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scorpius1782
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Homework Statement
(This isn't a typical problem here so feel free to suggest an alternative forum category or website.)
I'm trying to do research for a paper about nuclear waste and depleted uranium storage by the DOD. I have a lot of questions I need to answer before I can get too far into this since this is a bit off the beaten path in terms of what has been taught in my nuclear weapons course.
(I'll bold all of my questions to make it easier to read)
Before I begin the paper I need to know the processes used by defense nuclear reactors in order to create the waste and depleted uranium. I know that in order to make 235 the reactor bombards 238 for some amount of time (I don't know how long, and can't find it anywhere but I suppose it depends on several physical factors) and in the process makes heavier isotopes like 239/240/241. When we speak about "waste" I'm under the impression that these heavier isotopes make up at least part of it but I imagine that there is a significant amount of 238 still left over from the process. Is u-238 a significant byproduct of the production of u-235 and, if so, is it recycled for use in another reactor or considered "waste" afterward? Or, is the 238, now with a much lower concentration of 235, considered "depleted" and kept for use in depleted uranium armor or weapons? Or, both?
The process of creating 235 within a reactor is different than a reactor we think of that creates electricity. What is the difference in waste/byproducts between the two types of reactors? I imagine that there is probably a lot more heavier isotopes within the reactors used for electricity than those made for producing 235.
I know that reactors use chemical reprocessing to extract plutonium and other isotopes for mox-fuel that is used in thermal reactors. Does anyone know if the reactors used by the defense department does anything similar when it comes to chemical reprocessing?
As for storage I see that most of the facilities use a "pond" or pool to contain whatever waste they are holding. I have read the this is for reducing radiation outside the pool and keeping the spent fuel rods cool. What is the primary source of the excess heat and radiation? I know that Pu-238 has a pretty intense decay heat and a short half-life but I don't know what sort of concentration it might have within the spent fuel.
Finally, I have been going through the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board publicly available documentation and the DOE technical standards but, as anyone who has ever read such things, it can be tedious. I was wondering if anyone had any suggested reading materials or sources that would be handy for a paper like this?
Feel free to correct me if I have any misunderstandings or mistakes. It's important to me to really understand this as I find it all pretty fascinating. It will not be a highly technical paper (no equations unless I see a real need) but rather a paper about the risks of storing these materials.
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The Attempt at a Solution
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