[extropy-chat] Nuke 'em

[Samantha Atkins]

OK;  <raspberry/> ; OK; necessary but insufficient.

- s

On Oct 28, 2005, at 8:15 AM, John K Clark wrote:

> "Samantha Atkins" <sjatkins at mac.com>
>
>
>> Is this also true of Thorium based reactors?
>>
>
> I have no idea, I know nothing about Thorium based pebble bed  
> reactors and
> didn't know one had been built, tell me more.
>
> In general I do know that Thorium reactors produce less Plutonium  
> but they
> also produce Uranium 233, and you can make bombs with that too. Up  
> to now
> nobody has bothered to make a bomb with Uranium 233 because Thorium  
> reactors
> are less economical than conventional reactors, but if that were to
> change ....
>
>
>> It is not  quite enlightening to simply say every
>> reactor produces plutonium
>>
>
> Ok, let me try again then: What is the sound of one hand clapping?
>
>
>> and thus is a problem for anti-proliferation.
>>
>
> I believe I specifically said it wasn't clear that power reactors  
> would
> significantly increase the proliferation problem.
>
>
>> Simply removing the pellets periodically is certainly not enough
>> to enable efficient weapons-grade plutonium production.
>>
>
> Actually it is. The key way to prevent your weapons grade Pu-239  
> from being
> polluted with PU- 240 is to limit the time your Uranium fuel is in the
> reactor, and with pebble beds it's especially easy to do that.
>
>  John K Clark
>
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