Design: Metallic Hydrogen Superconductors
1+1, 6, 4+1
We're closer to our goal of a cheap, room-temperature superconductor.
The HyMet Superconductor (a working title lovingly coined by our engineers) is first and foremost, extremely cheap. We could replace our infrastructure with this stuff if we really wanted to. But we don't, since that's not a particularly great idea. Our engineers have managed to create a reliable mass production process for the HyMet Superconductor and as this report is being compiled, basic "factories" are being set up for it. The production process can be easily revised so as we improve the HyMet Superconductor we can quickly incorporate the changes into our design process.
Using HyMet Superconductors in our designs, if we can properly use it, is extremely easy due to how cheap it is for us.
Now, onto the actual effectiveness. It's not great. We haven't perfected the more fine details involved in creating the substance and thus it still has to be cooled. We've included additional equipment in the design that effectively and reliably cool HyMet Superconductors, but it has a large power load and the bulk of the equipment has to be housed somewhere. The actual size of the cooling equipment depends on the total amount of the HyMet Superconductor present in the system, but generally seems to follow a 1:4 ratio in Superconductor : Cooling Equipment in terms of total volume. 10 square meters of HyMet Superconductor requires 2.5 square meters. This is of course, an approximation. We can't just directly scale up equipment like that, but it roughly matches. The power draw is also significant and requires heavy consideration in use.
But it's feasible now. Kind of.
Under extreme power loads, the material does have a tendency to, in a way, disintegrate. This shouldn't ever be a problem in any practical use of it, but it presents a potential risk in the future.
Metallic Hydrogen Superconductors: A very cheap superconductor. Requires dedicated cooling (Very roughly 1:4 superconductor:cooling ratio in terms of volume) and serious power input for cooling, but when cooled, the HyMet Superconductor works just as intended. Tends to "disintegrate" under impractical extreme power loads that shouldn't ever be reached. The required cooling isn't major, but because of the insulation, constant cooling required, and the fact that the entire cable needs it, it needs as much equipment and power as it uses. Doesn't require a Production Line.
It is now the Revision Phase of 2211.