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Plutonium is a chemical element; ... This allotrope is about as hard and brittle as gray cast iron. When plutonium is alloyed with other metals, ...
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Plutonium recovered from LWR spent fuel, while not weapons grade, can be used to produce nuclear weapons at all levels of sophistication, [25] though in simple designs it may produce only a fizzle yield. [26] Weapons made with reactor-grade plutonium would require special cooling to keep them in storage and ready for use. [27]
The pits of the first nuclear weapons were solid, with an urchin neutron initiator in their center. The Gadget and Fat Man used pits made of 6.2 kg of solid hot pressed plutonium-gallium alloy (at 400 °C and 200 MPa in steel dies – 750 °F and 29,000 psi) half-spheres of 9.2 cm (3.6 in) diameter, with a 2.5 cm (1 in) internal cavity for the initiator.
Apr. 14—It's been almost 80 years since the first atomic bomb was detonated, and scientists say there's still much to learn about how nuclear devices function as they reach the point of exploding.
The presence of these many allotropes makes machining plutonium very difficult, as it changes state very readily. For example, the alpha (α) phase exists at room temperature in unalloyed plutonium. It has machining characteristics similar to cast iron but changes to the beta (β) phase at slightly higher temperatures.
As part of the Manhattan Project, Hanford produced the plutonium to build Fat Man, ... But cleaning up nuclear waste is difficult. It can't be burned or buried. Soon, a waste management plant will ...
Feb. 19—Los Alamos National Laboratory reached what federal officials say is a key milestone in developing its first plutonium pit that can be placed in a nuclear warhead as it seeks to produce ...