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2026 Annual Conference
May 31–June 3, 2026
Denver, CO|Sheraton Denver
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Perpetual Atomics, QSA Global produce Am fuel for nuclear space power
U.K.-based Perpetual Atomics and U.S.-based QSA Global claim to have achieved a major step forward in processing americium dioxide to fuel radioisotope power systems used in space missions. Using an industrially scalable process, the companies said they have turned americium into stable, large-scale ceramic pellets that can be directly integrated into sealed sources for radioisotope power systems, including radioisotope heater units (RHUs) and radioisotope thermoelectric generators (RTGs).
K. Wisshak, F. Käppeler
Nuclear Science and Engineering | Volume 69 | Number 1 | January 1979 | Pages 47-54
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.13182/NSE79-A21284
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The subthreshold fission cross section of 240Pu was measured in the energy range from 10 to 250 keV, using 235U as a standard. Neutrons were produced via the 7Li(p,n) and T(p,n) reaction with the Karlsruhe 3-MV pulsed Van de Graaff accelerator. Fission events were registered by detecting fission neutrons with an NE-213 liquid scintillator with pulse-shape discriminator equipment. The high neutron flux available at flight paths of ∼67 and 135 mm allowed for a statistical accuracy of 1 to 3% together with a moderate energy resolution of ∼10 to 20 ns/m. The overall accuracy achieved is between 7 and 9%. The data show a distinct structure in the cross section, as indicated by poor statistics in previous measurements.
