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Russia: Seversk (Tomsk-7)
Seversk Overview The closed city of Seversk, formerly Tomsk-7, is the location of the Siberian Chemical Combine (SKhK). Construction of SKhK was begun in 1949 and the facility officially opened in 1954. Seversk and its related nuclear facilities are located about 15km north-west of the city of Tomsk. The population of Seversk is approximately 119,000 people, approximately 15,000 are employed at SKhK. [1] "Informatsiya o ZATO Seversk," ZATO Seversk website. [2] "Struktura SKhK," Siberian Chemical Combine website. HOMEPAGE: http://www.seversknet.ru/. {Updated 05/14/08 AL} LOCATION: Seversk, formerly Tomsk-7, Tomsk Oblast Address: 1 ulitsa Kurchatova, Seversk 636000
Rosatom, Nuclear Fuel Cycle Department STRUCTURE:
SKhK was established in 1949, and began producing highly enriched uranium (HEU) for the Soviet nuclear weapons program in 1953.[1,2] The first plutonium production reactor began operating in 1955 and has since produced an estimated 64MT of plutonium.[2] SKhK produced a substantial part of the Soviet plutonium stockpile in its production reactor complex, and it houses both uranium enrichment and plutonium reprocessing facilities.[3] Plutonium pits, HEU pits, and plutonium-HEU composite pits for nuclear warheads were produced at the plant.[4] According to Minatom plans, from 2003 SKhK should no longer be involved in fissile material component production.[10,11] Large quantities of fissile material and radioactive waste in a variety of forms are stored at SKhK.[5] SKhK produces uranium hexafluoride enriched up to 5% U-235 for use in commercial reactors. In November 2000, SKhK enriched 400t of natural uranium from Priargunskiy Mining and Chemical Association. According to the SKhK management, the Combine has the capacity to process 1500t of natural uranium from Priargunskiy per year.[13] Metal uranium with enrichment levels from 1% to 20% U-235 is produced and exported for use in research reactors.[9] SKhK exports natural uranium hexafluoride, enriched metallic uranium, hydrogen fluoride, stable isotopes, lithium salts, and high-energy magnets.[14] The export of enriched uranium hexafluoride continues to be the basic source of income for SKhK. The volume of all exports produced by SKhK increased from 1993-2001 by a factor of 10. Two contracts signed in 2001 with the South Korean firm KNHP to supply uranium hexafluoride to nuclear power plants in South Korea contributed to this growth.[12] Export production comprised 42% of SKhK activities in 2000, and 47.4% in 2001.[13,14] SKhK products are exported to 21 countries, including the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Finland, Belgium, Sweden, and Chile.[12] An inspection in 2001 of SKhK by specialists from the French firm
Framatome
showed that the quality management system at the combine meets Russian
standards and approaches international standards. SKhK anticipates that its
quality management system will be certified in accordance with international
standards under ISO 9001 in the second half of 2002.[12] Sources:
[1] "The Nuclear Weapons Complexes:
Meeting the Conversion Challenge. A Proposal for Expanded Action," proposal
by the Russian-American Nuclear Security Advisory Council, http://www.princeton.edu/,
September 1997, p. 8.
FISSILE MATERIAL:
The Siberian Chemical Combine (SKhK) participates in the US Department of Energy MPC&A program. Upgrades at SKhK have focused on both physical protection measures and material, control and accounting of fissile materials. Cooperation between DOE and SKhK began with a site visit by DOE personnel and delivery of the first set of portal monitors in the fall of 1995.[1] In the early stages of the program, DOE provided and installed pedestrian portal monitors and metal detectors at all 27 access points of the six main SKhK facilities.[2] The Reactor Plant site was given the highest priority for MPC&A upgrades by SKhK. Other areas within the SKhK complex that will receive MPC&A upgrades are the Radiochemical Plant and the Reactor Plant. According to officials from DOE and SKhK, the autonomous nature of the major facilities at SKhK presents the challenge of creating a consistent, site-wide approach to MPC&A upgrades.[3] For a detailed description of the MPC&A work performed at SKhK in 1997-1998, please see DOE's December 1997 document, United States/ Former Soviet Union Program of Cooperation on Nuclear Material Protection, Control, and Accounting: Partnership for Nuclear Security and DOE's September 1998 document, United States/ Former Soviet Union Program of Cooperation on Nuclear Material Protection, Control, and Accounting: Partnership for Nuclear Security. Sources:
[1] "US/Russian Cooperative Efforts to
Enhance Nuclear Material Protection, Control, and Accounting (MPC&A) at
the Siberian Chemical Combine in Seversk (Tomsk-7)," US Department of
Energy website, http://www.nn.doe.gov/mpca/.../rdef/re007.htm.
SKhK is one of the largest weapons-grade plutonium production enterprises in the world. It has produced as much as 70t of weapons-grade plutonium.[1] The reactor plant houses five plutonium-production reactors (three shut down, two operational). The Ivan-1 reactor began production on 20 November 1955; its sole purpose was the production of plutonium. Later reactors--Ivan-2 (September 1958), ADE-3 (14 July 1961), ADE-4 (1965), and ADE-5 (1968)--were dual use reactors that produced both plutonium and heat and electricity for local communities. The Ivan-1 and Ivan-2 reactors were shut down in 1990 and the ADE-3 reactor was shut down in 1992.[2] ADE-4 was shut down in April 2008 and ADE-5 followed in June of that same year, effectively ending weapons-grade plutonium production at Seversk. The reactors were light-water cooled/graphite-moderated, with a capacity of 2,500 MWt, and were fueled by natural uranium.[3,4] From 1989-1991, automatic emergency response systems were installed in the Tomsk reactors to prevent accidents.[5] According to the US-Russian 1994 Agreement Concerning the Shutdown of Plutonium Production Reactors and the Cessation of Use of Newly Produced Plutonium for Nuclear Weapons, the ADE-4 and ADE-5 reactors were scheduled for shut down by the year 2000; however, Russia and the US developed a new agreement to convert the reactor cores instead of shutting down the reactors in order to continue providing electricity and heat.[6] The heat that the two reactors provide for Seversk and nearby Tomsk accounted for 50% and 30-35% of the two cities' needs for thermal power, respectively.[10] In 2000 Russia insisted that these reactors be replaced by a fossil fuel plant rather than have their cores converted, due to economic and technical considerations. The US Congress prohibited funding the construction of fossil fuel plants in Russia under the Cooperative Threat Reduction program.[9] (For more information on the reactor shutdown process, please see the Plutonium Production and Reactor Core Conversion Developments section of the database.) Because of the inevitability of shutdown of the reactors once they reach the end of their service lives, SKhK had developed a "Plan on Nuclear Power Development in Tomsk-7," which provided a two-phased energy replacement plan that included the construction of a VK-300 district heating plant and a high temperature gas-cooled reactor to run on MOX fuel.[7] Since 1995, SKhK specialists have been working with General Atomics (United States), Framatome (France), and Fuji Electric (Japan) on the design of this Gas Turbine-Modular Helium Reactor and its fuel. General Atomics describes its version of the GT-MHR, which uses a helium coolant, has a graphite core structure, and uses refractory-coated particle fuel, as "ultra-safe" and "meltdown-proof."[8] (Please see the SKhK Developments and the Plutonium Production General Developments files for more information.) Sources: [1] Alexander Bolsunovskiy and Valeriy Menshchikov, "Nuclear Security Is Inadequate and Outdated," Moskovskiye novosti, 12/9-15/94, p. 14, in "Security Lacking At Nuclear Weapons Depots," FBIS-SOV-95-006-S, 1/10/95. [2] Thomas B. Cochran, Robert S. Norris, and Oleg A. Bukharin, Making The Russian Bomb: From Stalin to Yeltsin (Boulder: Westview Press, 1995), p. 138. [3] "Russian Plutonium May be Moved To Centralized Site at Ozersk," Nucleonics Week, 4 January 1996, p. 9. [4] "Excerpt from 'Summary of Near-Term Options for Russian Plutonium-Production Reactors'," Science & Global Security, Vol. 5, 1994, pp. 47-62. [5] Alexander M. Dmitriev, "Converting Russian Plutonium-Production Reactors to Civilian Use," Science & Global Security, Vol. 5, 1994, pp. 37-46. [6] "U.S./Russian Joint Commission on Economic and Technological Cooperation Report of the Energy Policy Committee - Nuclear," February 1997, http://www.eia.doe.gov/gorec/newdrft.html. [7] "The Nuclear Weapons Complexes: Meeting the Conversion Challenge. A Proposal for Expanded Action," proposal by the Russian-American Nuclear Security Advisory Council, http://www.princeton.edu/.../detailedcomplex.html, September 1997, p. 8. {Updated 3/31/99 TR}{Revised 4/1/99 LBN} [8]"The Gas Turbine-Modular Helium Reactor," General Atomics web site, http://www.ga.com/gtmhr.html. [9] "U.S., Russia Agree To Coal-Fired Plant Option For Seversk Pu Reactor," Post-Soviet Nuclear & Defense Monitor, 13 November 2000, p. 14-15. [10] Siberian Chemical Combine Web Site, http://shk.tsk.ru {Revised 4/12/2001ES}
Historically, SKhK produced HEU for weapons manufacture.[2] Currently, the SKhK Isotope Separation Plant (alternatively called the Enrichment Plant) has an annual enrichment capacity of about three million SWU,[1] accounting for 14% of Russia's enrichment capacity. Gas centrifuges are used for enrichment, with the UF6 feed produced at the on-site Conversion Plant. Currently, the Isotope Separation Plant is licensed to produce LEU at enrichment levels of up to 5%.[2] Uranium pellets, used as fuel for nuclear power plants in Russia and other countries, are the main product of the SKhK.[3] The plant is also involved in downblending HEU into LEU under the US-Russia HEU Deal. In addition to enriched uranium, the plant also produces stable isotopes.[4] In 2001, the Isotope Separation Plant was operating at 100% capacity.[5] Sources:
[1] "World Nuclear Industry Handbook
1995," Nuclear Engineering International, pp. 122-123.
The Radiochemical Plant became operational in 1961. The plant reprocesses irradiated fuel from plutonium production reactors to extract uranium and plutonium.[5] When Mayak Production Association stopped processing plutonium from the Mayak production reactor, the material was sent to SKhK; this activity probably stopped in 1990, when Mayak's last remaining production reactor was shut down.[1] The plant's main product is purified uranium ore for the Conversion Plant. Plutonium generated through reprocessing is not suitable for weapons use and is stored in a specially created storage facility.[5] On 6 April 1993, a tank at the separation plant exploded, sending radionuclides beyond SKhK's grounds. This accident was rated 3 on the INES scale.[2,3] The plant was shut down for several months.[1] Once the last two operational plutonium production reactors at SKhK, used to produce electricity, are converted, this reprocessing facility will be shut down.[4] Sources: [1] Thomas B. Cochran, Robert S. Norris, and Oleg A. Bukharin,
Making
The Russian Bomb: From Stalin to Yeltsin (Boulder: Westview Press,
1995), p. 141.
The Conversion Plant was built in 1954. The main products of the plant are uranium oxide (UO2) and uranium hexafluoride (UF6). Both natural uranium and uranium reprocessed at the Radiochemical Plant are used in the oxidation and fluorination processes. The plant is involved in the fluorination of HEU from the Chemical Metallurgical Plant at SKhK and from PO Mayak. UF6 then is sent to the Isotope Separation Plant and to the Urals Electrochemical Plant for downblending into LEU.[Siberian Chemical Combine Web Site, http://shk.tsk.ru.] {Entered 5/2/2001 ES}
The plant became operational in 1961. The Chemical Metallurgical Plant at SKhK is involved in the manufacture, re-fabrication, and dismantlement of HEU and plutonium pits for nuclear warheads.[1,2] As of April 2001, SKhK no longer manufactures new fissile material components for nuclear weapons.[3] By 2004, it will cease all operations with warhead components.[4] The plant has extraction and sorbtion technology for processing uranium and plutonium from aged fissile material warhead components. It also purifies the processed uranium and plutonium. Highly-enriched weapons-grade uranium is processed and converted into U3O8 which is then sent to Conversion Plant for conversion into uranium hexafluoride and further mixing with low-enriched uranium at the Isotope Separation Plant. The plant also produces magnets, magnetic alloys, and metallic powders.[2] Sources: [1] Thomas B. Cochran, Robert S. Norris, and Oleg A. Bukharin,
Making
The Russian Bomb: From Stalin to Yeltsin (Boulder: Westview Press,
1995), p. 141.{Entered 10/6/98 CEM}
The Scientific Research and Design Institute has testing equipment to support research and development at the SKhK. The Institute is involved in researching and developing technology for downblending HEU into LEU; upgrading the main production lines for the Combine, and improving security of fissile material throughout the complex. The Institute's experimental assemblies produce small quantities of ultradispersed powders of various metal oxides; non-organic fluorides, including from lithium-type elements; and substances for stable isotope separation.[ Siberian Chemical Combine Web Site, http://shk.tsk.ru.] {Entered 5/3/2001 ES}
SKhK stores plutonium metal, highly enriched uranium, UO2, UF6, and items made of uranium metal with varying degrees of enrichment. According to Yadernyy Kontrol, 23,000 containers of fissile materials were brought to SKhK from other facilities until April 1992, after which no other deliveries were made due to the absence of suitable storage space. [1] Along with Mayak Production Association, SKhK is the principal storage site for HEU and plutonium recovered from dismantled weapons.[2] Sources:
[1] Valeriy Menshchikov, "Vokrug situatsii
s khraneniyem plutoniya i obogashchennogo urana v Tomske-7," Yadernyy
Kontrol, February 1995, pp. 2-5.
Until the 1960s, radioactive waste was dumped into the Tom River. Since then, roughly 38 million cubic meters of radioactive waste (about half the total amount of waste at SKhK) have been pumped into underground geologic formations within the Combine's territory. The depth of these formations ranges from 200 to 450 m below the surface.[1] Despite SKhK's possession of a license, granted according to the law "On Deep Geological Formations" ("O nedrakh"), the Combine did not have official permission from Gosatomnadzor to pump radioactive waste into underground geologic formations until July 2001.[2,3] There are also a number of open storage facilities, which a 1995 Security Council commission recommended be covered. In 1995, the total amount of radioactive waste was estimated to be 1 billion Ci.[1] Sources: [1] Valeriy Menshchikov, "Vokrug situatsii
s khraneniem plutoniya i obogashchennogo urana v Tomske-7," Yadernyy
Kontrol, February 1995, pp. 2-5.
Page last updated June 2008. Comments or questions? Contact Anya Loukianova at MIIS CNS. 
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