--- Jed Rothwell writes, > Heavy water that is used as a neutron moderator in a nuclear reactor will contain massive amounts of tritium compared to virgin heavy water. In operational Candu power reactors worldwide, the average specific activity of tritium in the moderator systems is 10^7 micro-Ci/kg, or about 100 million times greater than virgin or 'natural' heavy water. The typical specific tritium concentration in research reactors is 10^6 micro-Ci/kg. . . ."
OK - got it. You had left out that important detail - the "micro-Ci/kg" of T. in the first message. But even that kind of "problem" makes my case much stronger! Don't you see the desirability of all this tritium from the Chinese perspective ?? I think it should be crystal clear, but just in case, let me spell it out. The Chinese have nuclear weapons. They have a whole new fleet of advanced nuclear submarines (Russian design), needing warheads. One of the most costly maintenance issues with nuclear weaponry in general - is maintaining the tritium inventory, as it decays, and is no longer useful as a reliable trigger, after a few years. Tritium is hundreds of thousands of times more costly to manufacture than is deuterium. One solution. If you buy used reactor heavy water with a lot of tritium in it, this is the perfect raw material source for two reasons: you can recover the tritium, which is relatively easy to do because of the large mass differential with deuterium (i.e. it is 50% denser). And - as a fringe benefit you get clean deuterium oxide to sell back for more than you paid. The tritium is free. This is a win-win situation in any unfettered capitalistic heaven, like the new China is becoming. Especially with labor at 50 cents and hour. The reference to 'slave' labor was not exactly proper, but not far off either. The Chinese are making a killing on both ends - "quietly" and the obvious reason that Canada does NOT want the world to know about this little bit of chicanery is that the Canucks are - in effect - supplying our mutual enemy (potential enemy) with cheap (probably free to them) tritium. Follow the buck.... Jones
