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My knowledge in these matters is limited, but natural uranium can't trigger itself, can it? At least, it can't produce the classical chain reaction, as there's
by tgv 1y ago
My knowledge in these matters is limited, but natural uranium can't trigger itself, can it? At least, it can't produce the classical chain reaction, as there's not enough U235 to sustain it, I think.
- aaronmdjones 1y ago> but natural uranium can't trigger itself, can it? Right now? Not that we know of. Historically? Yes. https://www.iaea.org/newscenter/news/meet-oklo-the-earths-two-billion-year-old-only-known-natural-nuclear-reactor https://www.iaea.org/newscenter/news/meet-oklo-the-earths-tw...
- tgv 1y ago2B years ago, the U235/U238 ratios were different. Isn't that (part of) the explanation?
- jwilk 1y agohttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natural_nuclear_fission_reactor#Mechanism https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natural_nuclear_fission_reacto... says: > A key factor that made the reaction possible was that [back then] the fissile isotope ²³⁵U made up about 3.1% of the natural uranium, which is comparable to the amount used in some of today's reactors.