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To: LSUfan

OK math wizards, lets cypher!

24 tons enriched uranium.

50lbs or so to make a Yuge BOOM.

10-15lbs of plutonium to make a gigantically Yuger BOOM.

Discuss.......


11 posted on 08/01/2019 7:29:36 AM PDT by Delta 21 (Be strong & prosper, be weak & die! Stay true.... ~~ Donald J. Trump)
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To: Delta 21

U-235 is about 0.7% of naturally occurring uranium. If they processed 24,000 kg of uranium down to 300 kg of enriched uranium then that means the 300 kg is enriched to about 57% U-235. Not sure if that is good enough for effective fission bombs but if the U-235 is further refined to say, 85%, you might be able to build 8 or 9 simple bombs with that stockpile.


14 posted on 08/01/2019 7:46:06 AM PDT by 17th Miss Regt
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To: Delta 21

“OK math wizards, lets cypher!

24 tons enriched uranium.

50lbs or so to make a Yuge BOOM.”

It also depends on how enriched (concentrated) the uranium is.

Likely the stockpile in the bank is low enriched (they report 3.67% of U-235) reactor grade, but they need Highly Enriched Uranium (at least 20%) to make any kind of atomic bomb. So there is probably a 5 to 1, or more likely a 20 to 1 ratio between that stockpile, and the usable amount of weapons grade uranium (typically 85% or better) that they could produce with it. There would also be some delay in processing it.

The very first uranium bomb, Little Boy, dropped on Hiroshima, used 64 kilograms of 80% enriched uranium.

However it is likely that whatever is officially admitted to is only the tip of the iceberg - that more, and more highly enriched stocks continue to be developed in secret.


19 posted on 08/01/2019 8:00:53 AM PDT by BeauBo
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To: Delta 21

Your numbers depend on “how enriched.” They’re correct if its 100% enriched, otherwise they’d be considerably lower.


20 posted on 08/01/2019 8:03:29 AM PDT by Pearls Before Swine
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To: Delta 21

I’d like to know just where they got this uranium. Hitlery F. Clinton sells it to Russia, Russia sells it to....??


34 posted on 08/01/2019 10:40:52 AM PDT by GrandJediMasterYoda (As long as Hillary walks free, equal justice under the law will never exist in the USA)
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