Re: Iran to Begin Enriching Uranium for Nuclear Weapons

On 23 Jan 2006 17:59:40 GMT, Earl <neptune@xxxxxx> wrote:

>Rumpelstiltskin <PleaseDoNotReplyByEmail@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in
>news:4448t1tc6i59jjb761cvhrodoumnjs5bcg@xxxxxxx:
>
>> On 22 Jan 2006 21:14:28 GMT, Earl <neptune@xxxxxx> wrote:
>>
>>>
>>>The reactor is fueled with U233 (or can start out with U235
>>>or Pu239)
>>>
>>>A blanket around the core/other component of the fuel rod is
>>>Th232. The advantage is that Th232 is for all practical
>>>purposes the only isotope and it is the one we want.
>>>
>>>A fission in the fuel produces a number of neutrons,
>>>generally abot 2.5 (depends on isotope U233 a little less).
>>>You need 1 for the next fission in the chain reacton leaving
>>>about 1.5 to make things with.
>>>
>>>With a surrounding of Th232, most of the neutrons will end
>>>up being absorbed in the blanket and not escape to be lost
>>>to the surrounding world. This is the basis for any breeder
>>>reactor.
>>>
>>>A single neutron converts Th232 to U233 (after several
>>>radioactive steps). You then take the thorium blanket and
>>>process it chemically to separate out the Uranium (newly
>>>made, consisting mostly of U233 plus a bit of other trash).
>>>You make new fuel elements with the Uranium and put the
>>>thorium back in the blanket.
>>>
>>>It is similar to the Plutonium breeder program (which
>>>converts U238 to Pu239) with the exception of eleminating
>>>the plutonium which is prized for bombs and is easily
>>>contaminated by excess neutron adsorption.
>>>
>>>The worlds larget thorium deposit happens to be in the Idaho
>>>National Nuclear Reactors Testing Site. We had loads of
>>>problem from it because the Radon gas given off formed a
>>>precipitate that set off all the alarms during temperature
>>>inversions. It was like having you fire alarms go off every
>>>few minutes once a week.
>>
>>
>> I read in the first of the above sites, under "USES" and
>> "HEALTH", that the radiation hazard from Thorium is greater
>> than for Uranium, and even han for Plutonium.
>>
>> The Thorium idea sounds like a good way of getting
>> nuclear
>> power with less potential to bomb-making, and apparently
>> there's plenty of Thorium around. It's good for the USA
>> too, if the best deposits are in Idaho.
>>
>> Since Radon's a gas under normal conditions, that seems
>> to me to make it all the more dangerous to have around as
>> a product of Thorium decay.
>>
>>
>>
>>
>
>Like anyone with an agenda, the definition of which is worst
>requires a selection of the criteria.


Sorry if it sounded to you that I had an agenda. I don't.
I'm in favour of nuclear power, unless we can get solar
instead, though that has its own problems. I was just
interested in the pros and cons of using Thorium.

I do admit that nuclear power is a NIMBY for me, but
that's not the same thing as not wanting it at all.



>They are all heavy metals which means poisonous to life. Their
>radioactivity varies, halflifes that can be as high as the
>entire history of our planet. The only difference is that if you
>swollow a solution, the ions might tend to segregate at
>different organs, where their alpha decay will induce cancers,
>which might have variatons in fatalities.
>
>The different natural radioactive isotopes are on differing
>steps in a long decay sequence. There are only 4 sequences
>possible.
>
>Notice the relationship between the fissionable U235 and the
>equally fissionable Pu239 -- they only differ by an alpha
>particle. Ie Pu239 decays in 10,000 years into U235 with
>emission of an alpha particle
>
>Radon is one of those interestion materials. It does require
>concentration (poor ventilation) to be a hazard.
>
>The most common damage from the element is indirectly with
>cigarette smokers.
>
>Radium is a natural component of phosphate rock (the chemistry
>is similar to (magnesium, calcium, strontium, and barium). When
>applied to tobacco fields it slowly decays, releases radon as a
>gas. The radon decays to polonium (as solid) which is naturally
>present as an ionized small solid dust particle. this particle
>sticks to the hair cilia on the tobacco leaf and then is
>processed. Because of low volitility, it is vaporized at the
>flame fron when the tobacco is smoked. The small size allows the
>condensing vapor to penetrate deep into the lung where it is
>absorbed by the blood stream and carried to various organs. The
>cancers associated with smoking are nearly dentical with those
>from polonium poisoning (plus tar effects in lung).
>
>Our problem was that during a temperature inversion the polonium
>concentration built up and settled out on equipment designed to
>detect airborne solids that would indicate a reactor failure. It
>does tend to cause problems when you would get false alarms
>every 15 minutes for a day or two at a frequency of about once a
>week.
>
>As far as reactor design, the key in building any breeder system
>is to minimize paracitic neutron adsorption. You only have 2.3 -
>2.5 neutrons. You need one to make new fissionables and one for
>the fission itself, leaving very little for adsorpion in the
>rest of the equipment or even escape. Proper selection of the
>components and their composition make all the difference in
>reproduction rates. But it can be done.

.

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