Electric cars.

It seems to be something similar to a RTG which also uses hot radioactive stuff. Theyre great for satellites and other remote devices but be warned: If those batteries leak its a disaster. The material inside needs to be intensely radioactive so any leak could be fatal to those who get any of the material on them without noticing. The traditional RTGs use a plutonium isotope which permanently glows red hot due to its own decomposition... like metal compost!

Still such a miniaturisation will be very useful for robots and so on.

 

If it could be made scalable and safe, it would never reach market for everyday uses. What business would want to produce something you only have to buy once? They would effectively be destroying their own livelihoods.

 

Because the heat comes from its natural decomposition rather than fission (fission is caused by neutrons combining with an atom, making it so unstable it immediately splits into two), it cannot be turned off.
In a normal nuclear reactor, the fuel (a mixture of uranium 235 and 238) is not very radioactive, and on its own wont do much. By adding a "moderator" (usually water), the reaction is accelerated until it can sustain a chain reaction (called "critical"). The reactor carefully balances this to get the power output it wants, and it can turn the reaction off at any time. Not so for a hot isotope.

There is also the matter of where you get the fuel: These hot isotopes dont exist in nature because they decay so quickly! Uranium 238 has a half life of 4 billion years, much of it is left from before our solar system formed. Nickel 63 has a half life of 100 years!

These hot isotopes (often used for medical stuff) all come from recycling spent nuclear fuel.

There are many innovative nuclear reactors we could build but nobody wants to. Breeder reactors which make their own fuel could power humanity for millenia easily but fossil fuels are just cheaper

 

Funny you should mention that, I was in the park this morning and they had a fun run on, this bloke passed me with a long dressing gown on and carrying a shiny metal pole.

took me a while but I think he was supposed to be a star wars character.

 

Yes this must be the kind of reactor they used in the Voyager probes. I'm old enough to remember when they were launched and there was a big row at the time, with concerns about them having nuclear reactors on board, what danger it would pose if the luanch went wrong etc. 50 years on both probes are still working way in excess of their design life.

 

@fatcontroller, I am not sure what point you are trying to make? You post about EV fires but don’t seem as bothered with the far more frequent ICE car fires. You can make petrol/oil look just as dangerous/bad etc. I think it’s important to have a balanced view.
https://www.breakingnews.ie/world/death-toll-in-nigeria-tanker-explosion-rises-to-98-
1720141.html

With fire ‘greatly diminished,' probe into oil tanker–cargo ship North Sea allision ongoing

Watch: Vehicle blazes in U-ground car park of Cork shopping centre


Cork shopping centre fire: Judge issues directions on liability issues | BreakingNews.ie

 

I am not sure what point you are making with your post about a ship fire 3 years ago though as you made no comment with your post hence discussion around the post is difficult. I tried to balance your post showing that a petrol/oil tanker fire is pretty catastrophic too as can be the consequences of a ICE car fire.

 

Id rather walk
back in the good old days before carts and horses...