Technology and Operations
I never disputed that uranium oxide was found on U-234, the Germans had enough of it so that is quite plausible. However, you are quite mistaken about natural uranium being inert. In fact, you can get a chain reaction going using natural uranium in a heavy water or graphite moderated reactor. That is why heavy water was such an important issue during the war. The reason why the Germans never tried the graphite route is a long story which I will not get into here, but it does involve the Heisenberg plot to keep the bomb away from Hitler.
All light water reactors must use enriched uranium containing at least 3.5% (from memory) uranium isotope 235. Natural uranium contains only 0.71% uranium isotope 235. The enrichment process is basically a mechanical separation of the uranium isotopes and has nothing to do with a reactor. BTW, weapons grade uranium is over 90% isotope 235.
There is another fissionable material called plutonium which is a synthetic element produced in nuclear reactors and used mainly for making weapons, but that is not at issue here.
Heavy water has the hydrogen atoms replaced by deuterium (the other isotope of hydrogen which has a neutron giving it the atomic weight of 2, instead of 1 for normal hydrogen). Light water is, of course, tap water. Note that tap water contains a miniscule amount of heavy water.
Regards,
SuperKraut
This forum is for discussing technological & operational matters pertaining to U-boats.
Uranium.
Posted by:
SuperKraut
()
Date: June 16, 2000 11:06AM
I never disputed that uranium oxide was found on U-234, the Germans had enough of it so that is quite plausible. However, you are quite mistaken about natural uranium being inert. In fact, you can get a chain reaction going using natural uranium in a heavy water or graphite moderated reactor. That is why heavy water was such an important issue during the war. The reason why the Germans never tried the graphite route is a long story which I will not get into here, but it does involve the Heisenberg plot to keep the bomb away from Hitler.
All light water reactors must use enriched uranium containing at least 3.5% (from memory) uranium isotope 235. Natural uranium contains only 0.71% uranium isotope 235. The enrichment process is basically a mechanical separation of the uranium isotopes and has nothing to do with a reactor. BTW, weapons grade uranium is over 90% isotope 235.
There is another fissionable material called plutonium which is a synthetic element produced in nuclear reactors and used mainly for making weapons, but that is not at issue here.
Heavy water has the hydrogen atoms replaced by deuterium (the other isotope of hydrogen which has a neutron giving it the atomic weight of 2, instead of 1 for normal hydrogen). Light water is, of course, tap water. Note that tap water contains a miniscule amount of heavy water.
Regards,
SuperKraut
