Re: re Nuclear Power

[mgoldman@ucdavis.edu (Dr. Marvin Goldman)]

>Jim --
>
>Do you think we could save money if we chrome plated the fuel rods instead
>of gold plating them?
>
>Ron
>
>>Ron,
>>
>>Recall that only a small fraction of the U in nuclear fuel is fissioned, and
>>the rest remains in fuel rods that are destined for gold-plated deep geologic
>>placement that is massively more containment and confinement than needed to
>>assure no adverse consequences to humans or the environment, as massive
>>greater cost than justified except to support a voracious bureaucracy and its
>>fundees. Your comments need to be considered in this light as well.  :-)
>>
>>Jim
>>=======================
>>> Wade --
>>>
>>> You mean OKLO, the natural 'reactor' that was found in Gabon.  Recall that
>>> only a small fraction of the U is fissioned, and the rest remains in situ.
>>> Thus your comments, albeit correct, need to be considered in this light
>as well.
>>>
>>> Ron
>>>
>>> >To: Radsafe Group
>>> >Re: Nuclear Power
>>> >Remember the OKHLO reactor ? The nuclear waste from it is completely
>>>benign.
>>> >With respect to reactor waste in general, if one first removes the
>>> >transuranics, and watches over the remaining waste for 300 years, it is,
>from
>>> >then on, less of a toxic and radiation hazard than was the original U plus
>>> >daughters from which the reactor fuel was extracted.
>>> >Wade Patterson
>>> >
>>> >
>>> >
>>>
>>> 
>>>
>>
>>
Reply:
The lesson from OKLO was that almost 2 billion years after the natural
reactor ceased fissioning, all the fission products, including those from
the full decay of the plutonium produced there, were found within a few
meters of the "core." None of the final stable end daughter products "grew
legs and translocated themselves," inferring that the scenario, at least
for that part of Gabon, was that the waste products would not "leach" into
the environment an pose a health risk.  So said Paul Molina, one of the
French geologist discoverers of OKLO some 3 weeks ago at Chernobyl.
Marvin Goldman