Centrifuge May Be Superseded by Laser Enrichment

An anonymous reader writes "Australian scientists have discovered, after a decade of tests, a new way to enrich uranium for use in power plants." From the article: "There are at present only two methods for sifting uranium atoms, or isotopes, to create the right mix. One, called diffusion, involves forcing uranium through filters. Being lighter, U-235 passes through more easily and is thus separated from its heavier counterpart. The second method, widely adopted in the 1970s, uses centrifuges to spin the heavier and lighter atoms apart. Both, said Dr Goldsworthy, are 'very crude. You have to repeat the process over and over,' consuming enormous amounts of electricity. The spinning method requires 'thousands and thousands of centrifuges'."

Iran has LAZERZ OMGZWTFBBQ !!!!111

[Anonymous Coward]

Iran has LAZERZ ! PEWPEWPEW !
Call in teh marinez !

A question?

[Anonymous Coward]

Do you know where I can find detailed information about that new method?

Kisses,
Ahmadinejad

Re:FP

[Anonymous Coward]

But in a laser, the Uranians can't go "Wheeeeeeeeee!".

No, I'm just joking, I really do love the Uranian people.

Re:Laser enrichment isn't new

[famebait]

Why Australia first, you say? Well, they've got all those sharks they're goin to need.

Republicans

[Mark_MF-WN]

It's not just republicans, it's all bad-government conservatives. What happened to the days when conservatives had the balls to just say "centralism sucks, so we're cancelling these programs and lowering taxs"? Nowadays, they fuck up otherwise successfull programs, DON'T lower taxes, create deficits spending money on things that don't work, and lie constantly. Modern conservatives can't even come up with good lies. At least guys like Nixon made it hard to be sure exactly what was going on. You knew he was full of shit, but what kind of shit? Bush just relies on the fact that most Americans are as almost gutless as he is, and are too cowardly to doubt anything. Or my own "leader", Stephen Harper, who tells lies that are contradicted (often within hours) by undeniable evidence. At least Paul Martin's lies left you confused and uncertain about reality... Harper's just embarass us all.

Re:UK

[turgid]

Your bitterness is mighty. :)

Thanks. I've been cultivating it. :-) I intend to be the world's most curmudgeonly old git when the time comes, hopefully with an entry in the Guinness Book of World Records for being an intolerant, cantankerous old fool with an "I told you so" attitude.

Location, location, location...

[The_REAL_DZA]

It really pisses me off that we, Australians, invent so much stuff and then just sell it off for a quick buck to some foreign company rather than commercialising is ourselves. The Australian government has got a lot to answer for.

It's not helping that you guys are way down there at the "bottom" of the world, either. I think you should give some serious consideration to relocating a little closer to the population centers of the world; the shipping costs alone have to be just about killing you (besides, why would someone buy stale nucular fuel shipped from almost the South Pole when they can make their own fresh fuel right here at home?!)
In short, until you can overcome the transportation issues inherent in being about a zillion miles away from your customer base your best bet is to just export your ideas and let someone else implement them.

(in all seriousness: the "because they're very far away" answer is so far the ONLY way the wife and I have been able to convince our two three-year-olds we can't just pick up and go visit The Wiggles some weekend...though one of them actually just wants to go because on our globe Australia is pink.)

Re:MOX Anyone?

[paeanblack]

Give it another fortnight, and there will be nuclear fusion power plants everywhere.

That's as true today as it was a fortnight ago.