RE: starship-design: engines, etc.

["L. Clayton Parker" <lparker@cacaphony.net>]

No, you don't want to divert plasma to power an MHD generator. This results
in decreased thrust from the plasma. Nor can you derive enough power from
the waste heat to do much more than power on board systems. Typically we are
talking maybe 10 to 50 kW of power. This power comes from the waste heat in
the shielding around the engine not from the exhaust.

> -----Original Message-----
>
> I've been wondering about this: assuming a fusion engine as primary
> power, it seems you could divert some of the plasma to an MHD generator
> for auxiliary power. Does this seem workable, or am I behind the times?
> Would it, perhaps, produce enough power to drive your linac? I would
> have doubts about it having sufficient longevity, despite having no
> moving parts (other than its cooling system), due to accelerated aging
> of the components exposed to the plasma stream. Would its DC output be
> an advantage or a disadvantage?
>
> Curtis
>