Re: Japan to switch to MOX?

[rkathren@tricity.wsu.edu (Ron L. Kathren)]

I guess I'll put my 2 cents worth in;  fissile means capable of supporting a
self sustaining chain reaction by thermal neutrons; fissionable means
capable of undergoing fission (which virtually every nuclide except maybe
hydrogen-1 can), given the right conditions.

Ron Kathren
rkathren@tricity.wsu.edu

  >By now it should be obvious that the distinction between "fissile" and
>"fissionable" is not perfectly clean. In summary, criticality is much more
>probable for the odd numbered isotopes of U and Pu than for the even
>isotopes.
>
>"Shlala gashle" (Zulu greeting, meaning "Stay safe")
>mike (mcnaught@LANL.GOV)
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