This spoof advertisement from the mid-1980s shows an imaginary home power system called the Chernobyl Household Nuclear Generator. Here is a loose translation.
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A gentle source of unlimited energy for the home
Reduce your monthly electric bill by 80% and enjoy a constant, stable supply of energy free from the fluctuations in supply that affect the oil market.
A single, user-friendly activation switch makes the Chernobyl Household Nuclear Power Generator simple to operate, even for children and the elderly. One small nuclear fuel rod (about 15 cm long) generates enough electricity to support the average household for six months. To dispose of a spent fuel rod, simply insert it into its special shielded case and discard it along with ordinary non-combustible household waste.
Main unit: 1.31 million yen [$5,450*] (plus tax)
Set of 3 fuel rods: 137,000 yen [$570*] (plus tax)
[* Dollar figures based on early '80s exchange rate of 240 yen/dollar.]
Caution:
When using the power generator with direct current, people near the device may on rare occasions experience dizziness or a tingling sensation in the hands or feet. If you experience such conditions, temporarily discontinue use and consult a physician.
(Coming soon:
Nuclear batteries (Types AA, C and D)
500x longer lifespan than conventional alkali batteries!)
Safe, efficient nuclear power is now readily available for use in your home.
Chernobyl Household Nuclear Power Generator - Type 1
Nichigen Co., Ltd.
Nihon Shogata Genshiryoku Hatsuden, K.K.
("Japan Compact Nuclear Generators, Inc.")
[Link]
Taro at news.3yen.com
Gr-r-reat Chindogu find.
[]Varuna
It has to be a joke !
In the end it says that leaking might be a problem !
[]In no ways will anyone allow this to be sold.. used .. forget commercialized !
Hiroo
This is a joke. There is a disclaimer at the right bottom (runs vertically) saying that everything here is purely fictional and that none of the product or the company exists.
[]Chris ' Pizza
Nice. There is a warning written there asking pregnant women to stay away from the company that is selling these.
[]Matthew
I love this line: "To dispose of a spent fuel rod, simply insert it into its special shielded case and discard it along with ordinary non-combustible household waste."
So, nuclear waste, anyone?
Still.... if only it were real... ;)
[]Nakata
The disclaimer on the bottom right says the company and product are fictional, but it does NOT say it is a JOKE. It only looks like a joke to us now because of what happened at Chernobyl. It is possible this was made before the Chernobyl accident, making it something other than a joke (even if it is pure fiction). Maybe if you knew what that stuffed animal thing was on the refrigerator door? That might help you put a date on this...
[]Ian
You should check your facts. The reactors at Chernobyl were ??????? ??????? ???????? ????????? types -- RBMK. Everyone knew these reactors were fundamentally unsound because of the physics, moderator, positive void coefficient, coolant loop, and most importantly, lack of containment building because of the size of the reactor. In fact, this reactor design was banned in the US in 1950. Why did they build them in the USSR? Easy: the reactor design is for "dual-use." To acquire Pu-239, needed for modern nuclear weapons. The RBMK allowed the fuel rods to be removed for separation of the plutonium during the short time window it was accessible (neutron poisons and other changes made it unusable after longer of operation.) The machinery to do this prevented the containment structure.
As such, no one would ever suggest Chernobyl was a model reactor.
[]Izzy
lol It looks like a space heater. I wonder if it keeps the room warm.
[]Jim
We just need a beta- or alpha-decay radionuclide with negligible gammas.
The fatal flaw in the ad is to buy fuel rods in a 3-pack, while indicating that you use one at a time. It should use 3 rods, replacing the oldest with a fresh one every 2 or 6 months – which depends on the intent of the “for 6 months” claim. (This would depend on the regulatory basis for a short enough half-life to dispose of a source in household trash without concern about release and exposure.)
If the fresh rod goes thru, say, 4 half-lives before another fresh charge, the source rod removed has already gone thru 12 half-lives. :-)
This would have to have a lot of decay heat to do this as an RTG (radioisotope thermoelectric generator - as used on spacecraft and remote locations for beacons, and on the ocean floor to power surveillance equipment, etc.), but there should be alternatives – and some of the heat would be used directly for water, home heating, etc.
There also needs to be ways to levelize home electricity use, including storage – which could be done by storing hydrogen for your vehicle fuel cell in a load-following mode (or your lawnmower or other fuel cell apps) unless the car is total electric; or feed the grid (run your electric meter backwards) like current home solar/wind apps do now; etc. :-)
On another aspect of the ad, I’d think that (at least initially) a service company would come around, like a propane company at my mother’s house, to add the fresh rod and remove the depleted rod, which could even be a neutron-activated source that would go back into a reactor! :-)
[OTOH, we could use Sr-90 (plus Y-90, with beta decay and no gammas) and 4 half-lives would be 120 years :-)]
[]Rames
Really.. it's great...how did thez made it... it's bad... =(
[]Ian
Hi Jim, I went to your site -- it's nice to see I'm not the only person who thinks Linear No-Threshold is a joke.
[]Bill
Those ex-Soviet RTGs produced only a few amperes of current, but used fuel pucks with a surface temperature of hundreds of degrees F and a radiation flux of several hundred R/hour.
Not something you will be handling with only a pair of gloves (or tongs!)
[]Dick
Want to become rich, serve your fellow mankind. Develop a home size neuclear power generator for for single family homes, the home will have to change first as to its power requirements, must be converted to DC voltage, all lights to be LED lights to consume less power.
[]Cooking surfaces also changed, heating and cooling of the home to be provided by the Daiken system, AC converted to DC, seemes to work great, get on the band wagon all you inventors out there.
The heart of the system has a battery back up system as everything is dc voltage, the generator need only run long enough to charge the battery, when the batteries are low the generator takes up the slack and recharges battery when home demand has gone down.
I am not an engineer of electronics, TV's ad sound systems all run at reduced voltages, down to I assume is dc volts.
Can you build a AC 120 volt battery? I know DC volt batteries are common thru-out the world.
Our governments are holding us back to provide profit for the energy companies, put a stop to it and free us from the grip of these people.