Nuclear Proliferation TechnologyTrends Analysis - International ...

PNNL -14480
China and Russia are collaborating on design and engineering for advanced centrifuges.
China has made substantial progress in indigenous development of centrifuges using
composite carbon fiber 40 .
This is a good example of a minimum time to develop an enrichment facility. It
essentially took three years to get the facility into operation, including constructing the
buildings and installing the centrifuges. This particular facility was co-located with an
older gaseous diffusion plant, so UF 6 handling facilities already existed there and did not
need to be developed.
3.2.3.8 United States
The United States had an early centrifuge research program, first enriching uranium at the
University of Virginia in 1941. Approximately 1.2g of 4% enriched uranium was
produced in this initial attempt. This first centrifuge, known as a “Beams”-type
centrifuge after its inventor, had a length of 3.35 meters.
For a variety of reasons, development of centrifuge enrichment in the United States
stopped until 1958, when information about work in the Soviet Union became available.
In 1965, a demonstration centrifuge (SET I) was built, followed by SET II in 1967, and
SET III in 1969. While a pilot plant was built in 1978 to demonstrate the technology, the
centrifuge program was canceled in 1985 in favor of concentrating on laser enrichment
technology (AVLIS).
The United States had a different centrifuge design philosophy than Urenco. Urenco
designed for many small machines with very low failure rates, with no maintenance,
while the United States went for fewer, far bigger machines and planned to repair them.
It was reported that individual machine throughput was 300 swu/yr 41 . United States
centrifuges were 50 cm in diameter, 15 meters long 42 . Compare this to the 5 cm diameter,
50 to 100 cm long machines being developed in other countries at the same time. High
failure rates and what was thought to be a more promising technology halted U.S.
centrifuges 43 development.
3.2.3.9 Iraq
Like Pakistan, Iraq planned to develop centrifuge enrichment technology through
surreptious acquisition. It is reported 44 that Iraq attempted to develop centrifuge
technology based on Urenco G1/G2 technology. This program was to be made possible
through acquisition of equipment, plans, and models from France, Germany, Switzerland,
Liechtenstein, 45 and Pakistan 46 .
40 Nuclear Fuel, Vol. 24, No 10: pg 11, Mark Hibbs, 5/17/1999
41 Fuel Issues, Plans for an Enriched Future, Dennis Spurgeon, Nuclear Engineering International, pg 44, 3/31/2002
42 In the beginning was uranium….., Dan Charles, New Scientist; Vol.136; No 1844; pg 30, 10/24/1992
43 Uranium Enrichment: why the U.S. is turning to lasers, David Fishlock, Financial Times (London) Section I; Technology; pg 6,
9/16/1985
44 Iraqi Evidence Points to Unknown Enrichment Mentor, Mark Hibbs, Nucleonics Week, Vol.32, No 34; pg 7, 8/22/1991
45 The trail of secrets that gave Saddam deadly power, The Sunday Times, 12/16/1990
46 Special Report: How Saddam got the bomb, Mednews - Middle East Defense News; Proliferation; Vol. 5, No. 1, 10/14/1991
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