Question

5. Strontium-90 is to be used as a heat source for generating electrical energy in a satellite. (a) How much of 90Sr activity is required to generate 50 W of electric power if the conversion efficiency from heat to electricity is 30%? (b) Weight of the isotopic heat source is an important factor in design of the power source. If weight is to be kept at a minimum and if the source is to generate 50 W after 1 year of operation, would there be an advantage to using 210Po ?

Name: 5 strontium 90 is to be used as a heat source for generating electrical energy in a satellite a how much of 90sr activity is required to generate 50 w of electric power if the conversion eff 96305
Uploaded: 2023-05-13T17:25:22-08:00
Duration: 2 min 34 s
Channel: Numerade
Description: 5 strontium 90 is to be used as a heat source for generating electrical energy in a satellite a how much of 90sr activity is required to generate 50 w of electric power if the conversion eff 96305

          5. Strontium-90 is to be used as a heat source for generating electrical energy in a satellite. (a) How much of 90Sr activity is required to generate 50 W of electric power if the conversion efficiency from heat to electricity is 30%? (b) Weight of the isotopic heat source is an important factor in design of the power source. If weight is to be kept at a minimum and if the source is to generate 50 W after 1 year of operation, would there be an advantage to using 210Po ?

Added by Diego C.

University Physics with Modern Physics

Hugh D. Young 14th Edition

Instant Answer

Solved by Expert Sufiyan Alam

Step 1

Since the conversion efficiency from heat to electricity is 30%, we need to generate 50/0.3 = 166.67 W of heat energy. The decay of 90Sr produces beta particles, which can be absorbed by a material to generate heat. The decay energy of 90Sr is 0.546 MeV, which Show more…

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5. Strontium-90 is to be used as a heat source for generating electrical energy in a satellite. (a) How much of 90Sr activity is required to generate 50 W of electric power if the conversion efficiency from heat to electricity is 30%? (b) Weight of the isotopic heat source is an important factor in design of the power source. If weight is to be kept at a minimum and if the source is to generate 50 W after 1 year of operation, would there be an advantage to using 210Po ?