Star Wars Fuel

[l33telboi]

So, in the Clone Wars episode "Rookies" we saw something the clones referred to as a 'fuel droid', a droid that apparently carried liquid tibanna in it, a liquid that was highly explosive. This, for me at least, was something quite significant, because it implies the SW galaxy makes use of liquid fuel of some sort rather then fusion or M/AM annihilation for (at least) the smaller vessels.

So, if these fuel droids are the things fuelling fighters and the like, then where does that leave us? I've said nothing until now because there wasn't certain these fuel droids were used to fuel starships, I mean, they could've been used for a number of other things, though it would be a little surprising if they weren't used for fueling ships, given how often we see them marching around hangar bays.

That changed a few seconds ago as I was making my way through the novel "Millennium Falcon". It's said that the YT freighters are fueled by fuel droids. And that these droids carry a volatile fuel inside them - "a form of liquid metal", as it was called. And these droids had a tendency to explode rather violently.

So, indeed we do know what fuels starships now. But not only that, we have a way to accurately gauge the energy content of Star Wars fuel, judging by the explosions made when the fuel droids go off in "Rookies". I’m still waiting for this to be confirmed in T-canon though.

Thoughts?

[Jedi Master Spock]

Liquid tibanna? That doesn't mean they're not fusion engines.

Right, so replace "tibanna" with "volatile neutron-enriched hydrocarbon" and we are, as usual, good to go. When I presented what we refer to as "diesel fusion," this is precisely what I'm talking about. Hydrocarbons of some variety, probably neutron enriched, being fed into a robust fusion engine.

It's an explanation that fits Lucas's vision of Star Wars very well. And in that case, the violence with which a fuel droid explodes is not necessarily the effective energy content of the fuel; we're talking about the difference between chemical energies and nuclear energies.

[l33telboi]

Looking through the databank on starwars.com it seems it also mentions fusion. So I suppose that theory really does gain more support with this. Though the databank also says it's more of a battery then a unit containing actual fuel. So...

I'm not to keen on calling the liquid used 'diesel' though, because I think we both know that GL (or any of the writers) wouldn't ever call it that. That doesn’t mean I disagree with the general idea behind your diesel theory though.

If this is the case though, the explosive power of these droids can not be used to measure the total energy content they hold.

EDIT: Forget the last part. You edited your post to include a comment on it after I clicked reply.

[Jedi Master Spock]

Well, I'd say "diesel" isn't an accurate term, but it's the one I used when I came up with it, and it seems to have stuck ("DFT").

We could say "hydrocarbon fueled fusion" (HFF) and try to stick with that.

[Mr. Oragahn]

I've said nothing either, although this highly explosive liquid tibanna reference kept ticking since I saw that episode.
You can look at the size of those containers, the fact that detonators and explosive charges were placed on them, and what it did to the building to get an idea of the power of such fuel.

[Airlocke_Jedi_Knight]

I would just like to say that in the Thrawn Trilogy(I forget which book) it makes mention of "fuel cells" I don't really know where that leaves us, but I had assumed that it would be more like a battery than a liquid fuel.

[mojo]

i remember that, it was luke's x-wing. there was a whole bunch of talk about his fuel cells when he was floating through space before mara found him.

so that would have been the first book.

i took it to mean batteries too, but there's no reason it couldn't be talking about cells filled with fuel. i mean, you could call a gas tank a 'fuel cell', if you wanted to. and i think i will, from now on. 'jen, the fuel cell is almost depleted!'

[ILikeDeathNote]

I would just like to say that in the Thrawn Trilogy(I forget which book) it makes mention of "fuel cells" I don't really know where that leaves us, but I had assumed that it would be more like a battery than a liquid fuel.

A fuel cell doesn't necessarily have to be an electronic battery. The fuel bladders on aircraft are sometimes referred to as fuel cells.