New Section of Iran’s Arak Heavy Water Reactor Comes on Stream
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – The secondary circuit of Iran’s Arak heavy water reactor became operational on Monday.
The Atomic Energy Organization of Iran on Monday carried out the first stage of installation of new equipment in the Arak heavy water reactor, including the secondary circuit and the reactor’s shield.
The event was attended by AEOI chief, Ali Akbar Salehi.
Of the 52 systems of the heavy water reactor, 20 have been completed, 18 others are being designed and manufactured, and contracts have been signed to develop the remaining ones, the Iranian nuclear chief said.
The heavy water reactor of Arak includes two circuits. The primary circuit extracts heat from the reactor and transfers it in the heat exchanger to the fluid in the secondary circuit which transmits energy to the utilization points.
According to the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), Iran is entitled to “redesign and rebuild a modernized heavy water research reactor in Arak, based on an agreed conceptual design, using fuel enriched up to 3.67 %, in a form of an international partnership which will certify the final design.”
In November 2015, the document on redesigning the heavy water reactor was signed by all parties to the JCPOA.
Iran and the Group 5+1 (Russia, China, the US, Britain, France and Germany) reached a conclusion on the JCPOA in July 2015 and started to implement it in January 2016.
In May 2018, the US withdrew from the nuclear deal but the remaining parties have sought to preserve it.
