[tet68]

It has always struck me as an oddity of science that we
are using nuclear power to boil water.

If we only could do that and make a reactor small enough
to weigh less than a tender of coal, steam trains could
make a comeback.

A direct nuclear to electric should be possible too.

[Ozark Tom]

Americium?

[dhs12345]

I think that it is due to the fact that the standard power production infrastructure is based on AC power which is derived from a spinning generator at a rotation speed that produces 60Hz or 50Hz that can be distributed at a very high voltage and stepped down to 120VAC through transformers. Good ol’ Nikola Tesla's design. :)

Suspect that the plasma is in a semi-predictable flow but not close to 60Hz. Whatever plasma flows at. Still, that flow can induce a current that can be utilized and regulated via some kind of inverter.