Carnot Ports

All generators in space are limited not by their ability to generate power, but by their ability to dissapate heat into space. Any generator in space must use a specialized panel called a Carnot port to release the heat created by a generator, capturing a little less than a third of the heat energy as usable electrical energy in the process.

Carnot ports vary wildly in size, shape, and operating temperature, but most are square or hexagonal. Regardless of design, the physics is the same. Net energy radiated is proportional to the area of the Carnot port and the fourth power of it's temperature (in Kelvins.) This means that research in very hot Carnot ports is ongoing, as that a tiny difference in temperature can tremendously affect available energy, while increasing the size of the port only modestly increases its power. Very new, high end vessles feature Carnot ports with temperatures in the four thousand Kelvins range, using superconducting electromagnets to compress hot plasma and achieve incredible temperatures without any direct contact. Smaller applications--such as EVA power blocks--operate below one thousand Kelvins for safety reasons.

Special needs Carnot Ports
As that space is such an effective insulator, the body heat produced by the crew and other heat produced by machinery will eventually make any ship or station uninhabitably hot. Furthering the complication, this heat isn't on par with the industrial heat of energy production, so combining it with the energy generation Carnot port is not feasible.

For this purpose ships need seperate ports to radiate the excess heat into space. Some of these have turbines to capture the energy produced, but because this amount of energy is inconsequential, most are simple heat-bleeders; they do not contain a Carnot-type heat engine, therefore they are technically not "Carnot ports," although in common use they may be referred to as such.

Carnot Ports and Ship Design
Most ships have multiple Carnot ports as a matter of necessity; in the inner solar system the Carnot ports facing the sun become much less useful, so others must compensate.

Any ship can be immediately assessed for it's purpose by looking at the number, size, and placement of the Carnot ports. Many large Carnot ports are the signiture of a fast ship.

Exceptions to Carnot Port Design
Carnot ports are intended to shed excess heat without loosing any material, and are for extended energy exertion at efficiencies compatable with interplanetary travel. The entire process, however, can be circumvented by opting to bleed the hot radiator fluid into space, drastically increasing the possible power generation. Such a manouver is an act of desperation, and is only possible so long as there is radiator fluid to spare.