Soreq Nuclear Research Center

According to the website of the Soreq Nuclear Research Center (SNRC), the research center serves numerous purposes. Research at Soreq focuses on introduction and incorporation of radiation-based techniques for practical use, such as developing equipment for nuclear medicine and radio-pharmaceutics and testing and developing methods to detect contraband and security-threat materials. ¹

Soreq has several divisions: ElectroOptics, Non-Destructive Testing, a National Radiation Safety Center, the Israel Research Reactor-1 (IRR-1), the Space Environment Group, and Radiopharmaceuticals

The facility has a 10 MeV proton cyclotron accelerator in addition to its research reactor. Soreq is in the process of constructing a new research facility called the Soreq Applied Research Accelerator Facility (SARAF), which will house a proton deuteron RF superconducting linear accelerator. This project is expected to be completed by 2023. ²

According to a declassified Pentagon study, “nuclear weapons design and fabrication“ reportedly takes place at the Soreq Nuclear Research Center. ³

The Israeli Research Reactor-1 (IRR-1) is a 5MW U.S. supplied pool-type light water reactor. ⁴ According to the Soreq website, the reactor’s uses include “research and training in nuclear engineering, neutron radiography and diffraction, activation analysis and changing colors of semi-precious and precious stones.” ⁵ The facility is under IAEA safeguards. ⁶

The U.S. government donated the IRR-1 to Israel under President Eisenhower’s Atoms for Peace Program. ⁷ On 12 July 1955, the United States and Israel signed a general agreement for peaceful nuclear cooperation, which included the provision of a small research reactor. ⁸ Construction on the IRR-1 began in January 1958 and the reactor reached criticality in June 1960. The reactor is light water cooled and moderated with a light water reflector. It is operated six hours per day, two days per week and forty weeks per year by a small staff of 16 (including six operators). ⁹ The IRR-1 is fueled by 93% HEU, originally provided by the United States. ¹⁰ Due to its small size, the reactor cannot produce significant quantities of plutonium. ¹¹

Open source details regarding the SNRC’s proton accelerator are limited, but the proliferation implications of this facility are low. According to R. Scott Kemp in his article “Nuclear Proliferation with Particle Accelerators,” conventional cyclotrons with energy below 25 MeV do not have the ability to penetrate uranium nuclei and are not capable of low-yield spallation, which produces the neutron beams necessary for a nuclear chain reaction. ¹²

Soreq purchased its proton/deuteron RF superconducting linear accelerator from Accel Instruments GmbH of Germany. Soreq will construct the facility in two phases and expects that it will be completed by 2023. Phase II of the construction will begin after completing experiments in accelerating protons and deuterons up to approximately 5 MeV at beam currents of 0.04 – 2 mA. Phase II involves the design and construction of additional components of the accelerator, and will accelerate protons and deuterons up to 40 MeV. The SARAF website has more technical information on the construction phases of the accelerator. ¹³ Soreq envisions the following applications for the accelerator: “basic research in nuclear sciences, medical and biological research, neutron-based non-destructive testing, and development and production of radiopharmaceuticals.” ¹⁴