The 28,000 Year Battery

[Desert Mariner]

I looked through previous discussions for batteries but only found passing mentions in fusion and alternate energy threads. This technological concept, first proposed in 2016 by the University of Bristol Cabot Institute is exactly what I envision as the type of game changer that BM could (would) have brought back for the Project to exploit.

From Tech Brief:
“The Nano Diamond Battery (NDB) is a high-power, diamond-based alpha, beta, and neutron voltaic battery that can provide lifelong and green energy for numerous applications and overcome limitations of existing chemical batteries. The NDB acts like a tiny nuclear generator. The power source for the NDB is intermediate- and high-level radio isotopes that are shielded for safety by multiple levels of synthetic diamond. The energy is absorbed in the diamond through a process called inelastic scattering, which is used to generate electricity. The self-charging process will provide a charge for the full lifetime of any device or machine, with up to 28,000 years of battery life.”

Further information:

https://www.techbriefs.com/component/content/article/tb/supplements/bt/features/articles/38472

https://www.zmescience.com/science/diamond-battery-powered-by-nuclear-waste-runs-for-28000-years/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diamond_battery (background only, no new info since 2017)

There are several other articles available via Popular Mechanics, ZM Science, AZO Nano among others.

[mmartin798]

I always try to find a way to scale technology like this with known quantities. If we can assume it scales linearly the prospects are good.

Using the only real numbers we have from the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology and some optimistic lithium-ion numbers the NDB is 23.8 times more energy-dense for the same weight. So if we use the Tesla battery pack as our reference at 85kWh weighing 540kg, an NDB of the same weight would generate 2MWh. Given that the densities of materials only be slightly higher, it would be about the same size.

The only possible problems are around the thermals. All the materials talk about maintaining the optimum temperature for the battery stack. The radioactive decay is constantly heating the stack. There may be a limit on how dense the cells can be packed, making the battery larger.

[nduffy]

I started using NDB's for vehicle power as well as anything requiring batteries. I saw it as a great alternative to the 6 month to 1 year life of the fusion plants. If the players are smart and dont get foolish they have a pretty good thing going.. if they get reckless well the GM taketh away or breaketh it.. I also like the NDB concept overall.. a scaleable technology and cool concept..

[nduffy]

I always try to find a way to scale technology like this with known quantities. If we can assume it scales linearly the prospects are good.

Using the only real numbers we have from the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology and some optimistic lithium-ion numbers the NDB is 23.8 times more energy-dense for the same weight. So if we use the Tesla battery pack as our reference at 85kWh weighing 540kg, an NDB of the same weight would generate 2MWh. Given that the densities of materials only be slightly higher, it would be about the same size.

The only possible problems are around the thermals. All the materials talk about maintaining the optimum temperature for the battery stack. The radioactive decay is constantly heating the stack. There may be a limit on how dense the cells can be packed, making the battery larger.

I believe on the current lithium battery packs for cars, 20-30 percent of the mass of the pack is devoted to cooling. The heat being generated could be passively or actively dealt with using radiators or cooling systems. The down side is anyone with thermal tech would see you miles away. I am going to assume that if the MP were to use NDB technology they would have addressed or found a way to deal with the thermal/ cooling issues. there are many solutions to deal with the heat and even combined solutions. It comes down to scale and how much power a vehicle or device needs...

On a side note, I can also see NDB's being used for cryotubes as a power source as well. you dont need a big one and they are easy enough to incorporate into the design of a tube. The batteries then can be reused for other purposes such as portable generators.

[nduffy]

I always try to find a way to scale technology like this with known quantities. If we can assume it scales linearly the prospects are good.

Using the only real numbers we have from the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology and some optimistic lithium-ion numbers the NDB is 23.8 times more energy-dense for the same weight. So if we use the Tesla battery pack as our reference at 85kWh weighing 540kg, an NDB of the same weight would generate 2MWh. Given that the densities of materials only be slightly higher, it would be about the same size.

The only possible problems are around the thermals. All the materials talk about maintaining the optimum temperature for the battery stack. The radioactive decay is constantly heating the stack. There may be a limit on how dense the cells can be packed, making the battery larger.

2MWh,,, that is actually impressive. An MP vehicle with 2MW of power would a highly prized item to Krell, the KFS and anyone who knew its potential. also think of scaling it up or down. When I first read about them I started using them for anything battery related. Any battery powered item the MP uses would be a serious commodity or serious barter, trade or good relations item. The batteries at that point can be made permanent to the item or removable or exchangeable between items. Lots of fun with the technology... Also a great adventure idea would be a team finding a vehicle stripped down powering a small village and then have to figure out what happened to that team. Lots of good old fashioned investigation and sleuthing. A small side adventure if planned right. ,,,,, Just my 2 cents worth...

[knightofrubus]

I started using NDB's for vehicle power as well as anything requiring batteries. I saw it as a great alternative to the 6 month to 1 year life of the fusion plants. If the players are smart and dont get foolish they have a pretty good thing going.. if they get reckless well the GM taketh away or breaketh it.. I also like the NDB concept overall.. a scaleable technology and cool concept..


My personal Project does as well at least for vehicles. Fusion power is used for things like Prime and Regional Bases. Though when I was jotting down notes I didn't mention the type of battery as i hadnt heard of NDBs yet.