$477M to Destroy Precious U-233
The latest news about the destruction of the precious uranium-233 at ORNL is that the price tag continues to go up:
U-233 project in flux; pricetag’s on the rise
The latest project estimate is $477 million. That includes the contractor’s “interim project baseline” (of $404 million), plus $73 million of DOE-held contingency, etc.
The Oak Ridge project is designed to mix the U-233 stocks with depleted uranium, eliminating its status as a special nuclear material, and ultimately disposing of what will be a high-activity, low-level radioactive waste at the Nevada Test Site.
And I continue to point out–along with the help of many of the readers of this blog, who have taken time to write their representatives and senators–that this material is precious and can be used to generate clean energy from thorium forever.
Please, DOE, please, Mr. President, please, US Congress…please stop spending money to destroy something this valuable and precious. Please spend the money instead to develop LFTR technology and provide the world with clean energy forever!
Here is a wild concept on making use of U-233.Convert it to a solution of UO2F2 and put it as fluid fuel in a PWR type vessel.Provide a thorium reflector and control rods as in the Light Water Breeder.Use steam produced in a closed circuit as in a PWR. Condense it at the end of a cycle and remove uncondensed fission products including Kr and Xe.Control fluoride concentration and pH value so that Samarium and similar other fission products are precipitated. Periodically treat the solution with hydrogen peroxide oxidiser and ammonium fluoride to dissolve U233 created. Collect sludge from bottom and filter it to remove fission products and return the filterate to the core.CsF will remain in solution. This can be removed at overhauls after a few years.