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Interesting. Bring on the A-bomb foundries! Had this been discovered during the exploration phase of atomic bomb use we probably would have seen A-bomb foundr

Interesting. Bring on the A-bomb foundries! Had this been discovered during the exploration phase of atomic bomb use we probably would have seen A-bomb foundry proposals. There is a hypothesized process in this paper that sounds like a graduate thesis on its own.

GolfPopper 2mo ago
What, you mean, like American Machine and Foundry building nuclear reactors? https://www.ans.org/news/article-1858/elk-river-rural-americas-first-atomic-power-plant/ https://www.ans.org/news/article-1858/elk-river-rural-americ...
- tastyfreeze 2mo ago
  No, I mean using atomic bombs to manufacture these alloys at scale. In the 50s a-bombs were proposed for all sorts of workaday uses. Imagine using a small a-bomb for mining just as we use ANFO today. I am sure that somebody will take up the task of reproducing these alloys using intense heat from a non-atomic source. New alloys can be quite lucrative but developing them requires just as much experimentation as making new drugs. I'd imagine that getting to an alloy of 7 metals through progressive experimentation would take awhile. Now we know it's possible and have a possible production path. That is enough to spur some experiments down that road.
  - deleted 2mo ago
    [deleted]
  - cucumber3732842 2mo ago
    >Imagine using a small a-bomb for mining just as we use ANFO today. Nuclear cement kiln Nuclear pile jetter Nuclear tunnel boring machine.
    - fxtentacle 2mo ago
      Nuclear Toothpaste https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doramad_Radioactive_Toothpaste https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doramad_Radioactive_Toothpaste
    - vidarh 2mo ago
      > Nuclear tunnel boring machine. Don't give Elon ideas.
  - tomatocracy 2mo ago
    Both the US and the Soviet Union actually experimented with "nuclear fracking" in oil/gas fields. The Soviet Union also used atomic bombs to put out fires in gas fields as late as 1981.
    - mauvehaus 2mo ago
      They what?! Can we please get a link to this to read more?! And yes, I have the same Google as you, but I'd love a link to your preferred telling of the tale of how the Soviets nuked a gas well fire just a couple years before I was born.
      - paulgerhardt 2mo ago
        I recall we were seriously talking about using one during the early days of the Deepwater Horizon disaster. For a variety of reasons it wouldn’t have worked in that instance. [1] https://www.cbsnews.com/news/report-soviets-nuked-gas-well-fires/ https://www.cbsnews.com/news/report-soviets-nuked-gas-well-f...
      - 3eb7988a1663 2mo ago
        Wikipedia has an article about it[0]. Gas had been leaking for three years before they were able to use a nuke to seal the well. Estimated that it was burning 12 million m3 of gas daily. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urtabulak_gas_field https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urtabulak_gas_field
        gilleain 2mo ago
        Interesting, however that was 1966: > the explosive was detonated at a depth of 1,500 m (1,640 yd) on 30 September 1966. The hole that the explosive was lowered into had also been sealed with cement so as to prevent atmospheric radioactive contamination. From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_Explosions_for_the_National_Economy https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_Explosions_for_the_Nat... > The last nuclear explosion by the Program 7, codenamed Rubin-1, was performed in Arkhangelsk Oblast on September 6, 1988. Although there is no separate page for that.
  - 27183 2mo ago
    There was some truly crazy shit happening in the late '50s-early '60s: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Plowshare https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Plowshare https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Pluto https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Pluto https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Orion_(nuclear_propulsion) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Orion_(nuclear_propuls... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supersonic_Low_Altitude_Missile https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supersonic_Low_Altitude_Missil...
    - prox 2mo ago
      Looks like every time a new “big thing” gets invented, the big thing becomes like a hammer and everything else turns into the proverbial nail. Then it was atomic everything, not its AI everything. Same pattern repeating.
  - stevenwoo 2mo ago
    IIRC in “Surely You’re Joking Mr Feynman” he recalls being asked during Manhattan Project (?) for ideas to commercialize atomic energy and they patented whatever the scientists brainstormed up.
tokai 2mo ago
I bet a nuclear foundry can be bundled with atomic mining ala Project Plowshare. Guess we are lucky we didn't get the future the atomic age promised.
- WorldMaker 2mo ago
  Using the Project Orion spacecraft to get there, of course. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Orion_%28nuclear_propulsion%29 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Orion_%28nuclear_propu...
sunshinesnacks 2mo ago
Explosion welding is a real thing that’s a tiny bit like this: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Explosion_welding https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Explosion_welding
dotfrag 2mo ago
Sounds like an interesting idea and I think there are things like this being done but, couldn't we accomplish the same thing on a smaller scale without all the destruction? What about fusion welding once we get that more locked in? I know it's still a WIP but if we're getting to "millions of degrees", it could speed up the process if we're able to localize the fusion. Also, what about cold fusion? The problem on any of these is the cost -- it may be quicker/better but if the cost is way too high, it's not worth it. Maybe in the future it'll be cheaper/easier.
- monster_truck 2mo ago
  A disgustingly large and powerful pressurized microwave would likely be sufficient if "all" they need to do is spray various mixes of vaporized metals and water into plasma. I don't know that we've had too many justifications to build these otherwise The tiny spheres of this alloy mixed into a mess of other stuff remind me of Primitive Technology's mostly successful attempts at smelting iron the hard way. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAL3JXZSzSm8AlZyD3nQdBA https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAL3JXZSzSm8AlZyD3nQdBA
  - _carbyau_ 2mo ago
    > I don't know that we've had too many justifications to build these otherwise I don't know about you, but "spray various mixes of vaporized metals and water into plasma" sounds cool. If I had tens of millions of dollars, I'd pay to see that.
    - monster_truck 2mo ago
      Could probably get styropryo to do it for a good bit less. The stuff he's doing on his second channel recently is so damn cool https://youtu.be/0Y-9GbsS9Fg https://youtu.be/0Y-9GbsS9Fg
      - _carbyau_ 2mo ago
        My comment was a bit trite but I was actually hoping for a reasonable shot at doing something worthwhile. My expectations for doing it properly would be: - facilities. Sure, high power microwaves and pressure chambers and combining the two may not be THAAAT expensive. But doing it in a calibrated fashion to have a chance to produce predictable repeated results isn't without some details. - staff. I'd want at least 3 qualified people on it. Preferably multiple teams competing for results exploring different paths of interest. - timeframe. I'd expect such a thing to last at least 3 years at an absolute minimum but that might only be enough to get to the hardware to a "calibrated repeatable" stage. So probably 5 to 10 to have any hope of meaningful results. - money. That "if I had tens of millions" is a personal view of my own monetary worth. I wouldn't want to see ALL that used up in this, but I'd put forward a good fraction of it.

GolfPopper 2mo ago

What, you mean, like American Machine and Foundry building nuclear reactors? https://www.ans.org/news/article-1858/elk-river-rural-americas-first-atomic-power-plant/ https://www.ans.org/news/article-1858/elk-river-rural-americ...

tastyfreeze 2mo ago
No, I mean using atomic bombs to manufacture these alloys at scale. In the 50s a-bombs were proposed for all sorts of workaday uses. Imagine using a small a-bomb for mining just as we use ANFO today. I am sure that somebody will take up the task of reproducing these alloys using intense heat from a non-atomic source. New alloys can be quite lucrative but developing them requires just as much experimentation as making new drugs. I'd imagine that getting to an alloy of 7 metals through progressive experimentation would take awhile. Now we know it's possible and have a possible production path. That is enough to spur some experiments down that road.
- deleted 2mo ago
  [deleted]
- cucumber3732842 2mo ago
  >Imagine using a small a-bomb for mining just as we use ANFO today. Nuclear cement kiln Nuclear pile jetter Nuclear tunnel boring machine.
  - fxtentacle 2mo ago
    Nuclear Toothpaste https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doramad_Radioactive_Toothpaste https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doramad_Radioactive_Toothpaste
  - vidarh 2mo ago
    > Nuclear tunnel boring machine. Don't give Elon ideas.
- tomatocracy 2mo ago
  Both the US and the Soviet Union actually experimented with "nuclear fracking" in oil/gas fields. The Soviet Union also used atomic bombs to put out fires in gas fields as late as 1981.
  - mauvehaus 2mo ago
    They what?! Can we please get a link to this to read more?! And yes, I have the same Google as you, but I'd love a link to your preferred telling of the tale of how the Soviets nuked a gas well fire just a couple years before I was born.
    - paulgerhardt 2mo ago
      I recall we were seriously talking about using one during the early days of the Deepwater Horizon disaster. For a variety of reasons it wouldn’t have worked in that instance. [1] https://www.cbsnews.com/news/report-soviets-nuked-gas-well-fires/ https://www.cbsnews.com/news/report-soviets-nuked-gas-well-f...
    - 3eb7988a1663 2mo ago
      Wikipedia has an article about it[0]. Gas had been leaking for three years before they were able to use a nuke to seal the well. Estimated that it was burning 12 million m3 of gas daily. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urtabulak_gas_field https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urtabulak_gas_field
      - gilleain 2mo ago
        Interesting, however that was 1966: > the explosive was detonated at a depth of 1,500 m (1,640 yd) on 30 September 1966. The hole that the explosive was lowered into had also been sealed with cement so as to prevent atmospheric radioactive contamination. From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_Explosions_for_the_National_Economy https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_Explosions_for_the_Nat... > The last nuclear explosion by the Program 7, codenamed Rubin-1, was performed in Arkhangelsk Oblast on September 6, 1988. Although there is no separate page for that.
- 27183 2mo ago
  There was some truly crazy shit happening in the late '50s-early '60s: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Plowshare https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Plowshare https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Pluto https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Pluto https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Orion_(nuclear_propulsion) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Orion_(nuclear_propuls... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supersonic_Low_Altitude_Missile https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supersonic_Low_Altitude_Missil...
  - prox 2mo ago
    Looks like every time a new “big thing” gets invented, the big thing becomes like a hammer and everything else turns into the proverbial nail. Then it was atomic everything, not its AI everything. Same pattern repeating.
- stevenwoo 2mo ago
  IIRC in “Surely You’re Joking Mr Feynman” he recalls being asked during Manhattan Project (?) for ideas to commercialize atomic energy and they patented whatever the scientists brainstormed up.

tokai 2mo ago

I bet a nuclear foundry can be bundled with atomic mining ala Project Plowshare. Guess we are lucky we didn't get the future the atomic age promised.

WorldMaker 2mo ago
Using the Project Orion spacecraft to get there, of course. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Orion_%28nuclear_propulsion%29 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Orion_%28nuclear_propu...

sunshinesnacks 2mo ago

Explosion welding is a real thing that’s a tiny bit like this: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Explosion_welding https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Explosion_welding

dotfrag 2mo ago

Sounds like an interesting idea and I think there are things like this being done but, couldn't we accomplish the same thing on a smaller scale without all the destruction? What about fusion welding once we get that more locked in? I know it's still a WIP but if we're getting to "millions of degrees", it could speed up the process if we're able to localize the fusion. Also, what about cold fusion? The problem on any of these is the cost -- it may be quicker/better but if the cost is way too high, it's not worth it. Maybe in the future it'll be cheaper/easier.

monster_truck 2mo ago
A disgustingly large and powerful pressurized microwave would likely be sufficient if "all" they need to do is spray various mixes of vaporized metals and water into plasma. I don't know that we've had too many justifications to build these otherwise The tiny spheres of this alloy mixed into a mess of other stuff remind me of Primitive Technology's mostly successful attempts at smelting iron the hard way. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAL3JXZSzSm8AlZyD3nQdBA https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAL3JXZSzSm8AlZyD3nQdBA
- _carbyau_ 2mo ago
  > I don't know that we've had too many justifications to build these otherwise I don't know about you, but "spray various mixes of vaporized metals and water into plasma" sounds cool. If I had tens of millions of dollars, I'd pay to see that.
  - monster_truck 2mo ago
    Could probably get styropryo to do it for a good bit less. The stuff he's doing on his second channel recently is so damn cool https://youtu.be/0Y-9GbsS9Fg https://youtu.be/0Y-9GbsS9Fg
    - _carbyau_ 2mo ago
      My comment was a bit trite but I was actually hoping for a reasonable shot at doing something worthwhile. My expectations for doing it properly would be: - facilities. Sure, high power microwaves and pressure chambers and combining the two may not be THAAAT expensive. But doing it in a calibrated fashion to have a chance to produce predictable repeated results isn't without some details. - staff. I'd want at least 3 qualified people on it. Preferably multiple teams competing for results exploring different paths of interest. - timeframe. I'd expect such a thing to last at least 3 years at an absolute minimum but that might only be enough to get to the hardware to a "calibrated repeatable" stage. So probably 5 to 10 to have any hope of meaningful results. - money. That "if I had tens of millions" is a personal view of my own monetary worth. I wouldn't want to see ALL that used up in this, but I'd put forward a good fraction of it.