EXTRANCHECK: POST-SHIPMENT VERIFICATION: INSTITUTE FOR

UNCLAS NEW DELHI 002743

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

USDOC FOR 532/HPC/L. HINES/L. LAUCIUS/JAY HATFIELD
USDOC FOR 3131/USFCS/OIO/ANESA/KREISSL
USDOC FOR 4530/MAC/ANESA/OSA
ICE HQ FOR STRATEGIC INVESTIGATIONS
STATE FOR EB/ESP

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: ETTC ETRD BEXP IN
SUBJECT: EXTRANCHECK: POST-SHIPMENT VERIFICATION: INSTITUTE FOR
PLASMA RESEARCH, GANDHINAGAR, GUJARAT, LICENSE NO. D366374

REF: USDOC 03245


1. Unauthorized disclosure of the information provided below is
prohibited by Section 12(c) of the Export Administration Act.


2. Export Control Officer (ECO) Paul Cushman and BIS FSN Prem
Narayan conducted a Post-shipment Verification (PSV) at Institute
for Plasma Research (IPR),Gandhinagar, Gujarat, on June 8, 2007.



3. BIS requested a PSV at IPR, an autonomous physics research
institute under GOI's Ministry of Science and Technology; Website:
www.ipr.res.in. IPR was listed as the Ultimate Consignee for one
model 722A absolute pressure transducer, 5000 torr range controlled
under ECCN 2B230. The license applicant was MKS Instruments Inc.
(MKS),Andover, MA.


4. ECO and FSN Narayan met with S.B. Bhatt (Bhatt),Scientist-SF,
K.G.V. Nair, Project Purchase Officer, and D. Ramesh, Purchasing
Officer. Prashant Agrawal (Agrawal),Under Secretary (AMS),
Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) facilitated the meeting. Agrawal
was also present at the meeting.


5. IPR officials were aware of certain BIS export regulations. BIS
New Delhi Team conducted a favorable PSV on February 2, 2007 for a
different export license (D345371). MKS provided BIS export license
conditions in writing to IPR prior to the shipment. The BIS Team
received copies of the IPR Purchase Order, MKS Invoice, IPR End-Use
Certificate, Form BIS-711, Air Waybill, Air Cargo Arrival Notice cum
Invoice, Bill of Entry for Home Consumption, a receipt for Customs
duties paid at the Indian port and delivery note of the shipping,
clearing & forwarding agent.


6. Bhatt confirmed the stated end-use of the transducer. He stated
that the transducer is installed in IPR's Aditya Tokamak Centre
(Aditya). The transducer is used to measure pressure in a hydrogen
reservoir that is used for basic research in plasma physics. Aditya
is the first indigenously designed and built tokamak in India. It
is a medium-sized tokamak and was commissioned in 1989. A tokamak
is a type of experimental fusion reactor in which a spiral magnetic
field inside a doughnut-shaped tube is used to confine the high
temperature plasma produced during fusion. The objectives include
studying the physics of the plasma processes in tokamak under steady
state conditions and learning technology related to the steady state
operation of the tokamak. The studies contribute to the tokamak
physics database for very long pulse operations. Recently, IPR has
upgraded the Aditya Tokamak. In the upgrading process, IPR replaced
the MKS transducer of 1,000 kilotore with a MKS transducer of 5,000
kilotore.


7. ECO and Narayan were given a tour of the Aditya where the
transducer on check is connected to the hydrogen reservoir. The BIS
Team noted three different serial numbers of the transducer and its
accessories as 74796772, 021488292, and CB2000S-2-M1. Oddly, the
serial number on the main unit (021488292) appeared to have been
hand-written. ECO questioned the scientists about the condition
serial number. They stated that they had not altered or relabeled
the serial number. They asserted that the serial number is in the
same condition as it was when they received it.


8. Established in 1982, IPR is an autonomous physics research
institute under the GOI's Ministry of Science and Technology. It is
involved in the research of various aspects of plasma science
including basic plasma physics, magnetically confined hot plasmas
and plasma technologies for industrial applications. IPR is now
internationally recognized for its contributions to fundamental and
applied research in plasma physics and associated technologies. It
has a scientific and engineering manpower of approximately 200
personnel with core competence in theoretical plasma physics,
computer modeling, superconducting magnets, cryogenics, ultra-high
vacuum, pulsed power, microwave and RF, computer-based control and
data acquisition, and industrial, environmental and strategic plasma
applications.


9. Recommendation: Post recommends Institute for Plasma Research as
a reliable recipient of the controlled U.S.-origin commodity. All
indications are that the listed commodity is being used in
accordance with U.S. Export Administration Regulations. However,
post recommends that agents from BIS's Boston Field Office follow-up
with MKS regarding the condition of the serial number mentioned in
paragraph 7. (PSCUSHMAN/PNARAYAN) Mulford