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84 Comments
- kismetropolis, on 04/13/2009, -4/+37SCIENCE!!
- dementer0, on 04/13/2009, -1/+28Now hopefully it will go to a large scale and will be used one day...
- Chairboy, on 04/13/2009, -0/+21Radioisotope thermoelectric generator (aka RTGs) use thermocouples to generate power without steam. These have been used in spacecraft and underwater phone taps for decades and are a proven technology. This new tech is probably desirable compared to RTGs, but I figured it was worth nothing that non-steam power extraction has been in use in specialized applications for quite a bit longer than I've been alive.
Famous examples include: The Voyager spacecraft and the lunar modules used in the Apollo project. - jackpot, on 04/13/2009, -2/+20Then how are they going to play Half Life 2?
- whiledo, on 04/13/2009, -2/+18This is good news, even if it was only for geeky reasons. I've always been disappointed that we harnessed the mighty power of the atom in order to boil water.
- anexanhume, on 04/13/2009, -0/+14Sorry VALVe, you're not needed anymore.
- dazparkour, on 04/13/2009, -0/+13I'm pretty sure this isn't your field.
- Zarimus, on 04/13/2009, -0/+13Scientists are typically reluctant to make absolute statements.
- whiledo, on 04/13/2009, -0/+13IT WORKS, BITCHES!
- cawpin, on 04/13/2009, -0/+9"And there's also the risk (or memory) of another Chernobyl or Three Mile Island happening."
So, there's the chance that another group of communists will ignore all the warning signs and let their reactor blow up and there is also a chance that a reactor in the US will shutdown without incident just as it supposed to when something breaks.
Thanks for the lack of information. - Fletchnuts, on 04/13/2009, -1/+9It's pronounced "nucular"
- anonymousmedic, on 04/13/2009, -1/+80/10 for the troll. You show the lack of basic knowledge that diggers expect in their trolls.
Maybe we should just nuke some brown people? Would that teach you to lrn2google moar?
>It's already been established that it's more resource efficient than coal, without CO2 emissions, and less volume of waste, and all that good stuff. And it's been known that with research such as this, it can only get better.
But nuclear power leads to nuclear weapons proliferation. And there's also the risk (or memory) of another Chernobyl or Three Mile Island happening. Also, people get the heebie jeebies when it comes to nuclear power. Blame the Russians for that or something.<
[Citation Needed] - CynicalTyler, on 04/14/2009, -0/+3The best I've got is 1.21 gigawatts.
But seriously: the sun isn't always available for power generation. Mostly at night. Also during eclipses and storms. And creating battery storage to last a city through a night is not simple. - anonymousmedic, on 04/13/2009, -0/+3Hey, they're still alive aren't they?
Who's going to help you with it, Black Mesa? Ha Ha. - jasdf, on 04/13/2009, -0/+3This sounds substantially different from a simple RTG.
- GovernmentsGun, on 04/13/2009, -0/+3It's things like this that give me hope that we won't destroy ourselves. For every improvement in the efficient use of resources, we're less likely to have bloody conflicts over resources.
- youannoyme, on 04/13/2009, -1/+4The electrical wiring in your house is 'relatively safe' too. It can 'only' electrocute you if your fool enough to play with bare wires. Or start a fire if the wiring gets frayed. Or start an explosion if it sparks near a gas leak. Anytime you harvest/store/use enough energy to be of any use, it's always possible to do something stupid and make it explode in your face. And the person who actually calls something safe is just asking to take the blame the first time some idiot manages to screw it all up.
- k3rfuffl3, on 04/13/2009, -0/+3This seems like it has a low power density. Nuclear fission is good for power generation because it has a high power density. This is just using natural radioactive decay to produce energy.
As for the whole "omg we've come so far just to boil water lolololol..." You underestimate the awesomeness of water. It has one of the highest specific heat capacities of any liquid and is plentiful, easy to purify, and most importantly - cheap. - foofightrs777, on 04/13/2009, -0/+2Cheese wheels of doom.
- AKron, on 04/13/2009, -0/+2New Atomic Battery - Monday, Feb. 04, 1957
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,7 ... - Feyr, on 04/13/2009, -0/+2try 18% for high efficiency ones
- novenator, on 04/13/2009, -1/+3FTW!
- merky1, on 04/14/2009, -0/+2Yeah, between the crushing debt and fields of radioactivity, life would suck for the kids.
- tgc1, on 04/13/2009, -1/+3"I am a Scientist.You are a Scientist. SCIENCE!"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sBaPI2AKu2g - waldo686, on 04/13/2009, -0/+2Oh my science
- GreatSunJester, on 04/14/2009, -0/+1I know you were probably thinking of the Thomas Dolby video, but I see the word "SCIENCE!" and visualize Agatha Clay (Heterodyne) and a big wrench: http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/index.php
Weird, but fun. - KungFooJesus, on 04/14/2009, -0/+1owned. Welcome to 1957.
- diggydougie, on 04/14/2009, -0/+1A paragraph describing the process would be helpful. Nuclear to light? How? And how to get nuclear to electricity. Light to electricity is not very efficient either.
- inactive, on 04/14/2009, -0/+1I would like to see a comparison of the relative efficiencies for the ion-based nuclear electricity generation versus the steam-based nuclear electricity generation.
- fireburner23, on 04/14/2009, -0/+1Okay....but why are we using this to desalinate ocean water if it is so cheap?
- splinter09, on 04/14/2009, -0/+1Is that good or bad? cause I'm not very keen on this.
- shadowmoose, on 04/13/2009, -1/+2I always thought it was funny how we have all this amazing technology yet we are still boiling water to get our electricity going.
- isny, on 04/14/2009, -1/+2It's poetry in motion
- Lunarbunny, on 04/13/2009, -0/+1Came here to mention that too. This sounds more efficient than just using the heat created by the radioactive decay, however.
- alappat1, on 04/14/2009, -0/+1if there are land area issues... (about your last sentence)
- Icyfenix, on 04/14/2009, -0/+1noooo our last steam powered resource!
Long live steampunk! - sanman, on 04/14/2009, -0/+1I wonder if it could be used for space rockets?
For example, an ion-thruster or even a VASIMR rocket could be powered by the electrical energy from this compact nuclear powerplant.
There's already a helluva lot of radiation in space, so I wouldn't worry about a little more from a nuclear reactor. At the very least, you could use it for unmanned probes.
Here's a more detailed explanation on this PIDEC stuff:
http://isjaee.hydrogen.ru/pdf/AEE04-07_Prelas.pdf - wcarver, on 04/14/2009, -0/+1I also believe the photon output is several magnitudes higher than one would get from just direct sunlight. Like comparing a BIC lighter to a plasm torch.
- spartan777, on 04/14/2009, -0/+1"Prelas has worked with industries, such as British Nuclear Fuel, Daimler Bentz and the U.S. Semiconductor Corp. on RECS commercialization issues."
again, the public pays the costs and takes the risks, only to hand it out to wealthy companies to privatize the profit.
I'm thrilled about this tech as a physics major currently in college, but WE should benefit and *profit* from this technology, not just some ceo's and investors. - nanexo, on 04/14/2009, -0/+1linkbait!
- Marrach, on 04/14/2009, -0/+1Hurray! Personal Nuclear Power Plants-- here we come!
Oh No! --- The Con Edison Assassins!
Run for your Lives!!! - latrosicarius, on 04/17/2009, -0/+1Indeed. Let's forget about generating electricity by the passage of charged particles (a.k.a. plasma) through a ferric coil.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inductance - carbonfilament, on 04/14/2009, -0/+1I found this much more interesting and informative than the original submission.
- carbonfilament, on 04/14/2009, -0/+1Cause that will help our ewaste problem... Radioactive landfills
- inactive, on 04/14/2009, -0/+1Finally! Ever since I was in high-school I've wondered why no one has though of a better way to better harness the energy from the reaction. Using it all to boil water just seems silly (although incredibly effective)
- Lunarbunny, on 04/13/2009, -0/+1I probably shouldn't be laughing at this.
- RutgerB, on 04/13/2009, -1/+2BLESS YOU
- dsmx, on 04/13/2009, -0/+1Actually if they perfect this method of making electricity it counds feasible to scale this down to very a small size, possibly even battery size.
- kismetropolis, on 04/15/2009, -0/+1Sparks rock too, yeah.
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