Reply To: Fusion Oil

[delt0r]

Great questions. The intensity of the radiation is only enough to cause issues with heat build up and only for a short time. The radiation is decay of created elements from fission and neutron capture. Generally the created elements are not particularly corrosive or otherwise a problem. Its the fact they are radioactive that complicates everything.

I can’t answer specifics of this particular case. But i can make some broad statements.

First of all there is a quite a lot of info and reports on this and other things in the public domain via the IAEA. So we do in fact often know far more than popular media bothers to report on. This also include some R&D etc.

Next there is a huge difference between a spent fuel element and a not spent one. In both cases they are cladded in material that should keep most of the resultant radioactive materials contained inside the fuel element. In the case of spent fuel there are all sorts of things and quite a few of them are soluble in water. in the case of fuel its really not such a big deal. Activity is much lower and the Pu and U oxides are fairly inert. Still cracked or otherwise compromised cladding is an issue.

Now corrosion of both dry and wet storage can be an issue. Its complicated because basic chemistry is now more or less “wrong”, since the radiation can drive otherwise impossible modes of corrosion. Wet storage is typically less of an issue since its just the fuel element in some assembly and water. The amount of radiation goes down pretty quickly after removal from the core and then things are cool enough to consider dry storage. If the cladding cracks…. Well now you get salts etc in the water that are radioactive, but its considered bad because now it can get into the water table and be absorbed by living things.

Fact is most radioactive things are fairly harmless if they are outside your body with only a few notable exceptions. Not so much when inside.