Beta-M

The Beta-M is a radioisotope thermoelectric generator that was used in Soviet-era lighthouses and beacons.

Soviet RTGs in dismantled and vandalized condition, powered by strontium-90 (90Sr)

Design

The Beta-M[1] contains a core made up of strontium-90, which has a half-life of 28.79 years. In its initial state after manufacture, the generator is capable of generating 10 watts of electricity, almost enough to power a compact fluorescent light bulb with light output equivalent to a 60-watt bulb.[2] The generator contains the strontium-90 radioisotope, with a heating power of 250W and 1,480 TBq of radioactivity.[3]

Safety incidents

Some Beta-M generators have been subject to incidents of vandalism when scavengers disassembled the units while searching for non-ferrous metals.[1][3][4] In December 2001 a radiological accident occurred when three residents of Lia, Georgia found parts of an abandoned Beta-M in the forest while collecting firewood.[3] The three suffered burns and symptoms of acute radiation syndrome as a result of their exposure to the strontium-90 contained in the Beta-M.[3] The disposal team that removed the radiation sources consisted of 25 men who were restricted to 40 seconds' worth of exposure each while transferring the canisters to lead-lined drums.[5]

gollark: You can use luadash.
gollark: ```rust#[macro_use] extern crate serenity;extern crate dotenv;use serenity::client::{Client, EventHandler};use serenity::framework::standard::StandardFramework;use std::env;struct Handler;impl EventHandler for Handler {}pub fn main() { dotenv::dotenv().ok(); // Load bot token from environment, let mut client = Client::new(&env::var("DISCORD_TOKEN").expect("token unavailable"), Handler) .expect("Error creating client"); client.with_framework(StandardFramework::new() .configure(|c| c.prefix("~")) .cmd("ping", ping)); if let Err(why) = client.start() { eprintln!("An error occured: {:?}", why); }}command!(ping(_context, message) { let _ = message.reply("Pong!");});```Fun with discord bots, and yes this is literally the example code.
gollark: t r a i t o r
gollark: f i b o n a c c i
gollark: ???

See also

References
  1. "Two strontium powered lighthouses vandalised on the Kola Peninsula". Bellona.org. 17 November 2003.
  2. James Mahaffey (6 June 2017). Atomic Adventures: Secret Islands, Forgotten N-Rays, and Isotopic Murder: A Journey into the Wild World of Nuclear Science. Pegasus Books. pp. 260–. ISBN 978-1-68177-480-0.
  3. https://www-pub.iaea.org/MTCD/Publications/PDF/Pub1660web-81061875.pdf
  4. Eugene Levner; Igor Linkov; Jean-Marie Proth (30 March 2006). Strategic Management of Marine Ecosystems: Proceedings of the NATO Advanced Study Institute on Strategic Management of Marine Ecosystems, Nice, France, 1-11 October, 2003. Springer Science & Business Media. pp. 21–. ISBN 978-1-4020-3198-4.
  5. Dirty Bomb NOVA, PBS – airdate: February 25, 2003
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.