From: spike66 (spike66@attbi.com)
Date: Sat Sep 28 2002 - 16:19:58 MDT
Jeff Davis wrote:
> Finally, at the link below, take a look at the picture
> of the uranium. Can you put 15 kilos of near-bomb
> grade uranium in an 'ingot' as shown without having a
> criticality problem?
Jeff, I wondered about that too. My foggy memory
is that it takes at least 4 kg of U235 to make a
criticality. I wondered if the elongated shape of
the ingot prevented the criticality. To make a
criticality with the 4 kg, they need to use some
gee whiz technology to compress a sphere of the
stuff, as I recall. I suppose smugglers could add
some kind of carbon neutron capture material into
the ingot to damp the reaction.
I think John Clark is up to speed on this sort of
thing. John?
spike
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