May not last long enough to come up
The gas business is often focused on getting fuel out of the ground as quickly as possible. Hopes for using underground nuclear explosions as a cheap means of stimulating natural gas production in "tight ' formations were dashed a generation ago when tests revealed detectable traces of radioactivity in the nuked wells gas production for years after . Most of the activity was tritium, which takes decades to decay away, making the cost of embargoing production until isotopes cool down prohibitive.You might as well look at coal bed methane instead.
The needs of CO2 sequestration are very different-the object is to stuff the greenhouse gas into a hole the ground and keep it there almost forever -- centuries at least. It therefore matters less if it traverses some radioactive rock on the way down , and out of circulation. CO2 is physically and chemically very different from methane too. It liquefies easily when pressurized at room temperature , and the liquid is a fine solvent for all manner of things- it can extract and dilute nuclear explosive debris and also deposit it as insoluble carbonates throughout a vast volume of porous rock far underground.
A lot may be learned about the geophysics and geochemistry of related processes as work in Iceland and elsewhere proceeds on injecting CO2 into physically hot strata of volcanic ash and tuff to see how well it binds to form new and stable minerals. This was discussed by Iceland's President in his speech here at Harvard yesterday.
So as green carbon sequestration enthusiasm proliferates, don't be surprised if common cause arises between those scratching their heads about the safe disposal of Cold War stockpile surplus warheads and weapons grade nuclear materials ASAP, and those anxious to take CO2 out of circulation. Some of the loose nukes may yet be benignly, and perhaps profitably , disposed of the old fashioned way.
By detonating them.
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