FBTR
Encyclopedia
The Fast Breeder Test Reactor (FBTR) is a breeder reactor
located at Kalpakkam
, India
. The Indira Gandhi Center for Atomic Research (IGCAR
) and Bhabha Atomic Research Center (BARC
) jointly designed, constructed, and operate the reactor.
, Japan
and the former USSR.
The reactor was designed to produce 40 MW of thermal power and 13.2 MW of electrical power. The FBTR has rarely operated at its designed capacity and had to be shut down between 1987 and 1989 due to technical problems. From 1989 to 1992, the reactor operated at 1 MW. In 1993, the reactor's power level was raised to 10.5 MW. The initial nuclear fuel core used in the FBTR consisted of approximately 50 kg of weapons-grade plutonium
. 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, a 500 MWe Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor (PFBR) is in advanced stage of construction at Kalpakkam.
fast breeder reactor based on the French "Rapsodie
" design. The reactor uses a plutonium
-uranium
mixed carbide fuel and liquid sodium as a coolant. The fuel is an indigenous mix of 70 percent plutonium carbide and 30 percent uranium carbide. Plutonium for the fuel is extracted from irradiated fuel in the Madras power reactors and reprocessed in Tarapur
.
Breeder reactor
A breeder reactor is a nuclear reactor capable of generating more fissile material than it consumes because its neutron economy is high enough to breed fissile from fertile material like uranium-238 or thorium-232. Breeders were at first considered superior because of their superior fuel economy...
located at Kalpakkam
Kalpakkam
Kalpakkam is a small town in Tamil Nadu, India, situated on the Coromandel Coast 70 kilometres south of Chennai. A conglomerate of two villages and a DAE township, it is about 55 km from Thiruvanmiyur....
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. The Indira Gandhi Center for Atomic Research (IGCAR
IGCAR
The Reactor Research Centre set up at Kalpakkam, India, 80 km south of Chennai in 1971 under the Department of Atomic Energy was renamed Indira Gandhi Center for Atomic Research in 1985. The center is primarily a research facility besides being a nuclear power plant aiding in meeting a...
) and Bhabha Atomic Research Center (BARC
BARC
Barc or BARC may refer to:Institutions* Beltsville Agricultural Research Center* Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, an Indian nuclear research facility* Bradford Amateur Rowing Club* British Automobile Racing ClubVessels and vehicles* Barque...
) jointly designed, constructed, and operate the reactor.
History
It first reached criticality in October 1985, making India the sixth nation to have the technology to build and operate an FBTR after US, UK, FranceFrance
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
and the former USSR.
The reactor was designed to produce 40 MW of thermal power and 13.2 MW of electrical power. The FBTR has rarely operated at its designed capacity and had to be shut down between 1987 and 1989 due to technical problems. From 1989 to 1992, the reactor operated at 1 MW. In 1993, the reactor's power level was raised to 10.5 MW. The initial nuclear fuel core used in the FBTR consisted of approximately 50 kg of weapons-grade plutonium
Plutonium
Plutonium is a transuranic radioactive chemical element with the chemical symbol Pu and atomic number 94. It is an actinide metal of silvery-gray appearance that tarnishes when exposed to air, forming a dull coating when oxidized. The element normally exhibits six allotropes and four oxidation...
. 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, a 500 MWe Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor (PFBR) is in advanced stage of construction at Kalpakkam.
Technical details
The FBTR is a liquid metalLiquid metal
Liquid Metal may refer to:* Metals in a liquid state** Metals which have a relatively low melting point, such as tin or lead.** A fusible alloy** A poor metal.* Liquid Metal , a radio channel* XM Liquid Metal, a radio channel...
fast breeder reactor based on the French "Rapsodie
Rapsodie
Rapsodie is an experimental nuclear reactor built in Cadarache in France.It was France's first fast reactor, and first achieved criticality in 1967. Rapsodie was a loop-type reactor with a thermal output of 40MW and no electrical generation facilities, and closed in 1983....
" design. The reactor uses a plutonium
Plutonium
Plutonium is a transuranic radioactive chemical element with the chemical symbol Pu and atomic number 94. It is an actinide metal of silvery-gray appearance that tarnishes when exposed to air, forming a dull coating when oxidized. The element normally exhibits six allotropes and four oxidation...
-uranium
Uranium
Uranium is a silvery-white metallic chemical element in the actinide series of the periodic table, with atomic number 92. It is assigned the chemical symbol U. A uranium atom has 92 protons and 92 electrons, of which 6 are valence electrons...
mixed carbide fuel and liquid sodium as a coolant. The fuel is an indigenous mix of 70 percent plutonium carbide and 30 percent uranium carbide. Plutonium for the fuel is extracted from irradiated fuel in the Madras power reactors and reprocessed in Tarapur
Tarapur
Tarapur may refer to places in India:* Tarapur, Maharashtra**Tarapur Atomic Power Station* Tarapur, Bihar* Tarapur, Gujarat* Tarapur, Orissa* Tarapur, Madhya Pradesh...
.