Re: Criticality Stuff

[JPreisig@AOL.COM]

Hi Radsafers:



     This is from:    jpreisig@aol.com     .



      One of Feynman's popular books (Surely you're joking, Mr. Feynman or 

the

other popular book) has some description of criticality conditions at Oak 

Ridge

National Lab (i think) around the time of the Manhattan Project.  Perhaps 

Feynman was the visitor to ORNL.  The visitor describes containers of 

(green???)

fluid (Uranium Hexafluoride???) stacked on top of one another all 

throughout one building, with little concern for criticality concentrations.

I guess this fluid was being readied for the diffusion process (to increase

U-235 levels).  The visitor, I think, had a pretty strong discussion with

ORNL lab scientists about improving storage procedures there (way back when).



      With respect to dirty bombs, one of the big problems about getting such

a bomb to work well is how to get the radioactivity to disperse well via an 

explosion.  A conventional weapon really doesn't have all that much 

explosive range, and much of the post-explosion radioactivity would just

lie on the ground.  Some of the radioactivity might travel via the surface

hydrology path or the groundwater pathway.  



      I think we should be greatful that these terrorists did not get their 

hands on

those crop-dusting airplanes to disperse anthrax or whatever the terrorists

had in mind.



     One of Feynman's popular books also discusses proper techniques for 

"asking

out" Las Vegas showgirls.  I kid you not.



     As for pictures of Death Valley, I'd recommend seeing it up close and 

personal, at a time other than summer.  Bring along a lot of water and some 

food.

If all else fails, there's a restaurant in the immediate area.  I'd also 

recommend

bringing a friend or two who have been there before.  Bring field boots also.

That way you'll have some chance, in case you stumble upon one of the 

rattlesnakes out there.  It really is quite scenic.  I didn't run into any 

snakes

out there, but the one woman in the group (a rather eminent scientist from

the Jet Propulsion Laboratory) seemed to have a skill for finding them.



       I guess now that we'll (i.e. the US government) be making tritium (and 

some

plutonium) again, there'll be a greater chance of having some criticality

problems.  Something to look forward to???  Be safe, not sorry.  Keep It 

Simple, Stupid (KISS) !!!!



            Regards,                  J. R. Preisig,   Ph.D.













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