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I take it that by 'exploited' you mean 'circumvented'. I would like to be more assured than "has never happened before." And, "low-burnup is required?" Separ
by c517402 10y ago
I take it that by 'exploited' you mean 'circumvented'. I would like to be more assured than "has never happened before." And, "low-burnup is required?" Separation of Pu239 and Pu240 is physically impossible? It may be hazardous and difficult but seems possible. If there is a physical reason Pu240 depletion is impossible, please let it be known.
- wbl 10y agoIf you can extract Pu240 why not produce high enriched U-235 instead? Isotope separation is expensive compared to chemical seperation, and has a large footprint. It's not enough to make a nuke: you need to do so covertly or else your enemies will preempt it.
- c517402 10y agoIf a footprint to produce reactor grade Uranium already exists, it could mask the footprint for something else. It might be easier to deplete a small percentage of Pu240, than to enrich reactor grade Uranium (4% U235) to a highly enriched form (90% U235). How would the volatility of Pu240 effect separation? Not sure.
- deleted 10y ago[deleted]