Posted on 02/26/2011 11:47:01 AM PST by NormsRevenge
TEHRAN, Iran – In a major setback to Iran's nuclear program, technicians will have to unload fuel from the country's first atomic power plant because of an unspecified safety concern, a senior government official said.
The vague explanation raised questions about whether the mysterious computer worm known as Stuxnet might have caused more damage at the Bushehr plant than previously acknowledged. Other explanations are possible for unloading the fuel rods from the reactor core of the newly completed plant, including routine technical difficulties.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...
A map showing known nuclear sites in Iran according to the International Atomic Energy Agency. Iran said it is removing the fuel from the reactor of a Russian-built nuclear power plant, a move seen as a big blow to its controversial nuclear programme. (AFP/Graphic/File)
Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad speaks during a ceremony at the Natanz nuclear enrichment facility, 350 km (217 miles) south of Tehran, April 9, 2007. REUTERS/Caren Firouz
Go Israel!
If I understand the bomb making process correctly, you are probably right.
When I was still working at a commercial nuclear plant, I asked one of the engineers about the difference between our reactor and one that makes fissile material for bombs. He described the bomb making reactions as short lived, not like the sustained reactions we need to make electricity.
Go Stuxnet!
A country trying to build/run/maintain something as technically advanced as a nuke plant after all its top engineering/tech talent has fled to the U.S. turns to another country whose top engineering/tech talent have either fled to the West or have fake degrees. And they wonder why their stuff won't work? I see a pattern here.
A country trying to build/run/maintain something as technically advanced as a nuke plant after all its top engineering/tech talent has fled to the U.S. turns to another country whose top engineering/tech talent have either fled to the West or have fake degrees. And they wonder why their stuff won't work? I see a pattern here.
(copyright pending) ;^) Nice job Israel. Really crafty folks...
RE: If I understand the bomb making process correctly, you are probably right.
How long does a uranium reactor have to be working before enough plutonium is produced to make separation worth while?
If I understood what Charles (the engineer) was saying, the type of reactor that makes bomb stuff only operates for a few hours at a time.
I looked it up and found this link:
http://www.fas.org/nuke/intro/nuke/plutonium.htm
One of the paragraphs says this:
“To achieve the high percentages of Pu-239 required for weapon grade plutonium, it must be produced specifically for this purpose. The uranium must spend only several weeks in the reactor core and then be removed.”
Thanks for the info.
And Go Stuxnet II, and Stuxnet III, and however many more we need.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.