Essentially all RTGs that have been produced have been designed for long term unattended operation. An isotope needs several rather specialized attributes to be useful in such an RTG: Half life of several decades High energy alpha or beta decay Low associated gamma radiation The two isotopes that have been most frequently used are Pu-238…
Bennett, G. L. et al “Status Report on Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generators using Silicon Germanium Thermoelectric Elements”, paper presented at the 29th Intersociety Energy Conversion Engineering Conference, Monterey CA, 1994. AIAA-94-4127-CP Kelly, E C. and Klee, P. “Cassini RTGs – Small Scale Module Tests”, paper presented at the 29th Intersociety Energy Conversion Engineering Conference, Monterey CA,…
The only planned use of RTGs in the US space program in the near term is the unmanned, 1997 Cassini mission to explore Saturn. The Cassini spacecraft will be powered by three General Purpose Heat Source Radioisotope Thermal Generators (GPHS RTGs) each designed to provide 276 W of electrical power at the beginning of the…
DoE Ordered to Begin Accepting Waste (July 24, 1996) – A federal appeals court ordered the Department of Energy to begin accepting spent nuclear fuel no later than January 31, 1998. This decision specifically rejected the DoE’s claim that the requirements of the Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982 did not apply if there was…
Sources for Atomic Energy Insights August 1996 (Power Barges) Simpson, John Nuclear Power from Underseas to Outer Space, American Nuclear Society, La Grange Park, IL 1995. Valenti, Michael Power Plants to Go, Mechanical Engineering, May 1996. Raytheon and Westinghouse Consortium Awarded 382 Million for Pakistani Power Project, Press Release dated April 22, 1996. Floating N-Plants:…
The Army Nuclear Power program recognized the potential benefits of putting a nuclear power plant on a water mobile platform in the early 1960s. In January, 1963, construction began on the Sturgis, a World War II vintage Liberty ship hull modified to accept installation of a 10,000 kilowatt pressurized water nuclear steam plant. Designated the…
The northern coast of Russia is an area endowed with rich natural resources and vast mineral wealth but burdened with a limited infrastructure. Because of the extremely cold winters, transportation is difficult and infrequent. During the Soviet era, finding workers to exploit the riches was not difficult; they had little choice in the matter. Once…
Most people associated with the nuclear industry, and many residents of Florida have some knowledge of the ill-fated Westinghouse/Newport News Offshore Power System project. Begun in 1970, this project was based on two ideas. The first was that a series of identical reactors produced in a factory type setting could be completed in a shorter…
Electric power sources are on or near the top of the wish list for many developing nations. Business, social and government leaders recognize that reliable sources of electricity are essential to a modern economy. Without electricity, computers do not compute, mass transit systems cannot function, air conditioners do not enhance productivity, dryers do not dry,…
The power barge market seems to be moving in several different directions depending on the specific needs of the potential customers and the business model of the various suppliers. There are complex, high tech projects that are aiming for higher and higher levels of efficiency and gains in scale economies. These projects are often slated…
Russian Floating Power Stations (June 11, 1996: Source-NucNet, an Internet service of the European Nuclear Agency) – Officials at the Kurchatov Atomic Energy Institute in Moscow have announced that the technical design stage for a series of floating nuclear power stations is now complete. Each power plant will consist of two 70 Mwe pressurized water…
The SL-1 accident was initiated by the rapid withdrawal of the central control rod. Starting from a fully shutdown condition, the action produced a condition in the core technically known as a prompt criticality. When the SL-1 reactor achieved prompt criticality, a number of events happened in rapid succession. The core power level pulsed to…