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Name: Institute for Technology of Mineral Raw Materials
Other Names: Institute for Technology of Nuclear and Other Raw Materials
Location: Directorate for Nuclear Raw Materials, Belgrade
Subordinate to: Formerly under Federal Nuclear Energy Commission; current authority is unclear, most likely the Ministry of Energy and Mines
Size: Extensive facilities and laboratories spread all over the country
Primary Function: Raw material utilization to support the nuclear industry
Description: The Institute was established in 1955 to produce nuclear related fuels and equipment from domestic raw materials. During this time, much of the Institute's mandate was to investigate new technologies and determine how they might be applied to support Yugoslavia's nuclear program. Among its past achievements, the Institute participated in the design and construction of a semi-industrial plant at Kalna; designed and constructed a pilot plant Gabrovnica, and separated uranium from granite ore from the surrounding area; and successfully separated uranium from various media and locations. The institute also directed activities to refine uranium concentrate, processed uranium concentrate into metal and vacuum metallurgy, and it introduced new methods of uranium analysis.[1] Lastly, the Institute has tested various methods for recovery uranium from wet-process phosphoric acid.[2] The current status of the Institute is unknown.
Name: Kalna Uranium Mine
Other Names: Location: Kalna, on Mt. Stara Planina
Subordinate to: Federal Nuclear Energy Commission
Primary Function: Uranium mining
Description: Kalna was the first uranium mine established in Yugoslavia. In 1963, the Nuclear Energy Commission began operating the mine and mill. Between 1964-1966, the staff at Kalna extracted and produced an estimated 900 kilograms of UO2 and 400 kg of uranium metal.[3] The Kalna ore was of poor quality, containing very low uranium content, which required higher-cost mining and refining methods [4]
Name: Kalna Uranium Milling Pilot Plant
Other Names:
Location: Kalna, on Mt. Stara Planina
Subordiate to: Federal Nuclear Energy Commission
Size: Semi-Industrial PlantPrimary Function: Ore processing and uranium extraction
Description: The semi-industrial plant at Kalna was constructed to separate ore extracted from Mt. Stara Planina. In 1960, it was operating with a capacity to process between 23 to 50 tons of ore per day. During the 1960s, the plant conducted "large-scale" uranium ore processing experiments to become familiar with the technologies and processes, and to obtain necessary information to design industrial scale facilities. In particular, the plant investigated alkaline leaching and filtration methods to obtain a 70% UO2 end product. In the general vicinity of the plant are facilities for semi-industrial research into precipitation of uranium from solution through hydrogen reduction.[5] The current status of these facilities and the pilot plant are unknown, however they are presumed to be shut-down.
Name: Institute for Geological and Mining Investigation and Exploration of Nuclear and Other Raw Materials
Location: Belgrade
Subordinate to: formerly under the Directorate for Nuclear Raw Materials; current authority is unclear, most likely it is the Ministry of Energy and Mines
Size: Numerous outposts/projects
Primary Function: Prospecting
Description: From its inception, this institute was responsible for uranium exploration in Yugoslavia.[6] It was probably folded into the Nuclear Raw Minerals Survey when that organization was established in 1955. Its present status is unknown.
Name: Nuclear Raw Materials Survey
Other Names: Establishment for the geologic and mining exploration
Location: Belgrade
Subordinate to: formerly under the Federal Nuclear Energy Commission; current authority is unclear, most likely it is the Ministry of Energy and Mines
Size: Multiple offices and outposts
Primary Function: Prospecting, mining, milling research and training
Description: In 1955, the Raw Materials Survey was established. Its primary activities included training scientific and technical staff in the fields of radiometric prospecting with Geiger-Muller and scintillation counters, prospecting with car-borne instruments, aerial gama-prospecting and other methodologies.[7]
Name: Pilot Uranium Ore Purification Plant Gabrovnica
Other Names:
Location: Gabrovnica
Subordinate to: formerly under the Directorate for Nuclear Raw Materials; current authority is unclear, most likely it is the Ministry of Energy and Mines
Size: Pilot Plant
Primary Function: Uranium ore processing
Description: Constructed to process uranium ore extracted at Gabrovnica.[8] Open sources have not reported on the status of this facility.
Name: Uranium Recovery Plant
Other Names:
Location: Institute for Technology of Mineral Raw Materials
Subordinate to: Directorate for Nuclear Raw Materials
Size: Pilot Scale
Primary Function: Recover uranium from phosphoric acid
Description: In 1981, this plant was involved with experiments to recover uranium from phosphoric acid produced at the Zorka Chemical Industry plant in Sabac. Successes are hard to discern but, by the late 1980s, activity at this plant had declined. Its status is unknown but assumed to be halted.[9] We need to explain why and who thinks that the facility is halted.
[1] Slobodan Nakicenovic, Nuclear Energy in Yugoslavia, (Beograde: Export Press, 1961), pp. 88, 89
[2] Andrew Koch, "Yugoslavia's Nuclear Legacy: Should We Worry?" The Nonproliferation Review, Spring/Summer 1997, <http://cns.miis.edu/pubs/npr/vol04/43/koch43.pdf>.
[3] Andrew Koch, "Yugoslavia's Nuclear Legacy: Should We Worry?" The Nonproliferation Review, Spring/Summer 1997, <http://cns.miis.edu/pubs/npr/vol04/43/koch43.pdf>.
[4] James P. Nichol and Gordon L. McDaniel, "Yugoslavia," in Nuclear Power in Developing Countries, James Everett Katz and Onkar S. Marwah (eds.), (Lexington: D.C. Heath and Company, 1982), p. 354
[5] Slobodan Nakicenovic, Nuclear Energy in Yugoslavia, (Beograde: Export Press, 1961), pp. 88, 89.
[6] Andrew Koch, "Yugoslavia's Nuclear Legacy: Should We Worry?" The Nonproliferation Review, Spring/Summer 1997, <http://cns.miis.edu/pubs/npr/vol04/43/koch43.pdf>.
[7] Slobodan Nakicenovic, Nuclear Energy in Yugoslavia, (Beograde: Export Press, 1961), pp. 76, 77.
[8] Slobodan Nakicenovic, Nuclear Energy in Yugoslavia, (Beograde: Export Press, 1961), p. 88.
[9] Andrew Koch, "Yugoslavia's Nuclear Legacy: Should We Worry?" The Nonproliferation Review, Spring/Summer 1997, <http://cns.miis.edu/pubs/npr/vol04/43/koch43.pdf>; A. M. Spasic, N. N. Djokovic, M. D. Babic, et al., "Performance of demulsions: entrainment problems in solvent extraction," Chemical Engineering Science, Vol. 52, No. 5, p. 657, 1997.
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Updated June 2004 |
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