Re: "Who Killed the Electric Car?" opens July 14th

On Sat, 17 Jun 2006 04:36:39 +0000 (UTC), nospam@xxxxxxxxxx (Paul
Ciszek) wrote:

Of course, that's a false either-or. India is committed to Thorium
reactors. The desirable isotope of Thorium is also the most common
(so no isotope separation); the reaction produces only as many
neutrons as it consumes, making it dependent on an outside neutron
source (no possibility of a runaway chain reaction); and none of
the products are useful in making fission weapons.

Not quite.

Any reaction which produces only as many neutrons as it consumes
would not be sustainable, as neutrons would inevitablely make
their way out of the system.

Like U-238, Th-232 is not fissile. In order to burn it in a
reactor, you first have to turn it into U-233. In order to make
U-233, India is planning to use fast breeder reactors. At first,
those reactors will use either Reprossed MOX fuel (a mix of uranium,
plutonium, and a little americium). The hope is to close the cycle
eventually by running the breeders on U-233. Source:
http://www.world-nuclear.org/info/inf62.htm

The Indian reactor unveiled in August of last year will require
2.2 tons of plutonium as "seed." Source:
http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/181_1471875,00040006.htm

For making bombs, U-233 is almost as good as Pu-239. It has a
higher neutron yield than either U-235 or Pu-239. The U.S.
first used it in a bomb test in 1955, and still has over a
ton of the stuff stored at Oak Ridge. Sources:
http://www.ornl.gov/info/ornlreview/rev30-12/text/biologic.htm
http://nuclearweaponarchive.org/Usa/Tests/Teapot.html

Your sources, Paul?

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