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Assuming that a plentiful supply of Cobalt 60 can be
secured (see idea on Iron Cobalt Fusion Reactor) perhaps
it
may be possible to construct a 'battery' that lasts 5 years
or
longer.
The basic idea is that maybe a box about the same size
as
a microwave, lined with lead and filled with
a few
alternating layers of cobalt 60 and specialized photo-
voltaic cells can be used to generate enough electrical
energy for a single household for more than 5 years.
Cobalt 60 turns into Nickel 60. Nickel is not particularly
hazardous in its metallic form and is a useful and
valuable
commodity. The by-product of the Cobalt 60 Gamma Ray
Battery is a source of Nickel.
If Cobalt 60 is 'hot' enough with gamma ray radiation,
photo-voltaic cells can hopefully have a high enough
energy output to make it viable.
The issue is supplying enough Cobalt 60 to fuel enough
machines. With the Iron Cobalt Fusion Reactor hopefully
this can be achieved.
Gamma to Light
http://spie.org/x11...8&ArticleID=x115974
Combine this newly discovered substance with solar cells.... [Vernon, Nov 22 2015]
gamma ray
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gamma_ray
wiki link [travbm, Nov 26 2015]
semiconductors for gamma detectors
http://www.scientis...e.com/content/25316
science article on high frequency detectors. [travbm, Nov 26 2015]
A kind of radioactive battery
https://en.wikipedi...oelectric_generator
As used in the Voyager probes [hippo, Nov 26 2015]
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Annotation:
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// specialized photo- voltaic cells // |
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Semiconductors don't last long under intense gamma flux. |
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Indeed, since the heat generated by the gamma ray
incidence with semiconductors would be significant and
destroy normal solar cells, the idea calls for some research
into specialized gamma ray photo-voltaics. If one could
create a fluid photo-voltaic cell, heat can be dissipated.
There are some interesting possibilities as far as specialized
gamma ray photo-voltaics are concerned, not limited to
semi-conductors, but perhaps by using solutions of various
pigments or something. |
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I think the bigger question is whether you want lots
of microwave-size chunks of cobalt 60 in general
circulation. |
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Yes, unfortunately Cobalt 60 has potential for dirty bomb
manufacture. Gammawave Batteries could be used for
good or evil. Hopefully tampering with the enclosure
would expose the tamperers to a lethal dose of gamma
radiation. Nothing that can't be overcome with
machinery and protective gear. |
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Regrettably the potential exists for misuse, and in the
current economic-political climate the creation of dirty
bombs would probably happen. |
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On the plus side though, research into the practical
applications and development of Gammawave Batteries
may indicate that nuclear storage of energy, with an
energy density of millions over chemical batteries may
mitigate the risk of miscreants misusing this technology. |
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I think this technology can be researched, for the benefit
of the future generations. Perhaps future generations
would not use this technology to destroy (unlikely). |
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Not dirty bomb, standard use. Anything in "general circulation" can be found in streams and on road sides in cities. It's nature's way but nature doesn't have a cycle for. |
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Maybe some future individual would be using gamma power cells to run their plasma rifle to shoot mutant trolls. |
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Plasma Rifles sound like fun. Maybe Jet packs and plasma
rifles combined would beat the baddies. |
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Anyway another issue about Cobalt 60 in general
circulation is that is it may enter the food chain -
contained within the vitamin B12. Nevertheless I think
that if these batteries are regulated and controlled in a
similar manner to vehicles, with added fortification,
including an ultra pungent stink gas that warns nearby
people that a lead/bismuth/iron fortified containment
vessel has been breached, a modicum of security can be
achieved. |
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If, then a well organised and regulated 'alternative
energy
storage' system can be orchestrated, then the Cobalt 60
has little chance of making it into the general circulation. |
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As far as semi-conductors go, I think that there are
probably many more options, including the one in ultra-
bright scintillators for planetary gamma-ray
spectroscopy. There could be many different incarnations
of the basic concept - including possibilities for 'micro'
sized devices - perhaps the size of a watch battery. |
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//whether you want lots of microwave-size chunks of cobalt
60 in general circulation.// |
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What a silly question, of course we do! |
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You would have to use a thick lead telluride crystals to convert gamma rays into electricity maybe even doping it with Erbium or lanthanum or something like that but cerium may also work. As for the gamma solar cell I doubt it would be very efficient as gamma rays very penetrating. |
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The enclosure itself might be akin to a mirrored box. i am
thinking polished lead, bismuth alloy with a literal silver
lining - or tin or aluminum. Basically like a gamma ray
globe in a mirrored box, with the only exit for muons via
the direct current output from 'solar' panels...gamma ray
absorbers made from lead telluride doped with some rare
earths as u say. Heat dispersion is a problem because it
will degrade 'panels'. That is why another option may be
some use of 'liquid' gamma ray converters. Thinking of
something like a synthetic dye specifically engineered for
the purpose. Light not converted to electron flow would
be reflected from the inner lining of the enclosure. |
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Also due to the changing crystal lattice of Cobalt 60 as it
decays to Nickel 60, some engineering tolerances would
need to be considered in the design. I am in favor of a
steel wool type material of Cobalt 60, perhaps with some
kind of fluid filling the gaps. Between each layer there
might be the EMF plate for polarised ions of the dye to
exchange the charges...as far as the changing volume of
the decay product goes, in this box we have a gas (highly
smelly) which will compress as the Cobalt changes to
Nickel. |
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maybe zinc oxide and silicon dioxide based on a moray detector could work for your gamma cell or for a dopant as in a matrix of some sort of radioactive wool or mesh for a battery? |
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I think some experimentation is in order for the best way
to harness the gamma radiation into usable current. I am
unfamiliar with the Moray Detector (is it something used
for diving to detect Moray Eels?). |
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I think there are many options for the photo-voltaic
conversion depending on the individual battery design. In
this case, a microwave sized device for generating up to
50kwh per day, some options could be considered,
including the aforementioned technologies. |
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Perhaps even new semiconductor technology could be
devised - using silicon as a substrate, perhaps some
existing space age technology is already available and in
mass production. |
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With very little working knowledge on how solar panels
actually work - bar the very fundamentals - one might
consider unordinary dopants, perhaps normal transition
elements such as copper could be used in place of rare
earths. |
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From my research I discovered that lead/bismuth alloy
has a very low melting point, so its not great for
enclosure material. Perhaps a lead/bismuth/tungsten
alloy would have a higher melting point (how would this
be manufactured (vapor deposition?)) and be a bit more
resilient of high temperatures. Lead/Bismuth/X alloys
could be devised to meet the properties this device needs
for the enclosure, specifically: commercial affordability
for mass production, strength characteristics to resist
curious public and effective shielding properties. Come to
think of it, I think 10mm iron casing would do just fine,
perhaps with a 1mm layer of lead and a 2 micrometer
layer of reflective material in the inside of the the box. |
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Moray made a sensitive power diode that could take high power radio transmissions and make about 600 watts of power in a cell. They would burn out if overloaded for some reason. I guess surface area was key to the diode working. But radio waves are em waves. Gamma rays are just high energy photons at a frequency higher than that of radio and most other waves. I think it could work as a receiver if tuned to gamma frequencies. |
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You need at least one cm or lead and some sort of gamma reflecting crystal surface to contain the gamma rays. |
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Does this idea differ from the batteries used in the Voyager probes (see link)? |
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The idea is not so far away, that's a fairly important difference I would say. |
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// I think it could work as a receiver if tuned to gamma frequencies. // |
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Gamma is ionizing. You can't engineer a tuned circuit for ionizing radiation; you can only couple the energy electrostatically. |
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// some sort of gamma reflecting crystal surface to contain the gamma rays. // |
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Unobtainium would be the ideal material for that. |
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// Moray made a sensitive power diode that could take high
power radio transmissions and make about 600 watts of
power in a cell. […] Gamma rays are just high energy
photons at a frequency higher than that of radio and most
other waves. I think it could work as a receiver if tuned to
gamma frequencies. // |
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Antennas work for radio waves, but not for light (let alone
gamma). Why do you think this diode would be different? |
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I thought gamma rays basically just tear the crap out of everything... in which case just let it do that then harvest the IR. |
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