Estimated output parameters at high neutron flux values for an experimental fission electric cell

Abstract

The output parameters of an experimental fission electric cell (FEC) operating in the current generator mode have been estimated for the values of the neutron flux existing in the nuclear reactors. The estimation has been performed on the basis of the experimental values obtained in an investigation carried out at the Central Institute of Physcis (CIP) in Bucharest, Romania, concentrating on direct nuclear fission energy conversion into electrical energy. These experimental values are higher by orders of magnitude than those reported by other laboratories. The results of the estimation indicate that hundreds of microamperes, hundreds of kilovolts and hundreds of watts could be delivered by an FEC containing 1g of 235U and irradiated in a thermal neutron flux of 1.4 × 1013 neutron cm−2s−1. The research demonstrates the feasibility of efficient fission electric cells as potentially usable components in nuclear reactors.