STAGE
1 -> Pressurised
Heavy Water Reactor using
Natural
U isotopic composition is _ 0.7 % fissile U-235 and the
rest is U-238. In the reactor
The
future plan includes
-
Setting
up of VVER type plants based on Russian Technology
is under progress to augment power generation
.
-
MOX
fuel (Mixed oxide) is developed and introduced at
Tarapur To conserve fuel and to develop new
fuel technology.
Reprocessing
of spent fuel => By
an Open Cycle or a Closed Cycle mode.
“Open
cycle” refers to disposal of the entire waste
after subjecting to proper waste treatment.
This Results in huge underutilization of the energy
potential of Uranium (~ 2 % is exploited)
“Closed
cycle” refers to chemical separation of U-238 and
Pu-239 and further recycled while the other radioactive
fission products were separated, sorted out according to
their half lives and activity and appropriately disposed
off with minimum environmental disturbance.
-
Both
the options are in practice.
-
As
a part of long – term energy strategy, Japan and
France has opted “closed cycle”
-
India
preferred a closed cycle mode in view of its phased
expansion of nuclear power generation extending
through the second and third stages.
-
Indigenous
technology for the reprocessing of the spent fuel as
well as waste management programme has been
developed by India through its own comprehensive
R&D efforts and reprocessing plants were set up
and are in operation thereby attaining self -
reliance in this strategic field
STAGE
2 Fast Breeder Reactor
India’s
second stage of nuclear power generation envisages the
use of Pu-239 obtained from the first stage reactor
operation, as the fuel core in fast breeder reactors (FBR). The
main features of FBTR are
-
Pu-239
serves as the main fissile element in the FBR
-
A
blanket of U-238 surrounding the fuel core will
undergo nuclear transmutation to produce fresh
Pu-239 as more and more Pu-239 is consumed during
the operation.
-
Besides
a blanket of Th-232 around the FBR core also
undergoes neutron capture reactions leading to the
formation of U-233. U-233 is the nuclear reactor
fuel for the third stage of India’s Nuclear Power
Programme.
-
It
is technically feasible to produce sustained energy
output of 420 GWe from FBR.
-
Setting
up Pu-239 fuelled fast Breeder Reactor of 500
MWe power generation is in progress. Concurrently,
it is proposed to use thorium-based fuel, along with
a small feed of plutonium-based fuel in Advanced
Heavy Water Reactors (AHWRs). The AHWRs are expected
to shorten the period of reaching the stage of
large-scale thorium utilization.
STAGE
3 Breeder Reactor
The
third phase of India’s Nuclear Power Generation
programme is, breeder reactors using U-233 fuel.
India’s vast thorium deposits permit design and
operation of U-233 fuelled breeder reactors.
-
U-233
is obtained from the nuclear transmutation of Th-232
used as a blanket in the second phase Pu-239 fuelled
FBR.
-
Besides,
U-233 fuelled breeder reactors will have a Th-232
blanket around the U-233 reactor core which will
generate more U-233 as the reactor goes operational
thus resulting in the production of more and more
U-233 fuel from the Th-232 blanket as more of the
U-233 in the fuel core is consumed helping to
sustain the long term power generation fuel
requirement.
-
These
U-233/Th-232 based breeder reactors are under
development and would serve as the mainstay of the
final thorium utilization stage of the Indian
nuclear programme. The currently known Indian
thorium reserves amount to 358,000 GWe-yr of
electrical energy and can easily meet the energy
requirements during the next century and beyond.
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