4 ms·

Could this make radioactive batteries more feasible? By bringing the temperature differential down, we could use a fairly weak heat source to charge up a devic

Could this make radioactive batteries more feasible? By bringing the temperature differential down, we could use a fairly weak heat source to charge up a device. Would we be able to use a tiny amount of shielded radioactive material to provide a constant heat source and use that heat for the temperature differential?

okket 8y ago
12 uW per cm2 is still poor, you'd need gigantic sizes for just a few watts. See the thread down here for some more numbers. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17489462 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17489462
- MichaelApproved 8y ago
  True but that's at 5c. What happens if we go to 10c differential? Is the gain linear or does it become more productive as the differential gets higher? A radioactive device that gives off that much heat wouldn't make sense for something like your TV remote control. However, maybe it could help power your off-the-grid house. Does a radioactive material exist that could give off a few Celsius degrees of heat for years? Would it be feasible to have homes use that material (properly shielded) without being a threat to national security and safety?
  - okket 8y ago
    It's a whole subtopic with uses in satellites too far away from the sun (Voyager), or rovers on surfaces where they don't see the sun constantly / to much atmospheric interference (Curiosity). But I guess there are many more, just not for your wristwatch or your home. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atomic_battery https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atomic_battery
    - windows_tips 8y ago
      Radioactive materials are used in wristwatches. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tritium_radioluminescence https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tritium_radioluminescence
    - asteli 8y ago
      Not used for wristwatches, but still in use powering pacemakers! How many people are there still walking around with bits of Plutonium in them, I wonder?
  - rounce 8y ago
    > Would it be feasible to have homes use that material (properly shielded) (Technically,) Yes. > without being a threat to national security and safety? No
  - pjc50 8y ago
    > Would it be feasible to have homes use that material (properly shielded) without being a threat to national security and safety? No - the "hotness" is pretty much intrinsically unsafe, people can break into the shielding, and if you limit it to easily containable alpha emission it has a short life.
deleted 8y ago
[deleted]

okket 8y ago

12 uW per cm2 is still poor, you'd need gigantic sizes for just a few watts. See the thread down here for some more numbers. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17489462 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17489462

MichaelApproved 8y ago
True but that's at 5c. What happens if we go to 10c differential? Is the gain linear or does it become more productive as the differential gets higher? A radioactive device that gives off that much heat wouldn't make sense for something like your TV remote control. However, maybe it could help power your off-the-grid house. Does a radioactive material exist that could give off a few Celsius degrees of heat for years? Would it be feasible to have homes use that material (properly shielded) without being a threat to national security and safety?
- okket 8y ago
  It's a whole subtopic with uses in satellites too far away from the sun (Voyager), or rovers on surfaces where they don't see the sun constantly / to much atmospheric interference (Curiosity). But I guess there are many more, just not for your wristwatch or your home. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atomic_battery https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atomic_battery
  - windows_tips 8y ago
    Radioactive materials are used in wristwatches. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tritium_radioluminescence https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tritium_radioluminescence
  - asteli 8y ago
    Not used for wristwatches, but still in use powering pacemakers! How many people are there still walking around with bits of Plutonium in them, I wonder?
- rounce 8y ago
  > Would it be feasible to have homes use that material (properly shielded) (Technically,) Yes. > without being a threat to national security and safety? No
- pjc50 8y ago
  > Would it be feasible to have homes use that material (properly shielded) without being a threat to national security and safety? No - the "hotness" is pretty much intrinsically unsafe, people can break into the shielding, and if you limit it to easily containable alpha emission it has a short life.

deleted 8y ago

[deleted]