Modeling radiation and hydrogen production in a radioisotope micro-power source

Graduation date: 2006Radioisotope based power systems have been used for several decades. This\ud research covers a new concept in the field, a radioisotope micro-power source (RIMS).\ud A RIMS cell consists of a radioactive source, a hydrogenous material, and a hydrogen\ud fuel cell.\ud The fuel cell is powered by hydrogen separated from the hydrogenous\ud material, in this ease water, by the energy deposition of the particles emitted by the\ud radioisotope. This process is known as radiolysis. The amount of hydrogen produced\ud through radiolysis is determined by the G value of the hydrogenous material, which is\ud a function of that material's stopping power.\ud This thesis includes models of hydrogen production of various isotopes, the\ud self-shielding of source particles, the shielding effects of an infinite medium of\ud particles, the hydrogen production of a porous plate, and the hydrogen production of a\ud beam in a particle accelerator