[ RadSafe ] Re:EMIS silver

[Shawn Hughes (Road)]

At 14:36 3/24/05 +0100, you wrote:
>The electromagnetic urnaium enrichment process at Oak Ridge used all of 
>the US silver reserves during WWII for wiring.  After the war, the silver 
>was returned to government vaults.


Susan, while I have photos and anecdotal stories about the installation, I 
hadn't heard that any of the Alpha One racetracks were ever dismantled. Can 
you cite anything for that, I'd like to read / learn further.....

>Silver from the US reserves was used to fabricate the magnets for the 
>electromagnetic diffusion plant.The chance of getting it contaminated with 
>the radioisotopes of Uranium was minimum. No one refers to such a 
>possiblity in the literature.

While it may not have been discussed in unclassified literature, I 
respectfully disagree. The 'chance' of things being contaminated anywhere 
in the Y-12 plant where the racetracks are housed is quite good, actually. 
I base my opinion on living within 20 miles of the plant, having all of my 
extended family work there, and most of my friends not in Law Enforcement 
are in D&D work at 'the plants'.

However, I think Susan refers to activation, instead of contamination. 
While neutron-induced activation is entirely over my head, I believe its' a 
distinct possibility. Can anyone tell me why not? Is it because of the 
lower levels of activity that 235U possesses, over, say, reactor fuel at 
the end of its' burnup?

Thanks,

Shawn

====================================
Shawn Hughes
Special Projects Consultant and Subcontractor
Harriman (near Oak Ridge), TN 37748 USA
(865) 335-7992 Voicemail
srh at esper.com
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