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Uranium enrichment and Nuclear Weapon Proliferation

Auteur	Krass, P.Boskma, B.Elzen, W.Smit, SIPRI
	6-03-0-50-08.pdf
Datum	1983
Classificatie	6.03.0.50/08 (PROLIFERATIE - VERRIJKING/OPWERKING/KWEEKreactoren)
Voorkant

Uranium Enrichment and Nuclear Weapon Proliferation

Allan S. Krass
Peter Boskma
Boelie Elzen
Wim A. Smit

Stockholm International Peace Research Institute
1983

Preface
In the years following World War II, when gaseous diffusion was the only
practical means of enriching uranium, the potential contribution of
uranium enrichment to weapon proliferation seemed small. It was assumed
that gaseous diffusion plants were so technically complex and costly that
only the most wealthy, industrialized countries could afford them. The
potential for the diversion of plutonium to weapon use seemed far more
dangerous and received far more attention from people concerned about
weapon proliferation.
However, during the past 20 years there has been a steadily
accelerating technological advance across the broad spectrum of enrichment
technology. These developments have made the enrichment route to
proliferation more accessible to smaller, poorer and less technically
advanced countries. This has in no way reduced the danger associated with
plutonium, but has instead added a new set of dangers and problems for
those who would attempt to stop and reverse the spread of nuclear
weapons.
This book presents a comprehensive review of the state of the art of
enrichment technology and attempts to evaluate the impact of this
technology on the proliferation problem. It places the technical development
into ihe context of the economic and institutional environment within
which the enrichment industry has evolved to its present state, and it
suggests some measures which might be taken to reduce the proliferation
dangers inherent in this industry.
Part of this book was prepared in Sweden and part in the Netherlands.
The total work was co-ordinated at SIPRI in Stockholm by Allan Krass,
who is Professor of Physics and Science Policy at Hampshire College
(Amherst, Massachusetts, USA). Dr Peter Boskma holds the chair of
Philosophy of Science and Technology and Dr Wim A. Smit is Director of
'de Boerderij' Centre for Studies on Problems of Science and Society, both
at Twente University of Technology (Enschede, the Netherlands). Mr
Boelie Elzen is a research fellow at 'de Boerderij' Centre and holds a
university degree in electrotechnical engineering. Special gratitude is
extended to Mr Gerard W.M. Tiemessen, who is also a research fellow at
'de Boerderij' Centre, and who has made substantial contributions to parts
of this book; he holds a university degree in physical engineering.