*Cold Fusion is the goal...only cold fusion...* Thorium fission produces loads of *Neptunium* 237.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neptunium In many ways, Neptunium is a bigger problem as plutonium. Weapons applications ...It can make bombs Neptunium is fissionable <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fissionable>, and could theoretically be used as fuel in a fast neutron reactor<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fast_neutron_reactor>or a nuclear weapon <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_weapon>, with a critical mass<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Critical_mass>of around 60 kilograms. [14] <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neptunium#cite_note-rsc-14> In 1992, the U.S. Department of Energy<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._Department_of_Energy>declassified the statement that neptunium-237 "can be used for a nuclear explosive device".[21]<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neptunium#cite_note-RDD-7-21>It is not believed that an actual weapon has ever been constructed using neptunium. As of 2009, the world production of neptunium-237 by commercial power reactors was over 1000 critical masses a year, but to extract the isotope from irradiated fuel elements would be a major industrial undertaking. In September 2002, researchers at the Los Alamos National Laboratory<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Los_Alamos_National_Laboratory>briefly created the first known nuclear critical mass <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Critical_mass> using neptunium in combination with shells of enriched uranium<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enriched_uranium>( U-235 <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U-235>), discovering that the critical mass of a bare sphere of neptunium-237 "ranges from kilogram weights in the high fifties to low sixties,"[1]<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neptunium#cite_note-critical1-1>showing that it *"is about as good a bomb material as **U-235*<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uranium-235>*."[17] <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neptunium#cite_note-critical-17>* The United States Federal government made plans in March 2004 to move America's supply of separated neptunium to a nuclear-waste disposal site in Nevada<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nevada> . But this is really a problem. Role in nuclear waste Neptunium-237 is the most mobile actinide<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Actinide>in the deep geological repository<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deep_geological_repository>environment. [23] <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neptunium#cite_note-23> This makes it and its predecessors such as americium-241<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Americium-241>candidates of interest for destruction by nuclear transmutation <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_transmutation>.[24]<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neptunium#cite_note-24> Due to its long half-life, neptunium becomes the major contributor of the total radiation in 10,000 years. As it is unclear what happens to the containment in that long time span, an extraction of the neptunium would minimize the contamination of the environment if the nuclear waste could be mobilized after several thousand years.[25]<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neptunium#cite_note-25> [26] <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neptunium#cite_note-26> Neptunium-237 is water soluble and will contaminate ground water. It is the major challenge in isolating nuclear waste. On Mon, Jan 6, 2014 at 12:15 PM, Alain Sepeda <[email protected]>wrote: > I find the idea to burn plutonium (with thorium) a very good idea. > > when LENR get mainstream and dominant, we would have to get rid of nuclear > wastes. > for high activity waste, there is no problem because they have shortlife. > for transuranians like plutonium, we would need fastneutron reactors, not > to produce heat, but to get rid of Pu and alike... > > this is the only technical problem I see when LENR get mainstream. getting > rid of nuclear wastes, at good cost. > > > 2014/1/6 Foks0904 . <[email protected]> > > Thorium is far from an endgame solution, but at least it buys us some time >> to get on the right track before everything crashes down. But I understand >> your cynicism toward such irrational exuberance. >> >> Regards, >> John >> >> >> On Mon, Jan 6, 2014 at 9:55 AM, Blaze Spinnaker <[email protected] >> > wrote: >> >>> Am I the only one that can't help but chuckle at this: "Norway >>> recently has successfully >>> installed<http://www.extremetech.com/extreme/160131-thorium-nuclear-reactor-trial-begins-could-provide-cleaner-safer-almost-waste-free-energy> >>> a >>> reactor using a mixture of thorium and plutonium," >>> >>> >>> On Mon, Jan 6, 2014 at 6:47 AM, Foks0904 . <[email protected]> wrote: >>> >>>> Vick Stenger is a notorious pseudo skeptical personality. No surprise >>>> whatsoever about his opinion on this subject. >>>> >>>> >>>> On Mon, Jan 6, 2014 at 3:31 AM, Alain Sepeda <[email protected]>wrote: >>>> >>>>> >>>>> http://www.huffingtonpost.com/victor-stenger/fusion-fission-and-fossil_b_4533513.html >>>>> >>>>> pathetic how far he believes his lack of information and assert errors >>>>> without checking >>>>> >>>> >>>> >>> >> >
