linuxaudio.org

On 04/04/2011 04:14 PM, Erik de Castro Lopo wrote:

quoted text
> Patrick Shirkey wrote:

>

>

>> So just to make sure I am correct here... All nuclear weapons require an

>> assisted explosion?

>>

> Yes, you need both high heat and high pressure to force the fissile

> material into the required chain reaction.

>

>    

So, just having enough Pu-239 in one location is definitely,

categorically not going to be able to cause a nuclear explosion? Not

even a little one that might cause a rapid escalation?
>> It's categorically impossible for Plutonium-239 to

quoted text
>> become critical without assistance from an explosion of some other fuel

>> or high energy source?

>>

>> You don't have super heated Pu-239 actively being created in a semi

>> critical chain reaction. If it gets unstable there is not enough neutron

>> flux to make baby go boom.

>>

> As explained here:

>

>      https://secure.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/wiki/Criticality_accident

>

>    

Gotta love wikipedia.  Instant truth just add complement set ;-)
> there have been a number of criticality accidents, but they always

quoted text
> create so much heat that the fissile material expands and the conditions

> cease to be critical.

>

>    

So far so good, nuclear physics being of course entirely understood and

modelled and no gaps exist is current knowledge of the fundamental

processes involved :-)
--

Patrick Shirkey

Boost Hardware Ltd.
_______________________________________________

Linux-audio-user mailing list

Linux-audio-user@lists.linuxaudio.org

http://lists.linuxaudio.org/listinfo/linux-audio-user