Uranium

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Uranium

Abundance: 0.0%

Uranium, periodic table U, is a metal. Its most common isotope is ²³⁸U with 146 neutrons and an abundance of 99% of all Uranium. It is unstable and slightly radioactive, with a half life of 4.468×10⁹ years (4.5 billion hears). The most important commercial isotope of uranium is ²³⁵U, that is more radioactive with a half life of 7.04×10⁸ years. ²³⁵U represents 0,72% of all Uranium.

Uranium used in nuclear reactors is usually enriched in ²³⁵U to increase its radioactivity to the point it can sustain a nuclear chain reaction. Commercial nuclear power plants use fuel that is typically enriched to around 3% ²³⁵U.

Uranium's average concentration in the Earth's crust is (depending on the reference) 2 to 4 parts per million, or about 40 times as abundant as silver. If Uranium can be mined and enriched on Mars, it would represent an excellent energy source for a Martian settlement. One kilogram of uranium-235 can theoretically produce about 20 terajoules of energy (2×10¹³ joules), assuming complete fission; as much energy as 1.5 million kilograms (1,500 tonnes) of coal. Breeder reactors can convert ²³⁸U into Plutonium, than can in turn produce energy through added fission reactions, increasing the overall burn rate (or Burnup) of the nuclear fuel.

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