So I always wondered what is the issue that countries/companies do not look on manufacturing “mini” atomic generators?
I know that there exist small atomic generators maybe but they are like the size of a house or at least of a room.
Why not using e.g 10 grams or even 1 gram of uranium or any other suitable element to make really small generators that could fit e.g inside a bike or a small car?
In: 0
There are nuclear powered submarines with fairly small reactors.
There are also RTGs that are used in space probes. Slightly different technology to steam boiler type reactors. These don’t produce a lot of power, but last for a very long time.
But to answer your question on stuff for inside a bike/car. Economies of scale. You can shrink the uranium used to 1 gram, but you can’t shrink the pipes, pumps, valves, safety equipment, control systems, electronics etc. to the same amount. It is better to use a big power plant to create electricity first, and then transfer that power into an electric bike or car that has batteries.
Latest Answers