re: Batteries

[JHageman@swri.edu]

A U.S. patent for a "Charged-Particle Powered Battery" was issued on Jan. 19, 
1999 to Southwest Research Instutute. I was a coinventor on this patent; and 
it uses several unique methods of direct-energy conversion of positive and 
negitive charged particles into an electric current, using a variety of 
approaches. You may want to find more information under patent no. 5,861,701; 
I assume on the gov. web site.

Call me at 210-522-2633 or e-mail me at jph@swri.edu if you have any 
questions.

Have a great week, John P. Hageman, RSO.

Joel Wrote-------------------------------------------------------	I I 
received a call today from a researcher who was interested in the 
practicality of utilizing radioactive material (initially he was interested 
in Po-210) for generating electricity - i.e. a battery.  After some lively 
discussion and quick and dirty calculations, we decided that 0.5 Ci (for a 
watch-type battery - converting the alphas directly into electricity) was a 
little too much for "casual discards" into the Von's parking lot (I'm being 
facetious here).
	I am "quite" familiar with RTG's, but other types of nuclear 
batteries are "Greek" to me.  To get the most "bang for the buck", I 
suggested maybe developing a battery which would utilize alphas AND betas - 
the alphas would give up their positive charge on the inner surface and the 
betas impart a negative charge within the inner matrix.  Even this is not 
something which (in my humble opinion) would have practical applications in 
everyday society.
	Any thoughts here from the peanut gallery???
	Thanks,
	Joel Baumbaugh (baumbaug@nosc.mil)
	SSC-SD
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