Cosmic Energy Intake Screen

Cosmic energy intake screens were developed by Boskone as a new and secretive form of power supply. Using normal allotropic uranium generators as exciters, they generated an energy field that absorbed background cosmic energy, allowing the Boskonian ships unparalleled amounts of power.
However, their secret was discovered when Kinnison, aboard the specially-built 'Britannia', stole the design and managed to get it back to Prime Base on Tellus. The Galactic Patrol countered by both developing its own version and by developing a blocking field; the Boskonians quickly depleted their energy stores against Patrol shields, thus leaving them helpless against return fire - although this tactic took a long time to work.

FROM THE GURPS LENSMAN SOURCEBOOK:

Cosmic ray screens tap into the continual flux of energy that permeates the ether and converts that energy into usable electricity. A 'standard' cosmic energy screen produces 1,000 pounds per hour of power, masses 0.05 tons, takes up 0.1 cy, and costs $2.

Such screens suffer one disadvantage - it takes power to activate them. Once activated, they are self-sustaining, but they consume one-one hundred thousandth of their output. To start such a screen, this power must be applied for a full second before it will become self-sustaining. Therefore, all ships using such screens carry accumulators or some other backup power supply. Most ships mount two or three power supplies as dedicated intake-screen exciters. Dauntless-class superdreadnoughts mount 200.

If cosmic ray absorption screens are nested so that one is completely inside the other, only the outermost will receive any power. Some ships and many ground installations mount enormous cosmic ray screens, far larger than their own power requirements (their excess output dumped into a well-cooled shunt) for the purpose of surrounding an attacker's screens and cutting him off from this source of power. Screens have a radius, in miles, from their generator equal to the square root of the power produced (in pounds per hour).

An installation with cosmic ray absorption screens needs no other sources of energy except a small starter supply, such as a bank of accumulators - unless there is concern that hostile forces might cut it off from cosmic radiation.

Record 1177 - technology - Last update 28 Mar 2007, 23:10:31

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