Can Nuclear Bombs be disassembled and converted back into energy that we can use?

Question

It would be wonderful to take a thing that is so distructive and turn into something that would power a city.

Answer 1

Yes, definitely! In general terms this involves taking the uranium-235 or plutonium out of the bomb, mixing the fissionable material with inerts to bring it to the correct concentration to serve as reactor fuel, then forming it into the shape of a fuel-rod for a nuclear reactor.

It's easier said than done, though, because handling of these highly radioactive materials is dangerous (it has to be done by robots and remote manipulators) and great care must be taken to avoid releasing any traces of radioactivity into the environment. The facilities where this processing would be done are those which are already involved in reprocessing spent reactor fuels - and their operation is fraught with controversy, because reactor fuel reprocessing always generates radioactive waste materials. Keep in mind that even if weapons-grade plutonium is turned into nuclear reactor fuel and used to generate energy, years later the resulting spent fuel will still be highly radioactive, dangerous and difficult to process and dispose of. Better than a weapon, certainly - but not without its own problems.

Check out the links to see some different viewpoints on the advisability of reprocessing spent nuclear fuel and spare nuclear weapons.

Answer 2

It's being done at Savanna River.

Answer 3

No