Well-Known Member
Image Source: http://2753productions.blogspot.com/2010/04/modeling-starship-engine-wip.html
Intent: To create a new, upgraded version of the Eshan ZY-100 engine as seen in such ships as the IFAS (see my signature for a link to one).
Development Thread: The Republic Navy: Advanced!
Manufacturer: Eshan Industrial Corporation
Model: EZY Engines
Affiliation: Eshan Industrial Corporation clients
Modularity: No
Production: Minor
Material: Nutorium, Silica, Thermal Gel, Durasteel
Description:
Previously, EchaniTech developed an engine that could run on both Tibanna and TibannaX. The engine was able to minimize noise and vibration in ships of a larger scale than fighters. Previously TibannaX had only seen its use in such vessels as StealthX's, and a large reason for this is the cost of production as well as the fact that there weren't larger engines that could run on the gas. That changed with Eshan Drive Yards production of the Interceptor-class Fast Attack Ship, or IFAS. The vessel was an attack corvette built to run with great speed and quietness. The engines used in it, the ZY-100's, were perfectly sized for the vessel, but incapable of being fitted into larger vessels.
To compensate for this, Eshan Industrial Corporation has come up with the design for larger engines in various sizes that can be placed in larger vessels to allow them to run as quietly and efficiently as the IFAS or StealthX. This is not a cloaking generator, or a stealthing generator. The EZY was developed simply to allow for a vessel to run quieter and more efficiently than most other vessels of the same size, providing the ability that, when equipped with a cloaking device, a ship could be truly stealthed.
The main engine is built of a high efficiency durasteel and nutorium blend. The two metals act together as a high heat resistant and absorptive material that processes the gas without giving off a massive amount of thermal loss, making them less likely to be detected via infrared scans. In addition, the entire engine housing is shielded by nutorium plating. Between the plating and the engine itself is a blend of silica and thermal gel which, together with the plating, minimizes audio output and absorbs the majority of radiation that the engines put out, which isn't used for propulsion.
Of course these engines do have their limits. Testing has shown that in vessels of 1000 meters or less the engines effectively reach their peak of performance, limiting a ships detectability due to engine noise, radiation, output, and thermal mass. For ships over 1000 meters, the size of the engines makes them highly less cost effective, and they are less capable of providing maximum propulsion, reducing the speed of the vessel. Additionally, the fuel source itself, TibannaX, is limited in quantity. Even if these engines are installed on a vessel, the chances that it will be running TibannaX are relatively slim in most operations.
When the engines are running on standard Tibanna, the same reductions apply, but the output will be largely noticeable, just as it is for most other vessels. In other words, it provides no visual help when using regular Tibanna, only limiting noise, some thermal, and radiation output. Cost becomes an extreme factor in larger ships, making it exceedingly rare for it to be seen on vessels of large size.
However, since EIC doesn't provide the fuel for the engines use, it's always willing to install them for the right price. It's up to the consumer to fuel it.
