A New Cascade is Operating at Natanz Enrichment Facility.

 

Tehran, February 09, 2010 (Hamsayeh.Net) - Iranian nuclear technicians have officially started 20 percent nuclear enrichment process early this morning at the country main enrichment plant in Natanz.

 

Ali Akbar Salehi, The Head of the Atomic Energy Organization said the country needs 120 kg of close to 20 percent enriched uranium for use at Tehran’s sole medical reactor. The operation began in the presence of the International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors at the site.

 

The 5 megawatts research reactor is located in Tehran and produces at least 20 types of radioisotopes for cancer patients, MRI centres and other medical centres across the country. The process of enrichment involves separating minuscule amounts of U235 from the heavier U238 in supersonic machines called centrifuges attached in various cascade formations. According to Salehi, a new set of cascade called S-8, which is still on a lab scale, has been devoted to the task.

 

He reaffirmed Tehran’s readiness to halt the process as soon as it receives the required fuel from abroad.

 

Iran’s enrichment installations are designed to produce low enriched uranium for use in large nuclear power plants and processing of small-scale fuel enrichment for Tehran’s medical reactor is considered uneconomical. But, due to West’s repeated failures to supply the required fuel, the Iranian nuclear officials have decided to start the process before waiting too long for a positive response from the main producers of this type of fuel from abroad.