Ali Akbar Salehi, head of the Iranian Atomic Energy Organization, declared recently that his country plans to produce 190 thousand “separation unit” (SWU), within the next ten months.
Salehi said in an interview with Iranian state television that the Natanz nuclear center will be equipped with centrifuges to achieve self-sufficiency in nuclear fuel production. He pointed out that his country seeks to produce 8 GW kilowatts of nuclear energy in the medium term and aims to produce 20 GW in the long term.
Iranian leader Ali Khamenei has indicated that a new process has been introduced in the deal to start working for 190 thousand SWU (uranium separation unit) production at a time when the fate of the nuclear deal is being discussed. He added that it would not be possible to expect them to remain committed to the nuclear deal while economic sanctions continue.
Khamenei said that while he was instructed to start working on the production of 190,000 SWUs in the framework of the nuclear deal, Iranian Atomic Energy Agency President Ali Ekber Salehi announced that he had 400 tons of “yellow cake” and that he would start production of UF4 and UF6 and to install new centrifuges.
Professor Beril Tuğrul, from the Nuclear Research Department of the Istanbul Technical University said that the instruction to produce 190 thousand SWUs means that the centrifuge system will be strengthened.
Dr.Tuğrul stated that there are different stages to obtain enriched uranium, “Enrichment is not just enrichment, it is isotope enrichment.” The material with high fission capability is uranium 235. U-235 needs to be increased. uranium needs to be converted into gas.
UF4 is an intermediate compound, from which UF6 is obtained. The yellow cake is the first step after the ore, followed by a step known as uranium (trioxide) or orange oxide, where UF4, which is called the green salt, is obtained. The UF6 (Uranium hexafluoride) gas required to carry out the enrichment of the fluorine gas In this way, uranium becomes a gas suitable for spinning in the centrifuge, thus forming a rich material of uranium 235. ”
When uranium 235 component from UF6 is enriched at 2.5-4.5 percent levels, it can be sued for electricity generation in nuclear power plants.
