Article

2006-08-26 Syria-Lebanon-Iran

Iran opens plant that can produce plutonium

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Posted by john 2006-08-26 15:57|| || Front Page|| [3 views since 2007-05-07] Top

#1 Headline is nonsense.

A heavy water plant produces heavy water, not plutonium.

This plants can produce 16 tons of heavy water per year. It will supply HW for the 40 MW(t) reactor being constructed (completion in 2009).
The one year production of 16 tons is enough for the initial heavy water charge.

Assuming low burnup mode and a capacity factor of 65 percent, it could produce about 9 kg of weapons grade Plutonium per year. Assuming a non-sophisticated design, that is one and a half bomb's worth of material per year.

Posted by john 2006-08-26 16:40|| 2006-08-26 16:40|| Front Page Top

#2 There would of course be losses during reprocessing, so a realistic figure might be one bomb's worth per year.

If they scaled up the reactor, they would need 0.4 tons of heavy water per MW. Reactors lose about 1 percent of their heavy water per year.

Even if the plant operates at 50 percent capacity - 8 tons per year, it would be sufficient for a 100 MW Pu production reactor (about 5 years worth of production).

Posted by john 2006-08-26 17:03|| 2006-08-26 17:03|| Front Page Top

#3 I'm putting my estimate in first - this plant doesn't operate a year

Posted by Frank G">Frank G 2006-08-26 17:20|| 2006-08-26 17:20|| Front Page Top

#4 I just about ready to vote that we do some "enriching" for them.

Posted by Zenster 2006-08-26 17:33|| 2006-08-26 17:33|| Front Page Top

#5 Heavy water production facilities are prone to fires and explosions... it took India years before it ironed out all the problems with its plants (it is now the second largest producer of heavy water in the world and exports it to South Korea (for their CANDU units).

Posted by john 2006-08-26 17:39|| 2006-08-26 17:39|| Front Page Top

#6 It nice having &%(* around.

Posted by 6 2006-08-26 17:42|| 2006-08-26 17:42|| Front Page Top

#7 As is customary, Khatami stood with his right hand gripping the barrel of an automatic weapon as he addressed thousands of people gathered for the weekly prayer ceremony.

Customary? To support the Islam means peace meme?

Posted by trailing wife 2006-08-26 18:29|| 2006-08-26 18:29|| Front Page Top

#8 As is customary, Khatami stood with his right hand gripping the barrel of an automatic weapon...

Customary?

Well, usually he's gripping ~~someone~~ something else, but they're not going to show that on television.

Posted by Zenster 2006-08-26 19:27|| 2006-08-26 19:27|| Front Page Top

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