3 ms·
The calculations for it are a little weird and involve a rather strange unit called the SWU (separative work unit) and which is actually independent of the sepa
by gh02t 11y ago
The calculations for it are a little weird and involve a rather strange unit called the SWU (separative work unit) and which is actually independent of the separation process, but it works out to be more like ~75% of the effort to go from natural -> 20% enriched as it is to go from 20% -> 95%.
You still need the raw mass though. To get enough weapons-grade uranium for a bomb (~15kg) from 20% enriched feed stock and discharging 2% enriched depleted uranium waste you need about 65kg of 20% enriched.
So 10kg (assuming it's 20%) is definitely concerning, but it's not enough to make a bomb.
- jhayward 11y agoThis is a late reply but for posterity readers I was able to learn a lot from this article [1]. I'm still not certain how to interpret the 3rd graph in terms of relative work or cost for the 20% vs 90% enrichment levels. [1] http://www.world-nuclear.org/info/nuclear-fuel-cycle/conversion-enrichment-and-fabrication/uranium-enrichment/ http://www.world-nuclear.org/info/nuclear-fuel-cycle/convers...