How do you dismantle nuclear weapons? How much does it cost?

Question

Scientific procedure of denuclearization and its costs.

Answer 1

The semi-modern nukes that are currently being disassembled in the USA are mostly "boosted" weapons, meaning that they use a small fission charge to detonate one or more fusion stages.

The probability of a nuclear explosion during disassembly is low, because nukes are designed to not detonate with a high yield if destroyed in a fire, hard impact, or a nearby explosion. However, there is a risk of the conventional explosives in the weapon detonating during disassembly, which would spread the mildly radioactive fissile material around and cause a mess. Once the chemical explosives are removed, they are typically incinerated.

The fusion fuel in the bomb, typically chemical compounds containing tritium, deuterium, and lithium isotopes, can be recycled for medical and industrial purposes.

The fission fuel in the bomb is either Uranium 235 or more commonly Plutonium 239. This is the component that is the key to building a bomb, and can be the most difficult to get rid of. Uranium 235 can be disposed of by mixing the isotope with normal Uranium 238; essentially this is the reverse of enrichment and the resulting product can be used in nuclear reactors. Plutonium can also be used for nuclear reactor fuels, but the problem is that Plutonium can easily be extracted from a stolen shipment of the fuel to be used for a bomb. To my knowledge, Plutonium removed from bombs in the US is currently warehoused in its pit form and could be put back into a new bomb with relative ease.

The cost of dismantling weapons is relatively low on a military scale; some estimates place it at around 70 billion to dismantle the world's stockpile, which is around 1.5 million per weapon.

Answer 2

Dismantling them is conceptually very simple. They are just arrangements of fissionable material and explosives, in a precise geometric arrangement, with a lot of electronics and mechanical interlocks to make it all work. In practise however, it's very tricky, as the components have to be separated in a precise order, being careful to never allow a critical mass of fissionable material ever to occur. The materials, especially plutonium, are poisonous, so it all must be done under shielding, controlled conditions. It costs a lot, not for the technician or the screwdriver, but for the security precautions needed to safeguard the devices and materials. A ballpark guess might be 10 hours of technician time at $100 an hour, a facility costing a few million dollars and a security team of about 100 well trained and equipted guys. Then comes the cost of securely and safely transporting the materials and components. Add a million or so for that. Not the kind of thing you could do in your basement.

Answer 3

Very carefully. For an atomic bomb, the explosion mechanism has to be removed from the explosives and the explosives cleaned out without detonation. Then the nuclear charge has to be removed and broken up to remove the danger of chain reaction. The nuclear material has to be kept in a container that minimizes external radiation to below acceptable limits and transported to a holding area. I doubt if it can be "recycled" for energy-production purposes.

Answer 4

It's quite simple. Take a BFH and smack the tip of the bomb. It will self-dismantle. The cost is about $14.89 with a coupon.

Answer 5

Well...it could cost your life if you do it wrong.

Answer 6

i don't want you to give that info.
i am afraid you want it do it yourself