WHAT WE WILL COVER!!!

INTRODUCTION
HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENTS
ENERGY PRODUCTION MECHANISM
FUEL CONSIDERATIONS

MAIN FUELS
ADVANTAGES
DRAWBACKS

APPLICATIONS
CONCLUSION
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INTRODUCTION
With the advancement in Technology, there exist a great need for small,

compact, reliable & light weight power supplies.

For very high power applications such as RADAR, adv. Commn satellites &

for high Tech. weapons Nuclear Battery is used.

Nuclear Battery: Thermo-Electric generator converts the radio active energy

released during decay of natural radio active element into electrical energy.
A long-term energy source with life-span measured in decades & 200 times

efficient than ordinary battery.

Provide clean, safe & endless energy. Does not rely on nuclear reaction &

does not produce radio active waste.

Nuclear Accelerated Generator(NAG) New form of nuclear power

conversion tech. MEMS lab is using adv. Tech. for the fabrication of NAG
devices.
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HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENTS
Nuclear Battery was introduced in the beginning of 1950 and was patented

on Mar 3, 1959 to TRACER Lab.

Paul Brown first developed radioisotope electric power system.
Browns discovery of a method to harness magnetic energy emitted by the

alpha & beta particles inherent in nuclear material was the key to Nuclear
battery.
The amount of power generated from the electric charges & the kinetic

energy produced by successive collision of alpha & beta particles has been
very small.
Brown invented an approach to organize these magnetic fields so that the

otherwise unobservable energy can be harnessed.

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ENERGY PRODUCTION MECHANISM

BETAVOLTAICS
Betavoltaics are generators of electric current, which uses energy from a

radioactive source emitting beta particles.

The functioning is similar to a solar panel which converts photons into electric

current.
Uses a Si wafer to capture electrons emitted by radioactive material & is coated

with a diode material to create a potential barrier.

The radiation absorbed in the vicinity of potential barrier will generate electron

hole pairs which in turn flow in an electric circuit due to the VOLTAIC
EFFECT.

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SELF RECIPROCATING CANTILEVER

Consist of a cantilever which collects the charged particles emitted from the

radioisotope .
The Electrostatic force between radioisotope & the cantilever attracts the

cantilever towards the source.

When it reaches near the radioisotope, the charge gets neutralized &

electrostatic force is removed as a result cantilever retracts back to original

position..This cycle repeats.
The cantilever acts as a charge integrator allowing energy to be stored &

convert it into mechanical & electrical forms.

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FUEL CONSIDERATIONS
Major criteria considered in the selection of fuels are:

Avoidance of gamma in the decay chain

The fuel which gives off gamma radiation requires shielding for safety
that adds weight in mobile applications.
Eg:- Radium-226

Half-Life
Period of time it takes for the amount of substance undergoing decay to
decrease by half..

Particle Range
Charged particle ionize & lose energy in many steps until energy is
almost zero, the distance to this point I called Range of Particle.
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MAIN FUELS
Nickel-63 (Ni-63)
Strontium-90 (Sr-90)
Promitium-147 (Pm-147)

Uranium-238 (U-238)
Tin-121 (Sn-121)

Uranium-235 (U-235)
Tantalum-180m
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Proposed Model of NAG

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A prototype car model using NAG

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ADVANTAGES
Fuel Source:
Radioactive isotopes which are being produced as a part of radioactive
waste are used as fuel. Can withstand more than 400 yrs. No meltdowns, no
danger of explosions & other catastrophic incidents.

Oil Dependency:
A large percent of foreign dependence could be eliminated if use device
such as NAG more widely, which in turn will decrease the price of oil &
gas.

Safety:
NAG needs no large scale containment or special shielding. No ext.
emissions & produces no contaminated steam that can leak. No nuclear
waste. Also Radioisotopes that power NAG do not need to be cooled. 1 Gm
of Sr-90 can produce 10,000 watts of power & heat.
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 Adaptability:
NAG is Adaptable to widely differing applications, both in civilian & military.
Able to handle tasks for large metropolitan & rural areas alike. Tanks fitted with
NAG could run for years without any interruption. Civilian needs include disaster
relief activities.

Cost/Efficiency:
Cost of fuel is considerably less as the radioactive isotopes are present
abundantly.

Power Output:
NAG Technology could produce power 30-50 times more than conventional
nuclear technology.

Radiological Damage:
It is very safe. Device is self contained with little or no X-rays. Beta particles are
never emitted outside the casing of device. Special shielding is added for the
Gamma rays.

Repair & Maintenance:

Every NAG will have a life span of min. 10 yrs then the source can be
replaced very easily. Maintenance, removal & reinsertion is very simple.
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DRAWBACKS
The initial cost of production is very high. Price will drop as product goes

operational.
For certain specific applications, size of nuclear battery may cause problem.

The existing laws may come as a blow for usage & disposal of radioactive

materials.
Nuclear energy began to lose its status following a series of major accidents

occurred before which reduced its social acceptance.

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APPLICATIONS
Space Applications:
when satellite pass through radiation belts such as Van-Allen belts
around the earth there is chance for the destruction of solar cells. Operations
on moon & mars require heavy batteries where long periods of darkness . In
opaque atmosphere such as venus lack of light.
Medical Applications:
Due to increased longevity n better reliability it is used in medical
devices such as pacemakers, implanted defibrillators etc. In cardiac
pacemakers.
Mobile Devices:
Xcell-N nuclear powered laptop battery that provide 7-8 thousand
times the life of a normal battery. Xcell is in continous work for the last 8
months and has not been turned off.

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 Automobiles:
Initial stages of development. Hopefully soon the conventional fuels
will be replaced from the automobiles by Nuclear battery. Fox Valley
Electric Auto Association already conducted seminars on its scope.
Military Applications:

Nuclear Battery is a very beneficial resource for Army as it is

much lighter compared to other chemical batteries and will last
longer. The source is well suited to active RF equipments, sensors n
ultra wide band commn chips.
Under Water Sea Probes & Sea Sensors:
Use of sensors that works for a long time is used to detect any
natural calamities such as earthquakes n Tsunami. Thus the
underwater sea probes & sea sensors makes use of Nuclear Battery
for their functioning.
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CONCLUSION
As the Technology grows need for power also
grows. Also we dont have much abundant fuels present in the
earths crust to meet this need. Thus the use of power as heat &
electricity from the radioisotopes can be used to meet this need
which has high longevity.

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REFERENCE
Power from Radioisotopes USAEC, Division of Technical

Information.
Nuclear and Radiochemistry , Gerhart Friedlandler, Joseph
.W. Kennedy.
The Half-life of a Nuclear Battery , Philip. H. Talbert.
Particles and Nuclei, An Introduction to the Physical
Concepts , B. Povh, K. Rith, C. Scholz and F. Zetche.

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