Fuel Tanks...I wish we could upgrade the BASE tanks on our ships

It always irked me that the one thing we COULDN'T upgrade on our ships was fuel tanks other thank adding extra were fuel tanks. Even if it was just extra ton of fuel per rank. Yeah, yeah engineering 'fixes' this but still I wish we could have done that in vanilla, I mean, you see that grade on it and you would think, can't wait to find that A grade fuel tank!, yet search fruitlessly when you don't know about eddb, I know I know heavens forbid a player doesn't want to use that and just flies around looking around themselves.
 
It always irked me that the one thing we COULDN'T upgrade on our ships was fuel tanks other thank adding extra were fuel tanks.
Ironically I often upgrade my ships by switching to a SMALLER fuel tank. I gained a noticeable increase in range on my exploration Dolphin by downsizing the tank, and since my fuel scoop can top that small tank off before the FSD recharges, it's all win and no loss.

As for making the tank bigger - I don't see how that would work and still be 'logical', unless you install a TARDIS tank (bigger on the inside).
 

Robert Maynard

Volunteer Moderator
Ironically I often upgrade my ships by switching to a SMALLER fuel tank. I gained a noticeable increase in range on my exploration Dolphin by downsizing the tank, and since my fuel scoop can top that small tank off before the FSD recharges, it's all win and no loss.
.... no loss apart from the increased likelihood of running out of fuel. As fuel tanks have no weight, fitting a smaller one does not change empty ship jump range (even though more fuel on board = less jump range; subject to having enough fuel on board to cope with a maximum jump).
 
I think the biggest tank with some rails modded with plasma slug (or even better their PP counter parts - imperial hammers) are the best combo.
When taking the neutron highway in anaconda i had to refuel every 3-4 jumps, in aspx every 7 jumps. Made quite a difference
 
.... no loss apart from the increased likelihood of running out of fuel. As fuel tanks have no weight, fitting a smaller one does not change empty ship jump range (even though more fuel on board = less jump range; subject to having enough fuel on board to cope with a maximum jump).
I've never run out of fuel. Ever. That said, I do wish I could plot routes based on partially filled tanks, and have the fuel scoop automatically deactivate at this setting. But until then, the smaller tank works great for me. Of course I'm a True Explorer (I also fly shieldless), not a wimpy space tourist like the rest of you.
 
Ironically I often upgrade my ships by switching to a SMALLER fuel tank. I gained a noticeable increase in range on my exploration Dolphin by downsizing the tank, and since my fuel scoop can top that small tank off before the FSD recharges, it's all win and no loss.

As for making the tank bigger - I don't see how that would work and still be 'logical', unless you install a TARDIS tank (bigger on the inside).

High-pressure storage tanks (heck, we’re scooping gas from stars, right?) could compress more fuel into the same space. They’d weigh more in order to stand the pressure, though. Seems like a reasonable trade-off.
 
High-pressure storage tanks (heck, we’re scooping gas from stars, right?) could compress more fuel into the same space. They’d weigh more in order to stand the pressure, though. Seems like a reasonable trade-off.
I always pictured our tanks storing fuel in liquid form, just like 21st century rockets. Compressing a gas into a liquid is 19th century technology, so surely our ships do this already.
 

Robert Maynard

Volunteer Moderator
I always pictured our tanks storing fuel in liquid form, just like 21st century rockets. Compressing a gas into a liquid is 19th century technology, so surely our ships do this already.
That's what I've assumed too - as liquid hydrogen has a density of 0.07085t/m³; i.e. 14.114m³/t - not to liquify it would be wasteful of volume.
 
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