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Posted on 05/27/2026 12:27:36 PM PDT by spintreebob
The U.S. is planning to distribute plutonium left over from Cold War-era weapons to commercial nuclear developers as part of the Trump administration’s efforts to accelerate the rollout of new reactors.
The Department of Energy has selected Oklo Inc. and four other firms for advanced negotiations to participate in the Surplus Plutonium Utilization Program, the Santa Clara, California-based company said in a statement Tuesday.
(Excerpt) Read more at arcamax.com ...
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Should have been build all along.
excerpt from your article:
“The plutonium program has doubters, especially after previous U.S. efforts to convert weapons-grade material into reactor fuel faltered. The first Trump administration in 2018 pulled the plug on a federal effort in South Carolina after cost estimates for the Mixed Oxide Fuel Fabrication Facility swelled to nearly $48 billion with a completion date in the 2040s.”
Sec. of Energy used to serve on Oklo’s board.
LOL. And they think they can build Moonbase Alpha for $20 billion.
Build breeder reactors and start using all of the highly usable “nuclear waste”.
Its not a new concept
The US had a “Megatons to Megawatts” program with Russia from 1993 to 2013, which converted U-235 (highly enriched uranium) into lower content for civilian reactors
This “Megatons to Megawatts” did not cover plutonium, although plutonium is/has been blended at low levels with U3O8 to create civilian reactor fuel as well
Does using old Plutonium in this way reduce its famous danger/half-life? That is, does using it in a generator plant convert it or its isotope(s) to something else? Or does it remain the same nasty old Plutonium?
The one big thing is, Plutonium 239 is REQUIRED for construction of deliverable Hydrogen bombs, to initiate the fusion process. Uranium 235 WON’T WORK, unless you want to deliver it with a train, or better yet, a cargo ship.
“Does using old Plutonium in this way reduce its famous danger/half-life? That is, does using it in a generator plant convert it or its isotope(s) to something else? Or does it remain the same nasty old Plutonium?”
Fission causes the nucleus to break up into two similarly sized nuclei each about one-half of the original.
These fission fragments are unstable and will start a decay chain.
“Plutonium 239 is REQUIRED for construction of deliverable Hydrogen bombs, to initiate the fusion process.”
China’s first, the 639, had an U-235 primary and was dropped from a plane.
“Does using old Plutonium in this way reduce its famous danger/half-life?”
Not so famous. You could hold it in your hands without getting a dangerous radiation dose. Don’t try that at home.
Data Centers, AI, and more nuclear power plants.
God will need to come back soon or there will be nothing left of the human race.
The problem with nuke power is the radioactive waste, and the spent fuel. If they can come up solutions better than what they have now, would be good. Otherwise, I’m less than enthusiastic. Hydropower is clean, cheap and easy.
The newer nuclear technologies produce very little in the way of waste.
Good to know.
Hydropower is clean, cheap and easy.
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tell that to newscum
Deleted uranium (uranium 238) is used in a breeder reactor, in the presents of fissional fuel that run the reactor.
Plutonium fuel will work and the neutrons generated in the reactor will convert the U-238 into plutonium 239, breeding its own fuel.
But aren't nuclear materials gathered from natural sources, and concentrated into nuclear fuel. So why can't it be dispersed back into natural sites, intermixed with lots of non-radioactive materials, hidden away from contaminating living inhabitants? A better solution than making weaponry with radioactive materials that spread contaminants when they go boom.
“The one big thing is, Plutonium 239 is REQUIRED for construction of deliverable Hydrogen bombs, to initiate the fusion process. Uranium 235 WON’T WORK, unless you want to deliver it with a train, or better yet, a cargo ship.”
Not true. U-235 will work just fine in a hydrogen bomb implosion primary.
U-235 is also only the only fuel that can also be use in a simple design gun type atomic bomb.
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