Radioisotope thermoelectric generators. Why they will never be available for private use

An article with a bit of a futuristic bias, about promising technologies of the future. And about why in the present situation they will not be introduced for private use.

The article Nuclear barrels and prospects for their useI expressed my idea that low-power nuclear batteries will remain in demand only in a narrow part of microelectronics, in medicine and in astronautics. Cost and low power impose restrictions for domestic use.

It turned out that from the middle of the 20th century. the industry of different countries also produced power radioisotope thermoelectric generators with a capacity of tens and hundreds of watts.

From the middle of the 20th century. so-called RTGs (radioisotope thermoelectric generators) were produced. The principle of their work was simple. The radioactive isotope heated the capsule and received electricity through a thermoelectric converter (thermocouples operating on the Thomas Seebeck effect). Or used silicon Peltier elements.

They were mainly used for spacecraft and satellites. They worked on strontium-90, and especially powerful ones - on plutonium-238. Examples of power: Voyager (160 W), Cassini, New Horizons and Galileo (300 W each), Curiosity (110 W), Pioneer 10 (155 W), our lunar rovers and satellites, etc.

RTGs were also used in the Apollo lunar program:

Gray RTG SNAP-27 of the Apollo-14 apparatus with impeller-radiators, power 73 W at voltage 30 V. One of the very first RTGs, the SNAP-3 had a power of 2.5 W and a weight of only 2.5 kilograms. RTGs were also used to heat powered electronics.

These sources of electricity have spread to the earth. Compact nuclear facilities based on isotopes were used to power navigation beacons, radio beacons and weather stations on the country's Arctic coast during the Soviet era:

The service life of RTGs is 30 years. But this is with technologies 50-70 years ago. For all the time, about 1000 RTGs were produced in the USSR.

Sealed RTGs do not pose a threat to the environment and humans. But hunters for non-ferrous metal, despite the warning inscription about the radiation hazard, stole them from the installation sites and opened them. Thus received critical doses of radiation for the body.

Over 36 years, there have been 23 incidents with these installations. They were dropped from helicopters, disassembled and found at scrap collection points, local residents used to heating housing, etc. I was struck by the case when a powerful source of radiation from the RTG was thrown out right on the bus stop.

The entire list of cases can be found here: https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/Радиоизотопный_термоэлектрический_генератор

FGUP "Hydrographic Enterprise" and Rosmorrechflot are looking for installations. For eight years, 153 RTGs were removed from the Barents and White Seas for disposal. Two of the RTGs have not yet been found.

There are even more serious technologies - small-sized nuclear reactors. As an example - compact nuclear installations Buk and Topaz for satellites.

But about them somehow in a separate article. If this topic is interesting - write in the comments, put "+". I will know that a sequel is needed.

So, summarizing this information about small-sized thermoelectric generators based on radioisotopes from the standpoint of private use. The idea for heating and getting electricity for personal use is great. The RTG does not require maintenance. They brought, installed, sealed. A seal is broken or a radiation leak has occurred - a signal to the control panel and the departure of the brigade with all reprisals and consequences for the owner. Everything is like a weapon. Installation in an underground silo with a double heat exchange circuit and a backup cooling system. Etc.

But I got the idea that ordinary people will not be allowed to have such a source of energy. It's not a conspiracy theory that some forces are holding back the technological development of humanity. And it's not even about their cost (although a large sum can be paid for 30-50 years of operation of a powerful RTG). It's about the people themselves. Illustrative examples of how some unreasonable individuals can handle radioactive food sources.

Given the current level of education, the moral and ethical state of the psyche and, in general, an adequate understanding of the consequences of their actions by most people on the planet, these attitudes are simply dangerous. It's like giving grenades to a monkey.

And people will not be educated to the level required to entrust such equipment. No one will drag the hair to enlightenment anymore. It was during the USSR. That education system no longer exists. Therefore, the maximum we can count on is a powerful Li-Ion battery in the phone and heating our home with main gas (if any).

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