PARR-Reactor
Encyclopedia
The Pakistan Atomic Research Reactor or (PARR), are the three nuclear and two experimental neutron sources located in the PINSTECH Laboratory
, Nilore
, Islamabad
, Pakistan
. The PARR Reactor is a graphite-moderated, Gas Cool
ed, nuclear reactor
.
It is a type of Very high temperature reactor
(VHTR), Thermal-neutron reactor and Pool-type reactor. The research reactor
s consists of three small nuclear reactors. The first nuclear reactor was supplied and financially constructed by the Government of United States of America
in the mids of 1960s. The other two reactors are built and supplied by Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission
in 1970s and 1980s, respectively. Supervised by the United States and International Atomic Energy Agency
, the first two reactors are subject to IAEA safeguards
and its inspections.
. The PINSTECH institute was designed by American
architect
Edward Durrell Stone, when noted Pakistani scientists, dr. Abdus Salam
and dr. Ishrat Hussain Usmani
traveled to United States of America in early 1960s. The first reactor was supplied by the American Machine and Foundry as its contractors, and the first reactor was built by the American nuclear engineer Peter Karter
.
In the first stage, reactor building and ancillary facilities were completed with the reactor becoming critical on 21 December 1965. The second stage, consisting of various laboratories, workshop, library and auditorium, became operational in 1974. The facility was last upgraded by PAEC
chairman and noted nuclear scientist, Mr. Munir Ahmad Khan
in 1989.
(MTR) type research reactor. Originally based on a design to utilize the Highly Enriched Uranium (HEU) fuel, the HEU fuel utilize the ~93% enriched in 235U
at a power level of 5 MW. The first reactor went critical on December 21, 1965 under the supervision of Dr. Abdus Salam
, Hafeez Qureshi
, Dr. Samar Mubarakmand
, Dr. Naeem Ahmad Khan
and Dr. Hameed Ahmad Khan.
The PARR-I Reactor attained its full power
on June 22, 1966. In PARR-I, it is virtually impossible to adopt secure the fresh supplies of the HEU fuel. However, to ensure the continuity of the nuclear fuel
, PARR-I was converted to utilize the ~20% Low-Enriched Uranium (LEU) from the 235U in October 1991
The nuclear fuel conversion program was led by the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission
(PAEC) chairman Mr. Munir Ahmad Khan
. The PAEC chairman Munir Ahmad Khan also upgraded the reactor's power level from 5 MW to 10 MW.
The program was carried out in order to meet demands of higher
neutron flux
es for experimental research purposes and the isotope
production. The upgraded reactor was also made available to compensate for the decrease in neutron flux due to higher concentration
of 238U
in the LEU fuel as compared to the HEU fuel. The reactor was made critical on October 31st, 1991 under the supervision of dr. Ansar Pervaiz
and dr. Iqbal Hussain Qureshi, and attained power level of 10 MW on May 7, 1992. The core configuration attained its equilibrium configuration in February 1995.
(MNSR) and SLOWPOKE reactor
. The reactor was indigenously designed by the PAEC
as the Atomic Energy Agency
's chairman Mr. Munir Ahmad Khan
and his team of engineers and scientists also led the construction of the reactor. The PARR-II Reactor had gone critical and began operating on January 21, 1974. The PARR-II Reactor is a type-in-pool reactor with a rated power of 27-30 Kw
. Same as the first reactor, the reactor is design to utilize the High Enrich Uranium (HEU) fuel. The HEU fuel utilize the ~90% 235U
at a power level of 30 kW. The demineralize light water is used as a coolant
moderator and the reactor core is reflected
by metallic Be
4.
A PARR-II consists of a core reactor, control rod
, and nuclear reflectors, and it is enclosed in a water-tight cylindrical
Al
13 alloy
vessel. The nuclear reactor core is an under-moderated aray with 1H
to 235U
ratio of temperature
of 20°C and provides a strong Negative temperature coefficient and thermal volume coefficients of reactivity
. The PAEC scientists and engineers also built and constructed the nuclear accelerator on April 9, 1989. The particle accelerator
is heavily used to conduct research in nuclear technology.
-weapons-grade
fuel and plutonium
reprocessing
reactor, known as "New Labs". The New Labs which is previously known as PARR-III-Reactor, is a pilot
94Pu
reprocessing
reactor
, has a capability to utilize the ~7% 239Pu
and has the capability to handle the isotopes
and utilize the 86Kr emissions
and radiation
. A reprocessing reactor for the plutonium fuel to utilize <~7% 239Pu
weapons grade fuel into a much heavier but <~7% weapon-grade 240Pu
weapons grade fuel. Much of the information about the third reactor is not fully known, however, New Labs were designed and constructed indigenously by the Munir Ahmad Khan and Hafeez Qureshi as its project-managers. The construction of the facility was led by Army Engineering Core and the Pakistan Army Corps of Electrical and Mechanical Engineering.
In 1960s, the British Nuclear Fuels
contracted the project with Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission, and the French
's Saint-Gobain Techniques Nouvelles (SGN). The PAEC engineers and scientists led the initial designing for a large-scale reprocessing plant, one with a capacity of 100 tons of fuel per year. While the BNFL and SGN provided funds, technical assistance, and nuclear fuel. However, after the India's Operation Smiling Buddha, a nuclear test, both British and French consumer companies immediately canceled the project with PAEC. The scientists and engineers re-designed the reprocessing plant, this time completely different from first design. According to its scientists, the project was highly ambitious and larger than the original plan.
The nuclear technology was indigenous, and scientists, under Munir Ahmad Khan, developed the ingenious capability for the plant. The reactor was completed in 1981 and it went critical the same year. The New Labs came into limelight when Pakistan had secretly tested its plutonium weapon-based nuclear device in Kirana Hills. On May 30, 1990, the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission
's scientists, under renowned nuclear
physicist
dr. Samar Mubarakmand
, had tested the one or more miniature Plutonium devices that was successfully reprocessed by the Pakistani scientists into weapon-grade at the New Labs, PINSTECH. The test yield
of a nuclear devices was reported to be 12-40 Kt.
particle
and nuclear accelerator to conduct the research of explosions of nuclear
elements
and isotopes in a nuclear device. Known as a Charged Particle Accelerator (CPA), the nuclear accelerator is a 250 keV
Ion accelerator which can deliver all Gaseous ions such as +H
, +N
, +O
, +He
, +Ne
, +Ar
, +Kr
, +Xe
or molecular ions. The accelerator's energy range is highly flexible and ions between 50 to 250 keV can be delivered to a target of dimensions ranging from few mm to many cm
.
The particle facility is designed to implantation of 42+Mo
,51+Sn
, and46+Pb
ions into steel
, friction can be reduced by up to ~50%. During the process of ion implanatation, the oxidation is inhibited by suitable ions such as 5+B
,20+Ca
into metals. The PINSTECH accelerator can be used by mutual arrangement between PINSTECH and industry or any other organizations.
-based Fusion power experimental source near at Nilore, before the establishment of PINSTECH Institute. The neutron generator was bought by the PAEC from Texas A&M Nuclear Science Center
. The facility is capable of producing mono-energetic neutrons at 3.5-14.7MeV
from deuterium-tritium reaction generated by the Fusion power
. This fusion experimental devices has capability to capture the low neutron flux on the order of 105 to 108 neutrons per cm2 per second, resulting in nucleosynthesis by the s-process
(slow-neutron
-capture-process). It is designed and planned to to do fast neutron activation for elements such as oxygen and nitrogen as well as some rare earth isotopes.
Laboratory
A laboratory is a facility that provides controlled conditions in which scientific research, experiments, and measurement may be performed. The title of laboratory is also used for certain other facilities where the processes or equipment used are similar to those in scientific laboratories...
, Nilore
Nilore
Nilore is a townsite-city in the Islamabad Capital Territory of Pakistan, located and established in the district limit of Islamabad. The city is located in the vicinity of Islamabad, and controlled under the Capital Territory Police to ensure the law and justice in the city.Nilore was established...
, Islamabad
Islamabad
Islamabad is the capital of Pakistan and the tenth largest city in the country. Located within the Islamabad Capital Territory , the population of the city has grown from 100,000 in 1951 to 1.7 million in 2011...
, Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
. The PARR Reactor is a graphite-moderated, Gas Cool
Gas Cooled Reactor
A gas-cooled reactor is a nuclear reactor that uses graphite as a neutron moderator and carbon dioxide as coolant...
ed, nuclear reactor
Nuclear reactor
A nuclear reactor is a device to initiate and control a sustained nuclear chain reaction. Most commonly they are used for generating electricity and for the propulsion of ships. Usually heat from nuclear fission is passed to a working fluid , which runs through turbines that power either ship's...
.
It is a type of Very high temperature reactor
Very high temperature reactor
The Very High Temperature Reactor , or High Temperature Gas-cooled Reactor , is a Generation IV reactor concept that uses a graphite-moderated nuclear reactor with a once-through uranium fuel cycle. The VHTR is a type of High Temperature Reactor that can conceptually have an outlet temperature of...
(VHTR), Thermal-neutron reactor and Pool-type reactor. The research reactor
Research reactor
Research reactors are nuclear reactors that serve primarily as a neutron source. They are also called non-power reactors, in contrast to power reactors that are used for electricity production, heat generation, or maritime propulsion.-Purpose:...
s consists of three small nuclear reactors. The first nuclear reactor was supplied and financially constructed by the Government of United States of America
Federal government of the United States
The federal government of the United States is the national government of the constitutional republic of fifty states that is the United States of America. The federal government comprises three distinct branches of government: a legislative, an executive and a judiciary. These branches and...
in the mids of 1960s. The other two reactors are built and supplied by Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission
Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission
The Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission, , is an administrative governmental and autonomous science and technology governmental department of Pakistan, responsible for development of nuclear energy and development of nuclear power sector in Pakistan...
in 1970s and 1980s, respectively. Supervised by the United States and International Atomic Energy Agency
International Atomic Energy Agency
The International Atomic Energy Agency is an international organization that seeks to promote the peaceful use of nuclear energy, and to inhibit its use for any military purpose, including nuclear weapons. The IAEA was established as an autonomous organization on 29 July 1957...
, the first two reactors are subject to IAEA safeguards
IAEA safeguards
International Atomic Energy Association Safeguards is a system of inspection and verification of the peaceful uses of nuclear materials as part of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty , supervised by the International Atomic Energy Agency....
and its inspections.
History of PARR-Reactors
The PARR-I Reactor was supplied by the United States government in 1965 under the Atoms for Peace programAtoms for Peace
"Atoms for Peace" was the title of a speech delivered by U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower to the UN General Assembly in New York City on December 8, 1953....
. The PINSTECH institute was designed by American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
architect
Architect
An architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...
Edward Durrell Stone, when noted Pakistani scientists, dr. Abdus Salam
Abdus Salam
Mohammad Abdus Salam, NI, SPk Mohammad Abdus Salam, NI, SPk Mohammad Abdus Salam, NI, SPk (Urdu: محمد عبد السلام, pronounced , (January 29, 1926– November 21, 1996) was a Pakistani theoretical physicist and Nobel laureate in Physics for his work on the electroweak unification of the...
and dr. Ishrat Hussain Usmani
Ishrat Hussain Usmani
Ishrat Hussain Usmani, , , , best known as Dr. I. H. Usmani, was a Pakistani bureaucrat and an atomic physicist who was the chairman of Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission from 1960 to 1972; as well as the Co-chairman of the Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission...
traveled to United States of America in early 1960s. The first reactor was supplied by the American Machine and Foundry as its contractors, and the first reactor was built by the American nuclear engineer Peter Karter
Peter Karter
Peter Karter was an American nuclear engineer and one of the pioneers of the modern recycling industry. He lived in Old Lyme, Connecticut....
.
In the first stage, reactor building and ancillary facilities were completed with the reactor becoming critical on 21 December 1965. The second stage, consisting of various laboratories, workshop, library and auditorium, became operational in 1974. The facility was last upgraded by PAEC
Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission
The Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission, , is an administrative governmental and autonomous science and technology governmental department of Pakistan, responsible for development of nuclear energy and development of nuclear power sector in Pakistan...
chairman and noted nuclear scientist, Mr. Munir Ahmad Khan
Munir Ahmad Khan
Munir Ahmad Khan , HI, was a Pakistani nuclear engineer and a scientist who served as the Chairman of the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission from 1972 to 1991...
in 1989.
PARR-I Reactor
The PARR-I Reactor was the first reactor that was supplied by American Machine and Foundry. Peter Karter had personally supervised the construction of the reactor. The PARR-I is a swimming pool-type and Materials Test ReactorMaterials Test Reactor
A materials test reactor is a high power research reactor. Examples are located at the Idaho National Laboratory in the United States, the PINSTECH National Laboratory in Pakistan and in Petten in the Netherlands. Another, the Jules Horowitz Reactor is being built at the Cadarache nuclear...
(MTR) type research reactor. Originally based on a design to utilize the Highly Enriched Uranium (HEU) fuel, the HEU fuel utilize the ~93% enriched in 235U
Uranium-235
- References :* .* DOE Fundamentals handbook: Nuclear Physics and Reactor theory , .* A piece of U-235 the size of a grain of rice can produce energy equal to that contained in three tons of coal or fourteen barrels of oil. -External links:* * * one of the earliest articles on U-235 for the...
at a power level of 5 MW. The first reactor went critical on December 21, 1965 under the supervision of Dr. Abdus Salam
Abdus Salam
Mohammad Abdus Salam, NI, SPk Mohammad Abdus Salam, NI, SPk Mohammad Abdus Salam, NI, SPk (Urdu: محمد عبد السلام, pronounced , (January 29, 1926– November 21, 1996) was a Pakistani theoretical physicist and Nobel laureate in Physics for his work on the electroweak unification of the...
, Hafeez Qureshi
Muhammad Hafeez Qureshi
Muhammad Hafeez Qureshi , Neuclear Physics. SI, HI, , also known as Hafeez Qureshi, was a Pakistani Nuclear Scientist...
, Dr. Samar Mubarakmand
Samar Mubarakmand
Samar Mubarakmand , , is a Pakistani nuclear physicist, who served as the founding chairman of National Engineering and Scientific Commission from 2001 till 2007. Samar Mubarak-Mand launched the Missile Integration Programme in 1987 which was successfully completed in 2005...
, Dr. Naeem Ahmad Khan
Naeem Ahmad Khan
Naeem Ahmad Khan , is a Pakistani nuclear physicist and meteorologist, known for his work to the fields of Solid-state nuclear track detector and Solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance...
and Dr. Hameed Ahmad Khan.
The PARR-I Reactor attained its full power
Power (physics)
In physics, power is the rate at which energy is transferred, used, or transformed. For example, the rate at which a light bulb transforms electrical energy into heat and light is measured in watts—the more wattage, the more power, or equivalently the more electrical energy is used per unit...
on June 22, 1966. In PARR-I, it is virtually impossible to adopt secure the fresh supplies of the HEU fuel. However, to ensure the continuity of the nuclear fuel
Nuclear fuel
Nuclear fuel is a material that can be 'consumed' by fission or fusion to derive nuclear energy. Nuclear fuels are the most dense sources of energy available...
, PARR-I was converted to utilize the ~20% Low-Enriched Uranium (LEU) from the 235U in October 1991
The nuclear fuel conversion program was led by the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission
Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission
The Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission, , is an administrative governmental and autonomous science and technology governmental department of Pakistan, responsible for development of nuclear energy and development of nuclear power sector in Pakistan...
(PAEC) chairman Mr. Munir Ahmad Khan
Munir Ahmad Khan
Munir Ahmad Khan , HI, was a Pakistani nuclear engineer and a scientist who served as the Chairman of the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission from 1972 to 1991...
. The PAEC chairman Munir Ahmad Khan also upgraded the reactor's power level from 5 MW to 10 MW.
The program was carried out in order to meet demands of higher
High Flux Isotope Reactor
The High Flux Isotope Reactor is a nuclear research reactor located at Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, United States...
neutron flux
Neutron flux
The neutron flux is a quantity used in reactor physics corresponding to the total length travelled by all neutrons per unit time and volume . The neutron fluence is defined as the neutron flux integrated over a certain time period....
es for experimental research purposes and the isotope
Isotope
Isotopes are variants of atoms of a particular chemical element, which have differing numbers of neutrons. Atoms of a particular element by definition must contain the same number of protons but may have a distinct number of neutrons which differs from atom to atom, without changing the designation...
production. The upgraded reactor was also made available to compensate for the decrease in neutron flux due to higher concentration
Diffusion
Molecular diffusion, often called simply diffusion, is the thermal motion of all particles at temperatures above absolute zero. The rate of this movement is a function of temperature, viscosity of the fluid and the size of the particles...
of 238U
Uranium-238
Uranium-238 is the most common isotope of uranium found in nature. It is not fissile, but is a fertile material: it can capture a slow neutron and after two beta decays become fissile plutonium-239...
in the LEU fuel as compared to the HEU fuel. The reactor was made critical on October 31st, 1991 under the supervision of dr. Ansar Pervaiz
Ansar Pervaiz
Dr. Ansar Pervaiz, also spelled as , Ph.D. HI, is a Pakistani scientist and a nuclear engineer who is the current chairman of the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission , and current chairman of the Board of Governors of International Atomic Energy Agency . Dr...
and dr. Iqbal Hussain Qureshi, and attained power level of 10 MW on May 7, 1992. The core configuration attained its equilibrium configuration in February 1995.
PARR-II Reactor
The PARR-II Reactor is an indigenously designed and constructed reactor owned by the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission. The PARR-II Reactor's design is similar to Miniature neutron source reactorMiniature neutron source reactor
The Chinese built Miniature Neutron Source reactor is a small and compact research reactor copied from a Canadian SLOWPOKE reactor design....
(MNSR) and SLOWPOKE reactor
SLOWPOKE reactor
The SLOWPOKE is a low-energy, pool-type nuclear research reactor designed by Atomic Energy of Canada Limited in the late 1960s. John W. Hilborn is the scientist most closely associated with its design...
. The reactor was indigenously designed by the PAEC
Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission
The Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission, , is an administrative governmental and autonomous science and technology governmental department of Pakistan, responsible for development of nuclear energy and development of nuclear power sector in Pakistan...
as the Atomic Energy Agency
Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission
The Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission, , is an administrative governmental and autonomous science and technology governmental department of Pakistan, responsible for development of nuclear energy and development of nuclear power sector in Pakistan...
's chairman Mr. Munir Ahmad Khan
Munir Ahmad Khan
Munir Ahmad Khan , HI, was a Pakistani nuclear engineer and a scientist who served as the Chairman of the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission from 1972 to 1991...
and his team of engineers and scientists also led the construction of the reactor. The PARR-II Reactor had gone critical and began operating on January 21, 1974. The PARR-II Reactor is a type-in-pool reactor with a rated power of 27-30 Kw
Kw
kw or KW may refer to:* Kuwait, ISO 3166-1 country code** .kw, the country code top level domain for Kuwait* Kilowatt* Self-ionization of water Kw* Cornish language's ISO 639 code* Kitchener–Waterloo, Ontario, Canada...
. Same as the first reactor, the reactor is design to utilize the High Enrich Uranium (HEU) fuel. The HEU fuel utilize the ~90% 235U
Uranium-235
- References :* .* DOE Fundamentals handbook: Nuclear Physics and Reactor theory , .* A piece of U-235 the size of a grain of rice can produce energy equal to that contained in three tons of coal or fourteen barrels of oil. -External links:* * * one of the earliest articles on U-235 for the...
at a power level of 30 kW. The demineralize light water is used as a coolant
Nuclear reactor coolant
A nuclear reactor coolant is a coolant in a nuclear reactor used to remove heat from the nuclear reactor core and transfer it to electrical generators and the environment....
moderator and the reactor core is reflected
Neutron reflector
A neutron reflector is any material that reflects neutrons. This refers to elastic scattering rather than to a specular reflection. The material may be graphite, beryllium, steel, and tungsten carbide, or other materials...
by metallic Be
Beryllium
Beryllium is the chemical element with the symbol Be and atomic number 4. It is a divalent element which occurs naturally only in combination with other elements in minerals. Notable gemstones which contain beryllium include beryl and chrysoberyl...
4.
A PARR-II consists of a core reactor, control rod
Control rod
A control rod is a rod made of chemical elements capable of absorbing many neutrons without fissioning themselves. They are used in nuclear reactors to control the rate of fission of uranium and plutonium...
, and nuclear reflectors, and it is enclosed in a water-tight cylindrical
Cylinder (geometry)
A cylinder is one of the most basic curvilinear geometric shapes, the surface formed by the points at a fixed distance from a given line segment, the axis of the cylinder. The solid enclosed by this surface and by two planes perpendicular to the axis is also called a cylinder...
Al
Aluminium
Aluminium or aluminum is a silvery white member of the boron group of chemical elements. It has the symbol Al, and its atomic number is 13. It is not soluble in water under normal circumstances....
13 alloy
Aluminium alloy
Aluminium alloys are alloys in which aluminium is the predominant metal. The typical alloying elements are copper, magnesium, manganese, silicon and zinc. There are two principal classifications, namely casting alloys and wrought alloys, both of which are further subdivided into the categories...
vessel. The nuclear reactor core is an under-moderated aray with 1H
Hydrogen
Hydrogen is the chemical element with atomic number 1. It is represented by the symbol H. With an average atomic weight of , hydrogen is the lightest and most abundant chemical element, constituting roughly 75% of the Universe's chemical elemental mass. Stars in the main sequence are mainly...
to 235U
Uranium-235
- References :* .* DOE Fundamentals handbook: Nuclear Physics and Reactor theory , .* A piece of U-235 the size of a grain of rice can produce energy equal to that contained in three tons of coal or fourteen barrels of oil. -External links:* * * one of the earliest articles on U-235 for the...
ratio of temperature
Temperature
Temperature is a physical property of matter that quantitatively expresses the common notions of hot and cold. Objects of low temperature are cold, while various degrees of higher temperatures are referred to as warm or hot...
of 20°C and provides a strong Negative temperature coefficient and thermal volume coefficients of reactivity
Void coefficient
In nuclear engineering, the void coefficient is a number that can be used to estimate how much the reactivity of a nuclear reactor changes as voids form in the reactor moderator or coolant...
. The PAEC scientists and engineers also built and constructed the nuclear accelerator on April 9, 1989. The particle accelerator
Particle accelerator
A particle accelerator is a device that uses electromagnetic fields to propel charged particles to high speeds and to contain them in well-defined beams. An ordinary CRT television set is a simple form of accelerator. There are two basic types: electrostatic and oscillating field accelerators.In...
is heavily used to conduct research in nuclear technology.
PARR-III Reactor (New-Labs)
Unlike the PARR-I and PARR-II, the third reactor is not subject to IAEA inspections. The third reacor is completely different from its parent reactors. The third PARR-III Reactor, a plutoniumPlutonium
Plutonium is a transuranic radioactive chemical element with the chemical symbol Pu and atomic number 94. It is an actinide metal of silvery-gray appearance that tarnishes when exposed to air, forming a dull coating when oxidized. The element normally exhibits six allotropes and four oxidation...
-weapons-grade
Weapons-grade
A weapons-grade substance is one that is pure enough to be used to make a weapon or has properties that make it suitable for weapons use. Weapons-grade plutonium and uranium are the most common examples, but it may also be used to refer to chemical and biological weapons...
fuel and plutonium
Plutonium
Plutonium is a transuranic radioactive chemical element with the chemical symbol Pu and atomic number 94. It is an actinide metal of silvery-gray appearance that tarnishes when exposed to air, forming a dull coating when oxidized. The element normally exhibits six allotropes and four oxidation...
reprocessing
Nuclear reprocessing
Nuclear reprocessing technology was developed to chemically separate and recover fissionable plutonium from irradiated nuclear fuel. Reprocessing serves multiple purposes, whose relative importance has changed over time. Originally reprocessing was used solely to extract plutonium for producing...
reactor, known as "New Labs". The New Labs which is previously known as PARR-III-Reactor, is a pilot
Pilot plant
A pilot plant is a small chemical processing system which is operated to generate information about the behavior of the system for use in design of larger facilities....
94Pu
Plutonium
Plutonium is a transuranic radioactive chemical element with the chemical symbol Pu and atomic number 94. It is an actinide metal of silvery-gray appearance that tarnishes when exposed to air, forming a dull coating when oxidized. The element normally exhibits six allotropes and four oxidation...
reprocessing
Nuclear reprocessing
Nuclear reprocessing technology was developed to chemically separate and recover fissionable plutonium from irradiated nuclear fuel. Reprocessing serves multiple purposes, whose relative importance has changed over time. Originally reprocessing was used solely to extract plutonium for producing...
reactor
Reactor
Reactor can mean:* Bioreactor, any device or system that supports a biologically active environment.* Chemical reactor, a device for containing and controlling a chemical reaction* Nuclear reactor, a device for containing and controlling a nuclear reaction...
, has a capability to utilize the ~7% 239Pu
Plutonium-239
Plutonium-239 is an isotope of plutonium. Plutonium-239 is the primary fissile isotope used for the production of nuclear weapons, although uranium-235 has also been used and is currently the secondary isotope. Plutonium-239 is also one of the three main isotopes demonstrated usable as fuel in...
and has the capability to handle the isotopes
Isotopes of krypton
There are 33 known isotopes of krypton from 69 to 101. Naturally occurring krypton is made of six stable isotopes, two of which may be slightly radioactive. Its spectral signature can be produced with some very sharp lines. 81Kr, the product of atmospheric reactions is produced with the other...
and utilize the 86Kr emissions
Emission spectrum
The emission spectrum of a chemical element or chemical compound is the spectrum of frequencies of electromagnetic radiation emitted by the element's atoms or the compound's molecules when they are returned to a lower energy state....
and radiation
Radiation
In physics, radiation is a process in which energetic particles or energetic waves travel through a medium or space. There are two distinct types of radiation; ionizing and non-ionizing...
. A reprocessing reactor for the plutonium fuel to utilize <~7% 239Pu
Plutonium-239
Plutonium-239 is an isotope of plutonium. Plutonium-239 is the primary fissile isotope used for the production of nuclear weapons, although uranium-235 has also been used and is currently the secondary isotope. Plutonium-239 is also one of the three main isotopes demonstrated usable as fuel in...
weapons grade fuel into a much heavier but <~7% weapon-grade 240Pu
Plutonium-240
Plutonium-240 is an isotope of the metal plutonium formed when plutonium-239 captures a neutron. About 62% to 73% of the time when Pu-239 captures a neutron it undergoes fission; the rest of the time it forms Pu-240. The longer a nuclear fuel element remains in a nuclear reactor the greater the...
weapons grade fuel. Much of the information about the third reactor is not fully known, however, New Labs were designed and constructed indigenously by the Munir Ahmad Khan and Hafeez Qureshi as its project-managers. The construction of the facility was led by Army Engineering Core and the Pakistan Army Corps of Electrical and Mechanical Engineering.
In 1960s, the British Nuclear Fuels
BNFL
British Nuclear Fuels Limited was a nuclear energy and fuels company owned by the UK Government. It was a former manufacturer and transporter of nuclear fuel , ran reactors, generated and sold electricity, reprocessed and managed spent fuel , and decommissioned nuclear plants and other similar...
contracted the project with Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission, and the French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
's Saint-Gobain Techniques Nouvelles (SGN). The PAEC engineers and scientists led the initial designing for a large-scale reprocessing plant, one with a capacity of 100 tons of fuel per year. While the BNFL and SGN provided funds, technical assistance, and nuclear fuel. However, after the India's Operation Smiling Buddha, a nuclear test, both British and French consumer companies immediately canceled the project with PAEC. The scientists and engineers re-designed the reprocessing plant, this time completely different from first design. According to its scientists, the project was highly ambitious and larger than the original plan.
The nuclear technology was indigenous, and scientists, under Munir Ahmad Khan, developed the ingenious capability for the plant. The reactor was completed in 1981 and it went critical the same year. The New Labs came into limelight when Pakistan had secretly tested its plutonium weapon-based nuclear device in Kirana Hills. On May 30, 1990, the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission
Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission
The Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission, , is an administrative governmental and autonomous science and technology governmental department of Pakistan, responsible for development of nuclear energy and development of nuclear power sector in Pakistan...
's scientists, under renowned nuclear
Nuclear physics
Nuclear physics is the field of physics that studies the building blocks and interactions of atomic nuclei. The most commonly known applications of nuclear physics are nuclear power generation and nuclear weapons technology, but the research has provided application in many fields, including those...
physicist
Physicist
A physicist is a scientist who studies or practices physics. Physicists study a wide range of physical phenomena in many branches of physics spanning all length scales: from sub-atomic particles of which all ordinary matter is made to the behavior of the material Universe as a whole...
dr. Samar Mubarakmand
Samar Mubarakmand
Samar Mubarakmand , , is a Pakistani nuclear physicist, who served as the founding chairman of National Engineering and Scientific Commission from 2001 till 2007. Samar Mubarak-Mand launched the Missile Integration Programme in 1987 which was successfully completed in 2005...
, had tested the one or more miniature Plutonium devices that was successfully reprocessed by the Pakistani scientists into weapon-grade at the New Labs, PINSTECH. The test yield
Nuclear weapon yield
The explosive yield of a nuclear weapon is the amount of energy discharged when a nuclear weapon is detonated, expressed usually in the equivalent mass of trinitrotoluene , either in kilotons or megatons , but sometimes also in terajoules...
of a nuclear devices was reported to be 12-40 Kt.
Charged Particle Accelerator
In early of 1983, Pakistani nuclear physicist dr. Samar Mubarakmand developed and established a neutronNeutron generator
Neutron generators are neutron source devices which contain compact linear accelerators and that produce neutrons by fusing isotopes of hydrogen together. The fusion reactions take place in these devices by accelerating either deuterium, tritium, or a mixture of these two isotopes into a metal...
particle
Particle accelerator
A particle accelerator is a device that uses electromagnetic fields to propel charged particles to high speeds and to contain them in well-defined beams. An ordinary CRT television set is a simple form of accelerator. There are two basic types: electrostatic and oscillating field accelerators.In...
and nuclear accelerator to conduct the research of explosions of nuclear
Nuclear physics
Nuclear physics is the field of physics that studies the building blocks and interactions of atomic nuclei. The most commonly known applications of nuclear physics are nuclear power generation and nuclear weapons technology, but the research has provided application in many fields, including those...
elements
Chemical element
A chemical element is a pure chemical substance consisting of one type of atom distinguished by its atomic number, which is the number of protons in its nucleus. Familiar examples of elements include carbon, oxygen, aluminum, iron, copper, gold, mercury, and lead.As of November 2011, 118 elements...
and isotopes in a nuclear device. Known as a Charged Particle Accelerator (CPA), the nuclear accelerator is a 250 keV
Kev
Kev can refer to:*Kev Hawkins, a fictional character.*Kevin, a given name occasionally shortened to "Kev".*Kiloelectronvolt, a unit of energy who symbol is "KeV".* Krefelder Eislauf-VereinKEV can refer to:...
Ion accelerator which can deliver all Gaseous ions such as +H
Hydron (chemistry)
In chemistry, a hydron is the general name for a cationic form of atomic hydrogen : most commonly a "proton". However, hydron includes cations of hydrogen regardless of their isotopic composition: thus it refers collectively to protons , deuterons , and tritons...
, +N
Nitrogen
Nitrogen is a chemical element that has the symbol N, atomic number of 7 and atomic mass 14.00674 u. Elemental nitrogen is a colorless, odorless, tasteless, and mostly inert diatomic gas at standard conditions, constituting 78.08% by volume of Earth's atmosphere...
, +O
Oxygen
Oxygen is the element with atomic number 8 and represented by the symbol O. Its name derives from the Greek roots ὀξύς and -γενής , because at the time of naming, it was mistakenly thought that all acids required oxygen in their composition...
, +He
Helium
Helium is the chemical element with atomic number 2 and an atomic weight of 4.002602, which is represented by the symbol He. It is a colorless, odorless, tasteless, non-toxic, inert, monatomic gas that heads the noble gas group in the periodic table...
, +Ne
Neon
Neon is the chemical element that has the symbol Ne and an atomic number of 10. Although a very common element in the universe, it is rare on Earth. A colorless, inert noble gas under standard conditions, neon gives a distinct reddish-orange glow when used in either low-voltage neon glow lamps or...
, +Ar
Argon
Argon is a chemical element represented by the symbol Ar. Argon has atomic number 18 and is the third element in group 18 of the periodic table . Argon is the third most common gas in the Earth's atmosphere, at 0.93%, making it more common than carbon dioxide...
, +Kr
Krypton
Krypton is a chemical element with the symbol Kr and atomic number 36. It is a member of Group 18 and Period 4 elements. A colorless, odorless, tasteless noble gas, krypton occurs in trace amounts in the atmosphere, is isolated by fractionally distilling liquified air, and is often used with other...
, +Xe
Xenon
Xenon is a chemical element with the symbol Xe and atomic number 54. The element name is pronounced or . A colorless, heavy, odorless noble gas, xenon occurs in the Earth's atmosphere in trace amounts...
or molecular ions. The accelerator's energy range is highly flexible and ions between 50 to 250 keV can be delivered to a target of dimensions ranging from few mm to many cm
CM
- Places :* Cameroon, which has the ISO and FIPS country code "CM"** .cm, the country code top-level domain for Cameroon* Chelmsford, which has the British post code "CM"- Science :* Centimetre a unit of length equal to one hundredth of a metre...
.
The particle facility is designed to implantation of 42+Mo
Molybdenum
Molybdenum , is a Group 6 chemical element with the symbol Mo and atomic number 42. The name is from Neo-Latin Molybdaenum, from Ancient Greek , meaning lead, itself proposed as a loanword from Anatolian Luvian and Lydian languages, since its ores were confused with lead ores...
,51+Sn
Tin
Tin is a chemical element with the symbol Sn and atomic number 50. It is a main group metal in group 14 of the periodic table. Tin shows chemical similarity to both neighboring group 14 elements, germanium and lead and has two possible oxidation states, +2 and the slightly more stable +4...
, and46+Pb
Palladium
Palladium is a chemical element with the chemical symbol Pd and an atomic number of 46. It is a rare and lustrous silvery-white metal discovered in 1803 by William Hyde Wollaston. He named it after the asteroid Pallas, which was itself named after the epithet of the Greek goddess Athena, acquired...
ions into steel
Steel
Steel is an alloy that consists mostly of iron and has a carbon content between 0.2% and 2.1% by weight, depending on the grade. Carbon is the most common alloying material for iron, but various other alloying elements are used, such as manganese, chromium, vanadium, and tungsten...
, friction can be reduced by up to ~50%. During the process of ion implanatation, the oxidation is inhibited by suitable ions such as 5+B
Boron
Boron is the chemical element with atomic number 5 and the chemical symbol B. Boron is a metalloid. Because boron is not produced by stellar nucleosynthesis, it is a low-abundance element in both the solar system and the Earth's crust. However, boron is concentrated on Earth by the...
,20+Ca
Calcium
Calcium is the chemical element with the symbol Ca and atomic number 20. It has an atomic mass of 40.078 amu. Calcium is a soft gray alkaline earth metal, and is the fifth-most-abundant element by mass in the Earth's crust...
into metals. The PINSTECH accelerator can be used by mutual arrangement between PINSTECH and industry or any other organizations.
Fast-Neutron Generator
In 1961, the United States Government led the establishment of ICFInertial confinement fusion
Inertial confinement fusion is a process where nuclear fusion reactions are initiated by heating and compressing a fuel target, typically in the form of a pellet that most often contains a mixture of deuterium and tritium....
-based Fusion power experimental source near at Nilore, before the establishment of PINSTECH Institute. The neutron generator was bought by the PAEC from Texas A&M Nuclear Science Center
Texas A&M Nuclear Science Center
Texas A&M University Triga Mark I ReactorThermal Power1 MWTypePoolConstructionJanuary 1, 1959First CriticalityJanuary 1, 1962Initial CostUS$1.5 millionAnnual CostUS$0.9 millionTechnical Aspects...
. The facility is capable of producing mono-energetic neutrons at 3.5-14.7MeV
Electronvolt
In physics, the electron volt is a unit of energy equal to approximately joule . By definition, it is equal to the amount of kinetic energy gained by a single unbound electron when it accelerates through an electric potential difference of one volt...
from deuterium-tritium reaction generated by the Fusion power
Fusion power
Fusion power is the power generated by nuclear fusion processes. In fusion reactions two light atomic nuclei fuse together to form a heavier nucleus . In doing so they release a comparatively large amount of energy arising from the binding energy due to the strong nuclear force which is manifested...
. This fusion experimental devices has capability to capture the low neutron flux on the order of 105 to 108 neutrons per cm2 per second, resulting in nucleosynthesis by the s-process
S-process
The S-process or slow-neutron-capture-process is a nucleosynthesis process that occurs at relatively low neutron density and intermediate temperature conditions in stars. Under these conditions the rate of neutron capture by atomic nuclei is slow relative to the rate of radioactive beta-minus decay...
(slow-neutron
Neutron temperature
The neutron detection temperature, also called the neutron energy, indicates a free neutron's kinetic energy, usually given in electron volts. The term temperature is used, since hot, thermal and cold neutrons are moderated in a medium with a certain temperature. The neutron energy distribution is...
-capture-process). It is designed and planned to to do fast neutron activation for elements such as oxygen and nitrogen as well as some rare earth isotopes.