High performance electric generators boosted by nuclear electron avalanche (NEA)

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11979100-B2
Application number	US-202318195156-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 9, 2023
Priority date	Mar 15, 2018
Publication date	May 7, 2024
Grant date	May 7, 2024

Abstract

Various aspects include electric generators configured to boost electrical output by leveraging electron avalanche generated by a high energy photon radiation source. In various aspects, an electric generator includes a stator and a rotor positioned within the stator, wherein the stator and rotor are configured to generate electric current when the rotor is rotated, and a high energy photon source (e.g., a gamma ray source) positioned and configured to irradiate at least a portion of conductors in the rotor or stator. In some aspects, the stator generates a magnetic field when the electric generator is operating, and the rotor includes armature windings configured to generate electric current when the rotor is rotated. In some aspects, the high energy photon source includes cobalt-60 and/or cesium-137.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An electric generator, comprising:
a conductor material having conduction electrons and inner electrons; and
a high energy photon source configured to irradiate at least a portion of the conductor, wherein irradiation of at least a portion of the conductive material releases at least a portion of the inner electrons to generate current in the generator.

2. The electric generator of claim 1 , wherein the high energy photon source is configured to trigger an avalanche process.

3. The electric generator of claim 1 , wherein the avalanche process includes at least two of the processes selected from the group consisting of: photoelectric, photonuclear, Compton scattering, pair production, and combinations thereof.

4. The electric generator of claim 1 , wherein the high energy photon source comprises a cobalt isotope.

5. An electric generator, comprising:
a stator; and
a rotor configured to be positioned within the stator, wherein at least one of the stator and the rotor comprises a radionucleotide configured to act as a high energy photon source to irradiate at least a portion of conductors located in the rotor or the stator.

6. The electric generator of claim 5 , wherein the high energy photon source is configured to trigger an avalanche process.

7. The electric generator of claim 5 , wherein the avalanche process includes at least two of the processes selected from the group consisting of: photoelectric, photonuclear, Compton scattering, pair production, and combinations thereof.

8. The electric generator of claim 5 , wherein the high energy photon source comprises a cobalt isotope.

Assignees

• Nasa

Inventors

• Choi Sang H
• Bushnell Dennis M
• Duzik Adam J

Classifications

• H02N3/00 Primary

  Generators in which thermal or kinetic energy is converted into electrical energy by ionisation of a fluid and removal of the charge therefrom (discharge tubes functioning as thermionic generators H01J45/00) · CPC title

• G21H1/04 Primary

  Cells using secondary emission induced by alpha radiation, beta radiation, or gamma radiation · CPC title

• G21H1/12

  Cells using conversion of the radiation into light combined with subsequent photoelectric conversion into electric energy · CPC title

• H02K99/00

  Subject matter not provided for in other groups of this subclass · CPC title