Thermoelectric Generation
1.1 Thermoelectric 1.1.1 Nuclear Thermoelectric Nuclear devices such as thermoelectric generators have been employed by the Soviets for decades powering many of their satellite systems. Russia launched thirty-one low-powered fission reactors between 1967 and 1988. The first thermoelectric generator (RTG) was used in a space mission that was launched from a U.S. Navy Transit navigation satellite in 1961. The RTG generates it electric power from the heat of radioactive decay of an isotope. The plutonium isotope has a calculated 7% efficiency for thermoelectric applications, and 12% for thermionic processing. This system used plutonium-238 fuel and weigh 56 kg. There is 10.6 kg of plutonium dioxide fuel is stored in individual modular units to minimize the risk of radioactive release. There is a layer of iridium metal which is encased in a high-strength graphite blocks. The efficiency of such systems has improved greatly over the decades with the development of more ef