[gallo]

Quote by: Domino Well, I certainly didn't think we could just pour it right back in the reactor.

Good.

To say the least, the stuff corrodes the barrels in which it is stored, and most corrosive reactions involve electron exchange, from which we should be able to derive a current, and those are specially made barrels: I'm sure we could come up with something more easily corroded.

Any chemical corrosion comes after the damage from the radiation has already been done. Chemical corrosion is not the problem in the long term storage of highly radioactive waste. It is alpha radiation.

Of course, for all I know the corrosion is a result of neutron activity, rather than electron exchange. Sadly, I am not a nuclear physicist.

So now you'll learn better. It is the result of alpha radiation. Essentially, an alpha particle is a helium-4 nucleus. That's a pretty large particle that is the result of the spontaneous fission of radioactive nuclei (into helium and something else with two fewer protons than before fission). That something else is also radioactive and continues the process by more alpha radiation until the remaining material finally decays to some stable element. Alpha particles are 2+ ions. They do a great deal of damage to anything they impact. The quickly grab bind any available electrons, so I don't think it would be conducive to electric generation since it depends on moving electrons. I'd have to look into that to be sure, but that's my guess. My son, as a graduate assistant nuclear engineer worked on research into the long term effects alpha radiation on various materials, specifically with the purpose of evaluating them for long term storage of nuclear waste. Essentially, they took helium, stripped off the electrons and then shot them at samples using a particle accelerator.

By the way, Marie Currie died of leukemia that is thought to have been caused by exposure to alpha radiation.

I don't know all relevant details of alpha, beta, or gamma particles, or loose neutrons, but I know that some of those can be converted to light, which could be converted to electricity.

But what are the side effects of that light? Corrosion?

I suppose the electricity obtained in these ways probably sells for less than the cost of developing or producing whatever equipment might be required.

Not to mention the dangers of trucking around large quantities of highly radioactive materials. You'r going to scare Milton with that kind of talk.

I just hate to see people complain about unharnessed radiation

Why is it a goal to "harness" radiation?