RU2731368C1 - Radioisotopic photoelectric generator - Google Patents

Abstract

FIELD: physics.

SUBSTANCE: device relates to a radioisotope photoelectric generator and can be used in power plants intended for long-term autonomous operation in hard-to-access and sparsely populated areas of the Earth, as well as in space environment. Proposed device comprises sealed housing accommodating thin interconnected photoelectric transducers coated with radio-luminescent paint and stacked with their contacts coming out of housing. In photovoltaic converters the energy of light quanta emitted by radioluminophore is converted to electric current. Due to the design of thin photoelectric converters, overall dimensions of the battery are greatly reduced, and the amount of the required radioisotope is also reduced.

EFFECT: technical result is higher efficiency of device.

10 cl, 1 dwg

Description

The device belongs to radioisotope power engineering and can be used in power plants intended for long-term autonomous operation in remote and sparsely populated areas of the Earth, as well as in outer space. The device contains a sealed case with a battery of thin interconnected photovoltaic converters, covered with radioluminescent paint and stacked, placed inside a battery, the contacts of which come out of the case. In photovoltaic converters, the energy of light quanta emitted by the radio phosphor is converted into electric current. Due to the construction of thin photovoltaic converters, the overall dimensions of the battery are greatly reduced, and the amount of the required radioisotope is also reduced. The technical result is an increase in the overall efficiency of the device.

The invention relates to the field of converting the decay energy of radionuclides into electrical energy, or rather to radioisotope energy, and can be used in power plants intended for long-term autonomous operation in hard-to-reach and sparsely populated areas of the Earth, as well as in outer space.

The radioisotope photoelectric generator (RIPEG) includes photoelectric converters coated with radioluminescent paint. In photoconverters, the energy of light quanta emitted by the radio phosphor is converted into electric current. Known radioisotope thermoelectric generator (RTG), described in the patent of the Russian Federation No. 2458420, containing a sealed housing, a radioisotope heat source, thermoelectric battery, thermal insulation made in the form of two rings, and heat protection, installed outside the perimeter of the housing.

The disadvantage of such a generator is its relatively low efficiency, which usually does not exceed 8%.

A radioisotope generator is also known (see article V.Yu. Baranov, A.F. Pal, A.A. Pustovalov, A.N. Starostin, N.V. Suetin, A.V. Filippov, V.E. Fortov " Radioisotope generators of electric current "in the book" Isotopes: properties, production, application ", in 2 volumes, under the editorship of Baranov V.Yu., Moscow: Fizmatlit, 2005, vol. 2, pp. 271-276, Fig. 17.1.13-17.1.15), containing a sealed chamber, in the cavity of which there are a radioisotope alpha or beta emitter in the form of a thin-walled plate, a working gas xenon and a photoelectric converter located in the form of a plate opposite the radioisotope emitter.

The disadvantage of such a radioisotope generator is that a significant part of the energy released during radioisotope decay is not used, but is removed from the generator in the form of heat.

The prototype was a radioisotope photo-thermoelectric generator (RIFTEG), described in patent No. 2595772, which includes a closed gas-dynamic circuit with a working gas - xenon, a radioisotope emitter, photo- and thermoelectric converters, heat sink plates and a radiator.

The disadvantages of such a radioisotope generator are significant energy losses in the form of heat and the need for a large amount of radioisotope as fuel.

The objective of the invention is to reduce energy losses, improve safety and reduce the size of the radioisotope generator.

The technical result of the invention is to increase the overall efficiency of the radioisotope generator.

The task is solved as follows. From the design of the radioisotope generator, which includes photo- and thermoelectric converters, a closed gas-dynamic loop, heat-removing plates, a radiator and thermoelectric converters are removed, and the photoelectric converters are covered with radioluminescent paint and stacked on top of each other. In addition, the photovoltaic converters in the structure are interconnected and filled with epoxy resin in a protective case to ensure the strength of the structure and current output contacts. Since photovoltaic converters have a very thin shape, you can fit any number of them into the case, depending on the required characteristics of the current of the radioisotope generator, without greatly increasing the dimensions of the entire device.

Wherein:

• photoconverters can be silicon or cadmium telluride

• radio phosphor can be based on promethium-147, radium-226, strontium-90, krypton-85, nickel-63 or tritium

• the number of photovoltaic converters can be any

• the radio phosphor can be a component of a photoconverter, for example, of amorphous silicon or titanium oxide

• the intensity of the luminescence of the radioactive phosphor can be any, as well as the amount of radioactive substance

• as a photoconverter can be used a soft photopanel covered with radio phosphor and rolled into a roll

The figure shows a schematic diagram of such a radioisotope photoelectric generator (Appendix 1).

The device consists of a protective case 1, photovoltaic converters 2 stacked in a battery, radioluminescent paint 3, connecting cables 4 and output contacts 5. Inside the protective case 1 is a battery of photovoltaic converters 2. Light emitted by radioluminescent paint 3 falls on photoelectric converters 2, connected in series by a connecting cable 4. Photovoltaic converters convert the light emitted by the radioluminescent paint into an electric current, which is taken from the terminals of terminal 5.

Claims (10)

1. Radioisotope photovoltaic generator containing a battery of thin photovoltaic converters connected in series, coated with radioluminescent paint and stacked on top of each other, a protective case, connecting cables and contacts for removing current, characterized in that it is made in the form of a compact battery and converts energy light quanta emitted by a radio phosphor into an electric current through a large number of photoelectric converters, compactly stacked and connected to each other. 2. The generator according to claim 1, characterized in that the photoconverters are made on the basis of cadmium telluride or have another basis for the manufacture of soft photoelectric converters. 3. The generator according to claim 1, characterized in that the radio phosphor is included in the photoelectric converter. 4. The generator according to claim 1, characterized in that instead of a battery of photoelectric converters, one soft photoelectric converter is used, covered with radioluminescent paint and rolled up. 5. The generator according to claim 1, characterized in that the radioisotope substance in the phosphor is promethium-147. 6. The generator according to claim 1, characterized in that the radioisotope substance in the phosphor is radium-226. 7. The generator according to claim 1, characterized in that the radioisotope substance in the phosphor is strontium-90. 8. The generator according to claim 1, characterized in that instead of covering the photoelectric converters with radioluminescent paint, a plate or film made of a transparent polymer or other substance with an admixture of a radioluminophor and saturated with radioactive gas is used. 9. The generator according to claim 1, characterized in that the photo-thermoelectric converters are connected in parallel. 10. The generator according to claim 1, characterized in that it is a component of exactly the same generators, interconnected and forming a more powerful generator.

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