Direct Conversion of Energy

By William R. Corliss
U.S. ATOMIC ENERGY COMMISSION Division of Technical Information
ONE OF A SERIES ON UNDERSTANDING THE ATOM
UNITED STATES ATOMIC ENERGY COMMISSION Dr. Glenn T. Seaborg, Chairman James T. Ramey Dr. Gerald F. Tape Wilfrid E. Johnson
Nuclear energy is playing a vital role in the life of every man, woman, and child in the United States today. In the years ahead it will affect increasingly all the peoples of the earth. It is essential that all Americans gain an understanding of this vital force if they are to discharge thoughtfully their responsibilities as citizens and if they are to realize fully the myriad benefits that nuclear energy offers them.
The United States Atomic Energy Commission provides this booklet to help you achieve such understanding.
Edward J. Brunenkant Director Division of Technical Information
Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 64-61794
WILLIAM R. CORLISS is an atomic energy consultant and writer with 12 years of industrial experience including service as Director of Advanced Programs for the Martin Company’s Nuclear Division. Mr. Corliss has B.S. and M.S. Degrees in Physics from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and the University of Colorado, respectively. He has taught at those two institutions and at the University of Wisconsin. He is the author of Propulsion Systems for Space Flight (McGraw-Hill 1960), Space Probes and Planetary Exploration (Van Nostrand 1965), Mysteries of the Universe (Crowell 1967), Scientific Satellites (GPO 1967), and coauthor of Radioisotopic Power Generation (Prentice-Hall 1964), as well as numerous articles and papers for technical journals and conferences. In this series he has written Neutron Activation Analysis , Power Reactors in Small Packages , SNAP—Nuclear Reactor Power in Space , Computers , Nuclear Propulsion for Space , Space Radiation , and was coauthor of Power from Radioisotopes .
A flashlight battery supplies electricity without moving mechanical parts. It converts the chemical energy of its contents directly into electrical energy.