Tehran, Aug 23, IRNA
Iran launched a production line of natural and enriched UO2 (uranium dioxide) at the Uranium Conversion Facility (UCF) of Isfahan on Saturday.
The event was celebrated in a ceremony held with the presence of Head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) Ali Akbar Salehi and his deputies.
UO2, also known as urania, is a radioactive, crystalline powder that naturally occurs in the mineral uraninite, used in fuel rods in nuclear reactors.
The Uranium Conversion Facility (UCF) at Esfahan contains process lines to convert yellowcake into uranium oxide and uranium hexafluoride. It began operations in June 2006.
According to information provided to the IAEA, Iran carried out most of its experiments in uranium conversion between 1981 and 1993 at the Tehran Nuclear Research Center (TNRC) and at other facilities at Esfahan.
Iran has reached a point in nuclear science where the countrys achievements could be used more effectively and on a large scale for civlian purposes.
© IRNA 2014
