Indian Nuclear Power Plant

[Bussard Ramjet]

I'm not talking about enrichment per se....but fission being uranium-based or plutonium-based.

In fact it ultimately comes down to uranium because plutonium is created using uranium.

 

[Nilgiri]

In fact it ultimately comes down to uranium because plutonium is created using uranium.

Right but there is nothing really special you need to do to create Pu-239 from regular Uranium-238. Just expose it to a neutron source (say in a reactor) and remove it early and frequently to separate.

The difficulty with weaponising this easily "refined" Pu-239 is the actual bomb design involved (can only be advanced, perfect implosion).

This is the opposite of Uranium-235 which can be weaponised relatively easily (with a gun type for rudimentary efficiency or simple implosion for adequate efficiency)....but is quite a long, arduous, more complicated process in refining to the purity needed.

Hence being able to leapfrog the uranium enrichment process is a big bonus for any weapons development program.

 

[kris]

Cobalt-60? Big whoop. Want to tell me how you can make a nuclear bomb with tiny amounts of cobalt 60? The number of thefts worldwide (from your own map) of such isotopes should give you a hint.

This theft was from 2011 too. Cobalt 60 has a half life of 5 years and its 2017 now...I will let you try figure out the significance of that.

And before you answer, please put it in context of AQ Khan (who you made the official scapegoat for your proliferation (forget equating with theft, though he did steal it from URENCO to begin with) of centrifuge design - which is in comparison absolutely required for nuclear weapons given it is one of just two routes to nuclear fission)

Cobalt 60 is used for radiation therapy.

 

[Nilgiri]

Cobalt 60 is used for radiation therapy.

True but waste cobalt 60 from the steel making process (which can use cobalt for alloying) is of even more limited utility. You would need a large scale chemical separator at the minimum for extracting it (for refined use)....they are not cheap (and definitely not economic for use here).

Cobalt-60 use in medicine and other peaceful reasons requiring radiation... is produced in other ways as a result.

Cobalt-60 specimen waste needs segregation/containment more for the health risks it can pose regarding prolonged exposure....rather than any dirty bomb material threat.

 

[razgriz19]

Cobalt 60 is used for radiation therapy.

It is also used for NDT. Welds done in plants, refineries, and on pressure vessels all require radiographs. There are other methods obviously but a film clearly shows if the welds are done correctly or not. Isotopes Iridium 192 and Cobalt 60 are used.

 

[kris]

It is also used for NDT. Welds done in plants, refineries, and on pressure vessels all require radiographs. There are other methods obviously but a film clearly shows if the welds are done correctly or not. Isotopes Iridium 192 and Cobalt 60 are used.

What is BEST.
Iridium 192 is also used in cancer therapy

What is NDT.
Iridium 192 is also used in cancer therapy

 

[Kinetic]

India building 10 self designed PHWR with 700MW capacity.

 

[razgriz19]

What is BEST.
Iridium 192 is also used in cancer therapy

Non destructive testing. It's used everywhere for quality assurance, you just don't hear about it and that's a good thing.

 

[Nilgiri]

India building 10 self designed PHWR with 700MW capacity.

Well they are largely CANDU influenced. Old terminology for them was CANDU-derivative I believe. But yes India developed much of its technology itself, given the ToT from Canada was halted after smiling buddha.

 

[Kinetic]

Well they are largely CANDU influenced. Old terminology for them was CANDU-derivative I believe. But yes India developed much of its technology itself, given the ToT from Canada was halted after smiling buddha.

Smiling Buddha-1 that is in 1974.

 

[Nilgiri]

Smiling Buddha-1 that is in 1974.

Yah so ToT from Canada for CANDU lasted for about 10 years or so....which was enough to take and carry forward for our own PHWR design after 1974....but it does have CANDU heritage as result.

 

[Kinetic]

Yah so ToT from Canada for CANDU lasted for about 10 years or so....which was enough to take and carry forward for our own PHWR design after 1974....but it does have CANDU heritage as result.

CANDU and PGWR are completely new design dude. 700 MWe PHWR were designed in early 2000s. Much after 1974.

 

[Nilgiri]

CANDU and PGWR are completely new design dude. 700 MWe PHWR were designed in early 2000s. Much after 1974.

Indian PHWR didn't establish its design completely from scratch buddy. You think India did the fundamental research that needed to jump from regular NRX (non pressurised) to NRU (semi pressurised scaling tests) to CANDU (full pressurised) regarding heavy water moderation that is the basis of PHWR?

There is a reason why all PHWR in India are called CANDU-derivatives whatever their generation base. There is definitely a high level of indigenisation (even in a lot of the RnD)....but you cannot call them a completely new design.