Re: A new nuclear option ?

["Stanley J. McCaslin" <mccaslin@pscosf.peru.edu>]

I heard that, too, along with a rather pedantic letter about "burning"
this morning.

The fact is, both in astrophysics and presumably in nuclear engineering,
an exothermic nuclear reaction is called "burning".  That's what they
meant.  Adding an admixture of plutonium to the normal U-235 fuel in
reactors, thus getting rid of the plutonium and generating energy in 
the process.

At 09:30 AM 12/11/96 PST, you wrote:
> I believe that I heard on an NPR news broadcast that one of the options for 
> Pu disposal was "burning"--admittedly, this was at something like 4 a.m., 
> and the newsreader may have just misread "burying"      I said "huh?????" 
> and wondered what burning would accomplish other than generating a big pile 
> of PuO which would then have to be vitrified and buried.  Does anyone know 
> anything further about this supposed option?    M.J. Clarke, College of St. 
> Scholastica, Duluth.

Stanley J. McCaslin                     Inet: mccaslin@bobcat.peru.edu
Assistant Professor, Computer Science   Phone:402/872-2208
Peru State College, Peru, NE  68421     Home: 402/872-7595