Reborn Before the Apocalypse: My Backing is the Nation

Chapter 201 Condemned by All

The expert stood up with a somewhat somber expression.

"Let's start with inventory."

Currently, the world has a total stockpile of more than 30,000 nuclear warheads of various types, including fusion and fission bombs.

If all fission bombs and super-high-yield fusion bombs were dismantled and the fission materials were collected, approximately 1000 tons would be available, enough to manufacture about 10 standard-type hydrogen bombs.

This number matches the number Comrade Jiang Yang brought back from his previous life.

The 1000 tons is 3.6 times less than the 36 tons required for this mission.

Everyone looked solemn.

"Of the remaining 3.5 tons of shortfall, an important means of replenishment is commercial-grade and research-grade enriched uranium and plutonium."

It is estimated that there are approximately 10,000 nuclear fission power plants in the world, with each plant holding an average of about ten tons of nuclear fission fuel reserves, totaling 100,000 tons.

However, the concentration of these nuclear fission materials is low, averaging around 10%, which is far from the 90% concentration of weapons-grade fission materials.

We need to increase the concentration of this raw material. Hmm... considering the current capacity of uranium enrichment plants, this is also very difficult, but like the mechanism for hydrogen bomb production, it can be solved with a sufficient amount of manpower and resources.

After being concentrated to 90%, we can obtain approximately 1.1 tons of fission feedstock from this source.

The third source is plutonium-239 found in nuclear waste from nuclear fission plants.

This portion is relatively small, but plutonium-239 is more efficient than uranium-235, and it is estimated that about 2000 tons can be recovered, which is equivalent to 5000 tons of uranium-235. Thus, the total amount is 1.7 tons, leaving a shortfall of 1.9 tons.

The fourth source is the capacity of existing uranium enrichment plants.

After taking extreme measures to expand the capacity of the uranium enrichment plant, we expect to produce approximately 5000 tons of weapons-grade enriched uranium within two months.

Of course, this is a rather optimistic and extreme estimate. But I believe that given the enormous resources and manpower invested in the black hole interception project, we have every chance of achieving this.

The fifth source is nuclear fission reactors.

In the second source, we will divert all the fission fuel reserves from all nuclear fission reactors in the world, whether they are power plants, research reactors or medical reactors.

This will inevitably lead to all reactors worldwide losing their original energy.

In that case, let them perform another task: producing plutonium-239.

After plutonium-239 is extracted from nuclear waste, the remaining main component is uranium-238. Uranium-238 can be converted into plutonium-239 after short-term neutron irradiation in the reactor.

One irradiation cycle takes about one to one and a half months. Including subsequent emergency treatment and purification, it can be completed within two months, which is right within our mission cycle.

经计算，投入约1000吨铀235，在一个周期内便可产出等效于约5000吨铀235的钚239。

Thus, the final shortage of nuclear fission fuel was only 10,000 tons.

"Ha, we've collected 2.6 tons, now we only have 1 tons left..."

As the expert recounted his story, a series of figures clearly and accurately reached the ears of the attendees.

His tone was heavy, yet there was no fluctuation in his voice when he recounted the numbers, as if he were talking about something insignificant.

but……

All of you here are experts in nuclear physics and military production.

These seemingly insignificant numbers, once they entered their ears, struck them like a thunderbolt.

Whether it's dismantling all existing nuclear weapons to collect nuclear fission materials, seizing all reactor stockpiles, recycling nuclear waste, comprehensively expanding the capacity of uranium enrichment plants, or converting all types of reactors into plutonium production reactors, each of these figures represents an investment of countless resources and manpower, as well as... sacrifices.

The time was too tight and the task too important, which inevitably meant that the best possible protection could not be provided.

Each of these plans involves dealing with highly dangerous radioactive materials. Even under normal circumstances, casualties are inevitable, let alone now?
But none of that really matters.

The important question is, even if we mobilize such enormous human and material resources, risk such huge sacrifices, and collect all the fission fuel that can be collected globally, will the final shortfall still be as high as 10,000 tons?
The attendees, all experts in the field, were well aware that the five solutions proposed by this expert were comprehensive enough.

It took every aspect into account and considered every possibility; the phrase "scraping the ground three feet deep" wouldn't be an exaggeration.

The entire Earth, the entire human world, can no longer find any more fissile material that can be used to make the "trigger" of a hydrogen bomb.

In this situation, how can the missing 10,000 tons of raw materials be replenished?
In the conference room, everyone fell silent.

"The World Government knew that the Reaper Civilization's second harvest could come at any time, so why didn't they think of building more uranium enrichment plants..."

One of the experts muttered something that seemed rather frustrating.

Global uranium reserves are actually not low. With enough uranium enrichment plants, not to mention 3.6 tons, 36 tons could be produced.

It's too late to build new uranium enrichment plants now. These plants are too large, complex, and sophisticated; it would take at least one or two years to build them.

The so-called use of extreme measures to expand production capacity is nothing more than temporarily adding centrifuges and operating at high loads on the existing basis, rather than building new uranium enrichment plants.

But the expert's complaint was immediately met with a rebuttal from his colleague.

"Hindsight is 20/20. None of us knew back then that we'd end up using so many hydrogen bombs."

There are so many possibilities; you can't expect the world government to consider every single one, can you? Even if we deployed our entire population of tens of billions, it wouldn't be enough.

"Sigh... I was just venting."

"Let's think about how to make up for the 10,000-ton shortfall."

……

The attendees in the meeting room all looked somber and remained silent.

On the podium, Professor Yu Qing remained calm, as if he had anticipated this situation.

After waiting a moment and seeing that no one else spoke, he slowly stood up. Instantly, all eyes were on him.

"I have a plan."

He said slowly, "Under normal circumstances, anyone who dares to propose this plan would probably be condemned by everyone just for saying such an idea."

But now... I can't worry about that anymore.

A hint of struggle flickered in his expression, but he quickly regained his composure.

"Nuclear Explosion Proliferation Program".

These six words seemed to possess a magical power, instantly stunning all attendees the moment they were uttered.

"The main content of the plan is actually very simple."

Based on the principle that uranium-238 will be converted into plutonium-239 after being irradiated with a large number of neutrons, and that plutonium-239 can be used to make atomic bombs and serve as the detonator of hydrogen bombs, we can place the large amount of existing nuclear power plant waste—which is mainly composed of uranium-238—in selected underground mines or cavities.

Then, a low-yield uranium-235 atomic bomb is detonated in this cavity, releasing a large number of neutrons in an instant, forcibly converting them into plutonium-239, which is then extracted through mining methods.

Calculations show that a single conversion can achieve the equivalent of converting approximately 4 tons of uranium-235 into plutonium-239. The remaining 10,000 tons of shortfall, even after accounting for initial investment and various losses, can be achieved with just 3000 mine shafts.

Similarly, this would consume a huge amount of manpower and resources, but as with the previous options, at this stage, with the World Government fully committed to the black hole interception plan, the investment of manpower and resources is not taken into consideration.

I believe this is currently the only solution our human world can find to fill the 10,000-ton fissile fuel shortfall.

An expert, pale-faced and with a slightly trembling voice, asked, "Professor Yu, in this mine conversion plan, how do you intend to complete the subsequent mining of plutonium-239?"

Professor Yu Qing said calmly, "You are also an expert in the field, so you should know that the liquid dissolution method is the only feasible solution."

The so-called liquid dissolution method involves injecting a large amount of liquid that can dissolve plutonium-239 into an underground mine or cavity where a nuclear explosion was carried out using a high-pressure device. This allows the liquid to come into full contact with the nuclear waste, dissolving the plutonium-239 into the liquid. Then, using pressure, the liquid is "squeezed" out from underground for subsequent plutonium-239 concentration and purification.

The expert looked at Professor Yu Qing with some disbelief: "Do you know how much nuclear wastewater is generated when treating a mine shaft?"

“I know. I’ve calculated that processing one mine shaft on average would generate about 5 million tons of nuclear wastewater. 3000 mine shafts would amount to 15 billion tons, which is roughly equivalent to the total water volume of four Taihu Lakes.”

"You know all that? Then you should also know how enormous the impact of 150 billion tons of nuclear wastewater would be on our planet. If not handled properly, it would essentially be equivalent to destroying the entire Earth's ecosystem..."

Taihu Lake covers an area of ​​approximately 2500 square kilometers.

The thought of water equivalent to four Taihu Lakes, with extremely high levels of nuclear radiation, appearing on Earth is enough to send chills down one's spine.

"But you also know that this is the only way."

Professor Yu Qing remained calm: "I know that even if the black hole interception plan is ultimately successful after this plan is implemented, I will be disgraced and become the murderer who destroyed the Earth's ecology in the mouths of our descendants."

I know that people find this proposal difficult to accept, both rationally and emotionally.

However, I did not ask everyone to agree with my proposal.

In fact, I have already submitted this proposal to the World Government, and I believe it will soon enter the evaluation phase.

I will take all the blame and criticism. I only hope everyone does one thing.

He took a deep breath: "Based on my professional competence, and excluding the influence of emotions, I will provide a fair, impartial, and objective feasibility assessment report to governments around the world from a professional perspective."

You may object to this plan, but in the feasibility assessment report, I hope you can give a 'feasible' answer.

We're all industry insiders, and we all know this solution is truly feasible! It's the only feasible solution!

(End of this chapter)