Why India wants fast breeder reactors, Pg8

Key Highlights:

• The Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor (PFBR) at Kalpakkam achieved criticality on April 6, marking the initial step towards commercial operation.
• Fast Breeder Reactors (FBRs) are more efficient than Pressurized Heavy Water Reactors (PHWRs), achieving a fuel use rate of 10% or more.
• India's nuclear program, conceived by Homi Bhabha, aims for long-term fuel security using a three-stage approach.
• The PFBR uses liquid sodium as a coolant, which is more efficient but reacts violently with air and water, posing operational challenges.

Detailed Insights:

• Criticality refers to a self-sustaining nuclear chain reaction, where neutrons released from fission trigger further fission reactions.
• PHWRs use natural uranium and a moderator to slow down neutrons, but are inefficient as only about 1% of the fuel undergoes fission.
• FBRs use plutonium fuel and a blanket of depleted uranium, transmuting uranium to plutonium for reuse, enhancing fuel efficiency.
• India's three-stage nuclear program envisions PHWRs producing plutonium, FBRs breeding more plutonium, and future reactors using plutonium and thorium.
• The Department of Atomic Energy (DAE), reporting directly to the Prime Minister's Office, drives India's nuclear sector, ensuring sustained projects across electoral cycles.
• The PFBR project faced challenges, with its original cost of ₹3,500 crore increasing to ₹6,800 crore by 2019, and missed commercialization deadlines.
• The PFBR will undergo low-power testing to refine safety protocols before seeking approval from the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board for commercial operation.

Key Concepts Involved:

• Criticality: The state when a nuclear reactor's chain reaction is self-sustaining.
• Nuclear Fission: The splitting of an atom's nucleus, releasing energy and neutrons.
• Fast Breeder Reactor (FBR): A reactor that breeds more fuel than it consumes, using fast neutrons.