Speeding up the half-life of plutonium

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Discussion Overview

The discussion centers around the possibility of speeding up the half-life of plutonium using neutrons, with a focus on the implications for nuclear weapons. Participants explore theoretical and practical aspects of this concept, including the use of nuclear reactors and the nature of plutonium production.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Debate/contested
  • Technical explanation

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants propose that neutrons can speed up the half-life of plutonium, suggesting potential methods to render plutonium unusable in nuclear weapons.
  • One participant discusses the idea of using a nuclear reactor to consume plutonium-239, noting that while this could theoretically reduce its availability for weapons, it may not be economically attractive.
  • Another participant questions the claim that neutrons can speed up plutonium's half-life, stating that induced fission is not a form of radioactive decay.
  • Some participants highlight that plutonium is primarily manmade and emphasize that stopping its production may be a more effective strategy to prevent its use in weapons.
  • A later reply mentions the difficulty of accelerating alpha decay, referencing historical attempts to do so with other isotopes.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express differing views on the feasibility of speeding up plutonium's half-life with neutrons, with some supporting the idea and others challenging it. There is no consensus on the effectiveness of proposed methods or the implications for nuclear weapons.

Contextual Notes

Some claims rely on assumptions about the nature of radioactive decay and the processes involved in nuclear reactors. The discussion also touches on the economic viability of proposed solutions and the broader context of plutonium production.

RobinBanks
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TL;DR
Want more information on speeding up the half-life of plutonium with neutrons
I know that it is possible to speed up the half-life of plutonium with neutrons. Who can tell me more about this? Thoughts on harnessing this power to decay plutonium so it's unusable in nuclear weapons?
 
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RobinBanks said:
TL;DR Summary: Want more information on speeding up the half-life of plutonium with neutrons

I know that it is possible to speed up the half-life of plutonium with neutrons. Who can tell me more about this? Thoughts on harnessing this power to decay plutonium so it's unusable in nuclear weapons?
The strategy sounds like building a nuclear reactor fueled with Pu-239. By fissioning it in a reactor, it becomes unavailable for fissioning in a nuclear weapon.

Normally, one uses a fast neutron reactor/breeder reactor to convert U-238 into Pu-239 that is then consumed. Such a reactor ends up producing as much Plutonium as it consumes. This lets you burn the relatively plentiful and inexpensive U-238 instead of the relatively rare and expensive U-235. But I assume that it would be possible to skip the breeding part and just consume the Pu-239. That would not be economically attractive, of course.

I am no expert. Just reporting what I was able to Google up in a few minutes.
 
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RobinBanks said:
I know that it is possible to speed up the half-life of plutonium with neutrons.
Can you tell us where you heard that?
 
RobinBanks said:
Thoughts on harnessing this power to decay plutonium so it's unusable in nuclear weapons?
Remember that plutonium is virtually entirely manmade. There aren't deposits of plutonium in the ground that we dig up, we have to make it out of Uranium. While you can probably throw plutonium into a reactor to 'burn it off', the most effective way to keep plutonium from being used in nuclear weapons is to simply stop making it. Though that might be an issue if it's a natural byproduct of normal nuclear reactor operation.

Edit: Interestingly, there is apparently about 371 metric tons of separated plutonium in the world's 'civilian stockpiles', enough for about 46,000 nuclear weapons. Per this site: https://www.ntiindex.org/recommenda...Data Highlights,first NTI Index was published.
 
RobinBanks said:
I know that it is possible to speed up the half-life of plutonium with neutrons.
It's not. Induced fission is not a radioactive decay.
Plutonium is only useful in weapons when it is made specifically for that purpose. You can make it unusable for weapons by putting it back into a nuclear reactor where some of it will fission and some of it will capture another neutron.
 
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I think that accelerating alpha decay for any particle is virtually impossible. Note that alchemists dream was to accelerate the decay alpha of Hg 201, whose half-life is about the universe lifetime
 
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