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A Nuclear Dream Is Set To Come True: IDN
Background
A rare picture of the Fast Breeder Reactor Core
1. Heavy water reactors for unenriched, limited uranium feedstock
2. Fast breeder reactor for plutonium from spent fuel uranium
3. Thorium fast breeder reactor
Challenges
The Technological concept of India's complex Fast Breeder Reactor
Admin - IDN
Background
One of the most important technological enterprises India has undertaken since Independence is now treading its last mile towards completion and commissioning and becoming a world-leader in advanced nuclear technology. Called the Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor (PFBR), it is expected to go critical very soon. This information was provided by the Union Minister of State Dr Jitendra Singh in written reply to a question in Lok Sabha on 20-7-2016.
A rare picture of the Fast Breeder Reactor Core
What is Dr. Bhabha's Three Stage Nuclear Program?When the PFBR goes critical, India will have entered the second phase of a three-stage nuclear program, the visionary plan astonishingly was laid as far back as 1958 by Homi Jehangir Bhabha, the ‘Father of the Indian Nuclear Program’. It will also have become a world leader in an area of advanced nuclear technology, by sheer determination and persistence, through 60 years of hard work having had to build the nuclear industry from scratch and in the face of sanctions and other difficulties. Many advanced countries — including the US, the UK, France, and, Japan — have tried fast breeder reactor technology, and have given up, at least for the time being some citing economic reasons, others because they were not able to surmount technological complexities, or faced public misgivings.
Dr. Bhabha's Three-Stage Nuclear Strategy:Why is the PFBR so important? To understand that, we must review the Bhabha plan and its importance. Very early in the Indian nuclear program, Bhabha and his associates laid down a fundamental tenet: As far as possible, India should avoid importing nuclear fuel. Such imports would be subject to international politics and inspection regimes. Our nuclear industry would be important for both power and strategic purposes, and we should establish over the years a completely autonomous operation. The biggest hurdle was, though, that India does not have large reserves of uranium.
It was known, that we have thorium, in fact, in abundance. Dr. Bhabha decided that in the long run, India’s N-program should run on thorium. This thorium focused strategy was in marked contrast to all other countries in the world. The total reserves of thorium in India amount to over 500,000 tons in the readily extractable form, while the known reserves of uranium are less than a tenth of this.
1. Heavy water reactors for unenriched, limited uranium feedstock
2. Fast breeder reactor for plutonium from spent fuel uranium
3. Thorium fast breeder reactor
Challenges
The Technological concept of India's complex Fast Breeder Reactor
Thorium cannot be converted into nuclear fuel in a straightforward manner. So, scientists had to devise a three-stage nuclear plan: In the first stage, India would build a series of heavy water reactors and fuel them with natural uranium. From the spent fuel, we would derive plutonium, a highly concentrated fuel which could be used for both weapons and future fast breeder reactors (FBR). In some years, we would move to stage 2 of the program when enough plutonium would be available to fuel FBRs, so called because they produce (‘breed’) more plutonium than they consume as fuel. Thorium, after irradiation in FBRs would be converted to U-233, which can be used in the third stage reactors along with more thorium. Theoretically, once we begin to run many breeders, we will be assured of a ‘perpetual’ supply of fuel. A third stage reactor called the Advanced Heavy Water Reactor (AHWR) has been designed and is under construction. The Prototype FBR at Kalpakkam thus represents the beginning of the stage 2 of the nuclear program. The plan may look simple, but it has been a big challenge these past decades to get to where we are.
India’s first experimental FBR, called Fast Breeder Test Reactor, was built in 1985. France was to supply fuel for it, but backed off under American pressure. It was then that our scientists took up the task of fabricating fuel for it, uranium-plutonium carbide. This small reactor has been the training ground for the PFBR. By the time India began work on the design of the PFBR sometime in the 1990s, interest in fast reactors had waned globally. One by one, the advanced countries gave up – Britain in the early 1970s, the US later that decade, France and Japan more recently. Russia has been moving ahead, although slowly. India has stayed the course so far — building expertise and capability in the design of sodium systems, special instruments and sensors, reactor-grade materials, robotics and so on and now we are close to the finishing line.
As the era of uranium reserves depletes, even as the world is set for a nuclear revival, especially in Asia, there is once again growing interest in all kinds of fast reactors. China is working on them, as is Korea. India has championed the concept of building a closed fuel cycle nuclear industry, as opposed to the open fuel cycle industry that the US and other countries have advocated.
The 500 MW Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor (PFBR) constructed by BHAVINI at Kalpakkam, Tamil Nadu is at an advanced stage of commissioning. PFBR being an exclusive technology, the development, manufacture of large sized equipment & components took time. In view of its technological complexity, abundant caution was taken during erection/installation and commissioning of various systems. Further, due to its first of a kind design, there have been certain additional stipulations by the regulatory body which are being complied with.
Even as India sets about realising this technology, there are still plenty of challenges to take on since the technology is so incredibly complex in terms of new types of fuels, engineering, and optimizations. Rather, India must want others, too, to succeed in this technology, so that it develops globally, and everybody benefits from pioneering work of the great Dr. Homi Bhabha’s wisdom.
(Adapted from a paper by Dr. MR Srinivasan former Chairman NPCIL)Will India succeed where a number of others have failed? The world is watching us with great interest.
Admin - IDN