07-17-2008, 08:10 PM
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Re: View: Little to fault in IAEA agreement
by Sanjay Baxi on Jul 11, 2008 10:15 AM Permalink | Hide replies
The eight fast breeder reactors which are outside the safeguard, can in principle supply the plutonium for the weapon program, but by doing so those fast breeder reactors will be unviable. The remaining all the power plants which will come under IAEA safeguard will not be able to provide plutonium to the weapon program. Thus this aggrement will practically bring an end to the weaponisation program. I can imagine two possibilities, one, there must be a closed-door agreement between India and US, that US will give future protection against China, something like Japan, second India has already achieved enough Nuclear warheads, as a credible deterence, or may be a mixture of both. However, the fact still remains India officially is still a non-nuclear country.
RE:Re: View: Little to fault in IAEA agreement
by Sanjay Baxi on Jul 11, 2008 11:01 AM Permalink
Yes if you want to harvest plutonium for warheads, you have to take the fuel out the of the reactor very frequently, which reduces the efficiency of the reactor. Since the fast breeder reactors are still under development it should run undisturbed for a long time, may be continuously for four to five years. If it is disturbed frequently, then the developmental program will hinder, and it will be delayed for many decades. But before, since India has many conventinal reactors, and they were not under anyone's surveillance, it was possible to harvest plutonium. The scheduling might have been done in such a way that not all of them are running simultaneously and some of them are under maintainance. Such information are available in plenty in the internet.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
by Sanjay Baxi on Jul 11, 2008 10:15 AM Permalink | Hide replies
The eight fast breeder reactors which are outside the safeguard, can in principle supply the plutonium for the weapon program, but by doing so those fast breeder reactors will be unviable. The remaining all the power plants which will come under IAEA safeguard will not be able to provide plutonium to the weapon program. Thus this aggrement will practically bring an end to the weaponisation program. I can imagine two possibilities, one, there must be a closed-door agreement between India and US, that US will give future protection against China, something like Japan, second India has already achieved enough Nuclear warheads, as a credible deterence, or may be a mixture of both. However, the fact still remains India officially is still a non-nuclear country.
RE:Re: View: Little to fault in IAEA agreement
by Sanjay Baxi on Jul 11, 2008 11:01 AM Permalink
Yes if you want to harvest plutonium for warheads, you have to take the fuel out the of the reactor very frequently, which reduces the efficiency of the reactor. Since the fast breeder reactors are still under development it should run undisturbed for a long time, may be continuously for four to five years. If it is disturbed frequently, then the developmental program will hinder, and it will be delayed for many decades. But before, since India has many conventinal reactors, and they were not under anyone's surveillance, it was possible to harvest plutonium. The scheduling might have been done in such a way that not all of them are running simultaneously and some of them are under maintainance. Such information are available in plenty in the internet.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->