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Why is it always so easy with India to get all approval from countries.
I guess its lobbying or something, point is India is in which lobby Russia, USA or Eu?
Why is it always so easy with India to get all approval from countries.
I guess its lobbying or something, point is India is in which lobby Russia, USA or Eu?
Why is it always so easy with India to get all approval from countries.
I guess its lobbying or something, point is India is in which lobby Russia, USA or Eu?
6 November 2009 - Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) will begin construction of two nuclear reactors of 700 MW capacities at Kakrapar in Gujarat, India by the end of the year.
For the first time, NPCIL will build the two pressurised heavy water reactors (PHWRs) of 700 MW that will use natural uranium as fuel and heavy water as both the coolant and moderator.
So far, the company has only built PHWRs of 220 MW or 540 MW capacity.
The laying of foundation for the construction of the 700 MW reactors would take place by the middle of 2010.
"The excavation of the foundation for both the 700 MW units will take place simultaneously by December-end. They will be completed in six years," Mr. Jain said.
The Union government of India had given financial sanction for the construction of two more 700 MW PHWRs at Rawatbhata in Rajasthan.
These 700 MW reactors would form the seventh and eighth units of the Rajasthan Atomic Power Station (RAPS). The fifth PHWR at Rawatbhata (RAPS-5), with a capacity of 220 MW, would be commissioned by November 20 2009.
"The fuel loading in the reactor has been completed. It is imported natural uranium fuel and it has been fabricated at the Nuclear Fuel Complex, Hyderabad."
Heavy water would be loaded into the reactor soon. After the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board gives the clearance, the reactor would be started by November 20, 2009. The RAPS-6, which would also generate 220 MWe, would be commissioned by February 2010.
NEW DELHI -- Indian Oil Corp. has signed an initial pact with Nuclear Power Corp. of India Ltd. to set up nuclear power plants in the country, its director of planning and business development said Friday.
"We want to diversify our energy portfolio," B.M. Bansal told Dow Jones Newswires.
NPCIL, India's nuclear power monopoly, is seeking joint ventures with state-run companies as it needs investments worth billions of dollars as India aims to raise its nuclear power capacity to 63,000 megawatts by 2032 from 4,120 megawatts.
In February, NPCIL signed a pact with state-run NTPC Ltd. to develop nuclear power and in September, NPCIL chairman S.K. Jain said talks were on with state-run National Aluminium Co. to build power projects.
Mr. Bansal said IOC will take a stake of up to 49% in the nuclear power projects, with NPCIL holding the remainder in their joint venture.
"These are long-term strategic initiatives as part of IOC's plans to move a bit away from its total dependence on fossil fuels," Saeed Jaffery, an analyst at Mumbai-based Ambit Capital Pvt. Ltd. said.
"Don't expect anything immediate to come out," Mr. Jaffery added.
IOC, India's largest listed company by sales, will invest in nuclear power projects of 750 MW to 1,500 MW and expects "guaranteed returns of 15%-16%, chairman Sarthak Behuria said in September.
The global Nuclear Suppliers Group in 2008 lifted its ban on selling nuclear fuel to India. As a result, nuclear power generation in the country is expected to rise.
The ban's lifting was part of negotiations undertaken by the U.S. and India to reach a new deal on the transfer of civilian nuclear technology.
The deal, signed in October 2008, ended a 34-year U.S. moratorium on nuclear trade with India following India's first nuclear tests in 1974.
IOC's Mr. Bansal said the refiner hasn't yet decided on any investment plans in the venture.
"In another six months we will chalk out the roadmap," he said.
- There are 4.5 billion tonnes of uranium in sea water, a thousand times more than what is known to exist in uranium mines
Thursday, Nov 12, 2009
K.S. PARTHASARATHY
Raja Ramanna Fellow, Department of Atomic Energy
Uranium in trace quantities is present in soil, rock and water. Bounteous nature leaves about 4.5 billion tonnes of uranium in sea water, a thousand times more than what is known to exist in uranium mines. Since its concentration is extremely low (only one particle of uranium for 34 million particles of other elements), harvesting uranium from sea is a formidable task.
Japanese technology
Japan developed a technology by using plastic sheets to which amidoxime, which is capable of selectively absorbing uranium from seawater, is grafted by high energy electron beam irradiation.
Scientists from the Desalination Division, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre recovered uranium at milligram levels from sea water using electron beam grafted amidoxime.
They developed a semi pilot scale facility to produce radiation grafted sheets of 1 metre X 1 metre size.
They collected about 800 microgrammes of uranium in five campaigns from CIRUS Jettyhead; about 1.8 milligrammes from the seawater intake and outfall canals at the Tarapur Atomic Power Station and around 200 microgrammes from Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Though these amounts are trivial, it gives confidence in the technology
Field trials carried out at the three locations gave concentration factors of 300, 600 and 700 for the submergence of the absorbent material for 12, 14 and 23 days respectively.
What are the reasons for obtaining different concentration factors at different locations? The concentration factor depends on corrosion, bio-fouling and their combined effect on the adsorption kinetics. These may be different at different locations, Dr P.K. Tewari, Head, Desalination Division, BARC responded to my query.
BARC scientists studied these factors and the mechanical properties of the materials used in the suspension assembly and the substrate. They established their compatibilities with seawater and process chemicals and the optimum submergence periods for various locations.
They also evaluated the potential of Polyhydroxamic Acid (PHOA) sorbent, for uptake of uranium from seawater. They obtained a concentration factor of over 190, when the resin, filled in a porous bag was dipped in seawater for a period ranging from 10-30 days.
BARC and the Commissariat a Energie Atomique (CEA), France, are collaborating to develop three innovative and efficient methods of uranium extraction from the concentrated brine rejected by integrated nuclear desalination systems, which both partners are currently developing.
The first method uses resin-grafted with calixarene (a synthetic material, indecently expensive!); magnetic separation is the second method and the third uses a canal system using absorbents.
These methods are highly selective but need further research and development.
Using three absorption cages, each of cross sectional area of 16 square metres and height of 16 cm and consisting of stacks of 52,000 uranium specific, non-woven sheets with a total mass of 350 kg, a Japanese group recovered more than one kg of uranium in terms of yellow cake during a submersion period of 240 days in the ocean.
Underwater farm
Dr Masao Tanada of the Japanese Atomic Energy Agency hopes to get funding to construct an under-water uranium farm covering nearly 400 square miles that would meet one-sixth of Japans annual uranium requirements.
Tanada asserts that Japans nuclear power industry can harvest the 8,000 tons it needs annually from the Kuroshio Current that flows along Japans eastern seaboard.
Japanese researchers found out that they can harvest uranium from sea by cultivating genetically engineered gulfweed which will grow in sea at an unbelievable rate of two metres an year. The weed selectively soaks up heavy metals including uranium.
A spin-off
What will you do with possibly the millions of tons of grass left over after recovering uranium? Convert it to bioethanol! Gulfweed is an ideal non-food source of bio-ethanol. Gulfweed traps carbondioxide from sea.
Conventional uranium mining requires environmental restoration including long term tailings management. Uranium recovery from the sea does not leave any tailings. With superb green credentials, it is an environmental friendly process.
India has miles to go to reach kilogramme capacities of uranium. BARC has plans to upgrade the capacity.
( ksparth@yahoo.co.uk )
The Hindu : Sci Tech : Technologies to harvest uranium from sea
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The writer is a former Secretary of the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board, Mumbai. He is currently a Raja Ramanna Fellow in the Strategic Planning Group, Department of Atomic Energy, Mumbai.
He maintains his own blog- My articles
-Skull