just a few weeks ago Gansu Zhulong Technology Co.,Ltd., in collaboration with the Northwest Normal University offered a conference with the intention of publicizing the technological results obtained after the first tests of its revolutionary carbon-14 nuclear batteryas well as a silicon carbide converter. Named under the commercial name Qianjiyuan Tianshuhas the unprecedented quality of having a estimated half-life of 5,730 years.
Qianjiyuan Tianshu: “battery for life”
It is not the first time that Gansu Zhulong Technology presents a technological study of this type in society. In November 2024 he did the same with the miniature nuclear battery “Zhulong One”. If we compare it with the new carbon-14 Qianjiyuan Tianshu, the performance differences are astonishing and overwhelming in equal measure. Starting with the technical architecture of the latter, which has five important advances:
- New adaptation system for radioactive sources
- High efficiency energy conversion technology
- A layered three-dimensional encapsulation structure
- An intelligent storage energy management system
- A system of high-precision sensors and wireless transmission
Building on the innovative foundation presented by the new Qianjiyuan Tianshu battery, the latter manages to reduce the use of radioactive material to only 22%, increasing the short circuit current by 2.5 times, while the filling factor improved from 0.73 to 0.77 and the maximum power by 2.6 times. Furthermore, as reported by local media “all while maintaining the same voltage and stability.”
They conclude: “Among the performance improvements, the effective volume of the device was reduced to just 17% of the original, resulting in a dramatic 15.5-fold increase in volumetric power density.” Your Maogenwho leads the project team at Northwest Normal University, says the half-life of the revolutionary Qianjiyuan Tianshu battery can reach 5,730 years.
Furthermore, guarantees operation between -100 and 200 degrees Celsius (-148 and 392 degrees Fahrenheit), its use being truly interesting in medical implants and even in defense and aerospace applications. From Science and Technology Daily have put into context the importance that the Qianjiyuan Tianshu carbon-14 nuclear battery could become, for certain areas:
“Nuclear batteries are vital for space exploration, polar missions, specialized equipment and unmanned operations, and are also a key part of China’s new energy strategy. Previous versions suffered from low power, poor integration and high costs, so the team focused on making the device compact, powerful, affordable and fully domestically manufactured.”
Main technical characteristics
As reported by its creators, the new Qianjiyuan Tianshu battery presents the following technical data associated with its manufacturing and performance:
- It measures only 16.8 cubic centimeters
- Uses 129 millicuries (a measure of radioactivity) of carbon-14
- Provides a short circuit current of 0.713 microampere (µA)
- Provides an open circuit voltage of 2.06 V
- Provides a fill factor of 0.77
- Provides a maximum output power of 1.13 µW
In conclusion, “This series of innovative indicators completely breaks the limitations of traditional technology, such as low efficiency, high material consumption, large volume and low power density, achieving systematic improvement in miniaturization, high power, low cost and high integration, with extremely high industrial value”as stated by the aforementioned specialized media. The question now is: will this technology reach the motorcycle sector?… We will be attentive to any news on the matter.
