Searching for lost WWII-era uranium cubes from Germany

phys,org ^ | 05/01/2019

[Steely Tom]

Calling that a “nuclear accident” is a slight stretch IMHO; the accident (as I read it in the Wikipedia article you provided) had nothing to do with a nuclear reaction; it was a result of the pyrophoric nature of powdered uranium; all the heat energy that powered the steam explosion was provided by chemical processes, unlike (say) TMI, Fukushima or Chernobyl.

Anyway, still an interesting story. It sounds like Heisenburg and his co-workers didn’t really put their hearts into the effort, which would have caused (I imagine) very serious consequences for them if der Fuhrer had known about their real feelings.

Still, it’s obvious in hindsight that they could never have made it, particularly before the end of the war. They had no way of separating the U-235 isotope, which even if they had known how to do it would have required industrial resources that Germany couldn’t spare at the time.

[JohnBovenmyer]

So by modern theory the Germans needed 50% more U cubes, than they had on site, but they had enough in country had they put their entire supply into one reactor model. However that design would have then needed more heavy water than they had available. So the combination of the Norwegian commando raid on Norsk Hydro AND their subsequently sinking a ferry transporting a large quantity of already produced heavy water across Norway, potentially DID prevent a working Nazi reactor. Nazis had enough of everything else that they could have succeeded, but were stopped by a handful of brave young Norwegians. Chief hero of those died recently IIRC.

[Attention Surplus Disorder]

I think it’d be more like 1000% more U cubes. (not having done the math) Keep in mind that CP-1 was about the size of a “generous” single car garage, maybe 15’ x 15’ x 15’. That much *water* is 3375 cu ft = 27,750 lbs never mind that if we make 1/10th of that uranium @ 19 x the density of water, thus 24,975 + 2500 extra density for heavy water + 52,725 lbs = 80.5 k lbs which is vastly beyond what airplanes could lift back then. Standing in the shoes of people back then the research requirement wasn’t simply daunting, it was inconceivable. Didn’t Oak Ridge consume something like 10% of US electrical production or something?

[Chainmail]

Absolutely fascinating thread. Had no idea there were so many knowledgeable folks on matters nuclear.

Funny, isn’t that Hitler’s raging hatred of Jews chased off the very geniuses who could have given him the world.

Weirdly, during our drive into Czechoslovakia in 1945, they found a heavily modified He-177, apparently designed to carry a nuclear weapon.

[JohnBovenmyer]

I was just relying on article saying modern analysis stated they needed ~50% more Uranium. They had 640 cubes on site and rest of Germany had ~400 more, greater than the 320 that would have made 50% more, thus potentially enough of that component.