“Romashka” reactor-converter

• Published in: Atomic energy (New York, N.Y.) Vol. 88; no. 3; pp. 178 - 183
• Main Authors: Ponomarev-Stepnoi, N. N., Kukharkin, N. E., Usov, V. A.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York Springer Nature B.V 01.03.2000
• Subjects: Electric power generation; Electricity; Germanium; Nuclear reactors; Nuclear tests; Reactors; Transducers
• ISSN: 1063-4258; 1573-8205
• DOI: 10.1007/BF02673156

On August 14, 1964, the "Romashka" reactor-converter--the world's first setup with direct (thermoelectric) conversion of heat from^sup 235^U fission into electricity--was started up at the I. V. Kurchatov Institute of Atomic Energy and service-life nuclear tests were begun. In 1999, 35 years have passed since the "Romashka" reactor-converter was first started up and trials began. "Romashka" successfully operated for about 15000 hours and generated 6100 kW·h of electricity. The startup and successful tests of the "Romashka" reactor-converter recieved in its time high marks from the world scientific community and they demonstrated that the world's first operating nuclear reactor-converter, capable of generating electricity without the participation of any moving working bodies or mechanisms, was developed in the short time of about 3 years in the Soviet Union, and it was shown experimentally that the system was capable of prolonged operation. The technology created in the process of developing the "Romashka" reactor-converter and, specifically, the thermoelectric silicon-germanium transducers have found application in operating space nuclear (reactor and isotopic) power systems. 3 figures.[PUBLICATION ABSTRACT]