morkids.blogg.se - Gmod nuclear power plant

The ceramic form also prevents the material from being absorbed into the body if ingested.Īfter a gap of nearly 30 years, the United States has restarted production of new plutonium oxide heat source material, which is the fuel used in radioisotope power systems (RPS) built by the Department of Energy (DOE) to provide electricity and heat for NASA missions that explore some of the most extreme places in the solar system. In this form, it primarily breaks into large pieces rather than being vaporized into fine particles, which can be a health hazard when inhaled. For example, the fuel is intentionally formulated and used in a ceramic form, similar to the material in a coffee mug. Several layers of safety features designed into an RPS help minimize this potential. In unlikely event of a mission accident, there is a potential for the release and dispersal of the fuel into the environment, and subsequent exposure to humans. The only radioisotope that has consistently met the basic criteria is plutonium-238, which has a half-life of 88 years and a high power density, and has proven to be a very dependable and safe heat source on more than two dozen U.S.

Have a high power density, so a small amount of it can generate a substantial amount of heat.

Have a long enough half-life (at least 15 to 100 years), so that it can generate for many years sufficient heat for transformation into electricity.

Be stable at high temperatures, so its characteristics remain essentially unchanged over many years.

Have relatively low neutron, beta and gamma radiation emissions, so as to not adversely affect spacecraft instruments or require excessively massive shielding.

Exist in a form such that it presents no or minimal chemical toxicity when taken into the body.

Exist in an insoluble form and/or otherwise not be readily absorbed into the body in the unlikely event of a launch accident.

To be suitable for space missions, a radioisotope must meet all of the following criteria: Plutonium-238 is not the type of plutonium used for nuclear weapons and would not work well as fuel in a nuclear reactor. Alpha particles are a particular type of ionizing radiation that can be shielded by material as thin as a piece of paper.

The fuel in an RPS is plutonium oxide, which is a radioactive material that produces alpha particles. A plutonium-238 fuel pellet, glowing with the heat it produces.