Open AccessInvestigation of miniaturized radioisotope thermionic power generation for general use
Author(s) -
Adam Duzik,
Sang H. Choi
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
proceedings of spie, the international society for optical engineering/proceedings of spie
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Conference proceedings
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.192
H-Index - 176
eISSN - 1996-756X
pISSN - 0277-786X
DOI - 10.1117/12.2222039
Subject(s) - thermionic emission , thermoelectric generator , common emitter , limiting , nuclear engineering , materials science , electricity generation , current (fluid) , work (physics) , process engineering , electrical engineering , thermoelectric materials , optoelectronics , thermoelectric effect , engineering physics , power (physics) , mechanical engineering , engineering , physics , nuclear physics , electron , quantum mechanics , thermodynamics , electrical resistivity and conductivity
Radioisotope thermoelectric generators (RTGs) running off the radioisotope Pu238 are the current standard in deep space probe power supplies. While reliable, these generators are very inefficient, operating at only ~7% efficiency. As an alternative, more efficient radioisotope thermionic emission generators (RTIGs) are being explored. Like RTGs, current RTIGs concepts use exotic materials for the emitter, limiting applicability to space and other niche applications. The high demand for long-lasting mobile power sources would be satisfied if RTIGs could be produced inexpensively. This work focuses on exposing several common materials, such as Al, stainless steel, W, Si, and Cu, to elevated temperatures under vacuum to determine the efficiency of each material as inexpensive replacements for thermoelectric materials.
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