The MOX facility will blend surplus weapon-grade plutonium with depleted uranium oxide to make mixed oxide fuel for use in existing nuclear power plants.
FORBES: Japanese Official: Most Dangerous Reactor May Have Ruptured, Leaking Radiation
Unlike the more familiar turbojet, which uses a turbine-powered fan to compress the incoming air before it is mixed with fuel, a ramjet compresses air by forcing it down an ever-narrowing funnel.
British Nuclear Fuels says it has found that another batch of Mox (mixed oxide) fuel is of suspect quality.
They were working in Reactor No. 3 which is of particular concern because it is the only unit to use MOX fuel, which is reprocessed spent fuel mixed with plutonium.
Most recycled cooking oil today is used to power diesel trucks or mixed with home heating fuel, a simpler conversion process.
Ironically, the accident happened only one day before a ship carrying nuclear fuel made up of mixed uranium and plutonium docked in Japan, surrounded by coast guard vessels and greeted by demonstrators.
Here's how it works: A small amount of diesel fuel is injected into the canister, where it is mixed with a tiny bit of air and ignited by an electrical spark.
The fuel in No. 3 is a blend of plutonium and reprocessed uranium, referred to as MOX (for mixed oxide) and manufactured by the French nuclear company AREVA. MOX fuel rods are also less stable than plutonium-free rods.
FORBES: Japanese Official: Most Dangerous Reactor May Have Ruptured, Leaking Radiation
In a conventional fossil-fuel plant that's prohibitively expensive, since the CO2 is mixed in with nitrogen.
The good news is that the total fuel price will be only about five times more (rather than 9 times) after it is mixed with the standard stuff.
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