Driver Core 

Structure

And Design

All driver cores contain a special type of material, a substance that can convert high temperatures and high energy radiation into a spatial curvature, but by converting this available energy into work, it reduces the temperature of the local environment, this self cooling property of driver coil material (DCM) is essential to its design. In addition to automatic lowering of its temperature this material if it heated above a critical limit (depending on material type between 1980’K and 3000’K) it loses its space bending properties, very much like an overheated magnet, however upon cooling the material spontaneously regains its properties, though it requires a ‘recuperating’ period before it does so.

The structure of today’s driver coils is optimized to allow for sufficient heat to be supplied to all parts, which increases the power density of the driver core, and also to prevent high temperature regions which degrade its performance.

The principle structure of the core is based around a superconducting scaffold, whose main principle is to distribute energy throughout the core component. The wires of the this superconducting frame form a dense mesh, also in which are control and monitoring instrumentation, DCM material is then ‘grown’ in amongst this mesh forms the finished core component. A shield of refractory material also forms a shell around the component, this protects the surface of the component from the ultra high temperatures of the drive core, as well as providing some protection from drive plasma. The refractory layer may also contain superconducting coils which generate magnetic fields which keep charged ions from ablating the surface. In addition to these basic measures, a layer of massless neutronium may be added over the refractory layer or replacing it, with a subsequent reduction in mass, and increase in driver core power density.

The advantages of neutronium clad cores also include a longer component life time, and any ablated material will be in the form of neutrons which pollute the drive plasma much less than ablated refractory material ions. However the cost neutronium is to cut out most radiation, which reduces the amount of energy salvaged from drive plasma. To compensate for this ‘filigree’ might be added to drive components, these are basically very fine layers of massless neutronium that act a bit like heat sinks, but whose purpose is to aid transfer of radiative energy into the drive plasma.

Refractory linings are however simpler systems, and are compatible with highly radiative power plants such as antimatter/matter reactions, their design also allows for much smaller driver cores, as drive plasma is not required for most of the energy transfer. The refractory material is interdigitated with superconductor which cools it, the cooling coming from the heat consuming processes in the core, this cooling prevents the refractory material subliming from the radiation, however this layer does need regular replacement, though onboard systems recycle the ablated ions of the refractory material. However the refractory material is rapidly ablated by drive plasma, and for this reason it usually only used in drives that are completely free of drive plasma (Radiative Transfer Cores), it does however provide a window for radiation, even high energy gamma.

Driver Coil Management flow diagram