Strategic deterrence After the
costly war with India in 1971, the re-purposing of the Pinstech Laboratory was difficult since it was never intended to be a weapons laboratory. Initially, the plutonium pit production at Pinstech was quite difficult together with its tiny research reactor that could never be a source of weapons-grade plutonium. In spite of its short-comings, the investigations and classified studies on understanding the equation of state on plutonium was started the physicists at the Pinstech laboratory in 1972. The Pinstech laboratory became a main research and development laboratory when it initiated its ingenious program for the production of
plutonium oxide (plutonia) and
uranium oxide (Urania) in 1973. The Pinstech laboratory was also a learning center for gaining expertise in nuclear fuel cycle which it provided training to other facilities after learning the very basic knowledge from the European industries prior to 1969. At the Pinstech laboratory, a pilot plant (New Labs) was built for reprocessing spent reactor fuel into plutonium pit production. Besides its fundamental and basic programs on physical sciences, the laboratory provided a ground for the Pakistani scientists to design and engineer weapon designs, with many feared that
India was rapidly
developing a nuclear bomb. As
Nilore became restricted site, the research efforts were directed towards working on understanding and producing first the
reactor-grade plutonium and eventually to
military-grade plutonium from the spent fuel rods by undergoing a chemical process, "
reprocessing". The design work had carried out on 20 different laboratories at the lab, and it was its New Labs facility of the lab that was able to produce the first batch of the weapon grade plutonium of 239
Pu by 1983. This weapon-grade plutonium was the source material that was carried on a
nuclear test conducted at the
Ras Koh Range on 30 May 1998.
Nuclear fuel cycle The scientists at the Pinstech laboratory initiated the studies on understanding the ingenious
nuclear fuel cycle in spite of having basic familiarity. In 1973, the lab conducted several studies on understanding the properties of uranium oxide, eventually producing the first fuel bundle in 1976 that was shipped to the
Karachi Nuclear Power Plant to keep its grid operations running. The Pinstech also took initiatives in learning and understanding the chemistry of
uranium hexafluoride, which the technology was transferred to the
Islamabad Uranium Conversion Facility in 1974. In addition, the understanding of UF6 eventually led in producing the
Zircaloys, which it was also produced at the lab first; and later having it transfer the technology to the
Kundian Nuclear Fuel Complex in 1980. As of today, PINSTECH has been shifted to peacetime research in medicine, biology, materials and physics. Its Molybdenum-42 facility was used to
medical radioisotopes for treating cancer. Scientists from Nuclear Institute for Agriculture and Biology (NIAB) and Nuclear Institute for Food and Agriculture (NIFA) had been using the PINSTECH facilities to conduct advanced research in both medical and food sciences.
Plutonium research Since its repurposing in 1972, the Pinstech laboratory conducts research into understanding the equation of state of plutonium, its
phase diagrams, and its
properties. In 1987, the Pinstech developed a technology by fabricating a Chromium kF39 and developed an innovative technique, "
in-stu leaching", which allowed the extraction of actinides from the uranium ore without the need for conventional milling. The computer scientists at the Pinstech Laboratory had built a supercomputer based on the vintage IBM computer architecture that allowed the physicists at the Pinstech to model the behavior of plutonium without the actual nuclear testing. Research work on plutonium is conducted at its special-purpose facility, the New Laboratories, where the weapon-grade nuclear explosives are designed and manufactured. Much of the work on plutonium is, however, is subjected to classified information. The Centralized Analysis Facility (CAF) has been utilized chemistry on plutonium and other areas of actinides sciences are studied and conducts experiments at the Central Diagnostic Laboratory (CDL); both of labs are the most potent facilities in Pakistan. Besides its national security mission, the lab promotes applications of radiation and isotope technology in various scientific and technological disciplines to support the nation. It is also working on important non-nuclear fields, which are crucial for the development of science and technology in the country. In 2020, expansion work was started at Pinstech lab to help its "ability to produce isotopes for medical use, especially for preparation of radiopharmaceuticals for cancer patients while also helping the country in its aspirations in other applications of peaceful use of nuclear technology." ==Nuclear reactors==