Nuclear Battery

The nobble and unpredictable nature of the customary chemical batteries, a great with the frequent replacements that they solicit, has created an nifty pauperism for a reliable, longer-lasting and rugged source of qualification. Moreover Radars, s one thousandcrafts, interstellar probes and some otherwise advanced communication maneuvers require much bigger part than that buns be met by customary life force sources. The consequence to long name force source is the atomic berthed batteries which perk up a lifespan span of few decades and can pack in zero densities thousands of magazine greater than courtly barrage sources.Hence, there is an urgent adopt to return enormous amount of energy released naturally by the tiny bits of hot material. Un desire conventional atomic government agency generating devices, these batteries do non depone on the fission or fusion reactions and do non catch all hot material as by- reaping. They promise clean, safe, relia ble and nearly endless energy without any drop in its yield or efficiency during its entire life span-which runs up to minimum of 10 age. They ar generally engaged as power sources in unmanned and unmaintained locations requiring energy for longer durations.Nuclear batteries atomic number 18 not sole(prenominal) going to replace conventional batteries, chargers and adapters plainly overly present innovative means of powering portable devices. The thermo atomic bombing technology is geargond up to sword way into ordinarily apply day to day product like cadre phones, laptop computers, automobiles etcetera Surely it is outpouring of future. INTRODUCTION In this day and age of miniaturisation the size of electronic circuitry has been diminishing at a astonishingly dizzying pace solely the batteries that power these devices be not keeping up with them.The embedation of tomorrow that the technology manifests pass on be a very diminutive one and we will need smaller b atteries to power it Be it our person-to-person laptops or cell phones, batteries still occupy a significant mess of the volume. The reason creation the batteries atomic number 18 still no slenderiseg to a greater extent than cans of chemicals like they were two centuries ago. They defy not undergone any significant change in their functionality since Italian physicist Alexandaro Volta demonstrated issue of lectric current amongst two conductors by alternating discs of zinc and copper with pieces of cardboard soaked in brine. legion(predicate) systems ideally (especially those in remote locations) have to operate for long periods, and it is not always feasible to recharge or replace their batteries. Now, with technology ushering in late era of miniaturization where MEMS (Micro Electrical Mechanical System) are gaining widespread popularity and are increasingly being utilise for a multitude of applications, they overlook a durable onboard power give. Batteries are at a little juncture hereMEMS are finding increasing applications in everything from sensors in car that trigger an alarm to injectible drug delivery system to environment monitoring Smart Dust but they lack a long lasting on-device power source. To work virtually this power block, inquiryers have found an intriguing way by harvesting the huge amount of energy released by radioactive material. Although several sources of energy could be used to deliver this needed power (solid, fossil fuel) by these MEMS based systems but thermo atomic batteries are fast becoming a popular option in terms of power density and lifetime.For example A tiny smirch of radioisotope like nickel-63 can generate decent energy to power these MEMS for decades. These atomic micro batteries have energy at densities at thousand multiplication greater than the lithium ion batteries. So with these miniature machines really hitting their stride, well need smaller, reliable and longer lasting barrage fire sour ces To clear the common misconception, thermonuclear power sources are not miniature nuclear reactors and they do not involve any fission or fusion reactions.In these power sources we use specific isotopes which emit particles that are block up by the class of knackered skin that covers our bodies. They penetrate no more than 25 micrometers in roughly solids or suaves, so in a battery they could safely be break offed by a simple plastic package applied scienceEnergy Density (milliwatt-hour /milligram) Lithium ion in a chemical battery0. 3 Methanol in a fuel cell3 Tritium in a nuclear battery850 Polonium-210 in a nuclear battery57 000 Energy Content in Different Type of Batteries IT IS A staggeringly SMALL WORLD THAT IS BELOW, Said physicist Richard P. Feynman in his visionary talk to the American Physical Society, when he envisioned the fabrication of micro- and nano devices and declared that one day the entire Encyclopaedia Britannica could be written on the head of a pin. Feynmans vision has finally begun to manifest, thanks to ever more in advance(p) microelectronics. Micro and nano scale machines are ushering a multibillion-dollar market as they are being incorporated in virtually every electronic devices.Among the trendsetting applications in this pausement are ultra dense memories capable of storing hundreds of gigabytes in a fingernail-size device, micromirrors for enhanced display and optical communications equipment, and racyly selective RF filters to reduce cell phones size and improve the quality of calls. solely, again, at very small scales, chemical batteries cant provide enough power for these micro machines. As the size of such a battery is reduced, the amount of stored energy goes down exponentially.Reduction in each side of a cubic battery by a factor of 10 as the volume is reduced and therefore the energy that can be stored reduces by a factor of 1000. In fact, the sensors today which are no self-aggrandizingr than a speck of du st require batteries which are as large as a shirt button COMPARISION WITH OTHER WELL cognise ENERGY SOURCES FOR NANO DEVICES In a bid to power these nano devices, researchers are turning outside(a) from conventional fuels like hydrogen and hydrocarbons (propane, methane, gasoline and diesel) and are scrutinizing with micro fuels that deplete hydrogen to generate power like other conventional fuels.Many are also developing on- board combustion engines that consume hydrogen to generate energy much like an average automobile. But these approaches are facing many hurdles. The primary road block is comparatively low energy densities of these mechanisms and other being the continuous need to supply the fuel and eliminate the by-products formed . In strip of other liquid fuels the major challenge is to develop a packaging that will contain qualified liquid fuel to power these devices and which can be lepidote down to micro and nano sizes at the same time.The nuclear batteries that are being substantial wont require any refilling or recharging. and will last as long as the half-life of the radioactive source. And even though their efficiency in converting nuclear to galvanizing energy isnt high about(predicate) 4 percentthe extremely high energy density of the radioactive materials makes it possible for these micro batteries to produce relatively significant amounts of power. For example, with 10 milligrams of polonium-210 (contained in about 1 cubic millimeter), a nuclear cater battery could produce 50 milliwatts of electric power for more than four months.With that level of power, it would be possible to run a simple microprocessor and a fistful of sensors for four continuous months. Specific top executive Density Of Leading Power Isotopes KEY ELEMENTS OF THE TECHNOLOGY Why not conventional da Gamma Emitters The first lesson to be learned here is What are Radioisotopes Radioisotopes are basically unstable atoms that spontaneously emit high-energy par ticles as they decay to a more stable state. close to radioisotopes emit Gamma rays (which are essentially high-energy X-rays that can penetrate most materials including tender flesh).But radioisotopes used in nuclear battery emit Alpha particles (an marrow of two protons and two neutrons) and Beta particles (high-energy electrons) that cant penetrate as deeply and therefore pose less risk. Another reason wherefore Gamma Emitters are not considered for development of the nuclear battery is that they would require fitted amount of shielding. The Alpha Emitters, on the other hand, have an favor due to the short range of the Alpha particles. This short range allows change magnitude efficiency and thus provides more visualise flexibility, assuming that a sufficient activity can be achieved.The half life of the isotopes mustiness be high enough so that the reusable life of the battery is sufficient for typical applications, and low enough to provide sufficient activity. In addi tion, the new isotope resulting after decay should be stable, or it should decay without emitting Gamma ray sickness. The nuclear power batteries that are being developed contain1 to 10 millicuries of nickel-63 or tritium, whose beta particles have relatively low energy and can be blocked by a layer of 25 to 100 micrometers of plastic, metal, or semiconductor (they are even blocked by the thin dead-skin layer blanket our bodies. ) ISOTOPERADIATION TYPEHALF LIFE Yr)MAX. ENERGY (keV)AVERAGE ENERGY H-3Beta12. 3 y18. 65. 7 Ni-63Beta100. 2 y66. 917. 4 Po-210Alpha138. 8 y530. 43- Commonly Used Isotopes NUCLEAR BATTERIES WHICH ARE CURRENTLY employ JUNCTION TYPE BATTERY This type of battery is very useful for long term applications in devices like space crafts,battle field sensors and nanoelectric sensors.. The device basically consists of a small quantity of Nickel-63 placed near an cut-and-dried silicon p-n co-occurrence( hence the name)a junction rectifier, basically. As the Nick el-63 decays it emits beta particles, which are high-energy electrons that spontaneously fly out of the radioisotopes unstable nucleus.The emitted beta particles ionizes the diodes atoms, creating orthodontic bracesed electrons and holes that diffuse away from each other at the p-n junction. These separated electrons and holes travel away from the junction, thereby producing the current. Why Ni-63 is used in Junction Battery? Nickel-63 is ideal for this application because its emitted beta particles travel a maximum of 21 ? m in silicon before disintegrating if the particles had more energy, they would travel longer distances, thus escaping the battery. This battery has a capacity of producing about 3 nanowatts, employ 0. millicurie of Nickel-63 , power which is more than sufficient for nano devices. LATEST DEVELOPMENTS protrude BATTERIES These new types of batteries generate more power than a typical junction battery. These devices operate like generators where the radioactive e nergy is first converted into robotlike energy and then into pulses of electrical energy. Even though these devices involve an middling phase,their efficiency remain unaffected- if anything they actually tap the kinetic energy of the emitted particles for metempsychosis into robotlike energy and hence provide a more continous flow of energy than conventional junction battery.Figure 5 Beta particles move from radioactive source and accumulate at Copper plate leading to static force of attraction Why Thin Film RadioIsotope is used in Cantilever Batteries? This device primarily uses a thin film of radioisotope. On top of this film, a small rectangular piece of silicon is cantilevered, its stop end able to move up and down. As the electrons move away from the radioactive source, they travel through the air gap and hit the cantilever, charging it negatively. The source, which is positively charged, then attracts the cantilever, bending it down .This mechanical energy is converted in a flash into electrical energy. SELF RECIPROCATING SiN BATTERIES These batteries use low stress thin film of SiN. In this device a Wheatstone bridge is formed development four resistors. The purpose of using Wheatstone bridge is to measure the deflections. The output from a Wheatstone bridge is sent to an operational amplifier and the amplified signal is measured. A self-timed reciprocating movement is obtained between the film of radioisotope and the cantilever arm.As compared to a conventional thin film cantilevers they endure let out efficiency as the RF signal change from mechanical signal is more streamlined and compact. OPTOEELCTRONIC BATTERIES An optoelectronic nuclear battery has been developed by the researchers of Kurchatov Institute of Moscow. The Beta emitter would power an excimer mixture ( argon and xenon) which would produce dismay to trip out a photocell. The primary advantage of this battery is that precision electrodes are not required and most electrons c ontribute to batterys power output. NANONUCLEAR BATTERIESAny with technology nano suffixed ushers in a debate. A generally accepted measuring stick for labelling nanotechnology given by Mihail C. Roco( Ph. D. , a National Science Foundation electric chair on the Nanoscale Science Engineering and Technology Subcommittee (NSEC) of the National Science and Technology Committee (NSTC)) states one dimension of about one to 100 nanometers, intentional through a process that exhibits fundamental control over the natural and chemical attributes of molecular-scale structures, and the ability to combine to form larger structures. These technologies for the nano- nuclear battery have same operational and structural micro nuclear battery except its done on a nano level. These batteries have better efficiencies as compared to micro-nuclear batteries and the path for the research of nuclear battery ends at such nano powered devices. CURRENT PLAYERS NASA GLENN RESEARCH CENTRE, CLEAVELAND The s cientists at the Glenn Research Centre are working in collaboration with the researchers at RIT on a show to develop of import voltaic batteries for miniature military devices for US phalanx with sensing and communication capabilities.This project will be of three geezerhood duration and will focus on use of a radioisotope Americium, which is used in smoke detector, along with handful of semiconductor devices to convert alpha energy into usable electricity. The project will conclude with full make of device and plans for commercial manufacture. ROCHESTER INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY RESEARCH LABORATORY, NEWYORK A group of researchers at RIT led by Ryne Rafelle, Head of physics and Microsystems have obtained capital ranging around $1. 2 million dollars from DARPA (Defence Advanced Project Research Agency) to develop nuclear power supplies for military use.The researchers are planning on using an innovative nanomaterial (quantum dots) to protect the semiconductor used inside the bat tery from radiation damage. This will make the battery not only safer but also increase its life to unprecedented levels. KUSHATOV INSTITUTE, MOSCOW The technology for Optoelectric nuclear batteries was developed by a team of researchers at Kuchatov Institute. In a subversive development, they used Radioisotope Strontium-90 and Technetium-99 as beta emitters suspended in gas or liquid which permits nearly lossless trans perpetration of beta energy. PRIVATE PLAYERS (QYNERGY CORPORATION, ALPLA V INC. WIDETRONIX ETC. ) These are leading private players company harvesting nuclear energy for the purpose of providing cutting edge energy and power solution that are not provided by current battery and storage system. utilise their proprietary technologies they have developed high density power cell using the energy generated by radioisotopes. ECONOMIC POTENTIAL SPACE APPLICATIONS- satellite AND INTERSTELLAR PROBE Radio isotropic Thermoelectric Generator(RTGs) are nuclear batteries which consists of stacks of thermocouples which convert the thermal energy obtained from the decay of radioisotope into usable electrical energy.They have emerged as the most popular power sources for the unmanned and unmaintained locations requiring power less than few hundred watts for durations which are too long for conventional fuel cells and where solar panels are not feasible. RTGs are used as power sources in the satellites, space probe vehicles by NASA and in unlike unmanned remote locations, like a series of lighthouses built by the USSR in the Arctic Circle. Systems for Nuclear Auxiliary Power (SNAP) units which comprise of handful of RTGs are used especially for probes that travel far enough from the fair weather that solar panels are no longer viable.Pioneer 10, Pioneer 11, Voyager 1, Galileo, Ulysses, Cassini and New Horizons used RTGs to meet their power requirements. Also, RTGs were used to power the two Viking landers and for the scientific experiments odd on the Moon by the crews of Apollo 12. RTG also used on interstellar precursor missions and interstellar probes. One such example is the Innovative interstellar Explorer (2003-current) proposal from NASA which will be using RTG Am-241 This could support mission extensions up to 1000 years. UNDERSEA APPLICATIONS- DEEP SEA SENSORSThe recent tsunami, earthquake and other under water phenomena have increased the demand for submerged sensors which can withstand such extreme conditions. These sensors are integrated with nuclear batteries which can work for longer durations in inaccessible places under unrefined situations. MEDICAL APPLICATIONS- NUCLEAR PACEMAKERS In early days, pacemakers used were powered with hectogram and zinc batteries which could run for three years. Most often however, such atomic number 80 battery would fail in 20 months requiring the patient to undergo another(prenominal) implant for the replacement of the device.Nuclear Batteries are used extensively in the walk industr y to prolong the longevity of the implanted device. Pacemakers, implanted with nuclear batteries, twist young patients the chance to go through their entire lifetime with conscionable a single implant. MOBILE DEVICES- CELLPHONES & LAPTOPS Xcell-N is a nuclear powered laptop battery that provides between seven and eight thousand times battery life as compared to a normal laptop battery- thus any laptop can be kept on for five continous years without having to charge it.Xcell- N is in continuous working state since the by eight months and neither has been turned off nor has been plugged into electrical power. Most cell phones use RF filters for frequency selection which occupy a large part of the volume. Researchers are currently developing MEMS based RF filters which provides not only better frequency selectivity (thus better quality of calls) but also reduced sizes. These MEMS filters, however, may require relatively high dc voltages, and drawing it from the main battery would re quire complicate electronics.Instead, a nuclear powered battery designed to generate the required voltagein the range of 10 to 100 voltscould be used to juice up the filter directly and more efficiently. AUTOMOBILES Although it is in initial stages of development but it is expected that nuclear powered batteries will soon replace the aweary chemical batteries. This implies that running short of fuel or time will be things of past. Fox Valley Auto Electric Association has already started working on the ways to implement this. CHALLENGESThough there are many merits the nuclear battery there are few challenges too, which take to be surmount to make it realty, in the immediate future. SAFETY Since nuclear powered batteries involve the use of small amounts of radiation and radioactive materials, it is necessary that they must comply with current Radiation Protection Standards which are based on the Linear Non-Threshold model (LNT) . This model assumes that any amount of radiation exposu re, no matter how small, will have a detrimental effect on health.The external dose associated with the radioisotopes used in these batteries is zero, because an alpha particle needs to have an energy of more than 7. 5 MeV to penetrate the protective layer of the skin (0. 07 mm think), and a ? particle needs to have an energy of more than 70 keV. Since radio isotopes in nuclear batteries have energies demoralise than these they are unable to penetrate the skin. INHALATION INGESTION DOSE desex mrem/d44. 575. 479 Dose Equivalent mrem/dNo. of batteries to be inhaled to oscilloscope the limitDose Equivalent mrem/dNo. of batteries to be swallowed to reach the limit H32. 418. 0346158 Ni645. 697. 081367Radiation Levels After Ingestion or Inhalation Of 5Ci of Ni or H Nuclear Battery In fact, radioisotopes have been used for decades in commercial applications. Many smoke detectors contain 1 to 5 microcuries of Americium-241, used to ionize the air between a pair of parallel plates. And so me emergency take place signs in public buildings, schools, and auditoriums that have to remain visible during power outages contain 8 to 10 curies of tritium, whose emitted electrons excite phosphor atoms, illuminating the sign. The amount of radioactive material in the nuclear batteries go between that in a smoke detector and in an exit sign.And for whatever amount, any commercial application of such nuclear powered batteries will have to comply with all the established safety measures (including design of safe packaging) and follow regulations about handling and disposing of the device. COST As it is the case with the most ground breaking technology , the initial toll of production is quite high. But as the product goes for mass production the cost goes down. The major challenge lies in finding sources of inexpensive radioisotopes that can be efficiently integrated into the electronic devices.For example 1 millicurie of Ni-63 costs around $25. But the researchers have come up with a potentially cheaper substitute(a) tritium which is produced by some nuclear reactors as a by product and costs few cents( for 1 millicurie). WASTE DISPOSAL The environmental restore of disposing of the nuclear devices once their useful life has ended, as well as the associated costs are minimal. Since after three half-lives the activity of the isotope decays to about 10% of the original activity, the nuclear powered batteries would be below background radiation level by that time. SOCIAL ACCEPTANCEThe nuclear technology has lost its credibility as the world has seen enough nuclear disasters. Thus acceptance for the nuclear technology will be very hard to come by. so far the immense potential of this technology will soon overpower this initial resistance. CONCLUSION & WAY FORWARD Clearly the current state of research is making it harder to deny that chemical batteries will be replaced by nuclear powered batteries- and soon. Nuclear Batteries present a logical solution to the burgeoning need for a safe, reliable, compact, lightweight, longer lasting and self contained power supply.They not only protect our declining natural resources but also serve to make our handed-down energy sources redundant. As the energy associated with the radioactive materials is much more than the conventional sources and by far the highest without any waste generation, the world can be transformed into a new one without green houses gases and its associated risks. Scientists have overcome a major stumbling block to make mass production of these batteries a viable and hugely profitable option. The system we have developed is automatically simple, potentially leading to more compact, more reliable and less expensive systems. This was an attempt at something that seemed viable. , said Mark Prelas , Director of Research at University of Wisconsins Nuclear Science and Engineering Institute. Recent breakthroughs, at University of bit where the researchers have developed a eco nomically feasible energy conversion system that uses safe isotopes to generate high-grade energy, only prove that these MEMS Marvels are going to be very successful in near future.Success of few similar small projects will give sufficient learning to make this technology big very soon. REFERENCES 1. Nuclear and Radiochemistry , Gerhardt Friedlander and Joseph W. Kennedy 2. Technolyreview. com 3. Powerpaper. com 4. http//ieeexplore. ieee. org/stamp/stamp. jsp? arnumber=01330808 5. http//en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Atomic_battery 6. http//www. physorg. com/news174139641. hypertext mark-up language 7. http//www. scribd. com/doc/8929973/Nuclear-Battery