A Neutron Bomb would NOT Neutralize Fukushima

 


Proposed: By detonating a 25-km radius neutron bomb at the Fukushima plant, it would turn off the nuclear reactions taking place, while also neutralizing the radiation emitting from radioactive particles that have been emitted within that radius. NASA nuclear physicist says "not".
September 26, 2013; 9:45 am Mountain update
The preliminary indications from the nuclear scientists we talked to were encouraging. However, a leading nuclear physicist from NASA weighed in this morning with the following:


*x* says that yes, neutrons do transmute uranium. The problem is that it will take a lot more than a neutron bomb will deliver. To do anything with that uranium, you would have to steadily bombard it for years with a high degree of neutron flux in a very specific part of the neutron spectrum. And in the process you will be creating radioactive products in the rest of the environment.

He says the bomb idea is not good because the neutron flux will not be large enough and last for a long enough time to make much difference, you'll only get about 10% efficiency of the nuclear material contained in the bomb because the rest of it will be thrown all over the place, and you'll create a huge number of new unwanted nuclear products in the environment.

So the word from these nuclear experts from NASA is: No go on the nuclear bomb idea.... unless *Y* has information that would convince us otherwise. Uranium operates for years in a high neutron flux environment in a reactor. That is an indication of how tough it would be to bombard it with enough neutron flux to transmute it to a safer material.

CAVEAT: An expert who works at NASA has provided an opinion in response to an informal request and not as part of any official capacity on this matter within the space agency

 

Addendum:

Strategically-speaking, neutron bombs kill people without destroying structures. They kill all living things within a certain radius. According to Gineipaedia.com,

"A neutron bomb is type of nuclear weapon designed to release massive amounts of neutron radiation instead of explosive force. Though these weapons do produce large explosions, the radiation they release is able to permeate armored vehicles, buildings and bunkers, killing targets who would have otherwise been protected."

More importantly, for this application, they neutralize radioactivity...

There may be an alternative to a neutron bomb. NASA is developing space propulsion systems that utilize neutrons. They have ways of producing a continuous stream of neutrons as well as reflecting and directing them. Maybe something like this could be used over the Fukushima plant. It would not be a millisecond approach like the neutron bomb would be, but would need to be activated over a longer period of time. [But on second thought, he said: "Not enough flux. It would take years.
It's just not a good option. Well, let me state it another way. The amount of nuclear material needed and the length of time required would need to be understood. This is not something that you try without extensive knowledge of the consequences. I don't like the idea of trial and error with Japanese assets and Japanese lives.]

Let's solve this problem.

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