Eh not really. SNAP10A didn't have a steam turbine. It used thermoelectrics to d... | Hacker News

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acidburnNSA on Dec 17, 2023 | parent | context | favorite | on: US nuclear-fusion lab enters new era: achieving 'i...

Eh not really. SNAP10A didn't have a steam turbine. It used thermoelectrics to directly convert heat to electricity.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SNAP-10A

There's a whole world of direct energy concepts out there: https://www.osti.gov/biblio/1130979

SkyMarshal on Dec 18, 2023 [–]

Good to know, thanks. I think that SNAP design is only feasible in space, or maybe the polar regions on Earth, since it requires a cold source on one side of the converter that is cheap or free to produce.

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