View source for Beta-M

{{Short description|Radioisotope thermoelectric generator}}
[[File:Beta-M Soviet RTG Diagram.svg|right|thumb|Diagram of the soviet radio-thermonuclear generator "Beta-M".<ref name=":0" /><br />
<br />
'''Black''': Framework<br />
'''Blue''': Outer radiation protection<br />
'''Yellow''': Heat isolation<br />
'''Orange''': Inner radiation protection (Tungsten)<br />
'''Red''': Radionuclide heat source (Strontium-90)<br />
'''Pink''': Thermoelectric unit
<br />
Mounted above the assembly are fins for cooling, outlined in black.|360x360px]]

The '''Beta-M''' is a [[radioisotope thermoelectric generator]] (RTG) that was used in [[Soviet]]-era [[lighthouse]]s and [[beacon]]s.

== Design ==
The Beta-M contains a core made up of [[strontium-90]], which has a [[half-life]] of 28.79 years.<ref name="bellona">{{Cite web |last=Kudrik |first=Igor |date=17 November 2003 |title=Two strontium powered lighthouses vandalised on the Kola Peninsula |url=http://bellona.org/news/nuclear-issues/radioactive-waste-and-spent-nuclear-fuel/2003-11-two-strontium-powered-lighthouses-vandalised-on-the-kola-peninsula |website=Bellona.org}}</ref> The service life of these generators is initially 10 years, and can be extended for another 5 to 10 years.<ref name=":0">{{cite web |last1=Porter |first1=S. |date=9 July 2015 |title=Antarctica Radiological Source Removals - Complex US-Russian Cooperative Effort |url=https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1241969 |access-date=20 December 2023}}</ref> The core is also known as radioisotope heat source 90 (RHS-90). In its initial state after manufacture, the generator is capable of generating 10 [[watt]]s of [[electricity]].<ref name="Mahaffey2017">{{Cite book |author=Mahaffey |first=James |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wxokDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT260 |title=Atomic Adventures: Secret Islands, Forgotten N-Rays, and Isotopic Murder: A Journey into the Wild World of Nuclear Science |date=6 June 2017 |publisher=[[Simon & Schuster]] |isbn=978-1-68177-480-0 |page=260}}</ref> The generator contains the strontium-90 radioisotope, with a heating power of 250W and 1,480 [[Becquerel|TBq]] of [[radioactivity]] – equivalent to some {{convert|280|g}} of Sr-90.<ref name="IEA">[https://www-pub.iaea.org/MTCD/Publications/PDF/Pub1660web-81061875.pdf The radiological accident in Lia, Georgia] iaea.org</ref> Mass-scale production of RTGs in the Soviet Union was the responsibility of a plant called Baltiyets, in [[Narva]], [[Estonia]].<ref>{{cite web |last1=Aturin |first1=M.K. |last2=Yarosh |first2=V.I. |last3=Medvedev |first3=V.I. |title=Operation of radioisotope thermoelectric generators (RTG) at sea transport objects of the Russian Federationa and their decommissioning |url=https://inis.iaea.org/collection/NCLCollectionStore/_Public/51/017/51017877.pdf |access-date=11 April 2023 |website=International Nuclear Information System |publisher=[[International Atomic Energy Agency]]}}</ref>

== Safety incidents ==
[[File:Soviet RTG.jpg|thumb| 300px|right|Soviet RTGs in dismantled and vandalized condition, powered by [[strontium-90]] (<sup>90</sup>Sr)]]
{{Further|Lia radiological accident}}
Some Beta-M generators have been subject to incidents of vandalism when scavengers disassembled the units while searching for [[non-ferrous metal]]s.<ref name="bellona" /><ref name="IEA" /><ref name="LevnerLinkov2006">{{Cite book |author1=Eugene Levner |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ojDLSRNmwdkC&pg=PA21 |title=Strategic Management of Marine Ecosystems: Proceedings of the NATO Advanced Study Institute on Strategic Management of Marine Ecosystems, Nice, France, 1-11 October, 2003 |author2=Igor Linkov |author3=Jean-Marie Proth |date=6 May 2006 |publisher=Springer Science & Business Media |isbn=978-1-4020-3198-4 |page=21}}</ref> In December 2001 a radiological accident occurred when three residents of Lia, [[Georgia (country)|Georgia]] found parts of an abandoned Beta-M in the forest while collecting firewood.<ref name="IEA" /> 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.<ref name="IEA" /> 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..<ref>{{Cite web |date=25 February 2003 |title=NOVA &#124; Transcript &#124; Dirty Bomb |url=https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/transcripts/3007_dirtybom.html |access-date=17 November 2022 |website=[[PBS]]}}</ref>

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20101220003227/http://bellona.no/bellona.org/english_import_area/international/russia/navy/northern_fleet/incidents/31772 Norwegian environmental concerns over Beta-M generators still in use]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20121005142422/https://www.iaea.org/OurWork/ST/NE/NEFW/CEG/documents/plenary21_19E.pdf RTG Master Plan Development Results and Priority Action Plan Elaboration for its Implementation]

[[Category:Electrical generators]]
[[Category:Strontium]]
[[Category:Nuclear technology in the Soviet Union]]
[[Category:Energy in the Soviet Union]]