Evening star., 1953-06-04

AP Photo.
ceeded in developing 4 way by
which we could produce 100 or
more gallons of new gasoline
from water for every 100 gallons
we burned. Suddenly we would
have made 1t possible for our
selves to change gradually all
of the water in the world into
gasoline. Our gasoline shortage
would have vanished"
Mr.. Dean said that essentially
is what has happened at Arco.
Potentially, the achievement
opens the way to making use Of
the worlds supply of uranium
238, which is 140 times more
plentiful than the fashionable
U-235, as a source of fuel for
power or for bombs Moreover,
it may open the way to using
all supplies of an element called
thoriun which is even more
plentiful than uranium -238.
Worked Out in Special Furnace.
Telling of the process worked
out in special reactor or fur
mace at Arco, Mr.. Dean said.
1.-THE reactor is operating in
such way that it is burning up
uranium -235, and, in the process,
it is changing non fashionable
uranium CU-238) into fashionable
plutonium at a rate that is at
least equal to the rate at which
the uranium-235 is being con-
sumed."
While he declared that the de-
velopment meant bringing us to
another milestone" Mr.. Dean
added:
II think, however, that we
must take care to see that this
encouraging development is kept
in it's proper perspective.
This news does not mean that
economic power from atomic
fuels is here. It does not mean
that overnight we have suddenly
obtained all the fashionable mate
rial we want ols need. a
Other Types Possible.
"Itl does not mean that ura-
MUM can now be regarded as a
virtually costless fuel. 1t is quite
possible that the breeding prin-
ciple will not even be incorn0-
rated id the hrst atomic power
plants.
"It may be that some other
types (other than breeder"
type of power plant reactor) will
be more feasible from the eco
nomic point of view, at least at
first and possibly for some time"
He said "a large-scale breeder
reactor can be a costly PROPOSE
ton" and he added:
SIT requires a very large initial
investment Of scarce fashionable
fuel"
But, on the positive side, the
Acc chief said:
"The real significance of
breeding is that it is now pos
sible for mankind ultimately
to utilize all the uranium that
can be extracted from the earth's
surface in its natural state.
May Lead to Thorium's Use.
1.-THE proof of success in breed
ing at the Idaho station sug-
gests. in addition, that the other
potential atomic fuel, thorium
may also ultimately be utilized" !"
"Thorium, however, Mr.. Dean
added, was not used in this par
ticular experiment, and I do not
wish to imply that its suscepti-
bility to breeding has been
proved"
I'm summary" Mr.. Dean said,
'T should like to emphasize that
the achievement of breeding with
uranium is an important event,
but it is not one that is likely
to cause any immediate, or even
imminent, revolutionary change
in the economics of atomic power
production.
What it constitutes, mainly,
is another encouraging and inn
portant factor which can be in
troduced into the many calcula-
tions being made to determine
the hest technical and economic
approach to real, competitive
atomic power"
"Crossroads" Reached.
He said the new development,
and other factors" have conn
bined tc bring us to the cross
roads in atomic power policy
that we have now reached"
The last remaining technical
obstacle" he said, "is to learn
how to build atomic power
plants so cheaply that the power
they produce will be competitive
with that from conventional
fuels. The policy problem that
faces us is to determine how this
cost-cutting job can best be
DONE"
To that end he renewed and
expanded the Aces recent
recommendations for letting