Comments on: The Atomic Show #080 - Charles Ferguson, Fellow for Science and Technology - Council on Foreign Relations http://atomic.thepodcastnetwork.com/2008/01/31/the-atomic-show-080-charles-ferguson-fellow-for-science-and-technology-council-on-foreign-relations/ A show about atomic energy Fri, 4 Jul 2008 18:39:45 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5.1 By: Jim Baerg http://atomic.thepodcastnetwork.com/2008/01/31/the-atomic-show-080-charles-ferguson-fellow-for-science-and-technology-council-on-foreign-relations/#comment-57048 Jim Baerg Thu, 07 Feb 2008 04:07:43 +0000 http://atomic.thepodcastnetwork.com/2008/01/31/the-atomic-show-080-charles-ferguson-fellow-for-science-and-technology-council-on-foreign-relations/#comment-57048 You talked about the desirability of using high enriched uranium in some reactor designs, which is difficult because of restrictions due to concerns over diversion to weapons use. In the website http://thoriumenergy.blogspot.com/ & the connected discussion forum, it has been mentioned that it is very difficult to breed U233 from thorium without also getting small amounts of U232. Also those small amounts of U232 make the U233 useless for bombs because of the gamma rays from U232 daughter products. Perhaps U233 with traces of U232 could be used in all these small reactor designs,that need high enrichment, without creating a danger of diversion for weapons use. You talked about the desirability of using high enriched uranium in some reactor designs, which is difficult because of restrictions due to concerns over diversion to weapons use.

In the website http://thoriumenergy.blogspot.com/ & the connected discussion forum, it has been mentioned that it is very difficult to breed U233 from thorium without also getting small amounts of U232. Also those small amounts of U232 make the U233 useless for bombs because of the gamma rays from U232 daughter products.

Perhaps U233 with traces of U232 could be used in all these small reactor designs,that need high enrichment, without creating a danger of diversion for weapons use.

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