Direct Conversion Of Nuclear Energy Research Articles

Nuclear Power Renaissance Based on Engineered Micro-Nano-Nuclear Materials

Nuclear Power today is in stagnation with a fleet of 440 operational units, due to many drawback factors, as economics, safety, controllability and response time, security and waste management, which all together act as a deterrent to new reactor construction. If the present trend is followed, together with aging of many nuclear plants, by 2040 there will remain less than half of the actual reactors in operation, representing an accelerated decay of the industry. The idea of renaissance of nuclear power is more frequent, but this is not possible without the use of novel materials, based on nano-engineered structures. It is well known that Damascus swords were not possible without the use of Damascus steel, and so the next nuclear technology is not possible without the use of novel micro-nano nuclear materials, which finally dictates the performances of the nuclear structures built with them. As a first approach to modern technology, since 1980s, five types of nuclear materials, able to bring a leap forward in nuclear technology have been identified and studied, which are: 1) Micro-hetero structures able to deal with fission products, that use fission reaction kinematics to self-separate fission products from the nuclear fuel, generically called “Cer-Liq-Mesh”, because simply it consists of a ceramic material stabilized on an elastic mesh or felt, immersed into a drain liquid. This improves the radiation damage, fuel burnup, fission products separation, and specific power density. 2) Nano-Beaded-Hetero-Structures that are using the nano-cluster specific mechanisms to accelerate separation of the transmutation products and place them into a drain liquid, which improves the separation of minor actinides, and radioisotopes production. 3) Nano-hetero structures for direct nuclear energy conversion into electricity, that are resembling a supercapacitor, charged by the moving nuclear particles, and discharges delivering electricity, where the structure is made of repetitive conductive and insulating layers, generically known as “CIci”, some of the variants creating hyperbolic metamaterials, that may deliver electricity and radiation. Using these structures, one may eliminate the thermos-mechanical stage from the actual nuclear-thermo-mechano-electric energy conversion cycle, reducing it at nuclear-electric only and reducing the size of nuclear-electric plant by 90%, creating a fission battery. 4) Radiation damage self-repairing materials made of a “fractal”, multi-material interlaced structure that maintains its properties constant independent of radiation dose. These materials will be used for cladding and structures allowing a near-perfect burning, using breed & burn technology. 5) Radiation guiding structures that are using nano-structures to trap and guide radiation on desired controllable path being used for control systems assuring a micro-second response time, and light shielding allowing the creation of mobile structures.

Emission of Noble Gases Binary Mixtures under Excitation by the Products of the 6Li (n, α)3 H Nuclear Reaction

The luminescence of Kr-Xe, Ar-Kr, and Ar-Xe mixtures was studied in the spectral range 300–970 nm when excited by 6Li (n, α)3 H nuclear reaction products in the core of a nuclear reactor. Lithium was deposited on walls of experimental cell in the form of a capillary-porous structure, which made it possible to measure up to a temperature of 730 K. The temperature dependence of the radiation intensity of noble gas atoms, alkali metals, and heteronuclear ionic noble gas molecules was studied. Also, as in the case of single-component gases, the appearance of lithium lines and impurities of sodium and potassium is associated with vaporization during the release of nuclear reaction products from the lithium layer. The excitation of lithium atoms occurs mainly as a result of the Penning process of lithium atoms on noble gas atoms in the 1s states and subsequent ion-molecular reactions. Simultaneous radiation at transitions of atoms of noble gases and lithium, heteronuclear ion molecules of noble gases allows us to increase the efficiency of direct conversion of nuclear energy into light.

Miniature Nanostructured Power Sources on the Basis of Direct Nuclear Energy Conversion

Tiny nanostructured high-energy power sources based on the direct conversion of nuclear energy to electricity are developed for power supply of microelectronic and micromechanical devices, as well as remote objects. The role of energy converters in such power sources is played by metal–insulator–metal (MIM) structures with a characteristic layer thickness of 10–100 nm, and highly thermodynamically stable and radiation resistant asymmetric supercapacitors comprising a nanostructured carbon electrode and an inorganic electrolyte possessing high thermodynamic and radiation resistance are applied for energy accumulation. The predicted autonomous operation time of the power sources is not less than 20 years, specific energy is 103 kWh/kg, and capacity is not less than 1 kWh/kg.

Probe diagnostics of 63UFHe plasma, generated in the core of nuclear reactor WWW–K

In the present paper experimental results of probe measurements in nuclear induced plasma in the presence of negative ions are presented and used to define the ratio of electrons and negative ions di-rectly taken from electrostatic probe volt–ampere characteristic (VAC) inserted in the mixture. The nuclear induced plasma in the core of nuclear reactor was created by the following nuclear reaction 􀜪􀝁􀵅􀝊􀕜􀝌􀵅􀜶􀵅􀍲􀇤􀍹􀍸􀜯􀝁􀜸. The quantitative analysis is also developed to get detailed explanations of the probe diagnostics technique and to define the density of negative ions in gas mixtures like 3􀜪􀝁􀵅􀜷􀜨􀬺 where the electrons and negative ions are presented in unknown proportion. Experimental study of ura-nium hexafluoride plasma of high pressure is an important part of a comprehensive problem to get effi-cient direct conversion of nuclear energy of fission fragments not only into the heat transfer but also into some other different forms of energy. Probe diagnostics of uranium hexafluoride in the WWR–K is a unique experiment and has been done for the first time in the former Soviet Union [1].

Tandem Mirror Experiment for Basic Fusion Science

Research on controlled nuclear fusion has been largely concentrated on plasma confinement using toroidal magnetic fields. Toroidal systems are complex. A simpler magnetic confinement system may provide a valuable platform for understanding fusion plasmas. The linear mirror machine has delivered good performance with the potential of giving a direct conversion of nuclear energy into electric power. The GAMMA-10 (G-10) linear mirror confinement system at Tsukuba University demonstrated the principle of the direct conversion of plasma energy into electric power on a small scale from the exhaust plasma in the exterior divertor chamber. The tokamak fusion system has to prove that the 10 to 15 MA of plasma current can be sustained continuously with acceptable efficiency. Plasma confinement is due to the magnetic field from the plasma current in tokamaks. There is room for creative new solutions in the magnetic confinement of fusion plasmas, and consideration is given for the alternative approach of using a linear machine with high magnetic mirror fields and the direct conversion of the high temperature escaping plasma to electric power.

Advanced Space Nuclear Reactors from Fiction to Reality

The advanced nuclear power sources are used in a large variety of science fiction movies and novels, but their practical development is, still, in its early conceptual stages, some of the ideas being confirmed by collateral experiments. The novel reactor concept uses the direct conversion of nuclear energy into electricity, has electronic control of reactivity, being surrounded by a transmutation blanket and very thin shielding being small and light that at its very limit may be suitable to power an autonomously flying car. It also provides an improved fuel cycle producing minimal negative impact to environment. The key elements started to lose the fiction attributes, becoming viable actual concepts and goals for the developments to come, and on the possibility to achieve these objectives started to become more real because the theory shows that using the novel nano-technologies this novel reactor might be achievable in less than a century.

Corona discharge in a nuclear excited dusty plasma

A nuclear excited dusty plasma can be used effec� tively in systems of direct nuclear energy conversion, for example, into optical radiation energy. However, to compensate for gravity and to confine charged dust particles, a potential trap must be formed in a nuclear excited plasma. High pressures (1–100 atm) are needed to effectively use a nuclear excited plasma. Here, we investigate the possibility of using a corona electric discharge to provide the existence of dust structures before the action of hard radiation on a plasma–dust medium. The problem is considered in terms of continuum equations. We consider the case where a nuclear excited dusty plasma is in a cylinder of length L and radius R (L/R 1) with a wire of radius r 0 stretched through the center. The distributions of the number densities of electrons (ne), singly charged atomic (ni) and molecular (nmi) ions, excited atoms (n*), and metastable atoms (nam) and molecules (nMm) depend on the specific kinetics of elementary processes and the local electric field Er(r). These stationary distribu� tions can be found by simultaneously solving the par� ticle number balance equations,

On possibility of direct electroionizing conversion of nuclear energy to electricity

The objective of the present article is theoretical investigation of possibility of direct conversion of the nuclear energy to electricity without all intermediate stages: the thermal and the mechanical. The principle of this method (so-called ‘electroionizing’) is ionization of rare gas atoms with fission fragments and separation of generated positive and negative ions with the external electric field. Under certain conditions, when so-called the Debye’s screening of charged particles within the produced plasma takes place, the recombination among these particles is insignificant. It is discovered that because of the absence of Carno’s limit on the efficiency of conversion, the performance coefficient may be 40–50% irrespective of temperature. The conditions of serviceability of the present method are definited.

Review of Direct Conversion of Nuclear Energy

The importance of direct energy conversion to the long-term development of nuclear power (both fission and fusion) is discussed as an approach to alleviating waste heat problems, reducing overall s...

Are large concentration of atomic H storable in tritium-impregnated solid in H2 below 0.10 K?

The storage and release of atomic hydrogen produced by the beta decay of tritium contained in a crystalline solid H2 matrix at concentrations greater than 2% and temperatures below 0.80 K are investigated. The temperature of a sample chamber containing tritium-impregnated H2 and placed in the mixing chamber of a dilution refrigerator was measured as the chamber was heated and cooled in order to determine the rates of energy storage and release. It is found that for samples containing 1.2 wt.% tritium, after storage at 0.054 K for 40 h, an increase in sample temperature to a trigger point of 0.17 K leads to an energy release due to the destabilization of atomic H in H2 as predicted by the phenomenological rate process theory. For a tritium weight fraction of 2.5%, energy releases were triggered at 0.54 and 0.82 K after storage at 0.080 K, indicating the trapping of H atoms at the sites of T2 and HT molecules in the sample. The application of a 15 kG magnetic field is shown to increase the storage capacity of T2 traps while reducing that of HT traps, and to lower the trigger temperatures of both. Results suggest that the direct conversion of nuclear energy to chemical energy may become technically feasible in the future.

原子力直接発電, (I) 原子力直接発電研究専門委員会の報告

A Summery is given of the activities of the “Special Committee on Direct Conversion of Nuclear Energy to Electricity” in the two years from its establishment in October 1963 to its termination in September 1965. The review covers the present status of the studies undertaken and the technical problems involved are reviewed on magnetohydrodynamic power generation. The subjects reviewed include nonequilibrium ionization, electronic phenomena in the boundaries of electrodes, thermodynamic and fluid mechanical problems, liquid metal MHD power generation, high temperature materials, and technical problams relating to the development of MHD power generation plants. Problems concerning other conversion methods and the associated high temperature nuclear reactors will be reviewed in the following issue.

Analysis of thermoelectric materials for the high temperature direct conversion of nuclear energy

High temperature thermoelectric materials show great promise for the direct conversion of nuclear energy to electricity. There are several basic reasons for this promise. An analytical technique is presented which may be used to predict and select high temperature thermoelectric materials, utilizing basic information on chemical compounds in their family groupings. This technique is demonstrated, and proposed materials are analytically evaluated for conversion efficiency and nuclear system compatibility. The predicted range of conversion efficiencies is competitive with or superior to present techniques of nuclear energy conversion. High temperature thermoelectric materials are expected to be superior to conventional thermoelectric materials because of radiation effects annealing as well as higher conversion efficiency.

Analysis of thermoelectric materials for the high temperature direct conversion of nuclear energy☆

Analysis of thermoelectric materials for the high temperature direct conversion of nuclear energy☆

Thermionic energy converters : B. A. Ushakov

Direct conversion of nuclear energy into electric energy, based on thermionic devices, is investigated. Various materials possessing good thermo- emission properties are analyzed, and results of tests with a converter in an active reactor zone are reported. The experiments demonstrate that during operation an inert gas filled converter becomes a cesium plasma diode, eliminating the use of cesium vapors and improving the performance and life of the converter. (tr-auth)

First direct conversion of nuclear energy to usable electricity.

First direct conversion of nuclear energy to usable electricity.

Direct conversion of Nuclear energy to usable electricity achieved

Direct conversion of Nuclear energy to usable electricity achieved

The Use of Radioactive Material for the Generation of High Voltage

An investigation has been made of the use of beta-emissive radioisotopes for generating high voltages. Voltage was obtained by supporting a beta-emitter on an insulated electrode in a low-pressure gas and allowing it to charge itself by virtue of its electron emission. This method represents a direct conversion of nuclear energy into electrical energy. The apparatus is described. Data on insulation breakdown, the effect of gas pressure, and the electrode material are given. The maximum voltage was obtained at a pressure of 10−3 mm of Hg. The electrical characteristics of such a generator are discussed. Using an emitter containing 0.25 curie of strontium 90, a voltage of 365 kilovolts was obtained.