RE: So, is reprocessing in America's future (India bomb)

["Scott, Arthur (MOL)" <Arthur.Scott@MOL.GOV.ON.CA>]

The first bomb at least did not come from power stations - none in service

at that time I think.



To paraphrase an article on the Canadian Centre for Nuclear Responsibility

web site ccnr.org 



Canada suspended nuclear cooperation with India following the explosion of a

          bomb at the Pokhran site in May 1974. The bomb used plutonium

          manufactured in a research reactor known as "CIRUS" given to India

by Canada.



        Neither Indian nor Pakistan have signed the Nuclear

Non-Proliferation Treaty

          (NPT). Nor have they signed the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty

(CTBT). 



        Although the KANUPP and RAPS reactors ARE safeguarded (inspected by

the

          International Atomic Energy Agency), the Narora and

          Kakrapar nuclear stations in India (NAPS and KAPS)are NOT

          safeguarded.



    The CIRUS reactor is NOT safeguarded. It is quite possible, even likely,

that CIRUS

          provided at least some of the plutonium for the nuclear weapons

exploded by

          India in 1998.

>

>

> >RE: Proliferation:

> >Am I mistaken or did India not scavenge enough  material from its power

> >reactor program to build and detonate a work-a-day bomb or two?

>

>

> Yes, you are. India has not scavenged, but deliberately produced  b o m

b -

> plutonium (at least for sure for their first bomb exploded decades ago) in

> their CANDU-power-reactors (heavy water cooled and moderated natural

uranium

> reactors), which are because of their construction suitable to easily

change

> the fuel rods after a short irradiation time without interrupting power

> production. From these fuel rods  b o m b - plutonium is extracted. See

Zack

> Claytons mail on the background for production of bomb plutonium and the

> difference to ordinary power reactor plutonium as produced by reprocessing

> plants from commercial nuclear fuel. They have only done what other

nations

> have done before. The bombs were obviously of the same or better "quality"

> as the early ones of the super-powers and sure not of the type that some

> people claim, can be theoretically built from reprocessed "reactor

> plutonium". (If I remember correctly India exploded more than two, the

first

> one decades ago.)

>

> Franz

>

>

>

>

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