Consumer Nuclear Batteries Goodbye Solar and Lithium?

[HighDesertOffgrid]

Probably not for a minute, but is it scaleable? Skip to 6:00 for spoiler.

 

[sunshine_eggo]

Beta decay baby!!!

 

[Hedges]

The stuff works by radioactive decay, and exponential curve.
It is always putting out full power. Not scalable to what you want, good for clocks or space probe.

Need controllable chain reaction to respond to varying load.
Naval reactors are run that way, while many (most? all?) utility nuclear plans are operated supply steady base load.

 

[HighDesertOffgrid]

Not scalable to what you want, good for clocks or space probe.

10M cells to create 1kwh (napkin numbers).

 

[Rednecktek]

I'm waiting for the one that comes in a 20ft Conex box with terminals and outlets on the end.

Aaaannyy day now, right?

 

[Hedges]

What you don't draw from the terminals, comes out of the walls as heat.

Norton's theorem - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[LakeHouse]

"The half-life of that company was somewhat shorter than expected."
This is gold.

 

[HighDesertOffgrid]

I'm waiting for the one that comes in a 20ft Conex box with terminals and outlets on the end.

Aaaannyy day now, right?

Not sure how many you could pack in a conex. She never gives the actual dimensions. If they are a half inch Sq by 1/8 high. It would make a watt per cu ft. Have plenty of solder on hand.

 

[HighDesertOffgrid]

"The half-life of that company was somewhat shorter than expected."
This is gold.

She is clever.?

 

[50ShadesOfDirt]

I'd want double-use out of it, for the expected high price ... in addition to electricity, I'd pull a "Martian" (Hot Stuff, Baby), and warm the car space with it.

Void your warranty ... open it up!

 

[HighDesertOffgrid]

The stuff works by radioactive decay, and exponential curve.

Not sure what you mean by exponential curve. Are you talking about the power output drop over the half-life?

It is always putting out full power

So residential sized units that were grid tied could be viable?

 

[Hedges]

Yes, exponential decay, half life etc.

Residential units grid-tied could export power continuously.
After PG&E gets through with time of use rates, you'll want to add lithium batteries.
But the power density and cost likely won't be viable.

Some larger scale and generator based system might be, if it weren't for the need to secure hazardous material.

I was thinking of "nuclear pile", but the first one was only 1/2 watt. Further down, "Site A" was a few kW. But huge.

Chicago Pile-1 - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Site A - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Perhaps something more advanced could be.
An application for repurposing decommissioned warheads? Develop the feedback and control mechanism by trial and error.

 

[HighDesertOffgrid]

After PG&E gets through with time of use rates, you'll want to add lithium batteries.

? facts!
I was thinking more of 3d printed blocks of manageable size perhaps under basement or slab floors or under residential streets. With Beta it wouldn't be more dangerous than radon gas. Maybe it could happen sooner than 3d printing lunar or martian habitats out of regolith. ?

 

[John.DS99]

If it is made from Plutonium, I'M IN!

 

[HighDesertOffgrid]

If it is made from Plutonium, I'M IN!

Sorry, apparently nickel.

 

[Tulex]

Just don't get the KI pill pack that come with it confused with the battery pack.

 

[Rednecktek]

If it is made from Plutonium, I'M IN!

Can it produce 1.21Jiggawatts?

 

[Mielectric1]

Can it produce 1.21Jiggawatts?

if it does Im going back and winning the 1 billion lottery

 

[Rednecktek]

if it does Im going back and winning the 1 billion lottery

Don't do that, if you do I can't win the 3 billion!

 

[Mielectric1]

Don't do that, if you do I can't win the 3 billion!

Dang it!! there we go with time travel paradoxes, I always get the wrong answer on those.