Planetary Resource Infrastructure_LeadAndTritium

The latest addition to the PRI series—PRI_LeadAndTritium—further enhances the sustainability of fusion engines from Nertea’s Far Future Technologies mod. It also completes some unfinished features left by Nertea in the same mod, implemented within my current capabilities.

New Resources Added: EnrichedNuclearSaltWater ShieldedLead HfC-SiC-BN LqdTritium

Key Features:

This patch enables several fusion engines to switch between different fusion modes: 'Hammertong', 'Discovery', 'Ouroboros', 'Cascade', 'FX-2 Fusion Reactor', and 'FX-3 Fusion Reactor' can toggle between Deuterium-Helium-3 (D-He³) and Deuterium-Tritium (D-T) fusion. 'Impulse' supports Deuterium-Deuterium (D-D), D-He³, and D-T modes. Why the distinction? Helium-3 (He³) is extremely rare but offers clean, highly efficient propulsion (high specific impulse). Tritium (T) serves as a less efficient "dirty" transitional fuel—it produces more neutrons, reducing efficiency (lower specific impulse) and requiring heavy ShieldedLead consumption to mitigate radiation. (I considered making ShieldedLead convert into Spent-ShieldedLead to preserve ship mass, but handling its removal proved too unnecessary—let’s just say the Kerbals casually discard spent shielding!)

Gameplay Implementation:

Supported fusion engines allow in-VAB mode switching via B9PartSwitch.
ShieldedLead consumption rates vary by reaction type:
    Reaction Products mode (higher neutron output) consumes more ShieldedLead.
    High Thrust/Afterburner mode (more hydrogen-based shielding) uses less.
Balance considerations: Engines designed for prolonged burns have larger ShieldedLead reserves and lower consumption to maintain playability.
Mode-switching mechanics:
    'Ouroboros' uses a MultiModeEngine system.
    'Fresnel' (due to complex B9PartSwitch structures) does not yet support D-T mode.
    'Dirac' (an antimatter engine) has no D-T mode added yet.

Tritium & Leadshield Production & Logistics:

Tritium (LqdTritium) is stored in the Fissionables Tank and boils off if SystemHeatBoiloff is installed.
    Production methods（balanced by high electricity consumption）:
        Injecting Lithium into certain fusion power reactors.
        Injecting Lithium into Near Future Electrical fission reactors 
ShieldedLead is a byproduct of the Whirlijig Nuclear Reprocessor (from Near Future Electrical) when producing Enriched Uranium.
    Requires a Level 4 Engineer to transfer.
Identifying D-T fuel types: Check if an engine stores ShieldedLead—if not, it’s likely using D-He³.

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Additional Improvements to Far Future Technologies

1. PK-1 'Vulcan' Nuclear Smelter Enhancements Observed that the model already includes tanks for NuclearSaltWater and FissionParticles—this patch formally adds them to the game.

2. Ablator Replacement for 'Casaba' Engine I find Nertea originally intended for the A-134NG 'Casaba' Antimatter Catalyzed Microfission Engine to replenish Ablator, but the original NO_FLOW Ablator resource made this unworkable. Solution: Introduced Enhanced Porous Hafnium Carbide Ceramic (HfC-SiC-BN) as a replacement (based on real-world materials—I’m open to better naming suggestions!). Production: Currently craftable from Ore in the 'Vulcan' (will be refined with better recipes later). Storage: Only the 'Casaba' engine’s integrated tank can hold HfC-SiC-BN. To reapply depleted HfC-SiC-BN, dock with a 'Casaba'-equipped station/base. To transfer between engines, a Level 5 Engineer is required.

3. New Fuel for X-12 'Verne' Nuclear Pulse Engine Discovered an unused localization name: EnrichedNuclearSaltWater (NSWX). Assigned as the exclusive fuel for 'Heinlein', justifying its higher specific impulse compared to 'Verne'. Production: Created in the 'Vulcan' using Enriched Uranium + Ore. Storage: Held in the Fissionables Tank (switchable via B9PartSwitch, in-VAB). The integrated NSW tank in 'Vulcan' can also be toggled to NSWX mode (VAB or mid-flight).

4. Additional Waterfall Effect Tweaks (A-834M 'Frisbee' Antimatter Engine)   I’ve also made subtle adjustments to the A-834M 'Frisbee' Antimatter Engine’s Waterfall effects, included in the Waterfall files under the PRI folder. Specifically: Extended the exhaust plume length in vacuum to better match its immense energy output. Modified atmospheric effects to simulate the cascading brilliance of its powerful beam interacting with dense air

============ DEPENDENCIES ============

Required: - CommunityResourcePack (1.4.2) - ModuleManager (v4.2.3) - FarFutureTechnologies (1.4.2) - B9PartSwitch

Optional - NearFutureElectrical (2.0.1)