Jed Rothwell
Fri, 21 Mar 2008 07:11:28 -0700
This is conventional technology as far as I can tell, but interesting: http://rfdesign.com/military_defense_electronics/nuclear-accelerated_beta_radiation/ "Nuclear-accelerated generator harvests beta radiation Oct 1, 2007 12:00 PMDavid Weber, owner and founder of Executive Engineering, is developing a technology, the nuclear accelerated generator (NAG), which has been considered for powering miniature autonomous security devices for an undisclosed application. The main breakthrough represented by the technology is the direct conversion of nuclear energy into low-power electrical energy. This enables the technology to extract useful power from extremely small quantities of obtainable radioactive isotopes, including those in regular production by the U.S. Department of Energy.
In general, NAG technology is intended for use with isotopes that emit beta-minus radiation (electrons), which is crucial for the process by which the technology converts nuclear energy into electricity. Isotopes that are theoretically compatible with the technology include strontium-90 (Sr-90), nickle-63 (Ni-63), and promethium-147 (Pm-147). Among these materials, the latter is the most desirable. One reason for this, Weber stated, is that it decays into a stable element (inert promethium) within 30 years. . . ."