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To: GarySpFc

I guess my point was that plutonium is not the only material that can be used for atomic weapons, and if they're running a LWR they have access to quantities of enriched uranium which would give them a good head start on enriching it to weapons-grade uranium. However, if I read this stuff right, diverting it would be difficult, whereas with a HWR like the CANDU they could unload and process the fuel for weapons-grade plutonium more easily.

If they're going to run a HWR like the CANDU in places like N. Korea it sounds like what we should be supplying them with is MOX fuel which would not be suitable for making bomb-grade materials, since separating Pu-240 from Pu-239 is basically just as technically difficult, and noticeable, as enriching uranisum would be. But I suppose they could still source their own unenriched uranium to use and fuel and then withdraw it and process it before the percentage of Pu-240 becomes too high.

Interesting, I really never knew that there was any much weaponization potential to the CANDU reactor. OTOH, HWR like the CANDU are especially well suited to burning up existing stocks of Pu in the form of MOX fuels.


101 posted on 11/04/2005 10:40:11 AM PST by -YYZ-
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To: -YYZ-
Iran is building a HWR and that is the major concern. Yes, you can produce weapons using a LWR, but that is extremely difficult, and something only a couple of countries can accomplish.
102 posted on 11/04/2005 10:50:50 AM PST by GarySpFc (Sneakypete, De Oppresso Liber)
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