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Originally Posted by Drakonix
Q: How much percent of enriched uranium does it takes to make a rod and how much does it take to make a nuke?
A: I am not sure why you ask, but the info follows. The best I can figure is that your point is reactor fuel can not be used to make a fissile nuclear bomb.
As per my understanding that’s true, a higher degree of enrichment and other processing is needed to make a nuclear bomb.
The term “enriched uranium” is generic, there are a number of levels of enrichment.
Natural uranium is mostly U238, and contains something less than 0.8% U235. Enrichment processes increase the U235 content in the processed material.
Reactor fuel U235 concentration requirements depend on reactor type.
Natural uranium (about 0.7% U235) or slightly enriched uranium (about 1%-2% U235) can be used in heavy water reactors.
Light water reactors (the most common kind) can use low enriched uranium (around 4% U235).
Minimum U235 concentration that could make a crude weapon is about 20%.
Weapon grade U235 concentration is commonly 85% or more.
Plutonium, not U235 is the active ingredient in a (modern implosion) fissile bomb. Plutonium is a transuranium element, Pu239 is the necessary isotope.
A sphere of fissile material (plutonium) the size of a regulation baseball, undergoing a nuclear chain reaction explosion will release approximately as much energy as detonating a container filled with TNT the size of Yankee Stadium. (according to the old AEC training films I saw)
One kilogram of Pu239 = about 22 million kilowatt hours heat energy or about 20 kilotons TNT as an explosion.
BTW, I don't recall any discussion of uranium enrichment and nuclear reactors when and where I went to school. Hyperbolic: Maybe I missed the chemistry class session where they taught you how to make nuclear reactors and nuclear bombs.
My previous point has IMO not been diminished, pursuit of uranium enrichment by Iran is unquestionably for the creation of fissile nuclear weapons.
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Nice Drakonix
Why would that be? a threat I mean? They have as much rights to enrich uranium for power plants as much as your government does. Hell, from what I heard, they will surely be the new leaders of uranium enrichment and start selling it to other power plants around the world. If I had oil like Iran does, I would surely do the same thing instead of using the oil and natural gaz ressources to power up my country and instead sell it to the highest bidder for euro like Iran planned to do.
Why use it when you can get 73$ per barrel by selling it? Only fools would do that and Iran is not so backward as the media led us to think or believe. They want to sell their oil for profit and they also want to have nuclear energy. Like I stated previously, i'd be much more concerned as to what is happening inside your own country such as the creation of Lethal biological weapons, nuclear proliferation since your gov does not even allow inspection of his own fascilities by the UN nor remotely care to give a count of their nuclear weapons/missles instead of being scared shitless by a far away country such as Iran.
There are a lot nastier things happening close to you than you might even suspect. As I remember, that anthrax mail scare was traced back to a frigging US lab FFS. They wanted to scare, they got busted, lets not forget that H5N1 virus that was lost in the mail, that alone is priceless and by far scarier than Iran "might build" Nuclear weapons.
To finish off, I did learn this at school, not that it was imposed as a subject, it was part of enriched
chimistry lessons I decided to take on my own. Quatum physics is truly fascinating