A Nuclear Reactor in Your Kitchen is a Bad Idea

[Guest]

Would you have known that building your own private nuclear reactor in your home could be against the law?

A Nuclear Reactor in Your Kitchen is a Bad Idea : Read more

 

[plznote]

They should reward him. We need more creative people.

 

[Cygnus x-1]

950 dollars is cheaper than a home heating system where do I sign?

 

[CKKwan]

I want to install a Nuclear Reactor in my Mother In Law's kicthen as well......

 

[benikens]

$950??????? that has gotta be worth it, far cheaper then electricity bills.

 

[christop]

Is there enriched uranium in a fire alarm? He also got some overseas. Can you just pick this stuff up any where. Kinda scary! The guy must be super smart to have pulled that off. I wonder how he was keeping it cool the fridge or water out of the tap. I would like to see a pic of this but I am sure we will never see it cause one of us Tom's reader will make an overclocked version of a reactor.

 

[bebangs]

you could just buy a nuclear reactor online!?!?!

 

[mortsmi7]

He's lucky he got off as easy as he did. They probably decided that there was no way in hell he'd be able to pay the fines associated with improper use/control of nuclear material and the extraordinary amount of paperwork to document the incident.

 

[dimar]

Should have built nuclear PC power suppl, and let Tom's benchmark it for power/efficiency

 

[Hellbound]

I guess the microwave wasnt good enough....

 

[opmopadop]

There is a youtube post somewhere, look for "Nuclear Boy Scout"

 

[LuckyDucky7]

Apparently this isn't all that hard. There have been others in the past that have done this (but haven't been as careful).
You can even make plutonium this way- as a couple of students about 5+ years back found when they produced it in a garden shed.

By the way- for all those who are wondering the metal in a smoke alarm (an ionization one) is called Americium-241.
It's radioactive, though there is a very small amount of it inside the detector. It's also quite 'safe' (unless it gets inside you) since it deacys via alpha radiation (paper stops it).
It's suitable for nuclear reactors, hence why it was used.

Remember- there are no secrets in science.

 

[Guest]

You dont need uranium to make a fission reaction, there are plenty of other elements that will do the trick. Smoke detectors commonly contain an isotope of Americium, and other fissionable elements are not difficult to find, the hard part comes in making them pure and efficient enough to be useful.

 

[SmileyTPB1]

That is simply awesome!

950$ is way cheaper that what they are charging to install solar panels here is So Cal. He should start his own DIY business..

 

[wiyosaya]

[citation][nom]elitemarksman[/nom]You dont need uranium to make a fission reaction, there are plenty of other elements that will do the trick. Smoke detectors commonly contain an isotope of Americium, and other fissionable elements are not difficult to find, the hard part comes in making them pure and efficient enough to be useful.[/citation]
Which basically means the guy was really, really far from making electricity, and his reactor was questionable. Obviously, he could not have made a bomb, so I find it rather disturbing the "authorities" would take his science project away from him. They probably did that because the "authorities" were clueless.
[citation][nom]plznote[/nom]They should reward him. We need more creative people.[/citation]
I agree. In Darwin's days, there was a lot of good science that went on in the homes of "ordinary" people. Darwin's lab was in his home. These days, though, with the extreme paranoia that exists, it is difficult for the scientifically inclined to get chemicals from legitimate sources since the assumption is that you are either a terrorist, or do not know sufficiently what you are doing so that even if you are not a terrorist, you are likely to blow up your neighborhood. Its a real PITA, and it almost certainly stifles creativity. I would really like to know when everyone will get over the shock of a few deranged people and let the truly creative types do what they do best - create!!

 

[mlopinto2k1]

Yeah, this guy is so smart, he built the device and then contacted authorities afterwards. What a dip shit. I won't even give him credit for pulling it off. There are tons of DIY websites for making your own reactor.

 

[leandrodafontoura]

there are way better things to do in Sweden....

 

[mlopinto2k1]

Maybe I'll give him +1 for actually having the balls to do it. This must have happened in Europe or Russia though. Would never happen in the US. Too many morons.

 

[reprotected]

[citation][nom]mlopinto2k1[/nom]Yeah, this guy is so smart, he built the device and then contacted authorities afterwards. What a dip shit. I won't even give him credit for pulling it off. There are tons of DIY websites for making your own reactor.[/citation]
Its like if I found counterfeit money, but I just cannot tell if it's real or fake. Do I keep it and spend it, or do I confirm it in a bank/wherever if it is real or fake? This guy went to the authorities to confirm if he can keep it and not get into any further legal issues than what they would have done with him if they caught him. This situation is exactly like Phineas and Ferb (if you know the show).

 

[FloKid]

He asked the authorities to soon, he should have built a turbine first