DiscussWorldIssues - Socio-Economic Religion and Political Uncensored Debate - View Single Post - chernobyl: steam explosion or self contained nuclear explosion?

**Twendypreency** · 04-12-2010, 09:50 PM

you dont actually need `weapons grade` material for a fissile reaction - all `weapons grade` or enriched uranium does is reduce the amount of material needed for criticality. also heavy water reactors use `unrefined` uranium , literally dug out of the ground and shoveled in (well not quite but you get the idea)

"Critical mass" implies 100% purity. In a chain reaction, the density of the fissile material greatly influences the actual mass needed. If you could compress the 235U with enough force from a conventional explosion, to reduce the volume in half, you'd need less than 1/2 the mass.

The relative abundance of fissile material 235U/238U in nuclear reactors precludes a nuclear explosion from occuring. It's not physically possible.

04-12-2010, 09:50 PM	#23
Twendypreency Join Date Oct 2005 Posts 471 Senior Member	you dont actually need `weapons grade` material for a fissile reaction - all `weapons grade` or enriched uranium does is reduce the amount of material needed for criticality. also heavy water reactors use `unrefined` uranium , literally dug out of the ground and shoveled in (well not quite but you get the idea) "Critical mass" implies 100% purity. In a chain reaction, the density of the fissile material greatly influences the actual mass needed. If you could compress the 235U with enough force from a conventional explosion, to reduce the volume in half, you'd need less than 1/2 the mass. The relative abundance of fissile material 235U/238U in nuclear reactors precludes a nuclear explosion from occuring. It's not physically possible.
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