1. What is Iran doing with this nuclear business?

2. What kind of damage do different size nuclear weapons produce? The reason I would like to answer this question is because most people don't know the power of a nuclear bomb. Could a bomb blow up the west coast or just a few building?

The first thing you need to do if you are going into the nuclear business is to be able to make the fuel for the nuclear power plant or nuclear bomb. 

How to make the fuel for nuclear reactors and nuclear bombs?

We know the fuel for firecrackers is gun powder and nitroglycerin is the fuel for dynamite but enriched uranium is the fuel for most nuclear bombs.

To make enriched uranium first mine uranium ore and crush the ore and process it into a yellowish colored powder called "yellow cake". It is believed that Iran has yellow cake processing fully established in Saghand and Gachin, near its uranium mine facilities. Uranium in this form is 99.3% uranium 238 and 0.7% uranium 235.

Next you need to "enrich" the yellow cake so it has a higher content of uranium 235. Fuel for nuclear reactors (peaceful electricity production) requires about 5% uranium 235. Fuel for nuclear bombs requires over 80% uranium 235. This enrichment process requires large buildings filled with very specialized equipment and supplied with lots of electricity (enough electricity to run a small city) for months and months.

The final step is to take the enriched uranium, remove the fluoride, and turn it into nuclear fuel.

How good you are at enriching is measured by a term called Separative Work Units (SWU). Iran's Natanz plant has a SWU of 2. A commercial design developed by the European firm URENCO is reported to be about 40, and the US latest deign is 300 or more.

Once you have enough fuel for a bomb, you need to build a nuclear type of bomb which is very different from a conventional bomb and is difficult to build.

Iran has been actively pursuing a uranium fuel cycle technology since the 1950s and believe it or not, the US was helping them for over 20 years. Iran has mastered almost all of the steps and is in the process of producing fuel at the industrial level.

http://www.payvand.com/news/07/may/1329.html

So what is the power of different sized nuclear bombs?

Nuclear bombs are measured in kilotons or megatons. A kiloton nuclear bomb has the equivalent power of a conventional bomb with 1000 tons of explosives (TNT). A megaton nuclear bomb has the equivalent power of a conventional bomb with a million tons of explosives (TNT).

Smaller nuclear bombs are 10-30 kiloton bombs. The Hiroshima bomb was approximately 15 kilotons and required 140 pounds of 80% enriched uranium. The Nagasaki bomb was approximately 21 kilotons. The North Korean recently detonated a weapon of this size. Between 1951 and 1992, 1021 nuclear detonations took place at the Nevada Test Site - one hundred explosions were in the atmosphere and 921 were underground. Priscilla was detonated on June 24, 1957 above ground at the Nevada Test Site. It produced a yield of 37 kilotons. One bomb was detonated ever 3 weeks for 12 years within 65 miles of Las Vegas. The Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce issued a calendar for tourists, listing the scheduled times of the bomb detonations and the best places to view them. The Sky Room at the Desert Inn, offering a panoramic view of the Nevada horizon, was a favorite watch spot of tourists, as was nearby Mount Charleston. Many tourists packed "atomic box lunches" and had picnics as close to ground zero as the government restrictions would allow. On the eve of detonations, many Las Vegas businesses held "Dawn Bomb Parties." Beginning at midnight, guests would drink and sing until the flash of the bomb lit up the night sky.

One of the first bombs Iran could make would be of this type.

Effects of a 10 Kiloton bomb exploded 1,980 ft above the ground

Within half a mile everything is vaporized by the atomic blast. 98% fatalities. Air pressure increases by 25 psi. Wind velocity is 320 mph.

Within 1 mile all structures above ground are destroyed. 90% fatalities. Air pressure increases by17 psi. Wind velocity is 290 mph.

Within 1.75 miles factories and other large-scale building collapse. Severe damage to highway bridges. Rivers sometimes flow countercurrent. 65% fatalities, 30% injured. Air pressure increases by 9 psi. Wind velocity is 260 mph.

Within 2.5 miles everything flammable burns. People in the area suffocate due to the fact that most available oxygen is consumed by the fires. 50% fatalities, 45% injured. Air pressure increases by 6 psi. Wind velocity is 140 mph.

Within 3 miles residency structures are severely damaged. People are blown around. 2nd and 3rd-degree burns suffered by most survivors. 15% fatalities. 50% injured. Air pressure increases by 3 psi. Wind velocity is 98 mph.

Larger bombs are 10-50 megaton bombs. Many of the existing nuclear weapons in the hands of the world leaders are multi megaton bombs. USA has 10300, Russia has 16000, China has 410, France has 350, UK has 200, Israel has 100, India has 90 and Pakistan has 85, North Korea has less than 10.

Effects of a 20 megaton bomb exploded 17,500 ft above the ground.

Within 8.75 miles everything is vaporized by the atomic blast. 98% fatalities. Air pressure increases by 25 psi. Wind velocity is320 mph.

Within 14 miles all structures above ground are destroyed. 90% fatalities. Air pressure increases by17 psi. Wind velocity is 290 mph.

Within 27 miles factories and other large-scale building collapse. Severe damage to highway bridges. Rivers sometimes flow countercurrent. 65% fatalities, 30% injured. Air pressure increases by 9 psi. Wind velocity is 260 mph.

Within 31 miles everything flammable burns. People in the area suffocate due to the fact that most available oxygen is consumed by the fires. 50% fatalities, 45% injured. Air pressure increases by 6 psi. Wind velocity is 140 mph.

Within 35 miles residency structures are severely damaged. People are blown around. 2nd and 3rd-degree burns suffered by most survivors. 15% fatalities. 50% injured. Air pressure increases by 3 psi. Wind velocity is 98 mph.

http://www.subgenius.com/updates/X0002_How_to_build_an_ATOM.html

Mark Fitzpatrick, senior fellow for nonproliferation at the International Institute for Strategic Studies in London, says if Iran were to stockpile sufficient low enriched uranium they would be able to produce 25 kg of weapons grade uranium for production of a single bomb by the end of 2009. 

Senior American officials told reporters in September 2009 that a second enrichment facility was under construction near Qom. This facility enriches much faster and could produce enough weapons-grade uranium for a bomb or two a year.

http://www.cfr.org/publication/16811/

Nuclear Fallout

Fallout is the radioactive particles that fall to earth as a result of a nuclear explosion. Much of this material falls directly back down close to ground zero within several minutes after the explosion, but some travels high into the atmosphere. Fallout is defined as one of two types: early fallout, within the first 24 hours after an explosion, or delayed fallout, which occurs days or years later.

Most of the radiation hazard from nuclear bursts is generally confined to the locality downwind of the weapon burst point. Human damage can happen 100s of miles downwind of the blast. The primary effect of fallout on humans is different forms of cancer that effect the body within weeks or sometimes years.

Some fallout is sent high in the atmosphere and travels around the world.

Final Thought

Present nuclear weapons (20 megaton) could do damage 1000 times greater than nuclear bombs dropped in WW2 (20 kiloton). It is bad enough to have these weapons in the hands of "stable" governments but to have these weapons in the hands of countries willing to support suicide mentality offense should be unacceptable to us and most of the rest of the world. There are times when negotiation is not the correct strategy because of the possible grave  consequences.

http://www.atomicarchive.com/Effects/effects17.shtml

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