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📝 The problem with my idea is they’d be limited to 21 tons of usable fuel, maximum. (Is that a problem? Maybe it’s drama!)
Oh, and I don’t have anything for the actual skimming. But does that really need a roll? It takes a couple hours, nuff said. If the pilot (or whomever(s)) wants, he can RP it - otherwise, we hand wave it.
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<aside> 📝 The problem with their idea is that the skim tanks hold an amount too large to be accounted for in the deck plans.
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No roll required
the scoops collect up to 21 tons of gas in one wing fuel tank the gas is sent through the processor, which separates the hydrogen into the other wing tank and the other elements are expelled from the ship, except oxygen, which is added to the ship’s reserves.
1 - collect up to 21 tons of fuel 2 - after an hour of processing per ton, roll a d6x10% to determine hydrogen content e.g., d6 = 3 x 10% = 30% hydrogen in this gas = 6 tons of fuel
FUEL SKIMMING Fuel skimming takes a number of ‘passes’, during which the ship opens its scoops and forces gas into them by moving fast through the atmosphere – or by simply pointing into the wind. A ship can skim fuel equal to 1% of its hull tonnage per pass, with a pass typically requiring 2D minutes. Thus, a vessel wanting to obtain 20% of its hull tonnage in fuel in the Deep layer will need 20 passes averaging about seven minutes each, for a total of 140 minutes. Skimming would take twice as long in the Shallow layer but would also be safer. —-Traveller Companion Update 2024, p164
Partial streamlining allows a ship to skim gas giants and enter Atmosphere codes of 3 or less, acting in the same way as streamlined ships. In other atmospheres, the ship will be ponderous and unresponsive, reliant on its thrusters to keep it aloft. All Pilot checks will be made with DM-2.
and
Gas Giants: A star system may have one or more gas giant planets (similar to Jupiter or Saturn). The presence of a gas giant allows streamlined starships to refuel by skimming; this eliminates fuel cost for the vessel and increases profit. It also allows refuelling at systems that do not have starports. Refuelling in this fashion requires 1D days to travel to the gas giant and commence refuelling. Fuel gained by skimming is unrefined.
Fuel Section: The fuel section holds and controls the starship's fuel supply.
Fuel Scoops: The fuel scoops allow the starship to perform wilderness refueling by skimming a gas giant's atmosphere. When the vessel swoops down into the gas giant's outer atmosphere, the atmospheric gases are pushed into the ship through the fuel scoops.
Purification Plant: Once the raw fuel has been taken into the ship, whether from a gas giant or a water ocean, ti must be purified into hydrogen and stored in the fuel tank.
Aux Fuel In/Out: The auxiliary fuel in/out connection is the standard fuel intake used during routine starship refuel- ing at a starport. This intake is also the standard input point for ocean water gathered during an ocean refueling. Starport fuel typically goes straight to the fuel tank (unless ti is unrefined), while ocean water must first be routed through the purification plant for conversion into hydrogen.
Pump: The pump is the central routing unit for the fuel going in and out of the fuel system.
Fuel Tank: The fuel "tank" is actually a series of separate interconnected compartments for storing both raw and refined fuel.
Waste: During the refinement process, any unusable waste byproducts from the fuel purification plant are dumped from the ship via the waste line.
RELATED TOPICS
Starship fuel is generally broken into two categories: refined and unrefined.
Refined Fuel: Refined fuel is preferred since it has been stripped of any impurities which might adversely affect the operation of the power plant or jump drive. Refined fuel is most commonly obtained at a starport. Scout vessels and similar military craft receive fuel from stockpiles maintained for them at their bases without cost. When purchased, refined hydrogen costs an average of Cr35 per kiloliter. In systems without gas giants or wet worlds, where the only source of fuel is the port authority, this cost can be up to six times higher.
Unrefined Fuel: Unrefined fuel is available from a wide variety of sources. Most commonly, it is obtained by skimming the atmosphere of a gas giant. In other cases, a starship can refuel using water from a lake or ocean. In desperate situations, fuel can be obtained from ice rings, polar caps, or even cometary bodies. The major drawback to using unrefined fuel, however, is that it can alter the amount of energy supplied to the ship's jump drive and cause a misjump (see Jump Drive). Most commercial and military craft have the capability of taking in unrefined fuel and processing it into refined fuel onboard. This is done via a fuel purification plant and normally requires about six hours to purify all of the fuel in a ship's tanks.