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There is a lot of discussion about the use and effects of depleted uranium projectiles, both on a national and an international level. (The US is not the only country using them, but is the leading nation currently expending them.) These bullets use the high density and volatility of uranium to defeat armored targets. They are kinetic energy penetrating projectiles that lack explosives. These projectiles will arrive with elevated kinetic energy, and they vaporize as they deliver that energy into the target. This almost always has the effect of distributing the uranium around the point of impact as finely divided particles, and the uranium is then present as both a radioactive metal and a heavy metal toxin. The latter is the most hazardous threat.
The challenge in all this is providing good clinical evidence regarding the cause and effect of using these materials as regards what happens to people who are exposed. There is no doubt about the nasty effects of uranium poisoning on man, and some of those military people operating in the areas where the projectiles have been used can be exposed to the hazards. Needless to say, after the smoke clears and the troops leave, any civilian populations that move into the area can also be exposed. Documentation is a challenge, and a range of claims have been made. But the threat is real, and some people have been shown to have suffered under the strain of health issues related to uranium poisoning. Use the link below to read more. If you are a serious investigator, the path to knowledge will be a long one.
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What is the U-235 content of depleted uranium (DU)?
Depleted uranium is uranium with a content of the isotope uranium-235 under 0.7 %. Natural uranium has been processed to change (increase) the concentrations of lighter isotopes, and the "leftovers" are termed depleted uranium. Let's look at this heavy metal and sort things out. Without splitting hairs, the element uranium as it comes out of the ground is almost 99.27% U-238, and about 0.73% U-235. There's also a trace of U-234 in it. The isotope U-235 is the desired one for use in nuclear fuels and in nuclear weapons. Uranium is processed or "enriched" to increase the amount of the lighter isotope in the the finished product. This leaves the rest of the uranium "depleted" of some (or much) of its U-235 (and U-234, for what it's worth). The term depleted uranium is then applied to the remaining uranium. A link can be found below to check facts and gather more information.
In a breeder reactor a. Plutonium is converted into uranium or b. Uranium is converted into plutonium?
Uranium. A breeder reactor can use either Uranium, Plutonium, or mixed Transuranic elements for fuel. Depleted Uranium or Thorium is used as the breeding blanket. Periodically the breeding blanket is changed: the old one reprocessed to make new fuel.
How many bags should an item of battlefield debris contaminated with depleted uranium is placed?
One (but very solid) bag from polythene or polypropylene is sufficient.
What are depleted uranium?
About 95 percent of the depleted uranium produced is stored as uranium hexafluoride, a crystalline solid, (D)UF6, in steel cylinders in open air storage yards close to enrichment plants. Each cylinder holds up to 12.7 tonnes (or 14 US tons) of UF6. In the U.S. 560,000 tonnes of depleted UF6 had accumulated by 1993. In 2008, 686,500 tonnes in 57,122 storage cylinders were located near Portsmouth, Ohio and Paducah, Kentucky.
What illness did the soldiers have after the desert storm war?
A new and different category surfaced from this operation; Depleted Uranium. Some projectiles used this material as it was one of the hardest known elements that could penetrate obstacles. When it did so, DU (Depleted Uranium) dust particles became present...when personnel made contact with it, inhaled it, etc. They possibly became ill, or suffered some other unknown negative effect(s).
What kind of material is nuclear fuel?
According to the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission, nuclear fuel is from three different kinds of fuel. The special one consists of uranium-233, uranium-235, enriched uranium, or plutonium. The Source is from natural uranium or thorium. It can also come from depleted uranium not suitable as a reactor fuel. The byproduct can come from radioactive material. They also contain waste and tailings made by extracting or concentrating the uranium or thorium from an ore processed mainly for its content of source material.
What is gaseous diffusion uranium enrichment?
One of several methods of enriching uranium (increasing the percentage of uranium-235 in the product).Gaseous diffusion uses porous nickel metal membranes as diffusion barriers. Pumps increase the pressure of the uranium hexafluoride gas on one side of the barriers causing the gas to diffuse through. The lighter uranium-235 atoms moving slightly faster than the uranium-238 atoms, becoming a bit more concentrated on the far side.The enriched product on the far side is then sent on to the next stage in the cascade while the depleted product on the near side is sent back to the preceding stage. Then after thousands of these stages, each providing a tiny amount of enrichment, the final product having the desired enrichment is produced (as well as large quantities of depleted waste product).
What is gaseous diffusion in uranium enrichment?
One of several methods of enriching uranium (increasing the percentage of uranium-235 in the product).Gaseous diffusion uses porous nickel metal membranes as diffusion barriers. Pumps increase the pressure of the uranium hexafluoride gas on one side of the barriers causing the gas to diffuse through. The lighter uranium-235 atoms moving slightly faster than the uranium-238 atoms, becoming a bit more concentrated on the far side.The enriched product on the far side is then sent on to the next stage in the cascade while the depleted product on the near side is sent back to the preceding stage. Then after thousands of these stages, each providing a tiny amount of enrichment, the final product having the desired enrichment is produced (as well as large quantities of depleted waste product).
Why is nuclear energy not considered renewable?
Because there is only a limited amount of "fissle nuclides" sitting in the ground waiting to be dug up, these are Uranium, Plutonium and Thorium (less common). However we won't be running out soon, 3kg of natural (un-enriched) uranium would power the entire USA for a year. One problem is that quite a lot of uranium is being "shipped" to Iraq in the form of munitions.
When was Uranium One created?
Uranium One was created in 1997.
What is Uranium One's population?
Uranium One's population is 2,220.
How is uranium used in bombs?
The following is typical, but there are a number of variations, mostly minor: Uranium is first found by exploration. It is then mined. The ore is milled to produce small pieces, which are then chemically leached to produce an uranate called yellocake. The yellowcake is reacted to produce uranium hexafluoride , which is then run through centrifuges to separate a heavier fraction from a lighter fraction. The lighter fraction is the enriched material used for power plants, the heavier is referred to as depleted. The enriched uranium is chemically converted to another oxide, uranium dioxide, and this is converted into the form of fuel used in plants, commonly by pressing and sintering. The fuel is encased in cladding of special steels or zircaloy, and then is ready to be put into the reactor. There is a link to a more detailed answer below.
