Progress update: Market assessment

INCOTEC - Innovación Eficiente leads WP4 - Market Assessment, whose main objectives are:

• Analyse the market potential of dynamic power systems fuelled by Pu-238 and the future uptake of the PULSAR solutions by:
• To determine the availability of Pu-238 and to establish its production points as well as the amount produced.
• Identify high value opportunities and analyse priority application markets for Pu-238 that may be exploited.
• Perform a benchmark of current solutions for these applications.
• Determine application requirements for the high value applications (technical, legal, economic, environmental, consumer, etc.)
• Analyse the state-of-the-art and perform a benchmark of the Stirling conversion and heat waste management systems in industrial sectors.

During these last six months, we have submitted a report entitled Pu-238 Sources and availability.

We began the document by discussing the market for radioisotope power systems. RPS are mainly used in the space sector to generate power. We mainly focus on two market segments: the space power supply market and deep-space exploration mission.

New applications for radioisotope thermoelectric generator RTGs are being investigated, and their use in unmanned drones and propel submarines are now being proposed.

We also focused on the production process of this radioisotope, analysing the US and European value chains. Since 2009, ESA has been developing its own RPS programme, with the aim of achieving European capability for the independent design, production and management of RPS. Development activities follow three main tracks: isotope production, encapsulation technologies, and conversion technologies (such as thermoelectric and Stirling generators).

The first estimations regarding the European Pu-238 production process indicate a production of around 300 grams per year of Pu-238.

Finally, a table of the main key players in the production of plutonium 238 in the world was drawn up, taking into account the stages of the production process.