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Problems of designing radioisotope thermoelectric power generators with a service life of decades for use in outer space exploration vehicles

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Abstract

The present work deals with the feasibility of developing a radioisotope thermoelectric power generator (RTPG) capable of operating unattended in outer space over a period of several decades, among other things, on the basis of chemical compounds that occur in meteoric matter. The possibilities for solving problems related to the production of three-dimensional materials and to thermoelement interconnections are discussed. The implementation of nanotechnology will allow one to achieve an increase in the efficiency of a RTPG by 15% and higher.

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Original Russian Text © Yu.P. Prilepo, A.A. Pustovalov, V.V. Sinyavskiy, N.M. Sudak, O.B. Yatsenko, 2012, published in Izvestiya RAN. Energetika.

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Prilepo, Y.P., Pustovalov, A.A., Sinyavskiy, V.V. et al. Problems of designing radioisotope thermoelectric power generators with a service life of decades for use in outer space exploration vehicles. Therm. Eng. 59, 981–983 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1134/S004060151213006X

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1134/S004060151213006X

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