From: Mike Lorrey (mlorrey@yahoo.com)
Date: Sun Jun 08 2003 - 19:09:35 MDT
--- "Robert J. Bradbury" <bradbury@aeiveos.com> wrote:
>
> On Sun, 8 Jun 2003, Mike Lorrey wrote:
>
> > Low-enriched uranium is 1-3%. Enriched uranium for weapons could be
> > as low as 30% or as high as 90% or more. Lower concentrations
> > require more than just proportionally more mass.
>
> Mike, I'm not sure I understand this.
Non-weapon isotopes act as neutron absorbers. Therefore, where you
might need 9 kg of 90% for an explosive reaction, you will need a lot
more than 90 kg of 10% to achieve the same thing, if it is at all
possible. If 20% is the lower threshold of 'weaponized' uranium, there
is an horizon about that point that an asymtotic curve of required
minimum mass has a relationship to.
>
> > The process to enrich low to high is more strictly high tech than
> just
> > enriching ore to low levels of enrichment, and more time consuming,
> > since at each increase in enrichment, you have to process less at a
> > time to reduce the radiation produced.
>
> But isn't most of the enrichment done in automated facilities (e.g.
> the centrifuges being installed in Iran or those that I believe are
> in N. Korea, or the very old ones we still seem to have at Oak
> Ridge)?
Yes, but how many terrorist groups have massive automated facilities to
play with? While rogue states are a concern, they are one we can deal
with as a government. At worst we can sink every ship and every
aircraft that leaves North Korean air and sea space. The real threat we
can't deal with is some group hacking together a nuke in their mountain
cave redoubt. It is potentially possible for such to do so, but would
likely have lots of comrades die of radiation poisoning, and take a
long time.
>
> If it is all automated facilities why does one care about the
> radiation
> "density" (unless one is concerned about it "aging" the equipment
> faster
> than would otherwise be the case)? Or is it necessary to reduce the
> possibility of reaching "critical mass"?
The problem they deal with is also the amount of radiation they put out
to the environment increasing the risk of their detection.
=====
Mike Lorrey
"Live Free or Die, Death is not the Worst of Evils."
- Gen. John Stark
Blog: Sado-Mikeyism: http://mikeysoft.zblogger.com
Flight sims: http://www.x-plane.org/users/greendragon/
Pro-tech freedom discussion:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/exi-freedom
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