Title :
Small size Pu238-based radionuclide thermoelectric generators: status, applications and prospects of use
Author :
Pustovalov, A.A. ; Lazarenko, Yu V. ; Shapovalov, V.P.
Author_Institution :
VNIIRT, Moscow, USSR
Abstract :
Pu238O2 based radionuclide heat source (RHS) structures of heating capacity ranging from 0.1 W to 100 W have been developed. The reliability of these structures has been evaluated with a large number of comprehensive tests. Data for the RHS are given. Prospects for the development of small-size radionuclide thermoelectric generators (RTGs) of electric power ranging from 10-3 to 10 W, using the RHS, are identified. For small-size RTGs developed in the USSR, power capacity ranges from 50 to 100 kWh/kg, exceeding the power capacity of lithium cells by a factor of 200 at the minimum. Applications of RTGs of up to 10 W electric power are believed to be promising as cheap and ecologically clean sources of electric energy
Keywords :
nuclear power; thermoelectric conversion; 0.1 to 100 W; 1×10-3 to 10 W; Pu; USSR; development; nuclear power; power capacity; radionuclide heat source; reliability; thermoelectric generators; Batteries; Buffer storage; Cogeneration; Containers; Energy conversion; Fuels; Power generation; Production; Semiconductivity; Thermoelectricity;
Conference_Titel :
Energy Conversion Engineering Conference, 1989. IECEC-89., Proceedings of the 24th Intersociety
Conference_Location :
Washington, DC
DOI :
10.1109/IECEC.1989.74853
