The plutonium business and the spread of the bomb

Book · Tue Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 1985

OSTI ID:5347542

Patterson, W C

Patterson examines the four decades since plutonium was first found to possess properties that made it a potential substitute for the once-scarce uranium. The development of fast breeder reactor technology once promised an era of boundless electricity and limitless supply of self-generating plutonium. Yet, that promise remains unfulfilled today, and attempts at its realization remain very costly. Worse still, plutonium's dual role in civil and military technologies has increased its danger. Nevertheless, public funds continue to be spent on its development. Focusing on the evolution of the concept of plutonium as a civil fuel, Patterson shows how a powerful elite still touts its utility.

• OSTI ID: 5347542
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

29 ENERGY PLANNING
POLICY AND ECONOMY
NUCLEAR WEAPONS
HISTORICAL ASPECTS
PLUTONIUM
COST
ELECTRIC POWER
FBR TYPE REACTORS
FEDERAL EXPENDITURES
FUEL SUBSTITUTION
MILITARY EQUIPMENT
NUCLEAR FUELS
POWER GENERATION
PUBLIC RELATIONS
URANIUM
ACTINIDES
BREEDER REACTORS
ELEMENTS
ENERGY SOURCES
EPITHERMAL REACTORS
EQUIPMENT
FAST REACTORS
FUELS
MATERIALS
METALS
POWER
REACTOR MATERIALS
REACTORS
TRANSURANIUM ELEMENTS
WEAPONS
290600* - Energy Planning & Policy- Nuclear Energy
290200 - Energy Planning & Policy- Economics & Sociology
293000 - Energy Planning & Policy- Policy
Legislation
& Regulation