AP-FILE #201A: PROJECT "COPIAM"

[Tenacity]

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Incoming Transmission

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Source: Invicta Research Complex, Omicron Rho
Comm ID: Associate Damien Mekal
Encryption: APM Standard

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Establishing Feed

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This project has been taken up by myself and the future crew of the Ailuros as we await final completions at Alabama Shipyard. In the meantime, we have contracted the APM transport Remora and its parasite mining vessel Novitas to undertake the task of developing, testing, and finalizing a new prototype mining system.

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Initial surveys were made to verify data from previous survey reports undertaken by Mr. Garcia. As expected, this data has not significantly changed, though it should be noted that there is a reported 0.00295% variance in navigational data due to interstellar drift in the vicinity of the Omicron Lost Iridium Field. This variance will be noted in our future stellar cartography reports.

Observational Note:
Crewmen operating the mining vessel Novitas reported difficulty in visually identifying Iridium-laced asteroids and distinguishing them from non-Iridium silicate asteroids. We have developed a new system for improving upon this operational deficiency and will upload it following this report.

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Initial mining tests by the Novitas were conducted utilizing standard wide-spectrum mining arrays, specifically the CMT-221 model emitters. These mining arrays are commonly utilized across Sirius by a wide variety of corporations and organizations, and are noted for moderate performance in extracting a wide range of mineral and ore types; versatility over efficiency.

Initial tests show an average range of 2-4 units of viable Iridium per ton of silicate matter processed by the emitter, or a collection efficiency of approximately 25% and a collection rate of roughly 17-24 units per second, with time variance allotted for asteroid drift and concentration. This efficiency extrapolates to an average of 73,000 units per hour.

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Over the course of the past three days, coinciding with the influx of Iridium required by Alabama shipyard for future construction projects - which, might I note, was a perfect opportunity to experiment and test our mining systems - the Novitas' mining arrays were repeatedly adjusted and refocused to maximize mining efficiency and speed specifically for Iridium Ore. It should be noted that these improvements will not readily translate to the collection of other substances, as Iridium is a uniquely reactive material with different properties from other commonly mined minerals.

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Following these tests, our engineering specialist - Marcus Greele - was able to design a prototype emitter which incorporates the very specific wavelengths and focusing points necessary to maximize operational efficiency when separating natural-state Iridium from the surrounding silicate matter and other undesirable elements. More specifically, this design utilizes the same basic central collection array of the CMT-221, but removes the ring of centralized emitters in favor of a wide emission, narrow focus arrangement. Greele's design allows the emission beam to fully encompass the target debris and flash-vaporize less desirable elements, which have a far lower reaction point than the more resilient Iridium ore. This process leaves behind only 100% pure, fully filtered Iridium for the collection array to pull in.

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We've dubbed this prototype the Variable-Focus Mining Array, as the inclusion radius of the emitters is much wider than standard CTM-221 arrays, and thus can be adjusted and refocused in real-time much more easily. In the future we will endeavor to appropriate the focusing array details necessary for similar operation when mining other forms of minerals and alloys, it is entirely possible that APM may redistribute this design to other corporations with preloaded focusing parameters for specific ores. A vast profit might be made selling this system to mining and manufacturing firms throughout Sirius.

In regards to mining efficiency increases, the Variable-Focus Mining Array - when tuned in to Iridium parameters - offers a collection efficiency of just over 31%, and a collection rate of 26-31 units per second, resulting in an average of nearly 100,000 units per hour; an approximate 25% increase in efficiency and collection rate over the standard CMT-221. During the course of the Iridium Rush, our collection rates skyrocketed upon implementing the new prototype arrays, and the Novitas transitioned from struggling to meet the supply needs of our convoys to easily being able to support them.

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Operational Addendum:

As noted previously, operators aboard the Novitas mining vessel - upon beginning operations in the Omicron Lost Iridium Fields - immediately recognized a deficiency in their abilities due to the low-light environment and non-visible emissions of Iridium ore compared to most other mined substances. Iridium, in its inert state and combined with nonreactive silicates, blends seamlessly into the background environment, and is difficult to quickly and efficiently recognize in mining operations. Due to this, Iridium collection rate was heavily reduced during our first collection tests.

Working with our resident Geology and Survey specialist, Conrad Schneider, a solution to this problem was quickly discovered and implemented aboard the Novitas. Natural Iridium has a very low atomic decay rate, and bombarding the Iridium fields with L/B-Spectrum Radiation pulses slightly speeds up that decay rate, enough so that minimal mass is lost while producing a brief, visible glow in surface Iridium deposits. The Novitas' utility spotlights were replaced with Conical L/B Source emitters, and a portion of drive core surplus power was rerouted to these emitters in order to produce frequent microsecond-duration pulses. Further adjustments to pulse frequency and duration allowed the Novitas to sustain a forward arc of L/B Radiation emissions which caused the Iridium deposits to glow a persistent cyan-color as a byproduct of atomic degeneration.

This simple implementation drastically improved the work speed and efficiency of the Novitas' mining operations, and was done with readily available components. I believe that we should push this modification out to all of our Iridium mining assets as quickly as possible, as it is a low-cost way to substantially increase production rates.

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Project Summary

The prototype developed by Greele is easy to replicate, and schematics will be uploaded to Alabama Shipyard to allow fabrication to begin immediately. The Remora and Novitas will be requisitioned tomorrow to begin similar studies regarding the Azurite Reactor in Omicron Delta - it is entirely possible that this same prototype may be just as useful there, once appropriate parameters are recorded and implemented to the mining arrays.

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END TRANSMISSION

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