Indian nuclear submarines

[youngindian]

Submarine reactor was built from land-based prototype

August 2nd, 2009

Kalpakkam (Tamil Nadu), Aug 2 (IANS) INS Arihant, India’s first indigenously designed and built nuclear powered submarine launched a week ago, is energised by a power pack that was developed from a land-based prototype version, a nuclear scientist revealed here Sunday.
The scientists’ team was given the mandate to develop a land-based prototype power pack for a submarine and development and construction of a nuclear steam generating system for the sea-going version,

There is a sea of difference between designing a nuclear power pack to propel a submarine and a land-based atomic power station, Srikumar Banerjee, director of the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) and member of the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC), told reporters here.

The 82.5 MW nuclear reactor for submarine has been designed here by PRP Centre - PRP originally stood for Plutonium Reprocessing Project - under the BARC.

The PRP Centre is located inside the Kalpakkam nuclear enclave, 45 km from Chennai, housing various atomic energy related entities.

“While a land-based atomic power plant gets support from the grid and others, a nuclear power pack in a submarine does not have such fallback systems,” Banerjee said.

He said the major challenges were miniaturisation of the land-based plant to fit into the confined space of a submarine and also making it lightweight but strong enough to endure the shock due to depth discharge.

“The reactor while withstanding the pitch and roll of a submarine should also be capable of accelerating and decelerating at a quick pace - unlike a land-based power plant which would ramp up speed in a gradual manner,” he added.

To generate power, the steam turbine should be operated at 3,000 revolutions per minute (rpm) whereas the nuclear submarine propulsion turbine will be operated at variable speed of 0 to 4,000 rpms.

The reactor designed for a long fuelling cycle time is capable of remaining under water for an extended period, the sortie time being essentially dictated by the endurance of the crew.

The land-based version kept here was conceived and built as a technology demonstrator for the compact pressurised water reactor with a load following capability.

Also known as ‘half boat’, the entire propulsion plant with primary, secondary, electrical and propulsion systems along with its integrated control was packed in the aft end of the land-based submarine hull designed and built specifically for this purpose.

While in sea the reactor supplies super-heated steam to the propulsion plant to run the submarine, at the PRP Centre the propulsion power is absorbed in the dynamometer which in turn is cooled by sea water.

Banerjee said major components of the submarine reactor were made by domestic industries.

“The reactor vessel is made of special grade steel by Heavy Engineering Corporation, Ranchi, steam generator by Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL), pressure valves were made by Audco India, Chennai, and others,” he added.

New materials of construction and new technologies were used in building the reactor. The uranium enriched metallic fuel is new too.

There are around 13 fuel assemblies with each assembly having 348 fuel pins.

“It is not just building a nuclear reactor to power a submarine. For us, it is capacity building in the country to get into high technology areas,” said AEC chairman Anil Kakodkar.

PRP facility director Sekhar Basu said the centre will now be the training ground for personnel planning to operate reactors in submarines apart from carrying out research activities.

Submarine reactor was built from land-based prototype (With Image)

 

[youngindian]

Arihant propulsion reactor unveiled

Kalpakkam, August 02, 2009

Barely a week after the launch of INS Arihant, India’s first nuclear submarine, the prototype of a little-known and highly guarded propulsion reactor fuelled by indigenously enriched uranium that made the building of the submarine possible, was unveiled for the first time to the world on Sunday.

“We have successfully demonstrated our indigenous capability to build a nuclear submarine with the development of a compact nuclear power pack for submarine applications,” S. Basu, Propulsion Reactor Project director and Anil Kakodkar, chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC), declared here.

The 42-metre-long land-based prototype submarine with eight compartments housing complex electrical and control systems and simulating ocean conditions, is a virtual testing ground for “similar systems that will go into a sea boat,” Atomic Energy Department officials said.

After taking mediapersons around the critical facility of the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) built at the Madras Atomic Power Station complex at Kalpakkam, about 60 km south of Chennai, the top scientists, including S. Banerjee, BARC director, disclosed key details of this “land-based prototype submarine”, whose 83 MW mini light water reactor (LWR) and other systems have gone into the making of the Arihant over the past five years.


Arihant propulsion reactor unveiled- Hindustan Times

 

[youngindian]

Nuclear power reactors’ capacity factor will go up, says Anil Kakodkar

:: Bharat-Rakshak.com - Indian Military News Headlines ::



Monday, Aug 03, 2009

CHENNAI: With natural uranium production going up in India, the capacity factor of its nuclear power reactors, which is around 55 per cent now, will go up to 65 per cent by the end of this financial year (2009-2010), said Anil Kakodkar, Chairman, Atomic Energy Commission (AEC), on Sunday.

“Next year, it will rise to 70 to 75 per cent.” The capacity factor would go up although three new reactors — two units at the Rajasthan Atomic Power Station (RAPS-5 and 6) and the fourth unit at Kaiga in Karnataka — would be commissioned “in a phased manner between this year and next year,” he said, addressing a press conference at Kalpakkam.

Dr. Kakodkar was confident that the capacity factor of the reactors would go up because the capacity of the mill at Jaduguda in Jharkhand, which converted natural uranium into yellow cake, had been augmented. Another mill at Turamdih, also in Jharkhand, was commissioned and its production of yellow cake was going up. “We have launched an expansion programme at Jaduguda and it is complete. Turamdih expansion will be completed next year,” he said. The uranium mine and the mill, which were under construction at Tummlapalle in Kadapa district in Andhra Pradesh, would go on stream in 2013. Exploration mining was taking place at Gogi in Karnataka. “By 2012-2013 horizon, we will overcome all the problems” relating to the shortage of natural uranium that led to a drop in the capacity factor of the reactors, he said.

(India has 15 Pressurised Heavy Water Reactors — PHWRs — that use natural uranium as fuel, and heavy water as coolant and moderator. India also has two Light Water Reactors that use enriched uranium as fuel, and light water as coolant and moderator).
New projects



The Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) was looking forward to the start of the construction of four PHWRs of 700 MWe each, for which the Union government had given approval. Dr. Kakodkar said, “That is where the new mines will come in handy. After a while, we will start the construction of four more reactors of 700 MWe each. It is a question of progressively increasing the capacity factor and also adding capacity.”

Srikumar Banerjee, Director, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC), said the successful development of the 80 MWe Pressurised Water Reactor (PWR) at Kalpakkam, which used enriched uranium as fuel, ushered in the PWR technology in India. The experience gained in this project would help in the indigenous development of PWRs for large-scale electricity generation. The reactor pressure vessel used in this PWR was made of special steel, which only a few countries had developed. It had high strength at a high temperature, Dr. Banerjee said.

(An identical PWR, built by BARC, forms the powerhouse of INS Arihant, India’s indigenously built nuclear-powered submarine).
Russian role



Asked whether the Russians had any role in developing the PWR, Dr. Banerjee said the development of a technology like this occurred in stages, and the PWR at Kalpakkam had been operating from September 2006. “In doing so, we have used the Russians as consultants. As far as efforts in designing, developing and maintaining the reactor are concerned, they are entirely ours,” the BARC Director said.

S. Basu, Director, BARC Facilities at Kalpakkam, also asserted that “everything is totally indigenous” about the PWR developed at Kalpakkam. “It has been developed by us. It is 100 per cent our reactor,” he said. Arihant was a demonstration of India’s indigenous capability to build a nuclear-powered submarine, and it was a joint endeavour of the DAE, the Navy and the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), Mr. Basu said.

Rear Admiral Michael Moraes, Flag Officer Commanding (submarines), was sure the design of Arihant was good. The Navy had already trained the crew who would man it. For submarines, “it is a constant between stealth technology and the detection technology. Any strong nation will like to have a submarine fleet because they can go anywhere in the world,” Rear Admiral Moraes said.

 

[Pintu]

India built N-sub in Kalpakkam under codename 'PRP' - India - NEWS - The Times of India

India built N-sub in Kalpakkam under codename 'PRP'
T K Rohit, TNN 3 August 2009, 03:11am IST

KALPAKKAM: The secrecy attached to the development of the indigenous nuclear submarine project is almost legendary.

What’s little known is the extent to which the Indian N-establishment went to conceal the research not only from the public but also large sections of the scientific community within the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE).

For almost nine years, most staff working at the Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research (IGCAR) in Kalpakkam believed the Plutonium Recycle Project (PRP) in the complex was used only for that purpose, that is recycling plutonium.

But with the launch of INS Arihant on July 25, top DAE officials have finally begun to lift the veil and reveal that they were actually building the core (nuclear reactor and propulsion systems) of the submarine as well as the land-based version of the hull of the indigenous vessel, which served as the technology demonstrator of the main vessel, within the PRP unit. For those in the know, even the term ‘PRP’ denoted the N-sub.

Sunday marked the commemoration of the fifth year since the project attained criticality at the PRP site with a controlled N-chain reaction. Ahead of a briefing by Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) chairman Anil Kakodkar, a team of scientists escorted journalists around a gigantic, dark grey-coloured hull of a submarine, which was the land-based version of the hull of Arihant. ‘‘It is a 1:1 model of the submersible. Everything was simulated here before being built on the main submarine at Vishakapatnam,’’ a scientist explained.

Although the idea of an indigenous nuke sub was conceived by Raja Ramanna over two decades back and research undertaken at Barc in Trombay, work on the PRP site in Kalpakkam began in 1999.
Criticality was attained on November 11, 2003, with the land-based version running on a light water reactor, scientists revealed. But Arihant remained shrouded in mystery. Three years later, on September 22, 2006, when the reactor was operational there was still silence.

In fact, going by dates provided now, the first hints of the project’s success came only a year later on September 11, 2007, when former AEC chief P K Iyengar said at a public meeting, ‘‘Indian scientists are capable of making light water reactors. We are constructing one at Kalpakkam for a submarine.’’

Defending the need for stealth, an IGCAR official explianed, “We had to maintain secrecy as this was a project of high national secrecy and security
and we did not want other nations to know about this.’’

 

[Pintu]

The Telegraph - Calcutta (Kolkata) | Nation | Unveiled: Arihant’s elder brother

Unveiled: Arihant’s elder brother

G.C. SHEKHAR

The Kalpakkam prototype of the
nuclear plant that powers the
submarine Arihant

Kalpakkam, Aug. 2: Inside a cavernous, 20-metre-tall, light greenish building at the nuclear complex in Kalpakkam lies the elder sibling of India’s “secret weapon”.

Here, 75km from Chennai, is located the prototype of the nuclear plant that powers the Indian Navy’s first indigenously built nuclear-powered submarine, the Arihant.

While the sleek, 112-metre submarine was revealed to the world last week amid fanfare, the media today got their first glimpse of the top-secret project code-named — deliberately and misleadingly — Plutonium Recyling Project (PRP) since no plutonium is involved in the process.

This is where the first step towards building the nuclear plant for an Indian Navy submarine began in the late 1990s. Inside the hall, the land-based template of the Airhant’s nuclear reactor had been running smoothly since September 2006, churning out crucial readings that helped refine, design and fabricate the Arihant’s enriched uranium power plant at distant Visakhapatnam.

“In PRP we have what we call the ‘half boat’ in which the inner chamber of the rear half of a nuclear submarine is anchored to the ground. From its pressurised belly the 80MW nuclear plant operates,” explained PRP director S. Basu.

“The entire propulsion plant with primary, secondary, electrical and propulsion systems is packed into the half boat — measuring 42 metres in length and eight metres in diameter — and forms the heart of the nuclear submarine that powers its journey.

The navy sent its personnel here to be trained to operate the nuclear plant.

“This project saw India indigenously develop its first ever compact pressurised water reactor,” said Bhabha Atomic Research Centre director S. Banerjee.

“Although smaller and lighter, the plant generates power quickly, so essential for a submarine’s fast pick-up and quick manoeuvrability. For this the plant uses light water and enriched uranium unlike our land-based reactors that use heavy water and non-enriched uranium.”

Anil Kakodkar, chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission, said the light-water reactor had proved to be a technology demonstrator and given India a new capability, the marine propulsion reactor technology, to produce nuclear-powered submarines.

“This will help us explore (the possibility of) using these compact reactors for generating power in remote areas,” he said.

Asked when the nuclear reactor would achieve its first criticality (operational capability), Kakodkar said that before that the vessel had to go through the sequence of harbour and sea acceptance tests that would test the plant’s stability during a submarine’s journey.

Rear Admiral Michael Moraes, Flag Officer Commanding of submarines, said that ideally, the navy required another 13 nuclear-powered submarines.

“Even for us, the Arihant is a novel experience and in spite of the slightly higher noise levels of nuclear submarines, (acoustic) dampening features continue to give these submarines the much needed stealth advantage that makes them an ultimate secret weapon,” he said.

Asked if he was waiting to take the first dive once the Arihant was commissioned, Moraes quipped: “I am dying to, and I hope it happens soon.”

 

[Pintu]

http://ptinews.com/news/208881_No-abnormal-radioactivity-around-Kalpakkam--Kakodkar

No abnormal radioactivity around Kalpakkam: Kakodkar

STAFF WRITER 18:50 HRS IST

Kalpakkam (TN), Aug 2 (PTI) The Atomic Energy Commission today dismissed as "absolutely untrue", the media reports of increase in radioactivity level in and around the Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research here.

"There are strict regulations in terms of radiation levels as well as the release of the radioactivity. We maintain Environment Survey Laboratories (ESL), which is strictly monitoring the radioactivity level in the environment, including soil and vegetation," Commission chairman Anil Kakodkar told reporters here.

He said the levels of radioactivity here were much lower than the ones prevalent in other areas.

On the security measures undertaken in and around the Kalpakkam nuclear plant, he said, "This is a matter, we need to remain alert all along. We have this under constant review.

Depending on the requirement everything has been put in place," he said.

"We also get support from various other security agencies," he added.

 

[sayareakd]

this is exact model 1:1 scale of the one of section of ATV which house the nuclear reactor of Arihant.........

that is great achivement and this also shows that reactor is Indian....

probably this was shown so that all the speculation regarding Russian reactor stories be put to rest........:blum3:

 

[Adux]

So I have been correct on two things, Design is a new one, and does not have any Existing Submarine influence, and reactor produces 190Mwt

 

[Adux]

 

[Adux]

That is one fat bitch

 

[A.V.]

Akula class is not the same as the Typhoon class. Akula is a SSN with a max displacement of 9000tons. Typhoon displacement is greater than 40000tons.

India reportedly paid $650 million for a 10-year lease of the 12,000-ton K-152 Nerpa, an Akula II class nuclear-powered attack submarine.
Akula II class vessels are considered the quietest and deadliest of all Russian nuclear-powered attack submarines.

Russia's Nerpa nuclear sub starts sea trials in Far East | Top Russian news and analysis online | 'RIA Novosti' newswire


the displacement is 12000 tons and its an ship submergible ballistic nuclear submarine<ssbn> unlike the ordinary akula 1 class its quite different than the atv also depends on how india is going to use it

the link i provided is that of ria novosti who are te last word on russian defence details

that means by 2 years time india will be having 2 nuclear propelled attack subs

 

[A.V.]

here are more nerpa 2 details that india is getting


here you can find the kind of weapons that can use housed on the nerpa 2 and also some details about the capabilities

 

[Zero]

That is one fat bitch

Yep i agree on that.....

 

[venom]

Launch of the Arihant — Significance for India

The launch of the Arihant, 
India’s first nuclear propelled submarine on July 26 at Visakhapatnam in the presence of Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh is occasion for justifiable pride, but the chest thumping that was generated in some sections of the mass media is not warranted.

Held as a closely guarded secret for more than two decades and known only by its non-descript acronym — ATV (Advanced Technology Vessel) — it was only in early 2009 that there was gradual articulation in the public domain about India’s aspirations in the maritime nuclear arena.

Submarines occupy a special niche in the spectrum of naval capability and accord distinctive tactical and strategic advantage depending on their exploitation and the national politico-
military perspicacity with which this underwater capability is nurtured. 
Unlike conventional diesel boats that have to surface periodically to ‘breathe’ — the nuclear boat can stay submerged for months on end thereby enhancing its ‘un-deductibility’.

The nuclear submarine comes in two variants — that which is propelled by nuclear power is an SSN; and the SSN that can also carry a ballistic missile is termed an SSBN.

During the Cold War decades, conventional submarines propelled by diesel-electric engines that carried ballistic missiles were termed SSB but this option is losing its salience.

Almost every major navy has deemed it necessary to acquire a mix of SSN/SSBN platforms and the first such effort was made by the US Navy when they acquired the USS Nautilus, an SSN in 1955. Gradually the compulsions of nuclear deterrence and the techno-strategic imperative of acquiring credible and invulnerable ‘second-strike’ capability led to the SSBN being identified as the most preferred platform for nuclear weapon powers.

The last to join the SSN club was China, which acquired this capability in a rudimentary form in the late 1970’s.

It has since invested in this domain with ruthless political determination — Chairman Mao was a staunch 
advocate of this platform — and by 
the mid 1980’s the PLA Navy had 
joined the peer group of the USA, 
former USSR, UK and France. Despite many setbacks in the early years, 
currently the PLAN has a fleet of 62 submarines of which there are 3 SSBNs and 6 SSNs.

This submarine capability accords the PRC considerable strategic relevance both at the global and regional level. India has now embarked on the same path and the launch of the Arihant and the first major step has been taken.More than the launch itself — the fact that India has gone public with its determination to acquire such strategic capability is significant.

Like the nuclear tests of May 1998, an overt, reasonably transparent posture is always more desirable in the long run for a nation that seeks to enhance its strategic relevance — first regionally and then globally.

In terms of the other steps that need to be completed, it merits repetition that the first ship or submarine of any class is always a complex challenge for both designer and ship-builder. Hence India and its Navy will have to persevere through all these stages before the substantive potential of Arihant is realized and the national strategic profile made more robust. In the interim, the symbolism of the launch however must also be noted. It is to the credit of the entire ATV team in Visakhapatnam, Hyderabad, New Delhi and elsewhere that they were able to make steady progress in an exceedingly hostile environment when India was under severe US led technology denial regimes.

Yet another commendable feature is the active participation of India’s public sector, major private companies — L&T in particular — and some part of academia. Many of these individuals and entities have had to work in an almost 
furtive manner for years and this 
extreme secrecy also led to highly avoidable persecution of some high caliber professionals.

Hopefully the launch of the Arihant and the confidence that the Indian state is acquiring about its nuclear related aspirations will allow for some redress and belated recognition.

After some false starts and setbacks, India is now making slow but steady progress in indigenous submarine building, which is the most demanding maritime endeavor.

But it must be noted that the design of the Arihant benefited in no small measure from Russian inputs. The indigenous effort in submarine design will have to be carefully nurtured and here a long term, macro HR policy is called for.

Hopefully the powers that be in Delhi will take the prime minister’s advice seriously and carry out a rigorous audit of the Arihant — from inception in the 1980’s to where it is now — and improve the efficiency and output levels in an appropriate manner.

The launch of the Arihant, it must 
be reiterated is symbolically signifi-
cant for India — not just the Navy — 
but the substantive part must not 
be exaggerated.

Khaleej Times Online - Launch of the Arihant — Significance for India

 

[p2prada]

So I have been correct on two things, Design is a new one, and does not have any Existing Submarine influence, and reactor produces 190Mwt

Negative. The scientist particularly quotes 80MWt. It is not 190MWt.

 

[Adux]

Negative. The scientist particularly quotes 80MWt. It is not 190MWt.

But TS Subramanium, India's premier Defence Journalist specifically quotes 80MWe, and also come to think of it, this is an SSBN, as long as it can achieve a credible Silent speed it is ok, We dont need 40knots for a SSBN

 

[p2prada]

But TS Subramanium, India's premier Defence Journalist specifically quotes 80MWe, and also come to think of it, this is an SSBN, as long as it can achieve a credible Silent speed it is ok, We dont need 40knots for a SSBN

Ah! I heard something about Arihant doing 40 knots.(Hopefully after sea trials they will be sure.)

If the officials quoted 80MWe, then fine. That's cool. In this thread, I found a source who said only MW and another said MWe. So, the benefit of the doubt goes to you.

 

[p2prada]

India reportedly paid $650 million for a 10-year lease of the 12,000-ton K-152 Nerpa, an Akula II class nuclear-powered attack submarine.
Akula II class vessels are considered the quietest and deadliest of all Russian nuclear-powered attack submarines.

Russia's Nerpa nuclear sub starts sea trials in Far East | Top Russian news and analysis online | 'RIA Novosti' newswire


the displacement is 12000 tons and its an ship submergible ballistic nuclear submarine<ssbn> unlike the ordinary akula 1 class its quite different than the atv also depends on how india is going to use it

the link i provided is that of ria novosti who are te last word on russian defence details

that means by 2 years time india will be having 2 nuclear propelled attack subs

I was referring to the Akula I.

 

[Sridhar]

Srikumar Banerjee, Director, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) also quotes the 80 MWe figure.Navy also seems happy with its design

Srikumar Banerjee, Director, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC), said the successful development of the 80 MWe Pressurised Water Reactor (PWR) at Kalpakkam, which used enriched uranium as fuel, ushered in the PWR technology in India. The experience gained in this project would help in the indigenous development of PWRs for large-scale electricity generation. The reactor pressure vessel used in this PWR was made of special steel, which only a few countries had developed. It had high strength at a high temperature, Dr. Banerjee said.
(An identical PWR, built by BARC, forms the powerhouse of INS Arihant, India’s indigenously built nuclear-powered submarine).
Russian role Asked whether the Russians had any role in developing the PWR, Dr. Banerjee said the development of a technology like this occurred in stages, and the PWR at Kalpakkam had been operating from September 2006. “In doing so, we have used the Russians as consultants. As far as efforts in designing, developing and maintaining the reactor are concerned, they are entirely ours,” the BARC Director said.
S. Basu, Director, BARC Facilities at Kalpakkam, also asserted that “everything is totally indigenous” about the PWR developed at Kalpakkam. “It has been developed by us. It is 100 per cent our reactor,” he said. Arihant was a demonstration of India’s indigenous capability to build a nuclear-powered submarine, and it was a joint endeavour of the DAE, the Navy and the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), Mr. Basu said.
Rear Admiral Michael Moraes, Flag Officer Commanding (submarines), was sure the design of Arihant was good. The Navy had already trained the crew who would man it. For submarines, “it is a constant between stealth technology and the detection technology. Any strong nation will like to have a submarine fleet because they can go anywhere in the world,” Rear Admiral Moraes said.
The Hindu : Front Page : Nuclear power reactors’ capacity factor will go up, says Anil Kakodkar

 

[nitesh]

13 more subs..........

The Telegraph - Calcutta (Kolkata) | Nation | Unveiled: Arihant’s elder brother

Rear Admiral Michael Moraes, Flag Officer Commanding of submarines, said that ideally, the navy required another 13 nuclear-powered submarines.
“Even for us, the Arihant is a novel experience and in spite of the slightly higher noise levels of nuclear submarines, (acoustic) dampening features continue to give these submarines the much needed stealth advantage that makes them an ultimate secret weapon,” he said.

Asked if he was waiting to take the first dive once the Arihant was commissioned, Moraes quipped: “I am dying to, and I hope it happens soon.”