Depleated Uranium in aircraft?
Why is depleted Uranium used in aircraft as ballast? If there is a fire won't this give off radiation ?
The 747 uses it it is in the wings. Basically how safe is it in a fire situation.?
Why is depleted Uranium used in aircraft as ballast? If there is a fire won't this give off radiation ?
The 747 uses it it is in the wings. Basically how safe is it in a fire situation.?
Techwing
Favorite Answer
Depleted uranium is used because it's extremely dense, which allows a large amount of weight to be placed inside a very small volume. DU is more than two thirds heavier than lead, and it's not very expensive. For certain applications, these are considerable advantages.
Depleted uranium is uranium with the fissionable 235 isotope mostly removed. Normal uranium has a long half-life (billions of years) and is thus only slightly radioactive already, but depleted uranium is even less radioactive. It's probably more toxic chemically (like lead) than it is in radioactive terms.
A fire won't change the radioactivity of uranium. It might help to spread it around. But depleted uranium is so weakly radioactive that it probably wouldn't matter.
Remember, even a granite countertop in a kitchen contains radioactive uranium, and it's not depleted uranium. It's important not to overestimate the dangers of low-level radioactivity.
Anonymous
The uranium is sealed so there are no hazards in handling it day-to-day (other than it is extremely heavy!). There are specific warnings about not cutting or drilling it. In a fire situation I doubt it would be a big deal. The radiation level is quite small.
There is also tritium in many aircraft exit signs that are radioactive if released. I'd be more worried about that, though I do have a tritium exit sign in my office I stole from a plane.
Pilsner Man
It's also used on the elevator of the stretched version of the C-130. There isn't a radiation hazard.
There is also a lot more to worry about in an aircraft fire besides radiation, like maybe burning up.
?
Don't worry, your probably fine. depleted uranium is used because it is extremely dense and has a lot of weight for its size. being depleted uranium means it does not give off radiation. in a fire or a crash, you would have more pressing concerns than the depleted uranium in the wings.
Anonymous
It's used because it is very heavy, much heavier than anything else that's commonly available.
The only danger in a fire would be if you inhaled uranium dust. Like all heavy metals uranium is poisonous. There is no radiation danger.