Difference between revisions of "Overheating"
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(Less engine-centric. Mainsail hasn't been a major problem for a lot of versions now. I'm pretty certain the old small tank method is completely obsolete under 1.0 heat mechanics, or it certainly should be.) |
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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]].]] | ||
| − | + | '''Overheating''' can be caused by a number of different things. Common heat sources are engines while they are active, and aerodynamic heating. Different engines produce different levels of heat, and have different heat tolerances, resulting in some being more problematic than others. Heat flows to adjacent parts via conduction, so it is not always the part producing the heat which explodes, but a less heat tolerant part which is too close to it. Parts which are too close to, or directly in the path of, a rocket exhaust will gain heat and can overheat, and thrust vectoring or gimballing must be considered for that as well. | |
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Overheating can also occur when at close distances to [[Kerbol]]. | Overheating can also occur when at close distances to [[Kerbol]]. | ||
| − | + | Historically, certain engines were highly problematic for heat generation, but the significant overhaul to heat in 1.0 has consigned most of those cases to the past. | |
== Practical overheat concerns == | == Practical overheat concerns == | ||
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: ''or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Overheat'' | : ''or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Overheat'' | ||
| − | As of version {{Check version|1.0.2}}, overheat only really matters if the overheat bar reaches 100%. If the bar fills up, the | + | As of version {{Check version|1.0.2}}, overheat only really matters if the overheat bar reaches 100%. If the bar fills up, the part explodes; if it doesn't fill up, there's no problem. |
| − | In practice, this means that overheating can often be entirely ignored. | + | In practice, this means that overheating can often be entirely ignored. For engines, the fuel supply is frequently exhausted long before it reaches 100%, or the burn is completed and the engine shutdown again. |
| − | + | 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 heat from a source other than the running engine is expected, such as re-entry aerodynamic heating. | |
Revision as of 11:13, 26 May 2015
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Overheating can be caused by a number of different things. Common heat sources are engines while they are active, and aerodynamic heating. Different engines produce different levels of heat, and have different heat tolerances, resulting in some being more problematic than others. Heat flows to adjacent parts via conduction, so it is not always the part producing the heat which explodes, but a less heat tolerant part which is too close to it. Parts which are too close to, or directly in the path of, a rocket exhaust will gain heat and can overheat, and thrust vectoring or gimballing must be considered for that as well.
Overheating can also occur when at close distances to Kerbol.
Historically, certain engines were highly problematic for heat generation, but the significant overhaul to heat in 1.0 has consigned most of those cases to the past.
Contents
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 part explodes; if it doesn't fill up, there's no problem.
In practice, this means that overheating can often be entirely ignored. For engines, the fuel supply is frequently exhausted long before it reaches 100%, or the burn is completed and the engine shutdown again.
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 heat from a source other than the running engine is expected, such as re-entry aerodynamic heating.
Internal heating mechanics
Since 1.0.2, all parts have heating values which can be shown by enabling "Display Thermal Data in Action Menus" underneath the Thermal tag of the Physics branch of the Debug Toolbar. When enabled, seven extra values will be shown in the action menus of each part (shown when a part is right-clicked). These are the numbers that influence how parts of a rocket heats up.
Thermal Mass
This number influences how likely heat is to conduct into that part through other parts. For example, a part with a high thermal mass and a part with low thermal mass that are equidistant from a heat source will likely have more heat conducted into the part with high thermal mass.
Temp
This is the temperature, in Kelvin, of the part.
Temp Ext
This is the temperature, in Kelvin, of the air or space surrounding that part.
Cond Flux
This is the speed that heat is conducting into or out of the selected part. Conduction is the spreading of heat through contact. A positive number means that the part is gaining heat due to conduction, while a negative number means that it is losing heat.
Conv Flux
This is the speed that heat is convecting into or out of the selected part. Convection is the spreading of heat through the surrounding atmosphere. This number only applies in the atmosphere. A positive number means that the part is gaining heat due to convection, while a negative number means that it is losing heat.
Rad Flux
This is the speed that heat is radiating into or out of the selected part. Radiation is the spreading of heat through the surrounding vacuum. A positive number means that the part is gaining heat due to radiation, while a negative number means that it is losing heat.
Int Flux
This is the speed that the part is generating heat internally. This number usually only applies to engines and drills. This value is influenced by heat shields which consume ablator to absorb heat.
