GN Drive

GN Drive(s) (GNドライヴ, GN Doraivu?), also referred to as solar reactor and/or solar furnace (太陽炉, Taiyou-Ro?), is a semi-perpetual generator scalable for installation on a mobile suit. It harnesses the photon and positron discharge of the non-evaporative decay of baryonic matter as an energy source. Though its output is within any given period of time finite, the absence of a limit to its functional life translates to an effectively inexhaustible supply of energy. Owing to the unique heatlessness of its activity and the special properties of its byproduct, GN particles. The device operation is virtually invisible to such methods of detection as IRST or conventional radar. GN particles are not used in the process of energy production.

Developed as a mobile weapon power source by Celestial Being, which guards it with the utmost secrecy -- they would rather destroy the technology than allow it to fall into enemy hands. The device's relationship with real-life solar furnaces is unknown.



GN Particles
GN particles (GN粒子, GN Ryoushi) are a type of exotic neutrino released as a byproduct of the GN Drive, capable of disrupting conventional radar and wireless communications with the electromagnetic radiation it expels in the process of decay. The effect is comparable to that of the Minovsky particles in Universal Century. Unlike standard-flavor particles of the same class, it is responsive to an unspecified machine-producible interactive force, thus exploited by Celestial Being for a variety of uses as part of an electromagnetic stealth measure; in a physical barrier system, for use in such circumstances as atmospheric reentry; as a propellant for the GN Vernier; and as a coat that improves the cutting ability of physical blades.

Stability Control
The stability control is an automatic steering system. When piloting, the stability control(s) can detect a lack or excess energy for certain maneuvers and can compensate the difference in needed power. This feature helps improve movement for the Gundam and aid a Meister in piloting.

Flywheel
It's a mechanical device with significant moment of inertia used as a storage device for rotational energy. Flywheels resist changes in their rotational speed, which helps steady the rotation of the shaft when a fluctuating torque is exerted on it by its power source such as a piston-based (reciprocating) engine, or when the load placed on it is intermittent (such as a piston pump). Flywheels can be used to produce very high power pulses as needed for some experiments, where drawing the power from the public network would produce unacceptable spikes. A small motor can accelerate the flywheel between the pulses.

TD Blanket
The TD Blanket module (or TR Plunket Module) is an energy converter used in the five solar furnaces (GN Drives) of the Gundams. It's unclear the true nature of the system as it was never clearly defined for its function. While often speculated as a filter for GN particle conversion and generation, there's limited evidence to confirm that specific purpose. Another speculation could be that it's a energy conversion stabilizer component, similar that of a | carburetor. Regardless of the system's nature (energy filter, converter, transformer, stabilizer, etc), it's design is crucial to unlimited GN particle generation and its green hue particles.

Without a TD Blanket module, a GN Drive is still capable of generating GN particles to power a mobile suit; it's operation time is limited due to it's poor quality in GN particle utilization and generation. The GN particles generated by such a drive has unique energy properties that can be harmful to human cellular regeneration and change it's particle hue from green to red.


 * note: TD Blanket is also known as TR Plunket. In two different schematics of a GN Drive, one version clearly labels it as "TD Blanket" (GN Drive Mechanical Illustration) while another clearly says "TR Plunket"(ep 18 GN Drive schematic).

GN Condenser
GN Condenser(s) is a energy capacitor(s) that allow a mobile units to reserve and exploit excess GN particles when needed. Although a GN Drive creates unlimited energy, the GN Drive(s) have a limited rate of particle generation. Mobile units that have high particle requirements can't efficiently utilize the full power of their mobile units without risk draining power from various or all systems. To compensate, the condensers are used to help maintain consistent power to systems and can be used to charge a high particle consuming function. Gundams have high energy requirements and have a series of condensers built into the mobile suits to provide the necessary energy it needs in combat situations.