Using the Graphite Isotope Ratio Method to Verify the DPRK's Plutonium-Production Declaration

Abstract

The graphite isotope ratio method can give an accurate estimate of the total plutonium production in a graphite-moderated reactor without detailed information on the reactor's operating history. Transmutation of trace impurities in the graphite is directly related to the cumulative plutonium production in the nuclear fuel. This study explains how the total amount of plutonium produced in the five megawatt electric graphite reactor at Yongbyon could be estimated using the Graphite Isotope Ratio Method (GIRM) technique once a number of strategically located samples from the graphite moderator are available.

Acknowledgments

The author would like to thank Alexander Glaser and Zia Mian at Princeton University for their very useful comments.