B10 vs. B11

[tcg]

Has any determination been made on whether it would be desirable to separate the isotopes of Boron so only pure B11 could be used. Presumably the gas centrifuge would be a possible device for this, but in the case of U235/U238 separation, it is an expensive and time consuming process. Would this even be necessary to achieve peak efficiency or desirable to avoid side reactions which could create neutrons?

[jamesr]

Separating the isotopes of Boron is much easier than Uranium because the ratio of the mass differences is much larger.

Boron is used extensively in fission power plants as a neutron absorber – here B-10 +n -> Li-7 +He-4. Also there are well established industrial processes for purifying and enriching Boron for this purpose (where they want the B-10) so the ‘depleted’ B-11 is already there as a byproduct.

B-11 is also used in preference to B-10 in electronics, especially in high radiation environments like satellites. Where you want to avoid the B-10 +neutron reaction at best flipping bits or worse permanently damaging the semiconductor.

James

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