Photochemical oxidation of oxalate in Pu-238 process streams

Conference · Wed Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 2003

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.1594642· OSTI ID:976606

Long, K M ^[1]; Ford, D K ^[2]; Trujillo, L A ^[3]

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1. Kristy M.
2. Doris K.
3. Leonardo A.

For over forty years, NASA has relied on plutonium-238 in Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator (RTG) units and Radioisotope Heater Units ( W s ) to provide power and heat for many space missions including Transit, Pioneer, Viking, Voyager, Galileo, Ulysses and Cassini. RHUs provide heat to keep key components warm in extremely cold environments found on planets, moons, or in deep space. RTGs convert heat generated from the radioactive decay of plutonium-238 into electricity using a themocouple, Plutonium-238 has proven to be an excellent heat source far deep space missions because of its high thermal power density, useful lifetime, minimal shielding requirements, and oxide stability.

• Research Organization: Los Alamos National Laboratory
• Sponsoring Organization: DOE
• OSTI ID: 976606
• Report Number(s): LA-UR-03-2552
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

30 DIRECT ENERGY CONVERSION
DECAY
ELECTRICITY
HEAT SOURCES
HEATERS
LIFETIME
NASA
NESDPS Office of Nuclear Energy Space and Defense Power Systems
OXALATES
OXIDATION
OXIDES
PLANETS
PLUTONIUM
PLUTONIUM 238
POWER DENSITY
RADIOISOTOPES
SHIELDING
STABILITY
THERMOELECTRIC GENERATORS