The United States Government has agreed to provide Israel with four tons of heavy water for use in a research project at the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology in Haifa.
This is the first time the United States has agreed to supply heavy water to Israel. It is to be provided pursuant to an agreement for civil, peaceful uses of atomic energy between the United States and Israel. Periodic safeguard inspections will be conducted to assure that it will not be diverted by Israel to non-peaceful uses.
The department of nuclear science at the Technion, in collaboration with the Israel Atomic Energy Committee, is in process of establishing a nuclear science center on the new Technion campus to broaden programs in nuclear engineering research and instruction, including graduate work.
The laboratory will have a small reactor, pulsed neutron generator, reactor physics laboratory, associated nuclear instrumentation, and related facilities. The laboratory will house as a principal item a natural uranium exponential experiment for lattice. It is termed a “Heavy Water-Uranium Oxide (D29-U02) Lattice Research Project.” The heavy water will be used in this experiment.
The United States Atomic Energy Commission decided to fulfill Israel’s request after the Department of State was consulted, and raised no objection. It was noted here that the new project is not connected with the Israeli nuclear activities at Dimona, in the Negev.
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