Interview with Zeno founder on RTGs and potential Stirling versions of it

[Geir]

Rather than tagging on to a tangent of another thread, I'll just post the link here:

This interview talks a lot about RTGs, different radioactive sources, and applying a Stirling (spelled it write right this time) engine to gain x5 efficiency over a thermal coupler. The Sterling discussion is about 30 minutes in, but the entire interview is great if you want to learn more about the stuff.

 

[Condottiere]

Silver-108m (Ag-108m) is a metastable radioactive isotope of silver with a half-life of approximately 418 years. The "m" denotes its metastable state, meaning the nucleus is in an excited energy state. It decays by emitting gamma radiation, which transitions the nucleus to its ground state, or by beta decay to cadmium-108 (Cd-108). The long half-life and gamma emission of Ag-108m make it useful in specific scientific and industrial applications.