X-34 Matter-Antimatter Reactor
The X-34 Reactor is a product of Project X. Capable of generating enough power to keep a small moon running for a good millennium, its is an incredible achievement. The City of Aeterna is powered by several of these with a third backup. as such the ship has a near indefinite lifespan. There is a smaller variant that can be used on starfighters but it has a significantly shorter lifespan of only 100-250 years, however because of their size, and the power output they have to have their injectors cleaned. They were similar to Hypermatter Annihilation Reactors but far more efficient in fuel to power ratio.
The Science[]
Matter/antimatter reactors operate by combining like atoms of matter and antimatter. These two compounds then cancel each other out, resulting in the destruction of both compounds, producing a massive energy release. Powerful magnetic fields are required to keep antimatter separated from matter in order to avoid a catastrophic premature interaction. However these forms of M/AM reaction are very inefficient.
In order for M/Am systems to be cost effective, complex Gravity Technology is needed to harness the potential energy of Matter/antimatter reactions in order to exploit its full potential, limiting this technology to groups with a firm grasp on gravitic technology. It also requires two kilograms of fuel, one half matter, one half antimatter to get a complete 9*1036 watts energy release.
The Reactor[]
The Reactor is, to those with expertise in the field quite simple. The upper half and lower half of the Reactor house artificial Gravity generators that along with electromagnets manipulate the matter and antimatter. The atoms are accelerated towards each other one by one generating massive amounts of energy in the form of various radiations. This radiation is picked up by Agrinium collection coils and transfered into power converters which then transfer the power to where it will be used. There is little waste energy and should antimatter become in short supply the reactor can easily act as a Fusion Reactor generating 1*1015 watts of power per kilogram of material.
The Components[]
- Matter Injector
- Antimatter Injector
- Magnetic Constriction Coils
- Reaction Chamber
- Agrinium Collection Coils
- Power Conversation Systems
- Agrinium Reactor Casing
The Downsides[]
There were a few downsides in the use of Antimatter Reactors primarily if the reactor overloads. To help with this the entire Reactor is surrounded with two and a half inches of Agrinium Casing. The other downside is that Matter and Antimatter Injectors, need to be cleaned on a regular bases, once every two or three months. When this happens the ship has to rely on Auxiliary power during this, the cleaning only takes a few hours for a skilled crew but its still a vulnerable time. Smaller ships like the X-3 Dagger has to have its injectors cleaned every two days of use to maintain proper power regulation but it can operate for 5 days without cleaning at risk of a power failure on the final day.