Open AccessUse of Am-241 in RTGs
Author(s) -
А. В. Михалев,
D O Chernov,
В. В. Коробейников
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
journal of physics. conference series
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.21
H-Index - 85
eISSN - 1742-6596
pISSN - 1742-6588
DOI - 10.1088/1742-6596/1689/1/012063
Subject(s) - nuclide , decay heat , fission products , radionuclide , nuclear engineering , radioactive waste , nuclear transmutation , radiochemistry , spent nuclear fuel , decay chain , nuclear fission , environmental science , waste management , fission , nuclear physics , chemistry , engineering , physics , neutron
Currently, transuranic elements are a serious problem. They are formed in spent nuclear fuel as a result of the operation of reactors. These elements have a sufficiently high radioactivity and a huge half-life, thus they remain dangerous for a very long time and must be burned out on specialized reactors. However, not all of them can be classified exclusively as waste. Am-241, which has a low heat release due to its alpha decay, can be used as a radionuclide source for RTGs. However, this nuclide can maintain a fission chain reaction and emits gamma rays as a result of decay. The article investigates some properties of possible devices, as well as an assessment of the radiation protection for such devices.