Preliminary Performance Assessment of Americium-241 as Fuel in Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generators for Deep Space Exploration

摘要

Radioisotope thermoelectric generators (RTGs) have been utilized in the USA to power satellites and other space exploration equipment for over half a century. RTGs are essential for deep space exploration where solar energy is negligible. ~(238)Pu is currently the fuel source for RTGs due to several favorable properties such as high decay heat and minimal gamma radiation emission. The supply of ~(238)Pu is dwindling rapidly, but ~(241)Am has emerged as a potential substitute. We are currently assessing radiation transport performance of an ~(241)Am powered MMRTG for use in long-term satellites for deep space exploration. We are modelling the use of americium as a fuel source as a replacement for plutonium in current MMRTG designs. The performance assessment will be based on MCSP6, in terms of gamma emissions that might interfere with sensitive equipment and consequently the potential additional shielding needed to mitigate such interference. The performance of the ~(241)Am fueled model will be compared with that of a ~(238)Pu fueled model as a means of validating the MMRTG model geometry and material properties.