[ RadSafe ] Deadly Neutrons in Nuclear Waste!?

[Dukelow, James S Jr]

I am not quite sure what Bob Cherry thinks the Lehigh metallurgists are
going to learn from the Lehigh physicists.

There are lots of things in spent fuel that will produce neutrons.
Spent fuel cask vendors certainly recognize the need for neutron
shielding.  MOX fuels, particularly MOX based on reactor grade Pu, will
produce higher neutron (and gamma) doses than UO2 fuel, but in all cases
the neutron dose rate appears to be 10-20% of the total dose rate.

Best regards.

Jim Dukelow
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
Richland, WA
jim.dukelow at pnl.gov

These comments are mine and have not been reviewed and/or approved by my
management or by the U.S. Department of Energy.

-----Original Message-----
From: radsafe-bounces at radlab.nl [mailto:radsafe-bounces at radlab.nl] On
Behalf Of bobcherry at cox.net
Sent: Tuesday, April 05, 2005 5:31 AM
To: radsafe at radlab.nl
Subject: [ RadSafe ] Deadly Neutrons in Nuclear Waste!?


Perhaps Lehigh University metallurgists should talk to folks in their
physics department before they put out news releases. ============= New
alloy verified for safer disposal of spent nuclear energy fuel

Scientists verify critical fabrication properties of gadolinium-nickel
alloy

A new alloy developed and patented by researchers at Lehigh University,
Sandia National Laboratory and Idaho National Laboratory could help the
U.S. dispose more safely of 50,000 tons of spent nuclear energy fuel
that are now stored at 125 sites in 39 states. 

John DuPont, professor of materials science and engineering at Lehigh
and principal investigator on the project, said that a nickel-based
alloy with added gadolinium showed far greater ability than any other
alloy to absorb the deadly radioactive neutrons emitted by nuclear
waste. 
======================
Here is the web address for the rest of the article. 

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2005-04/lu-nav040405.php

Bob C

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