Burning Uranium?

[padillah]

Originally posted by Dis

Erhm, witch one of you have a degree in nuclear physics or mecanical engeneering?
What exactly does combustion and fission have to do with each other?

Pre-fission nuclear plants is a bit far out, but pre-combustion would have been quite possible. A nuclear powered ship actually have quite a bit more in common with a steem powered ship than a diesel powered ship. In the two first cases water is heated to produce teem that drives an axel, in the later diesen is burned in apiston and the resulting presure causes a lateral motion that drives an axel. Granted old steem ships were piston driven, but modern steem ships are turbine driven, same as nuclear, it's just a matter of a diferent heat source.

nevertheless fission of the uranium is required to produce heat. Therefore nuclear fission should be a requirement.

Unless I miss my guess, no it's not. Uranium fissures naturally in any case. UNDERSTANDING fission makes the process quite a bit more controlable and powerful, but uranium will react and cause heat energy just by sitting there.

It's a corallary to the horse/AH argument: Horses were always there, the tech didn't discover horses. It made them useful on a level never before dreamed of.

It's not like fission is a man-made action. As a matter of fact we're not even very good at it. But, now that we understand it, we can use it more efficiently.

"Discovering" technologies does not "call them into being", it simply allows the human race to exert a modicum of control over it.

Your argument is akin to arguing that we couldn't possibly have been breathing since oxygen wasn't discovered until 1774.

Tom P.

[player1]

So I put Uranium in furnace and use it instead of coal to get those Battleships running?

[Dis]

not to get technical, but as some of you may know, I operated nuclear power plants in the navy. I served on the USS Enterprise for 4 years.

I'm assuming when you get the tech: nuclear fission- basically you are discovering how fission works, and how to use it to your advantage. As you aren't really creating anything, just understanding a concept.

You can't build a nuclear power plant without understanding the concept. . Believe me, they've been trying to do this in the middle east for years to get nukes. Even with the plans from russians, or china it's still difficult.

Uranium does fission naturally. But you need it in the right density and proportions. If you put too much in, you will get an uncontrollable reaction and people will die. This does require high mathematics to figure out. Moderators and shielding are used to achieve a even neutron flux. Boron is frequently used in naval nuclear reactors to get the right even neutron flux. control rods are made out of hafnium (I wasn't sure if this was classified, but wikipedia has the same info.).

A good degree of mechanical engineering is necessary. As you must have the ability to manufacture sturdy large pumps, turbines, reduction gears, and heat exchangers. Along with other steam plant equipment.

And yes the steam plant is very similar to that of a conventional aircraft carrier; though they used superheated steam of around 1200 psig vs. saturated steam of a nuclear power plant.

As the back of the civ manual states, this is a what if game. So we can assume that history need not go as it did. And I would agree that combustion is not necessary for nuclear fission. But some degree of mechanical engineering, physics, and metallurgy is necessary.

[Martin the Dane]

Originally posted by player1
So I put Uranium in furnace and use it instead of coal to get those Battleships running?

Oops, you just discovered nuclear-fission

[padillah]

Originally posted by Dis
not to get technical, but as some of you may know, I operated nuclear power plants in the navy. I served on the USS Enterprise for 4 years.

I'm assuming when you get the tech: nuclear fission- basically you are discovering how fission works, and how to use it to your advantage. As you aren't really creating anything, just understanding a concept.
...
Uranium does fission naturally. But you need it in the right density ...

A good degree of mechanical engineering is necessary. As you must have the ability to manufacture sturdy large pumps, turbines, reduction gears, and heat exchangers. Along with other steam plant equipment.
...
As the back of the civ manual states, this is a what if game. So we can assume that history need not go as it did. And I would agree that combustion is not necessary for nuclear fission. But some degree of mechanical engineering, physics, and metallurgy is necessary.

Hey, I tried.

The horse/AH argument still stands, so I'm happy.

Tom P.