In Stargate Atlantis, the naquadah generators power parts of the city under (what assume is) a constant and heavy load. They would have to last at least a few months, if not longer. Is there any reference to just how long they can run?
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4I am pretty sure that for any given amount of Naquadah (X) will last exactly (L) time where (L) is exactly the length of time for One episode minus the closing scene. Unless there is about to be an attack then L is the length of time from the start to just before the attack so there is no time to fix it.– ChadCommented Feb 27, 2012 at 14:21
2 Answers
The only official number I can find on the Stargate Wiki is the size of an overload explosion for the original Tau'ri Naquadah generator (the Mark I): 20 kilotons.
Other comparisons are also made:
- The Mark II produces 600% the power output of the Mark I, but depletes quickly.
- Two Mark IIs are able to power an Ancient control chair for a limited amount of time - something only a ZPM has otherwise been able to power.
- Powering Atlantis in place of the ZPMs, although in a limited capacity.
- In an alternate timeline, the Mark XII Naquadah Generators were capable of powering Atlantis's shields continuously for 800 years (with some assistance from solar panels). (Atlantis 4x20, "The Last Man")
The Naquadah Generator talk page includes some posts attempting to figure out the output of the generators.
I've only seen bits and pieces of Atlantis. However, in season 3 of SG-1 there's an episode in which Carter gets to study and reverse engineer a Naquadah generator...the episode is "Learning Curve".
She mentions having only a 'small amount' of Naquadah, successfully activates the generator once, and is then out of Naquadah and needs to get more. I was left with the impression that it's really powerful and horribly inefficient.
So...as long as the story needs it to.