The Uranium Conversion Facility in Islamabad is a

uranium Uranium is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol, symbol U and atomic number 92. It is a silvery-grey metal in the actinide series of the periodic table. A uranium atom has 92 protons and 92 electrons, of which 6 are valence electrons. Ura ...

conversion site in

Islamabad Islamabad (; , ; ) is the capital city of Pakistan. It is the country's tenth-most populous city with a population of over 1.1 million and is federally administered by the Pakistani government as part of the Islamabad Capital Territory. Bu ...

, Pakistan. The plant is owned by the

Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC) () is a federally funded independent governmental agency, concerned with research and development of nuclear power, promotion of nuclear science, energy conservation and the peaceful use of nuclear techn ...

and has a nominal capacity of producing

uranium hexafluoride Uranium hexafluoride, sometimes called hex, is the inorganic compound with the formula . Uranium hexafluoride is a volatile, white solid that is used in enriching uranium for nuclear reactors and nuclear weapons. Preparation Uranium dioxide is co ...

(UF₆). Despite its existence being known since 1990 following investigations by the United States government, there are no official reports of its operations by the

Government of Pakistan The Government of Pakistan () (abbreviated as GoP), constitutionally known as the Federal Government, commonly known as the Centre, is the national authority of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, a federal republic located in South Asia, con ...

and about the technical data of the facility.

Overview

Believed to be built between 1974–76, the Uranium Conversion Facility is the only uranium hexafluoride conversion facility in Pakistan. The facility is known for its many names such as POF Uranium Conversion Facility by

Federation of American Scientists The Federation of American Scientists (FAS) is an American nonprofit global policy think tank with the stated intent of using science and scientific analysis to attempt to make the world more secure. FAS was founded in 1945 by a group of scient ...

(FAS) and other sources. The plant feeds U₃O₈

yellowcake Yellowcake (also called urania) is a type of powdered uranium concentrate obtained from leach solutions, in an intermediate step in the processing of uranium ores. It is a step in the processing of uranium after it has been mined but before ...

received from local uranium mines and produces uranium hexafluoride gas for enrichment at one of the primary enrichment sites around the Pakistan. After being enriched, product is fabricated into

nuclear fuel Nuclear fuel refers to any substance, typically fissile material, which is used by nuclear power stations or other atomic nucleus, nuclear devices to generate energy. Oxide fuel For fission reactors, the fuel (typically based on uranium) is ...

used for generating electricity at a

nuclear power plant A nuclear power plant (NPP), also known as a nuclear power station (NPS), nuclear generating station (NGS) or atomic power station (APS) is a thermal power station in which the heat source is a nuclear reactor. As is typical of thermal power st ...

. For such purposes, the facility employs unique vacuum technology, which was imported from

East Germany East Germany, officially known as the German Democratic Republic (GDR), was a country in Central Europe from Foundation of East Germany, its formation on 7 October 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with West Germany (FRG) on ...

(possibly via

Leybold GmbH Leybold GmbH, based in Cologne, is part of the Swedish industry group Atlas Copco. The company's core competencies are based on the development of components and systems for the generation of vacuum and gas management engineering. History In 1 ...

), to process by which it converts powdered yellowcake into

uranium tetrafluoride Uranium tetrafluoride is the inorganic compound with the formula UF4. It is a green solid with an insignificant vapor pressure and low solubility in water. Uranium in its tetravalent ( uranous) state is important in various technological process ...

(UF₄) to

uranium trioxide Uranium trioxide (UO3), also called uranyl oxide, uranium(VI) oxide, and uranic oxide, is the hexavalent oxide of uranium. The solid may be obtained by heating uranyl nitrate to 400 °C. Its most commonly encountered polymorph is amorphous ...

(UO₃), and

uranium dioxide Uranium dioxide or uranium(IV) oxide (), also known as urania or uranous oxide, is an oxide of uranium, and is a black, radioactive, crystalline powder that naturally occurs in the mineral uraninite. It is used in nuclear fuel rods in nuclear reac ...

(urania) to convert to uranium hexafluoride (UF₆) gas. Despite operating in secrecy, the uranium conversion facility was identified by the United States'

Export Administration Regulations The Export Administration Regulations (EAR) are a set of United States export guidelines and prohibitions. They are administered by the Bureau of Industry and Security, which regulates the export restrictions of sensitive goods. The EAR apply ...

(EAR) for export controls in 1999.

References

External links

Pakistan Ordnance Factories (POF) Uranium Conversion Facility
{{coord missing, Punjab, Pakistan Nuclear power stations in Pakistan Uranium Conversion Nuclear technology in Pakistan East Germany–Pakistan relations Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission