Difference between revisions of "Overheating"
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* How does this work: What can be used as heat sinks, which overheat the most?}} | * How does this work: What can be used as heat sinks, which overheat the most?}} | ||
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| + | * Needs discussion of how heat is gained from atmospheric friction in 1.0 onwards. | ||
| + | * Needs discussion of how heat propagates through the parts and is lost again (cooling). | ||
| + | * Mention shielding sensitive and non-aerodynamic parts using fairings and cargo bays. | ||
| + | * Heat shields and ablation. | ||
| + | * Some engines can actually work as a heat shield, due to their high heat tolerance. | ||
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[[File:Overheat bar.png|thumb|right|Overheat bar next to the fuel bar of an overheating [[SRB]].]] | [[File:Overheat bar.png|thumb|right|Overheat bar next to the fuel bar of an overheating [[SRB]].]] | ||
[[File:Rockomax Mainsail transparent.png|thumb|right|The most powerful engines tend to overheat the most.]] | [[File:Rockomax Mainsail transparent.png|thumb|right|The most powerful engines tend to overheat the most.]] | ||
Revision as of 09:16, 2 May 2015
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In the game Kerbal Space Program, the largest and most powerful of the engines tend to overheat. To avoid overheating, thrust should never be at 100% for a long time. Depending on the configuration it may need to be kept below about 66%. Different engines have different overheating rates and levels.
This is most noticeable on the most powerful engines, such as the Rockomax "Mainsail" Liquid Engine, which overheat very easily. It is possible to dampen overheating by using smaller fuel tanks. For example, using the Mainsail engine and Rockomax Jumbo-64 Fuel Tank overheats the engine very quickly, while using the tank one size smaller, the Rockomax X200-32 Fuel Tank, allows the engine to run at a higher thrust level without overheating.
Overheating can also occur when at close distances to Kerbol.
As of Version 1.0, the new 'Drill-O-Matic' Mining Excavator can cause overheating, and solar panels are capable of acting as radiators.
Practical overheat concerns
- or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Overheat
As of version 1.0.2[outdated], overheat only really matters if the overheat bar reaches 100%. If the bar fills up, the engine explodes; if it doesn't fill up, there's no problem.
In practice, this means that overheating can often be entirely ignored. Fuel supply is frequently exhausted long before it reaches 100%, or the burn is completed and the engine shutdown again.
Even the Mainsail under a pair of stacked Jumbo-64 tanks can run at 100% for long enough to fully drain both tanks, without exploding, so it's frequently unnecessary to make changes to eliminate the overheat. One way to approach it is to simply ignore overheat entirely when designing, then try the craft on some normal flight profiles. If the overheat bars stay comfortably below 100% (e.g. no more than about 80%), it's not an issue. With the new thermal system added in 1.0, it has now become important to additionally factor in leaving sufficient unused overheat capacity if you are expecting to experience heat from a source other than the running engine.
