Timberwind engines misconfigured for SystemHeat

[JacobB094]

It seems that there's something wrong with Timberwind engine configuration for SystemHeat. They melt themselves down a few seconds after loading onto the launchpad, and they generate a considerable amount of heat even in total shutdown. In fact, emergency SCRAM does not prevent them from destroying themselves, unless many large radiators are attached and running (thus essentially making it impossible to launch them).

This affects both Timberwind engines, making them essentially unusable in the current dev. Also, they seem to be modeled as bimodal NTRs, generating ECs as well as thrust. Nothing I've read about Timberwind supports this, though perhaps it's in some source I haven't seen (models don't look like bimodal reactors, though).

[Rodg88]

That's just an optional patch which is based heavily on some SystemHeatFissionEngines configs (optional patches from System Heat itself) for similar engines. I'd probably recommend just removing the patch from your install for now, unless you have Kerbal Atomics/Heat Control installed for some appropriate high-temp radiators.

Will look into updating the patch properly at a later date, esp since it doesn't include a lot of the NTRs at the moment anyway.

[zorg2044]

Also, they seem to be modeled as bimodal NTRs, generating ECs as well as thrust. Nothing I've read about Timberwind supports this, though perhaps it's in some source I haven't seen (models don't look like bimodal reactors, though).

Timberwind is not a high fidelity recreation. It was a design contributed by Maff, a friend of BDB and the model itself is an original design based loosely on some conceptual drawings by BWXT. Despite the Timberwind name its really more of a speculative engine design based on a Timberwind-esque PBR reactor and it was balanced loosely based on fulfilling late game gameplay needs more than anything. It also leans more towards the successor SNTP program than Timberwind proper.

If the SH config is buggy that certainly needs looking at but it should remain bimodal simply to provide some extra utility.

[JacobB094]

Well, it's hard to do a high fidelity recreation of something that only ever existed as theoretical drawings and a few proof of concept part prototypes, at most. I would say, as far as models go, they're as good a guess as anything.

Timberwinds could have a small generator (a thermocouple or something, since they don't have any physical parts to that end), but they should be able to fully cool with fuel flow only when producing thrust. It appears that Timberwind NTRs were mostly intended for launch vehicles, while all my data on specific configs is from Astronautix, it seems to have been taken from a single AWST article. Either way, it appears that their main use was actually SDI launch vehicles. While they don't have to be limited to that use by any means, IMO they should remain useful in that capacity.