Prototype fast breeder reactor
Encyclopedia
The Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor (PFBR) is a 500MWe fast breeder nuclear reactor presently being constructed in Kalpakkam
, India
. The Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research (IGCAR) is responsible for the design of this reactor.
As of 2007 the reactor was expected to begin functioning in 2010.
As of April 2011, it was expected to be commissioned in 2012.
India has a strong interest of proving the viability of this reactor type, since it can use the thorium fuel cycle
and the world's second largest proven reserves of thorium
are situated in India. The Kalpakkam
PFBR is using uranium-238
not thorium, to breed new fissile
material, in a sodium-cooled fast reactor
design. The power island of this project is being engineered by Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited, largest power equipment utility of India.
The surplus plutonium
(or uranium-233
for thorium reactors) from each fast reactor can be used to set up more such reactors and grow the nuclear capacity in tune with India's needs for power.
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 Centre for Atomic Research (IGCAR) is responsible for the design of this reactor.
As of 2007 the reactor was expected to begin functioning in 2010.
As of April 2011, it was expected to be commissioned in 2012.
India has a strong interest of proving the viability of this reactor type, since it can use the thorium fuel cycle
Thorium fuel cycle
The thorium fuel cycle is a nuclear fuel cycle that uses the naturally abundant isotope of thorium, , as the fertile material. In the reactor, is transmuted into the fissile artificial uranium isotope which is the nuclear fuel. Unlike natural uranium, natural thorium contains only trace amounts...
and the world's second largest proven reserves of thorium
Thorium
Thorium is a natural radioactive chemical element with the symbol Th and atomic number 90. It was discovered in 1828 and named after Thor, the Norse god of thunder....
are situated in India. The 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....
PFBR is using uranium-238
Uranium-238
Uranium-238 is the most common isotope of uranium found in nature. It is not fissile, but is a fertile material: it can capture a slow neutron and after two beta decays become fissile plutonium-239...
not thorium, to breed new fissile
Fissile
In nuclear engineering, a fissile material is one that is capable of sustaining a chain reaction of nuclear fission. By definition, fissile materials can sustain a chain reaction with neutrons of any energy. The predominant neutron energy may be typified by either slow neutrons or fast neutrons...
material, in a sodium-cooled fast reactor
Sodium-cooled fast reactor
The sodium-cooled fast reactor or SFR is a Generation IV reactor project to design an advanced fast neutron reactor.It builds on two closely related existing projects, the LMFBR and the Integral Fast Reactor, with the objective of producing a fast-spectrum, sodium-cooled reactor.The reactors are...
design. The power island of this project is being engineered by Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited, largest power equipment utility of India.
The surplus 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...
(or uranium-233
Uranium-233
Uranium-233 is a fissile isotope of uranium, bred from Thorium as part of the thorium fuel cycle. It has been used in a few nuclear reactors and has been proposed for much wider use as a nuclear fuel. It has a half-life of 160,000 years....
for thorium reactors) from each fast reactor can be used to set up more such reactors and grow the nuclear capacity in tune with India's needs for power.
Safety considerations
The PFBR will cooled by liquid sodium, which explodes if it comes into contact with water and burns when in contact with air. In a reactor it absorbs neutrons to generate the radioactive isotope Na-24, which has a half-life of 15 hours.External links
- Kalpakkam PFBR to be completed ahead of schedule; 4 more to come up by 2020, The Hindu, Sept 7, 2005
- India's three stage nuclear power programmeIndia's three stage nuclear power programmeIndia's three stage nuclear power programme was formulated to use the available uranium and thorium reserves found in the monazite sands of coastal regions of South India. Importance of nuclear energy was recognised as soon as India became independent...