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Video: It never happened, and here it is again! Rosatom obtained nickel-63 isotope for "nuclear batteries"
2024 Author: Seth Attwood | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 15:55
Is it really not long to wait for atomic batteries? For the first time in their history, Russian nuclear scientists have used gas centrifuges to enrich the radioactive isotope nickel-63, which can be used to create so-called "nuclear batteries", the press service of TVEL Fuel Company (part of Rosatom) reported.
"At the Electrochemical Plant in the city of Zelenogorsk, Krasnoyarsk Territory (JSC PO EKhZ; part of TVEL), for the first time in the history of the nuclear industry, the gas centrifuge method of the radioactive isotope nickel-63 has been enriched to more than 69%," the message says.
The radioisotope nickel-63, which does not exist in nature, has the unique properties of soft beta radiation without dangerous gamma radiation.
The nickel-63 isotope was initially produced by irradiating the stable nickel-62 isotope in the IVV-2M research reactor of the Institute of Reactor Materials JSC (part of the scientific division of Rosatom). At the V. G. Khlopin Radium Institute, which is also part of the scientific division of Rosatom, the material obtained was purified and a working gas was created for a cascade of gas centrifuges at PA EKhZ.
What is nickel-63 for?
A high level of enrichment in the nickel-63 isotope is necessary for the development of long-term energy sources, the production of which is planned to be organized by Rosatom at one of its enterprises, the report says. Compact "atomic batteries" with a service life of up to 50 years are in great demand in devices and systems where replacement of power supplies is difficult, costly, or unsafe. Potential areas of application of such batteries are space technology, medicine, telecommunications equipment, products of the military-industrial complex, industrial and infrastructure facilities.
"In 2019, the specialists of PO EKhZ, within the framework of the ongoing research and development, plan to achieve enrichment in the nickel-63 isotope at a level of more than 80%. The initial nickel-62 for these works is currently being irradiated in the RBMK-1000 power reactor at the Leningrad NPP.", - the message says.
Konstantin Vergazov, senior vice president of TVEL JSC for scientific and technical activities, technology and quality, believes that centrifugal separation of radioisotopes is a promising area that opens new markets for the nuclear industry. "In addition to obtaining nickel-63, the Electrochemical Plant already has the capacity to produce highly enriched radioisotopes krypton-85 and carbon-14. Sources of beta radiation based on krypton-85 are used for accurate measurements in metrology, and substances with a carbon-14 content are the main the study of the metabolism of new medicinal and cosmetic preparations ", - the words of Vergazov are quoted in the message of the press service of the TVEL company.
About TVEL
TVEL Fuel Company of Rosatom includes enterprises for the fabrication of nuclear fuel, conversion and enrichment of uranium, production of gas centrifuges, as well as research and development organizations. It is the only supplier of nuclear fuel for Russian nuclear power plants and provides nuclear fuel for 72 power reactors in 14 countries, research reactors in eight countries of the world, as well as transport reactors of the Russian nuclear fleet.
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