Man Arrested For Attempting to Build Nuclear Reactor in his Kitchen

RaoulDuke · 08-23-2011, 04:47 AM

Anyone heard from Quantum?

[QUOTE][B][SIZE="5"]Swede cuffed for cooking nuclear reactor on kitchen stovetop[/SIZE][/B]

[IMG]http://regmedia.co.uk/2011/08/02/swedish_reactor.jpg[/IMG]

By Rik Myslewski in San Francisco • Get more from this author

A Swedish man was arrested and briefly detained for attempting to build a nuclear reactor in his kitchen.

"I've always been interested in nuclear physics and particle physics," the unnamed 31-year-old told the Helsingborgs Dagblad (Google Translate). "I have read many books about it and wanted to see if it worked. I just thought of it as an experiment."

That experiment had involved radioactive materials taken from smoke detectors – presumably americium-241 – and other radioactive substances he had bought from a foreign source.

He also acquired a Geiger counter from the US. His expenses ran in the neighborhood of 5,000 to 6,000 kr ($780 to $940).

The amateur nuclear engineer wasn't secretive about his efforts. He had posted about the project on the internet, including an article entitled "How to build a nuclear reactor" in which he noted that it was "not that difficult" (inte är så svårt).

His run-in with the law came as a result of that openness. A couple of weeks ago, according to the HD, he wrote to the Swedish Radiation Safety Authority (Strålsäkerhetsmyndigheten) and asked if it was legal to build a home nuclear reactor.

The nuke authority told him that they'd drop by his Ängelholm apartment to check on radiation levels – and when they did, they brought the police with them. The constables arrested the would-be reactor maker, brought him in for questioning, then released him after his cooperative debriefing.

He hadn't planned on using the reactor to generate electricity, which he said would have been too difficult, seeing as how he'd have needed to build a turbine and a generator.

But he says his experimentation has ended for now. "They took all my stuff", he told the HD. "Now I keep it at the theoretical level." ®

Bootnote
This home-reactor escapade is similar to the adventures of David Hahn, whose efforts were immortalized in a 2005 book entitled The Radioactive Boy Scout. However, although Hahn's first DIY reactor dreams were overturned in 1995, he was arrested in 2007 for stealing 16 smoke detectors. At age 31.

[/QUOTE]

RaoulDuke · 08-23-2011, 04:51 AM

Wow, seems like there's a community of these dudes

[QUOTE][B]Gucci Designer Builds Nuclear Reactor in Brooklyn Warehouse[/B]
Published June 23, 2010

Text Size

[IMG]http://a57.foxnews.com/static/managed/img/Scitech/396/223/simpsons%20radioactive.jpg[/IMG]

A New York web designer for fashion house Gucci surprised his neighbors by revealing he built a nuclear reactor in a Brooklyn warehouse, the BBC reported Wednesday.

Mark Suppes, a 32-year-old amateur physicist with a passion for sustainable energy, constructed the $40,000 homemade fusion reactor in his spare time.

He is the 38th independent physicist in the word to achieve nuclear fusion from a self-built reactor and forms part of a growing community of "fusioneers." These brainiacs are trying to discover how to produce energy by fusion, a process that currently consumes more energy to run than it creates.

In nuclear fusion, atoms are forcibly joined, releasing energy. It is, say scientists, the holy grail of energy production, being completely clean and cheap. The problem lies in finding a way of making fusion reactors produce more energy than they consume to run, an issue that scientists amateur and professional still haven't overcome.

"I was inspired because I believed I was looking at a technology that could actually work to solve our energy problems, and I believed it was something that I could at least begin to build," Suppes told the BBC.

While it may concern those close to his makeshift lab, fusion reactors are perfectly legal in the U.S. and pose no radioactive threat, as unlike nuclear fission reactions, they do not require uranium or plutonium fuel.

Read more: [url]http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2010/06/23/clothing-designer-builds-nuclear-reactor-brooklyn-warehouse/#ixzz1Vq9WJThS[/url][/QUOTE]

quantum · 08-23-2011, 08:54 AM

I guess Doc Brown was right - in the future, it'll be a lot easier to buy nuclear fuel. :cool:

32green · 08-23-2011, 09:21 AM

:eek:

I understand that alot of these dudes are just geeks with altruistic intentions, but I'd hate to think the end of the world will start with a long haired, Hawking tee'd shut-in running out of his hovel yelling "oh no oh no oh no oh no" past a pile of smoke detectors.

I'd prefer aliens.

-

crossfire · 08-23-2011, 09:27 AM

[QUOTE=32green;4113873]:eek:

I understand that alot of these dudes are just geeks with altruistic intentions, but I'd hate to think the end of the world will start with a long haired, Hawking tee'd shut-in running out of his hovel yelling "oh no oh no oh no oh no" past a pile of smoke detectors.

I'd prefer aliens.

-[/QUOTE]

Still hoping that whole alien "anal probing" thing isn't just a rumor?

RaoulDuke · 08-23-2011, 09:30 AM

[QUOTE=crossfire;4113877]Still hoping that whole alien "anal probing" thing isn't just a rumor?[/QUOTE]
[IMG]http://images.wikia.com/southpark/images/d/dd/CartmanGetsanAnalProbe21.gif[/IMG]

32green · 08-23-2011, 09:34 AM

[QUOTE=crossfire;4113877]Still hoping that whole alien "anal probing" thing isn't just a rumor?[/QUOTE]

My only problem with that whole scene is the "putting you back on the desolate country road when they are finished" part.

Drop me off in Mid-town.... or [I]something.[/I]:dunno:

-

crossfire · 08-23-2011, 09:39 AM

[QUOTE=32green;4113888]My only problem with that whole scene is the "putting you back on the desolate country road when they are finished" part.-[/QUOTE]

Obviously you don't put a generous tip on the nightstand afterward.

Rookie!:D

Frequent Flyer · 08-23-2011, 09:41 AM

[B]These brainiacs are trying to discover how to produce energy by fusion, a process that currently consumes more energy to run than it creates.[/B]

Sounds like the Chevy Volt.

quantum · 08-23-2011, 12:17 PM

[QUOTE=32green;4113888]My only problem with that whole scene is the "putting you back on the desolate country road when they are finished" part.

Drop me off in Mid-town.... or [I]something.[/I]:dunno:

-[/QUOTE]

or maybe buy you dinner. bring some roses. make me think you don't do this to every inhabited planet between here and the Crab Nebula?

(I was tempted to say Uranus, but I didn't.)

RageATL · 08-23-2011, 12:26 PM

[QUOTE=32green;4113888]My only problem with that whole scene is the "putting you back on the desolate country road when they are finished" part.

Drop me off in Mid-town.... or [I]something.[/I]:dunno:

-[/QUOTE]

If you were dropped off in Midtown ATL afterwards, that's when the REAL anal probing would start. :eek: :yes:

32green · 08-23-2011, 07:23 PM

[QUOTE=crossfire;4113891]Obviously you don't put a generous tip on the nightstand afterward.

Rookie!:D[/QUOTE]

[QUOTE=Frequent Flyer;4113893][B]These brainiacs are trying to discover how to produce energy by fusion, a process that currently consumes more energy to run than it creates.[/B]

Sounds like the Chevy Volt.[/QUOTE]

[QUOTE=quantum;4114078]or maybe buy you dinner. bring some roses. make me think you don't do this to every inhabited planet between here and the Crab Nebula?

(I was tempted to say Uranus, but I didn't.)[/QUOTE]

[QUOTE=RageATL;4114085]If you were dropped off in Midtown ATL afterwards, that's when the REAL anal probing would start. :eek: :yes:[/QUOTE]

:applause:

-

08-23-2011, 04:47 AM	#1
RaoulDuke Son of Ham Hall Of Fame Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Paris, France Posts: 11,870	Man Arrested For Attempting to Build Nuclear Reactor in his Kitchen Anyone heard from Quantum? [QUOTE][B][SIZE="5"]Swede cuffed for cooking nuclear reactor on kitchen stovetop[/SIZE][/B] [IMG]http://regmedia.co.uk/2011/08/02/swedish_reactor.jpg[/IMG] By Rik Myslewski in San Francisco • Get more from this author A Swedish man was arrested and briefly detained for attempting to build a nuclear reactor in his kitchen. "I've always been interested in nuclear physics and particle physics," the unnamed 31-year-old told the Helsingborgs Dagblad (Google Translate). "I have read many books about it and wanted to see if it worked. I just thought of it as an experiment." That experiment had involved radioactive materials taken from smoke detectors – presumably americium-241 – and other radioactive substances he had bought from a foreign source. He also acquired a Geiger counter from the US. His expenses ran in the neighborhood of 5,000 to 6,000 kr ($780 to $940). The amateur nuclear engineer wasn't secretive about his efforts. He had posted about the project on the internet, including an article entitled "How to build a nuclear reactor" in which he noted that it was "not that difficult" (inte är så svårt). His run-in with the law came as a result of that openness. A couple of weeks ago, according to the HD, he wrote to the Swedish Radiation Safety Authority (Strålsäkerhetsmyndigheten) and asked if it was legal to build a home nuclear reactor. The nuke authority told him that they'd drop by his Ängelholm apartment to check on radiation levels – and when they did, they brought the police with them. The constables arrested the would-be reactor maker, brought him in for questioning, then released him after his cooperative debriefing. He hadn't planned on using the reactor to generate electricity, which he said would have been too difficult, seeing as how he'd have needed to build a turbine and a generator. But he says his experimentation has ended for now. "They took all my stuff", he told the HD. "Now I keep it at the theoretical level." ® Bootnote This home-reactor escapade is similar to the adventures of David Hahn, whose efforts were immortalized in a 2005 book entitled The Radioactive Boy Scout. However, although Hahn's first DIY reactor dreams were overturned in 1995, he was arrested in 2007 for stealing 16 smoke detectors. At age 31. [/QUOTE]

08-23-2011, 04:51 AM	#2
RaoulDuke Son of Ham Hall Of Fame Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Paris, France Posts: 11,870	Wow, seems like there's a community of these dudes [QUOTE][B]Gucci Designer Builds Nuclear Reactor in Brooklyn Warehouse[/B] Published June 23, 2010 Text Size [IMG]http://a57.foxnews.com/static/managed/img/Scitech/396/223/simpsons%20radioactive.jpg[/IMG] A New York web designer for fashion house Gucci surprised his neighbors by revealing he built a nuclear reactor in a Brooklyn warehouse, the BBC reported Wednesday. Mark Suppes, a 32-year-old amateur physicist with a passion for sustainable energy, constructed the $40,000 homemade fusion reactor in his spare time. He is the 38th independent physicist in the word to achieve nuclear fusion from a self-built reactor and forms part of a growing community of "fusioneers." These brainiacs are trying to discover how to produce energy by fusion, a process that currently consumes more energy to run than it creates. In nuclear fusion, atoms are forcibly joined, releasing energy. It is, say scientists, the holy grail of energy production, being completely clean and cheap. The problem lies in finding a way of making fusion reactors produce more energy than they consume to run, an issue that scientists amateur and professional still haven't overcome. "I was inspired because I believed I was looking at a technology that could actually work to solve our energy problems, and I believed it was something that I could at least begin to build," Suppes told the BBC. While it may concern those close to his makeshift lab, fusion reactors are perfectly legal in the U.S. and pose no radioactive threat, as unlike nuclear fission reactions, they do not require uranium or plutonium fuel. Read more: [url]http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2010/06/23/clothing-designer-builds-nuclear-reactor-brooklyn-warehouse/#ixzz1Vq9WJThS[/url][/QUOTE]

08-23-2011, 08:54 AM	#3
quantum GFY Snatchez! Hall Of Fame Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: LI Posts: 17,892	I guess Doc Brown was right - in the future, it'll be a lot easier to buy nuclear fuel. :cool:

08-23-2011, 09:21 AM	#4
32green The original road-kill pus slurper. MMMmmm pus. Board Moderator Jets Insider VIP JetsInsider.com Legend Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: The depths of Despair. Posts: 37,672	:eek: I understand that alot of these dudes are just geeks with altruistic intentions, but I'd hate to think the end of the world will start with a long haired, Hawking tee'd shut-in running out of his hovel yelling "oh no oh no oh no oh no" past a pile of smoke detectors. I'd prefer aliens. -

08-23-2011, 09:27 AM	#5
crossfire Day by day, night after night... Blinded by the neon light Jets Insider VIP Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Long Island, NY Posts: 5,672	[QUOTE=32green;4113873]:eek: I understand that alot of these dudes are just geeks with altruistic intentions, but I'd hate to think the end of the world will start with a long haired, Hawking tee'd shut-in running out of his hovel yelling "oh no oh no oh no oh no" past a pile of smoke detectors. I'd prefer aliens. -[/QUOTE] Still hoping that whole alien "anal probing" thing isn't just a rumor?

08-23-2011, 09:30 AM	#6
RaoulDuke Son of Ham Hall Of Fame Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Paris, France Posts: 11,870	[QUOTE=crossfire;4113877]Still hoping that whole alien "anal probing" thing isn't just a rumor?[/QUOTE] [IMG]http://images.wikia.com/southpark/images/d/dd/CartmanGetsanAnalProbe21.gif[/IMG]

08-23-2011, 09:34 AM	#7
32green The original road-kill pus slurper. MMMmmm pus. Board Moderator Jets Insider VIP JetsInsider.com Legend Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: The depths of Despair. Posts: 37,672	[QUOTE=crossfire;4113877]Still hoping that whole alien "anal probing" thing isn't just a rumor?[/QUOTE] My only problem with that whole scene is the "putting you back on the desolate country road when they are finished" part. Drop me off in Mid-town.... or [I]something.[/I]:dunno: -

08-23-2011, 09:39 AM	#8
crossfire Day by day, night after night... Blinded by the neon light Jets Insider VIP Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Long Island, NY Posts: 5,672	[QUOTE=32green;4113888]My only problem with that whole scene is the "putting you back on the desolate country road when they are finished" part.-[/QUOTE] Obviously you don't put a generous tip on the nightstand afterward. Rookie!:D

08-23-2011, 09:41 AM	#9
Frequent Flyer Now....infrequent. Banned Join Date: Aug 2010 Posts: 1,903	[B]These brainiacs are trying to discover how to produce energy by fusion, a process that currently consumes more energy to run than it creates.[/B] Sounds like the Chevy Volt.

08-23-2011, 12:17 PM	#10
quantum GFY Snatchez! Hall Of Fame Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: LI Posts: 17,892	[QUOTE=32green;4113888]My only problem with that whole scene is the "putting you back on the desolate country road when they are finished" part. Drop me off in Mid-town.... or [I]something.[/I]:dunno: -[/QUOTE] or maybe buy you dinner. bring some roses. make me think you don't do this to every inhabited planet between here and the Crab Nebula? (I was tempted to say Uranus, but I didn't.)

08-23-2011, 12:26 PM	#11
RageATL is a habitual line-stepper. All Pro Join Date: Mar 2007 Posts: 7,230	[QUOTE=32green;4113888]My only problem with that whole scene is the "putting you back on the desolate country road when they are finished" part. Drop me off in Mid-town.... or [I]something.[/I]:dunno: -[/QUOTE] If you were dropped off in Midtown ATL afterwards, that's when the REAL anal probing would start. :eek: :yes:

08-23-2011, 07:23 PM	#12
32green The original road-kill pus slurper. MMMmmm pus. Board Moderator Jets Insider VIP JetsInsider.com Legend Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: The depths of Despair. Posts: 37,672	[QUOTE=crossfire;4113891]Obviously you don't put a generous tip on the nightstand afterward. Rookie!:D[/QUOTE] [QUOTE=Frequent Flyer;4113893][B]These brainiacs are trying to discover how to produce energy by fusion, a process that currently consumes more energy to run than it creates.[/B] Sounds like the Chevy Volt.[/QUOTE] [QUOTE=quantum;4114078]or maybe buy you dinner. bring some roses. make me think you don't do this to every inhabited planet between here and the Crab Nebula? (I was tempted to say Uranus, but I didn't.)[/QUOTE] [QUOTE=RageATL;4114085]If you were dropped off in Midtown ATL afterwards, that's when the REAL anal probing would start. :eek: :yes:[/QUOTE] :applause: -