How will limited' US nuclear tests avoid any explosions?

"I think the tests we're talking about right now are system tests, Wright said on the Fox News show The Sunday Briefing. These are not nuclear explosions. These are what we call noncritical explosions. Wright explained that for now, only the components of nuclear weapons will be tested to ensure they work properly and can trigger a nuclear explosion. He said these tests will be conducted on new systems to ensure that replacement nuclear weapons are improvements on earlier models."

"With our science and our computation power, we can simulate incredibly accurately exactly what will happen in a nuclear explosion, Wright said. Now, we simulate what were the conditions that delivered that and, as we change bomb designs, what will they deliver. According to the website of the Washington, DC-based nonpartisan organisation Arms Control Association, several nonnuclear explosive techniques can be used for nuclear weapon development, monitoring and maintenance. These can also include subcritical experiments, which use plutonium but avoid nuclear chain reactions."

"In this context, noncritical' nuclear tests involve testing of nuclear weapons delivery systems or components but not the detonation of a nuclear warhead, Georgia Cole, a research analyst at the International Security Programme at Chatham House, told Al Jazeera. Noncritical tests typically take place in laboratories or testing facilities, often using advanced computer simulations to assess the safety and reliability of nuclear warheads without detonation."

Accusations emerged that Russia, China and Pakistan have tested nuclear weapons. Planned US tests will be noncritical and will not involve nuclear detonations for now. The tests are system-level checks of components rather than full warhead explosions, intended to verify component functionality and ensure replacement designs improve on earlier models. Advanced scientific computation and simulations are being used to replicate nuclear explosion conditions and predict effects of design changes. Nonnuclear explosive techniques and subcritical experiments using plutonium without achieving chain reactions can support development, monitoring and maintenance. Noncritical tests typically occur in laboratories or testing facilities using simulations to assess safety and reliability.

Read at www.aljazeera.com