[BroJoeK]

"11,000 Times Speedier Way Found To Obtain Atomic Power Element – 5"

"Scientists in the United States, in both university and industrial laboratories, realizing the importance of the problem, have been working feverishly, in a dramatic and unique scientific race against their German rivals, to be first with a practical separation method, which, they had said, they would not reveal, if found, to any one except the United States Government."

From their mouths to Uncle Joe Stalin's ears.

"There is a certain irony in the circumstances, it was pointed out, that a British scientific journal is the medium of the publication of the news that will reveal to the world, including Germany, a process that may play a vital role in helping Germany break the blockade against her, by providing a tremendously powerful new fuel as a substitute for oil."

It's good to know the NY Times is not revealing any national security secrets here.

"A five-pound piece of ordinary uranium, containing only 25 per cent of the U-235, would be sufficient to supply the motive power for a submarine on a long journey without refueling..."

No way -- it would never work, too risky...

"Neutrons ordinarily travel with very high speeds, but to be effective in releasing the energy from U-235 they must be slowed down to a relatively low speed...all that is necessary to slow down a neutron is to make it pass through water..."

Wonder what might happen if those neutrons were not slowed down?
Might it cause a rather sudden large release of energy? Hmmmmm... shhhhhhhh (don't tell anyone).

[henkster]

I’m not sure what process of extraction they are discussing here. Most of the original tests used a small amount of Uranium Hexaflouride in a cascading system to extract some small quantities. The article may be describing a plan to use the process on a large industrial scale. We did this at the K-55 separation plant in Oak Ridge. Other techniques were also possible, such as use of large electromagnets. We used that process too, by taking the entire US silver bullion reserve and making giant magnets out of them. To think that the silver mined out of the Comstock Lode was used to make atomic weapons two generations later.

As far as national defense secrets go, the Times didn’t reveal the exact method of extraction. The hexaflouride process was fairly widely known; even the Japanese tinkered with it on a small scale during the war. The problem for most countries was that their industrial resources were already strained to the limit in their war efforts. The United States was the only country with enough spare engineering and industrial resources to pull it off.

Interesting how they are already thinking of powering a submarine with this stuff. And no, ordinary water won’t “moderate” the neutron “reaction.” They need something heavier. A different type of water. Or some pure carbon (don’t tell the Krauts they messed up by using carbon with too much Boron).

I treasure these articles while the Times is printing them. Once we get serious about pursuing the “explosive” potential of this stuff, the Times will go dark on nuclear research.