Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2006/02/02
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Hmmm - I can't see a plasma furnace as doing anything to the nuclear properties of the isotopes - creating a plasma means pulling off one or more electrons to create an excited gas. That's all chemical, however, it's the properties of the atomic nucleus that determine radioactivity and I can't see making a plasma affecting the nuclear properties at all. Not nearly enough energy. The discussions I have heard about "burning" waste involve using a very high neutron "flux" to change the fission fragments into different nuclides which will decay much more slowly with much less nasty high-energy radioactivity. But it takes a BIG neutron source to do this - and I've only heard it discussed in terms of how to use fusion plants to make a sufficient number of neutrons to burn out the old fission high-level waste and convert it into low-level waste. It would work but we dont' have the neutron sources to make it happen. Adam On 2/2/06, John Black <jblack@ambio.net> wrote: > > > > Some of the past and present solutions to this waste seem inadequate > > and short sighted. > > Others are more credible, but considering the consequences of mistakes, > > I remain skeptical > > and would prefer development of other options. > > > > What ever happened to the process of burning the waste in a plasma furnace > that converts it to harmless byproducts? As I understand it, plasma > temperatures completely disrupt the atomic structure of the radioactive > waste (or anything for that matter) into a high energy soup of subatomic > particles which, when cooled, revert to more harmless substances. I know > it > take a lot of temperature to run a plasma furnace but the bulk of the waste > is not that great. > > Perhaps I misunderstood the process. > > JB (who lives downwind of Oak Ridge) > > > > > _______________________________________________ > Leica Users Group. > See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information >