`---.___
.-,-----------.. _.--'
_.-' /==================`--.___
| ===========<=|| [`__.-'
.' /
`--._
`\ .--------------'
--------'========================================
___.-'-----------..__
.'`-._________.---------'
'--| ==========<=||
[`.______________/
`-------------'`---'
/
\
`._____
/
\
`------------'
\
.--
folding, inclined nacelle
.-------------..--.
_.--------.___ \
|
==========> || )
_.--'
`--._
\
`-------------'`--'
.-' \
`-._ \
/--.
/
.'
\.--------.__ `.
\
/---'
| _____.--.'`-.__
\ ___
`-._
`. \
.-'
____.-------'
.' __`-._.--'__
`-. `. \ \
.' |.-'
___________.--'------' _
| .-/[_],
`. | `.
\
|---' | .--' _____________[|___
| || |]]]/ \| | |
.-----. .--.|
|---. | `--.___________
[| |_||
|]]]\_/| | |
`-----' `--'|
`. |`-.____ `--.------.__
|_ `-\[_]` .' |
.'
/
`-.
`-------._____ `.
__.-' `--.___.-'
_.'
/ /
\---.
|
`--`..-'
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/`--------' _.'
/
.-------------..--.
`-._ /
_.-'
/
|
==========> || )
`--._ ___.--'
/
`-------------'`--'
`--------'
.--/
/
/
/
Eliptical Hull
This type of technology is now more commonly employed in most modern-day confederation starships (as we see with the forward hull ellipse). Most non-variable
geometrical starship designs now employ one or two types of variable geometry
technology to ellipse their warp fields enough not to cause this type of irreparable damage
to the Subspace continuum.
Back To The TOP
4. Warp
Factors
An easy concept to grasp should be compound inflation, right? If you put a dime into your bank account, it'll double, then triple, etc. You'll be a millionaire before you die. All from a dollar? Yes. Granted the interest would have to be fair, 6-9%. And you have to let it compound, no withdrawals. Its how the rich get richer. And that's one way I look at it for our subject, another way is to think about time. Imagine warp 1 being seconds, warp 2 being minutes, warp 3 being hours, warp 4 being days. Now, see the difference between warp 1 and 4? That is how the warp factors work. They are each compounded
considerably.
Warp 1 is lightspeed, but Warp 2 isn't lightspeed x2. It is lightspeed x10
[approximately]. As demonstrated in this graph. The left side is lightspeed velocity, which we're interested in:
|
:| :-10^10
|
:
| :=
|
[Warp speed/power Graph]
+
:
| :-
|
:::
'
:- 10^9
10^4 -|
+ +
: |
:=
=|
+ :
:::::
,/
:- 10^8
-|
+ :
:
:: |
__*-'
:=
1000 -|
:
:
:::: __*--'
|
:-
=|
+
:
:: __*--'
|
|
:- 10^7
-|
+
:
__*--':
|:::
|
| | :-
100 -|
:
_*--':
|::
|
| |
| :- 10^6
=|
: _-':|
:
| |
| |
|
:=
=| +
_*'
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:-
-| :
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:- 10^5
10
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:=
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+
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|::
| |
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