India's first indigenously developed 500 MW Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor (PFBR) commissioned

[Chanakya's_Chant]

500 MW Kalpakkam Reactor to Reach Criticality
India’s PFBR, is the World's second and the only existing/active plutonium-based fast breeder reactor​

By C Shivakumar | ENS
Published: 28th June 2014 07:27 AM​

Outside view of Kalpakkam Atomic Power reactor - Express Photo​

CHENNAI: The integrated commissioning of the indigenously developed 500 MW Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor (PFBR) at Kalpakkam, which uses liquid sodium to cool the reactor, has commenced and the reactor will attain criticality in the next two to three months, Prabhat Kumar, chairman and managing director of Bharatiya Nabhikiya Vidyut Nigam Limited (BHAVINI), has said.

Disclosing this to Express, he said the sodium is now being heated below 95 degrees Celsius before being transferred from the tank. “The integrated commissioning of the reactor has started on Wednesday and we are trying to attain criticality in the next few months.”

Significantly, the closed fuel cycle option has been chosen for the PFBR, under which the spent fuel discharged from the reactor is reprocessed and converted into indigenously developed unique plutonium-rich mixed carbide fuel.

According to scientists, fast breeder reactors would make effective utilisation of the depleting uranium resource in the country, and use plutonium as a fuel with significant reduction in radioactive waste.

Construction has resumed to develop the Fast Reactor Fuel Cycle Facility for recycling the fuel from PFBR, including fuel fabrication and assembly, reprocessing and waste management.

The FRFCF got the nod from Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board in February and construction of the facility is underway at a fast pace, says P R Vasudeva Rao, director of Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research (IGCAR), Kalpakkam.

Maintaining that the country has several nuclear reprocessing plants which supply fuel for thermal plants, he says this, however, would be the only facility that would reprocess fuel for fast breeder reactors on a large scale. According to Rao, initially tests were carried out on a pilot plant called CORAL (Compact Reprocessing of Advanced fuels in Lead shielded cells), formerly known as the Lead Mini Cell (LMC). “We learnt reprocessing of fuel catering to PFBR in the last 10 to 15 years,” he revealed. PFBR is also an important milestone for India’s three-stage nuclear power programme. The country has chosen the closed fuel cycle option in view of its phased expansion of nuclear power generation extending through the second and third stages, whereby full energy potential of uranium and thorium could be utilised.

Source:- 500 MW Kalpakkam Reactor to Reach Criticality -The New Indian Express

 

[OrionHunter]

Any byproducts that can be used for nukes?

 

[Chanakya's_Chant]

Any byproducts that can be used for nukes?

Yes indeed - The plutonium isotope can be reprocessed and used as more reactor fuel or in the production of nuclear weapons.

But the best thing is these reactors are designed to maximize plutonium production, and in some cases they actually produce more fuel than they consume.

 

[Tshering22]

Yes indeed - The plutonium isotope can be reprocessed and used as more reactor fuel or in the production of nuclear weapons.

But the best thing is these reactors are designed to maximize plutonium production, and in some cases they actually produce more fuel than they consume.

The foundations of our self-reliance in reactor technologies is increasing. Only thing now is that we need to fast track the thorium reactor tech due in September and also scout Africa and Eurasia for nuclear fuel. A long term strategic pact that guarantees us supplies of uranium from mines in Kazakhstan, Namibia, Russia and even other 'stans, should be the new target for NaMo and his ministers.

 

[Chronos]

Any byproducts that can be used for nukes?

Nuclear Energy?

The foundations of our self-reliance in reactor technologies is increasing. Only thing now is that we need to fast track the thorium reactor tech due in September and also scout Africa and Eurasia for nuclear fuel. A long term strategic pact that guarantees us supplies of uranium from mines in Kazakhstan, Namibia, Russia and even other 'stans, should be the new target for NaMo and his ministers.

Namibia, one of those African countries that you never hear about because the place isn't F'ed up so bad.

if this happens, that ight provide a massive boost to their economy.

 

[Tshering22]

Nuclear Energy?





Namibia, one of those African countries that you never hear about because the place isn't F'ed up so bad.

if this happens, that ight provide a massive boost to their economy.

We already have some mining rights there on Uranium, when dadima Patil visited that country.

 

[Chanakya's_Chant]

Any byproducts that can be used for nukes?

Nuclear Energy?





Namibia, one of those African countries that you never hear about because the place isn't F'ed up so bad.

if this happens, that ight provide a massive boost to their economy.

The foundations of our self-reliance in reactor technologies is increasing. Only thing now is that we need to fast track the thorium reactor tech due in September and also scout Africa and Eurasia for nuclear fuel. A long term strategic pact that guarantees us supplies of uranium from mines in Kazakhstan, Namibia, Russia and even other 'stans, should be the new target for NaMo and his ministers.

I forgot to add one thing India’s PFBR, is the World's only active/operational plutonium-based fast breeder reactor and second in the world to be constructed as well. We earlier developed a Fast Breeder Test Reactor (FBTR) based on French "Rapsodie" Reactor design which first reached criticality in October 1985, making India the seventh nation to have the technology to build and operate a breeder reactor after US, UK, France, Japan, Germany and Russia. In September 2002, fuel burn-up in the FBTR for the first time reached the 100,000 megawatt-days per metric ton uranium (MWd/MTU) mark. This is considered an important milestone in breeder reactor technology. Using the experience gained from the operation of the FBTR we developed this world's first plutonium-based fast breeder reactor.

 

[Bhasad Singh Mundi]

Awesome!!!

 

[TejasMk3]

Awesome! I hope they can speed up work on the thorium based ones, those will be a huge game changer, (also been reading reports the thorium being stolen and sent out,so the sooner the better).

 

[SrNair]

Congratulations .Now we are waiting for Thorium based reactor.

 

[Chanakya's_Chant]

Awesome! I hope they can speed up work on the thorium based ones, those will be a huge game changer, (also been reading reports the thorium being stolen and sent out,so the sooner the better).

Congratulations .Now we are waiting for Thorium based reactor.

Design of World's first Prototype Commercial Thorium based nuclear reactor is ready by Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC). It is the latest Indian design for a next-generation nuclear reactor that will burn thorium as its fuel ore.

We had already built our first thorium based experimental prototype nuclear reactor the KAKRAPAR-1 way back in 1993 and the construction work of the first 300 MW prototype AHWR is scheduled to start in 2016 and is expected to be completed by 2025 which will generate electricity commercially. India is the only country in the world with a detailed, funded, government-approved plan to focus on thorium-based nuclear power.

Read more at:- India designs World's first Thorium based Nuclear Reactor
​

 

[BDforever]

.Now we are waiting for Thorium based reactor.

 

[SrNair]

Ahh?? What happened?
@Chanakya's_Chant already explained about our AHWR above.Now we Indians are waiting for that milestone.

 

[HariPrasad]

This is a very critical technology. It may produce more fuel than it consume. It uses high energy neutrons so burn ratio is very high. I will write in detail later on.

 

[BDforever]

Ahh?? What happened?
@Chanakya's_Chant already explained about our AHWR above.Now we Indians are waiting for that milestone.

I think BD should join in these energy projects with india, both countries are searching for alternative energy sources