1. Could this
link from Wikipedia refer to the "straight through Graphite moderated reactor supplied by China to Pakistan" indicated by BK in his article? However nothing has been said in the article to indicate proliferation by China into Pakistan.
The Pakistan Atomic Research Reactor or (PARR), are the three nuclear and experimental neutron research reactors located in the PINSTECH Laboratory, Nilore, Islamabad, Pakistan. The PARR Reactor is a graphite-moderated, Gas Cooled, nuclear reactor.
It is a type of Very high temperature reactor (VHTR), Thermal-neutron reactor and Pool-type reactor. The research reactors 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.
Contents
• 1 History of PARR-Reactors
• 2 PARR-I Reactor
• 3 PARR-II Reactor
• 4 PARR-III Reactor (New-Labs)
• 5 Charged Particle Accelerator
• 6 References
• 7 External links
. . .
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 plutonium-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 . . .
. . .
I must admit that the info quoted above about PARR III goes completely over my head. What is a "Plutonium reprocessing reactor" ? in the article, the words "Pu", "reprocessing" and "reactor" are linked to other articles in Wikipedia (all of them different from each other), none of them explaining the words "
Plutonium reprocessing reactor" taken together.
Is it that PARR III New Labs comprises of both a graphite moderated reactor for Pu production and an adjoining reprocessing plant? If so, what are the specifications / description of the graphite moderated reactor? Also, the article claims that New Labs were designed and constructed indigenously, and does not acknowledge any foreign collaboration. Definitely I seem to be missing some thing here.
This [url=Labshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pakistan_and_weapons_of_mass_destruction#Plutonium_infrastructure]link[/url] is slightly more clear in that it says "Plutonium separation takes place at the New Labs Reprocessing Plant" (which I take to be PARR III, from the previous link.)
Plutonium separation takes place at the New Labs Reprocessing Plant, which was completed by 1981 by PAEC and is next to the Pakistan Institute of Nuclear Science and Technology (PINSTECH) near Islamabad, which is not subject to IAEA inspections and safeguards.
2. This is a
link for an article on Pakistan's Pu production capacity
Pakistan has been increasing its plutonium production capacity over the last decade. A second heavy-water reactor at Khushab is believed to be complete, while construction of a third plant is moving at a faster pace than its predecessor. Islamabad might be ramping up its separation capacity in order to manage the increase in spent fuel rods from these new reactors. the institute said.
I believe all the Pu production reactors at Khushab are heavy-water reactors, none graphite moderated.