Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Japan 'loses' 206kg of plutonium
The Financial Times ^ | January 28, 2003 | Bayan Rahman

Posted on 01/28/2003 2:13:20 PM PST by MadIvan

Japan on Tuesday admitted that 206kg of its plutonium - enough to make about 25 nuclear bombs - is unaccounted for.

Government scientists said that 6,890kg of plutonium had been extracted since 1977 from spent nuclear fuel at a processing plant about 120km north east of Tokyo. But that is 3 per cent short of the amount the plant was estimated to have produced.

About 5kg to 8kg of plutonium are needed to make a 20-kiloton atomic bomb similar to the one that destroyed Nagasaki in 1945.

Experts said the missing amount was surprisingly large.

There is normally a margin of error of 1 per cent or less when measuring liquid plutonium, which can dissolve into other elements.

Japan's admission comes at a time of acute sensitivity because of the threat of nuclear proliferation in north-east Asia following North Korea's revival of its mothballed nuclear programme.

However, there is no evidence that North Korea was linked to the missing plutonium even though it is known to smuggle goods in and out of Japan.

"This is an unusually large amount of plutonium to be unaccounted for, which makes me uncomfortable, although I think it's highly unlikely that it was stolen," said Tatsujiro Suzuki, senior research scientist at the Central Research Institute of Electric Power Industry.

The science ministry, which reported the discrepancy to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), dismissed the idea that the plutonium had been stolen. It said about 90kg was probably diluted into waste-water and about 30kg probably dissolved into other elements.

It admitted it was baffled by the remaining 86kg but said initial output projections may have been too high and the plutonium may not have been produced.

Mohamed ElBaradei, director general of the IAEA, said: "The Agency [is] confident that no nuclear material has been diverted from the facility."

The IAEA, the United Nations nuclear watchdog, has urged Japan to strengthen its procedures for measuring nuclear material since it first noted discrepancies in 1998.


TOPICS: Breaking News; Crime/Corruption; Foreign Affairs; Government; Japan; News/Current Events; US: District of Columbia; United Kingdom
KEYWORDS: bombs; japan; lost; plutonium
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-4041-6061-8081-94 last
To: a_Turk
First and foremost, what business did they have making any plutonium?

If you operate emissions-free nuclear reactors, you make plutonium. In fact, a substantial portion of the heat in such a reactor comes from uranium-238 atoms transmuted into plutonium and then subsequently split.

81 posted on 01/28/2003 7:02:02 PM PST by mvpel
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 69 | View Replies]

To: prairiebreeze
*Okkkkkkkkkkkkk ... How does one just lose that much plutonium ??*

My dog ate it???

Does he glow in the bark?

82 posted on 01/28/2003 7:41:18 PM PST by reg45
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 17 | View Replies]

To: Poohbah
How does one lose 412 pounds of plutonium?
83 posted on 01/28/2003 7:48:34 PM PST by hchutch ("Last suckers crossed, Syndicate shot'em up" - Ice-T, "I'm Your Pusher")
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 52 | View Replies]

To: mvpel; duk
A little physics lesson:

Uranium is 99.3% U238 and 0.7% U235. Pure Uranium is converted to UF6 where it can be enriched via gaseous diffusion (or ?) - and for reactor fuel - an enrichment of 3% to 5% is desired.

Assume a typical fuel bundle is about 1000 lbs - mostly Uranium - in an "Oxide" form - UO2 ... and zirconium filler and zirconium clad tubing. After about 3 years, the bundle is considered "depleted" and discharged permanently. (The reactor might have about 210 bundles ... so 70 bundles per year are discharged on a rotational basis.)

During operation in the reactor, assume about 50% of the Uranium is fissioned ... the rest is still useful, if you could reclaim it. But some of the U238 in the fuel absorbs a neutron and changes to Plutonium Pu239. Assume about 2% of the bundle is useful Plutonium when the bundle is discharged. 2% - 20 lbs. (10 kg). Now the actual details are more involved. The created Plutonium is also partially consumed during the reactor operations - and extends the "life" of the fuel bundle. And some of the Pu239 isn't burned but is converted to Pu240 (not good for bomb material) ... so "long-burn" fuel is less desirable for making weapons-grade Pu than fuel that spends less time in the reactor.

Both Japan and France recycle their fuel. They reclaim zirconium, reclaim Pu and U .... and the nasty fission products - less than 40 lbs per fuel bundle (4%) - is vitrified in glass for permanent isolation/burial. Even the U.S. was looking at this option . . . recycling the Pu back into reactor fuel ensures that there is no Pu "floating" around for a future theft for making bombs.

But breeders are designed to generate MORE fuel than is consumed .... and some concepts include mixing Thorium with the enriched Uranium fuel. You still get some Plutonium - but the Thorium "breeds" to U233 - which is also is hard to separate from U238 ....

So much wonderful technology is available ... unfortunately, the decisions on how to use it are often left to un-education idiots (like Jimmy Carter) - when they choose to make decisions based on politics rather than science.

Mike

84 posted on 01/28/2003 7:57:20 PM PST by Vineyard
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 80 | View Replies]

To: maestro
Thanks. That's how I used to lose my car key's legitimately. It drove me crazy so I understand how the Japanese feel. ;)
85 posted on 01/28/2003 8:02:05 PM PST by DoughtyOne
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 79 | View Replies]

Comment #86 Removed by Moderator

To: prairiebreeze
AARRRR!!!


87 posted on 01/28/2003 9:26:11 PM PST by bonesmccoy (Defeat the terrorists... Vaccinate!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 17 | View Replies]

To: aristeides; thinden; honway; piasa
It appears that the Toon's negotiations with NK did not inspire confidence in Japan's government :)
88 posted on 01/29/2003 4:36:07 AM PST by Lion's Cub
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 87 | View Replies]

To: USABLUE
Your# 86....................Great Post!!!!
89 posted on 01/29/2003 4:43:53 AM PST by maestro
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 86 | View Replies]

To: bonesmccoy
great picture of "dog on plutonium"!

heh heh
90 posted on 01/29/2003 7:21:37 AM PST by prairiebreeze (Teddy Kennedy is the RATS main puppet. Don't folks in MA realize they don't HAVE to vote for him?)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 87 | View Replies]

To: Poohbah
What are your feelings on this matter? Internal use, external theft, or just some bean-counters making one serious error and losing some plutonium?

Although i do remember an article where it said Japan can have nukes ready in less than a year, possibly faster. Hence it is possible that ol' Nippon has seen it is threatened by the NKs and taken its protection into its own hands. And if NK can make a bomb Japan can make one that is much better and more efficient, and then duplicate that process ad infinitum.

91 posted on 01/31/2003 7:09:32 AM PST by spetznaz (When i say i am perfect people say i am arrogant .....but i am just being darn honest!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 11 | View Replies]

To: spetznaz
What are your feelings on this matter? Internal use, external theft, or just some bean-counters making one serious error and losing some plutonium?

I have a feeling that it's a black "interagency transfer."

92 posted on 01/31/2003 9:05:57 AM PST by Poohbah (Beware the fury of a patient man -- John Dryden)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 91 | View Replies]

To: MadIvan
Since Billy Jeff was elected to 2 terms as POTUS, nothing really surprises me anymore. It's more probable they've been selling it and making money on the side, while our Gov't was "aloof" ( or nodding accordingly and B.J. taking his cut for allowing it to occur) for 8 years.NOTHING can be put past this skunk.
93 posted on 01/31/2003 2:37:23 PM PST by Pagey (Hillary Rotten is a Smug , Holier-Than-Thou Socialist.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: MadIvan
But that is 3 per cent short of the amount the plant was estimated to have produced.

And how, exactly, do we know that the estimates were any good? By checking them against actual production perhaps?

94 posted on 01/31/2003 2:40:40 PM PST by ArrogantBustard
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-4041-6061-8081-94 last

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.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson