Can Iran produce 20 percent-enriched uranium?

Posted by Matt in February 8th, 2010 | 1 comment

Published in Iran, Nuclear, Centrifuge Equipment, centrifuges, defiance, Enrichment Plant, Enrichment Plants, Fuel Enrichment, Fuel Rods, Grade Material, Heu, Inefficiencies, Intelligence Services, Iran Iran, Leu, Reactor, Small Quantities, Stockpile, Technical Prowess, U 235, Uranium, Weapon Grade

Yes. Though Iran may encounter some challenges, it is technically equipped to produce 19.75 percent enriched uranium at the Natanz Fuel Enrichment Plant (note, any uranium enriched to under 20 percent U-235 is classified by the IAEA as LEU; uranium enriched to 20 percent or greater is classified as high enriched uranium (HEU).
If Iran were [...]

North Korea says it has produced more bomb-making plutonium

Posted by Matt in November 3rd, 2009 | no comment

Published in Koreas, Atomic Weapons, Bomb, Central News Agency, Communist Country, Fuel Rods, Korean Central News, Korean Central News Agency, North-Korea, northkorea, plutonium, United States

North Koreaannounced Tuesday it has produced more plutonium for its atomic weapons programme, putting further pressure on the United States to start direct talks.
The communist country “successfully completed reprocessing 8,000 spent fuel rods by the end of August” at its Yongbyon nuclear complex, the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said.
NKorea says it has produced [...]

FACTBOX-A look at North Korea’s nuclear arms ambitions | Reuters

Posted by Matt in October 5th, 2009 | no comment

Published in Koreas, Ambitions, Bomb, Fuel Rods, North-Korea, Nuclear Arms, Nuclear Test, Nuclear Weapons, plutonium, Proliferation, Reuters, Yongbyon

U.S. officials said prior to the North’s May 25 second nuclear test it had produced about 50 kg (110 lb) of plutonium, which proliferation experts say would be enough for six to eight nuclear weapons. It could eventually extract enough material from spent fuel rods cooling at Yongbyon to make one more bomb.
FACTBOX-A look at [...]

‘Dirty timebomb’ ticking in Russian nuclear dump threatens Europe

Posted by Matt in August 24th, 2009 | no comment

Published in Nuclear, Russia, Arctic Circle, Belfasttelegraph, Bomb Experts, British Isles, Chernobyl Disaster, Detonation, Dirty Bomb, Europe News, Fuel Rods, Kola Peninsula, News News, Northern Europe, Russian News, Sea Water, Storage Facility, Timebomb, Uranium Fuel, World News

20,000 discarded uranium fuel rods stored in the Arctic Circle are corroding. The possible result? Detonation of a massive radioactive bomb experts say could rival the 1986 Chernobyl disaster.
A decaying Russian nuclear dump inside the Arctic Circle is threatening to catch fire or explode, turning it into a “dirty bomb” that could impact the whole [...]

North Korea has begun harvesting more plutonium

Posted by Matt in April 25th, 2009 | no comment

Published in Koreas, Nuclear, arsenal, Communist Nation, defiance, Fuel Rods, North-Korea, Nuclear Plant, plutonium, Rogue Program

North Korea said Saturday it has begun harvesting plutonium from spent fuel rods at its main nuclear plant to build up its atomic arsenal. The move, in defiance of tightening U.N. sanctions, threatened to further damage efforts to dismantle the communist nation’s rogue program.
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Yellowcake

Posted by Matt in July 7th, 2008 | no comment

Published in Nuclear, Chemical Processing, Coarse Powder, Crushers, Fuel Rods, Gas Centrifuge, Gaseous Diffusion, Intermediate Step, Milling Process, Nuclear Reactors, U3o8, Uf6, Uo2, Uranium, Uranium Dioxide, Uranium Hexafluoride Gas, Uranium Ore, Uranium Ores, Uranium Oxide, Uranium Oxides, Uranium Yellowcake, Uranyl, Yellowcake

Yellowcakes (also called urania) are uranium concentrates obtained from leach solutions. They represent an intermediate step in the processing of uranium ores. Yellowcake concentrates are prepared by various extraction and refining methods, depending on the types of ores. Typically yellowcakes are obtained through the milling and chemical processing of uranium ore forming a coarse powder [...]