[ RadSafe ] Spent Nuclear Fuel Utilization

[Ed Hiserodt]

All: 

If the exposure for optimum health, vitality, and longevity were to be about
10 rem/y as Luckey calculated, then it works out that the fission products
from an all nuclear U.S. would be sufficient to supply isotopes to
neighborhood "radiation booths"  similar to tanning booths.   "George, would
you please give me the 500 mrem gamma special for today.  And I need a few
billion Becquerel of alpha to take home to put in the chili."   

 

Ed Hiserodt

 

-----Original Message-----
From: radsafe-bounces at health.phys.iit.edu
[mailto:radsafe-bounces at health.phys.iit.edu] On Behalf Of George Stanford
Sent: Wednesday, September 22, 2010 3:40 PM
To: The International Radiation Protection (Health Physics) Mailing List
Subject: Re: [ RadSafe ] Spent Nuclear Fuel Utilization

 

Blaine & Jerry:

     Regarding the fission products, what Ed Sayre has to say about 

their commercial value might be of interest.  It's at

<http://brc.gov/e-mails/August10/Commercial%20Value%20of%201%20Metric%20ton%
20of%20used%20fuel.pdf>,

or < http://snipurl.com/15f0j9 >.

      Quote: "The commercial value of over twenty million dollars a year for

each 1000 MW reactor is based on today's value for the rare metals in 

the fission

products and the fissile metals to be recycled in fuel."

--  George

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

At 02:17 PM 9/22/2010, Blaine Howard wrote:

Dear RadSafers,

   With regard to an ideal solution for spent nuclear fuel, I like 

Jerry Cohen's suggestion:

"1. All nuclear fuel should be reprocessed and all fissile material 

recovered for fuel fabrication or other useful purposes.

2. The raffinates including all unusable fission products should be

solidified by mixing it in concrete and emplaced and solidified in 

suitable drums

3. The waste containing drums should be transported to the deepest 

part of the ocean, and dropped to descend (>10 km.) to the ocean floor."

 

   However, I would suggest a slightly different approach.

1.  All spent nuclear fuel should be reprocessed and the fissile 

material recovered for fuel fabrication.

2.  The U-238 should also be recovered and used in breeder reactors 

to convert it to a fissile material to recover all available energy 

from the SNF.

3.  The fission products (at least much of them) should be 

incorporated into small glass or ceramic sources which could be 

utilized for food irradiation facilities and agricultural produce
irradiation.

 

   I have worked at a food irradiation facility and know some of the 

advantages of preserving food by irradiation.  Agricultural produce 

can be allowed to ripen on the trees and irradiated to allow shipping 

with less spoilage.  And the tree ripened flavor is much superior.

   I regard all of the spent nuclear fuel as a valuable resource for 

both energy and food preservation.

Of course, the public would have to overcome its radiophobia.

 

  Just a thought.

Blaine N. Howard

blainehoward at yahoo.com

 

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