Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generators (RTGs) how it works and uses
Introduction
Energy is very important to us. This is strongly felt when another technology is developed. We get energy differently. When we eat food, we gain strength. Nowadays we use a lot of heat as energy. The most common way to generate electricity is by heating. Let's see how we can generate electricity using heat.
Most of the time we burn something to get heat. It's like burning coal and taking the heat. We can't convert that heat directly to electricity. So we use that heat to heat the water. Then, the steam turns on a turbine and generates electricity. We call this process elsewhere a coal-fired power plant. The heat from a coal-fired power plant doesn't transmit electricity directly.
When heat is converted into electricity or kinetic energy, a lot of energy is lost. In a power plant, about 70% of the heat is wasted. A fuel-powered vehicle also consumes a lot of heat. Read it to those who need it.
A lot of heat is lost because the heat cannot be turned directly into electricity. But we can convert heat directly into electricity. Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generators (RTGs) are the turning device.
From now on I'll use "R.T.G". What this RTG does is turn the heat on directly. Then why don't we use it for power stations? It is not currently used in power plants because of practical problems.
Thermal power plants
First, let's talk about how to generate electricity from thermal power plants. Heat is needed to generate electricity from thermal power plants. Coal can be used to generate heat. The coal is burned and the heat is turned into steam. Using that steam, we turn on a turbine and generate electricity.
Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generators (RTGs)
RTG was developed in the 1950s by Mound Laboratories. The project was led by Dr. Bertram C. Blanke. snap 3 was the first RTG launched by the US in space.
Open an Iron rod and Cool one side of it. Then the electrons on the heated side are moving towards the cold. Moving electrons means there is electricity. But this is a very small voltage. So, now you know what to do if you want more electricity. If you take a lot of wires and connect them in series, you can increase the voltage.
The conductor is used to connect all these wire rods in series. So this conveyor is heating up as before. When this wire is heated, the power generated is not where we want it. On the other side. This is a complete failure. But this problem can be solved by using semiconductors. Semi-armature is a compound made by adding the positive ions and negative ions to the desired volume.
Doping is the process of adding enough positive or negative ions to a cooker. So you can solve the problem by switching the semiconductor bar with free negative ions and free positive ions. So you can make an RTG.
When one side of an iron rod is cold and the other is heated, it is normal to move from the heated side to the cold side. But if this process takes place in RTG, we cannot generate electricity. Therefore, conductors that do not travel in the heat have to be used for this purpose. The semiconductors that do not convert heat to conducting electricity are used for this purpose. Making an RTG is possible, but it takes a lot of energy to cool it down. Therefore, even though electricity is generated there is no profit. It is not used on Earth because it is inefficient. This method will be improved in the future.
but. There is only one place to use this. That is space.
What uses of RTG
In space, we need the power to operate the spacecraft. Solar panels are the most commonly used spacecraft. Solar panels can be used directly. Since there are no expensive or paid parts, spacecraft can operate for a long time without problems.
However, solar panels cannot be used in deep space as there is no sunlight. Batteries can be used for this purpose but not for several years. Because of this, RTG is used in many spacecraft today. An RTG can operate for decades and generate electricity.
For RTG to work, one side must be cold and the other side heated. Electricity is only generated if there is a temperature difference. Radioactive isotopes are used to produce the necessary heat. The atoms of radioactive isotopes are very unstable. This releases radiation to stabilize them. Heat is easily produced because it emits radiation. And the cold? Space is a very cold place. So cold it'll be 2.73 kelvin (-270.42 celsius).
That means it's a lower temperature than we can imagine. The lowest temperature in the universe is 1kelvin. Therefore, RTG does not cost any extra to produce the cold.
Most of the heat produced is either Plutonium-238 or Strontium-90. The use of these means can generate enough power to power the equipment for decades without any problems. Radioactive isotopes use the name "Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generators". Over the decades, however, the voltage is very low, which is very beneficial.
Most of the spacecraft we know of are using RTG. Of those, the Cassini space probe is not forgotten. The service it has done for us in space is immense. The ability to perform such a service is due to the long life
more info-https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/missions/cassini/radioisotope-thermoelectric-generator
-https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radioisotope_thermoelectric_generator
Energy is very important to us. This is strongly felt when another technology is developed. We get energy differently. When we eat food, we gain strength. Nowadays we use a lot of heat as energy. The most common way to generate electricity is by heating. Let's see how we can generate electricity using heat.
Most of the time we burn something to get heat. It's like burning coal and taking the heat. We can't convert that heat directly to electricity. So we use that heat to heat the water. Then, the steam turns on a turbine and generates electricity. We call this process elsewhere a coal-fired power plant. The heat from a coal-fired power plant doesn't transmit electricity directly.
When heat is converted into electricity or kinetic energy, a lot of energy is lost. In a power plant, about 70% of the heat is wasted. A fuel-powered vehicle also consumes a lot of heat. Read it to those who need it.
A lot of heat is lost because the heat cannot be turned directly into electricity. But we can convert heat directly into electricity. Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generators (RTGs) are the turning device.
From now on I'll use "R.T.G". What this RTG does is turn the heat on directly. Then why don't we use it for power stations? It is not currently used in power plants because of practical problems.
Thermal power plants
First, let's talk about how to generate electricity from thermal power plants. Heat is needed to generate electricity from thermal power plants. Coal can be used to generate heat. The coal is burned and the heat is turned into steam. Using that steam, we turn on a turbine and generate electricity.
Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generators (RTGs)
RTG was developed in the 1950s by Mound Laboratories. The project was led by Dr. Bertram C. Blanke. snap 3 was the first RTG launched by the US in space.
Open an Iron rod and Cool one side of it. Then the electrons on the heated side are moving towards the cold. Moving electrons means there is electricity. But this is a very small voltage. So, now you know what to do if you want more electricity. If you take a lot of wires and connect them in series, you can increase the voltage.
The conductor is used to connect all these wire rods in series. So this conveyor is heating up as before. When this wire is heated, the power generated is not where we want it. On the other side. This is a complete failure. But this problem can be solved by using semiconductors. Semi-armature is a compound made by adding the positive ions and negative ions to the desired volume.
Doping is the process of adding enough positive or negative ions to a cooker. So you can solve the problem by switching the semiconductor bar with free negative ions and free positive ions. So you can make an RTG.
When one side of an iron rod is cold and the other is heated, it is normal to move from the heated side to the cold side. But if this process takes place in RTG, we cannot generate electricity. Therefore, conductors that do not travel in the heat have to be used for this purpose. The semiconductors that do not convert heat to conducting electricity are used for this purpose. Making an RTG is possible, but it takes a lot of energy to cool it down. Therefore, even though electricity is generated there is no profit. It is not used on Earth because it is inefficient. This method will be improved in the future.
but. There is only one place to use this. That is space.
What uses of RTG
In space, we need the power to operate the spacecraft. Solar panels are the most commonly used spacecraft. Solar panels can be used directly. Since there are no expensive or paid parts, spacecraft can operate for a long time without problems.
However, solar panels cannot be used in deep space as there is no sunlight. Batteries can be used for this purpose but not for several years. Because of this, RTG is used in many spacecraft today. An RTG can operate for decades and generate electricity.
For RTG to work, one side must be cold and the other side heated. Electricity is only generated if there is a temperature difference. Radioactive isotopes are used to produce the necessary heat. The atoms of radioactive isotopes are very unstable. This releases radiation to stabilize them. Heat is easily produced because it emits radiation. And the cold? Space is a very cold place. So cold it'll be 2.73 kelvin (-270.42 celsius).
That means it's a lower temperature than we can imagine. The lowest temperature in the universe is 1kelvin. Therefore, RTG does not cost any extra to produce the cold.
Most of the heat produced is either Plutonium-238 or Strontium-90. The use of these means can generate enough power to power the equipment for decades without any problems. Radioactive isotopes use the name "Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generators". Over the decades, however, the voltage is very low, which is very beneficial.
Most of the spacecraft we know of are using RTG. Of those, the Cassini space probe is not forgotten. The service it has done for us in space is immense. The ability to perform such a service is due to the long life
more info-https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/missions/cassini/radioisotope-thermoelectric-generator
-https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radioisotope_thermoelectric_generator
Good post ..thkankyou for sharing knowledge with us
ReplyDeleteKeep write
Nice work bro
ReplyDeletethankyou bro..!
DeleteNo, an RTG can turn heat directly into electricity. But in a Thermal power plant, heat is not converted directly into electricity.
ReplyDelete