DocumentCode
1229817
Title
Radioisotope Thermoelectric Space Power Supplies
Author
Stivers, George
Author_Institution
Nuclear Division Martin Company
Volume
2
Issue
2
fYear
1964
fDate
4/1/1964 12:00:00 AM
Firstpage
652
Lastpage
660
Abstract
The weight and efficiency of radioisotope thermoelectric space power supplies, using Plutonium-238, Curium-244 and Strontium-90 fuels, lead telluride and silicon germanium alloy thermoelectric systems, and ranging in power output from 30 to 300 electrical watts are presented. It is shown that there is a definite radiator temperature for which generator weight is minimum and that this temperature varies with fuel, thermoelectric conversion system and power level. In addition, the various factors governing the selection of a particular radioisotope power supply for a given mission are discussed.
Keywords
Fuels; Germanium alloys; Germanium silicon alloys; Lead compounds; Power supplies; Radioactive materials; Silicon germanium; Strontium; Temperature; Thermoelectricity;
fLanguage
English
Journal_Title
Aerospace, IEEE Transactions on
Publisher
ieee
ISSN
0536-1516
Type
jour
DOI
10.1109/TA.1964.4319650
Filename
4319650
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