Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor

The Kalpakkam PFBR is designed to use uranium-238 to breed plutonium in a sodium-cooled fast reactor design. The use of thorium-232, which in itself is not a fissile material, as a blanket is also envisaged in this stage. By transmutation, thorium will create fissile uranium-233 which will be used as fuel in the third stage. FBR is thus a stepping stone for the third stage of the program paving the way for the eventual full utilization of India's abundant thorium reserves. {{Cite news |date=2024-03-05 |title=PM watches core loading of first indigenous fast breeder reactor |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chennai/pm-witnesses-core-loading-of-first-indigenous-fast-breeder-reactor/articleshow/108220693.cms |access-date=2024-05-15 |work=The Times of India |issn=0971-8257}} 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. The PFBR is a part of the three-stage nuclear power program.

PFBR, with closed fuel cycle as the energy resource, is capable of generating a large amount of U-233 (a fissile isotope) from the abundant available thorium-232 within the country, to launch the third stage nuclear energy programme based on U-233 fuel cycle.{{Cite web |title=Explained {{!}} Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor (PFBR) |url=https://www.onmanorama.com/news/india/2024/03/07/prototype-fast-breeder-reactor.html |access-date=2024-05-15 |website=Onmanorama}}

The fuel for the PFBR will initially be Uranium-Plutonium mixed oxide (MOX).{{Cite web |last=Bagla |first=Pallava |date=30 July 2024 |title=India's Most Advanced Nuclear Reactor Approaches Finish Line |url=https://www.ndtv.com/science/prototype-fast-breeder-reactor-indias-most-advanced-nuclear-reactor-approaches-finish-line-6223347 |access-date=2024-08-01 |website=NDTV.com}}

India has the capability to use thorium cycle based processes to extract nuclear fuel. This is of special significance to the Indian nuclear power generation strategy as India has one of the world's largest reserves of thorium, which could provide power for perhaps as long as 60,000 years.{{cite book|url=http://www.inference.phy.cam.ac.uk/withouthotair/c24/page_166.shtml|title=Sustainable Energy - Without the Hot Air|last=MacKay|first=David J. C.|author-link=David J. C. MacKay|date=20 February 2009|publisher=UIT Cambridge Ltd.|page=166|access-date=2012-03-23}}{{cite news|last=Rodricks|first=Dan|title=Thor's nuclear-powered hammer|url=https://www.baltimoresun.com/2011/05/09/thors-nuclear-powered-hammer/|work=The Baltimore Sun|access-date=23 March 2012|date=9 May 2011}}

The design of this reactor was started in the 1980s, as a prototype for a 600 MW FBR. Construction of the first two FBR are planned at Kalpakkam, after a year of successful operation of the PFBR. Other four FBR are planned to follow beyond 2030, at sites to be defined.{{cite news |title=India plans to construct six more fast breeder reactors |work=The Economic Times |access-date=15 December 2015 |date=1 December 2015 |url=http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2015-12-01/news/68688445_1_fuel-loading-prototype-fast-breeder-reactor-pfbr|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151222164554/http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2015-12-01/news/68688445_1_fuel-loading-prototype-fast-breeder-reactor-pfbr|url-status=dead|archive-date=22 December 2015}}

In 2007, the reactor was planned to begin its operation in 2010, but as of 2019, it was expected to reach first criticality in 2020.{{cite news |date=15 December 2021 |title=Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor at Kalpakkam in integrated commissioning stage |work=THEWEEK |url=https://www.theweek.in/wire-updates/national/2021/12/15/del31-lsq-atomic-kalpakkam-plant.html}}

In July 2017, it was reported that the reactor is in final preparation to go critical.{{cite news |title=Nuclear reactor at Kalpakkam: World's envy, India's pride |work=The Times of India |access-date=2 July 2017 |date=2017-11-26 |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/nuclear-reactor-at-kalpakkam-worlds-envy-indias-pride/articleshow/59407602.cms}} However in August 2020, it was reported that the reactor might go critical only in December 2021.{{cite news |title=India's First Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor Has a New Deadline. Should We Trust It?|url=https://science.thewire.in/the-sciences/prototype-fast-breeder-reactor-dae-bhavini-npcil-liquid-sodium-coolant-purchase-orders/}}

As of February 2021, around {{INRConvert|6840|c|2|year=2021}} have been spent in the construction and commissioning of the reactor. The reactor is now expected to be operational by October 2022.{{cite news |title=Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 330, Budget Session 2021 |url=https://dae.gov.in/writereaddata/lsusq%20330.pdf |access-date=18 April 2021 |work=Department of Atomic Energy, Government of India |date=3 February 2021}}{{cite web | url=https://www.theweek.in/wire-updates/national/2021/12/15/del31-lsq-atomic-kalpakkam-plant.html | title=Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor at Kalpakkam in integrated commissioning stage | website=The Week }}

Prime Minister Narendra Modi was in Kalpakkam on 4 March 2024 to witness the initiation of its first core loading. A press release described the PFBR as marking the second stage of India's three-stage nuclear power program.{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=2024-03-04 |title=Core loading of India's 1st indigenous nuclear reactor in Kalpakkam on Monday |url=https://www.newindianexpress.com/states/tamil-nadu/2024/Mar/04/core-loading-of-indias-1st-indigenous-nuclear-reactor-in-kalpakkam-on-monday |access-date=2024-03-04 |website=The New Indian Express |language=en}}

On 31 July 2024, the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB) approved adding nuclear fuel and starting the chain reaction.{{Cite news |last=Singh |first=Surendra |date=2024-07-31 |title=India's most advanced fast breeder reactor gets regulator's nod for loading N-fuel |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/regulator-nod-for-fuel-loading-in-key-n-reactor-at-kalpakkam/articleshow/112148131.cms |access-date=2024-08-01 |work=The Times of India |issn=0971-8257}} It is expected to be operational by end of 2025.{{Cite news |date=2024-12-04 |title=Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor to be operational by end of 2025: Govt |url=https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/industry/energy/power/prototype-fast-breeder-reactor-to-be-operational-by-end-of-2025-govt/articleshow/115977167.cms?from=mdr |access-date=2024-12-08 |work=The Economic Times |issn=0013-0389}} A few lower power physics experiments will be carried out once sustained nuclear chain reaction is achieved. The next step will link the reactor to electrical grid and start producing power on a commercial basis, pending approval from AERB. Kalpakkam will see the construction of two more fast breeder reactors after the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) is satisfied with the reactor's performance.{{Cite web |last= |date=2024-08-01 |title=India's nuclear regulator approves criticality for Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor |url=https://www.neimagazine.com/news/indias-nuclear-regulator-approves-criticality-for-prototype-fast-breeder-reactor/ |access-date=2024-08-01 |website=Nuclear Engineering International |language=en-US}}

File:LMFBR schematics2.svg. The pool-type has greater thermal inertia to changes in temperature, which therefore gives more time to shut down/SCRAM during a loss of coolant accident situation.]]

The reactor is a pool type LMFBR with 1,750 tonnes of sodium as coolant. Designed to generate 500 MWe of electrical power, with an operational life of 40 years, it will burn a mixed uranium-plutonium MOX fuel, a mixture of {{chem|PuO|2}} and {{chem|UO|2}}. A fuel burnup of 100 GWd/t is expected. The Fuel Fabrication Facility (FFF), under the direction of Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC), Tarapur is responsible for the fuel rods manufacturing. FFF comes under "Nuclear Recycle Board" of Bhabha Atomic Research Center and has been responsible for fuel rod manufacturing of various types in the past.{{cn|date=August 2023}} FFF Tarapur in early 2023 had successfully completed fabrication of 100,000 PFBR fuel elements.{{clarify|what type of fuel "element"|date=August 2023}}[https://www.barc.gov.in/presentations/20230126.pdf Republic Day Address], BARC Director.

The prototype fast breeder reactor has a negative void coefficient, thus ensuring a high level of passive nuclear safety. This means that when the reactor overheats (above the boiling point of sodium) the speed of the fission chain reaction decreases, lowering the power level and the temperature.{{cite journal|last1=Raj|first1=Baldev|title=Design Robustness and Safety Adequacy of India's Fast Breeder Reactor|journal=Science & Global Security|date=30 October 2009|volume=17|issue=2–3|pages=194–196|doi=10.1080/08929880903451397|bibcode=2009S&GS...17..194R|s2cid=119918317}}

Similarly, before such a potential positive void condition may form from a complete loss of coolant accident, sufficient coolant flow rates are made possible by the use of conventional pump inertia, alongside multiple inlet-perforations, to prevent the possible accident scenario of a single blockage halting coolant flow.

The active-safety reactor decay heat removal system consists of four independent coolant circuits of 8MWt capacity each.{{cite web|title=Design of 500 MWe Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor|url=http://www.dae.gov.in/ni/nimar04/design.pdf|access-date=2012-04-17|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120417081309/http://www.dae.gov.in/ni/nimar04/design.pdf|archive-date=2012-04-17|url-status=dead}} Further active defenses against the positive feedback possibility include two independent SCRAM shutdown systems, designed to shut the fission reactions down effectively within a second, with the remaining decay heat then needing to be cooled for a number of hours by the four independent circuits.

The fact that the PFBR is cooled by liquid sodium creates additional safety requirements to isolate the coolant from the environment, especially in a loss of coolant accident scenario, since sodium explodes if it comes into contact with water and burns when in contact with air. This latter event occurred in the Monju reactor in Japan in 1995. Another consideration with the use of sodium as a coolant is the absorption of neutrons to generate the radioactive isotope Isotopes of sodium#Sodium-24, which has a 15-hour half life.{{cite news|author = Busse, J.G.|title = Slow breeder makes its own nuclear fuel|newspaper = Popular Science |date=April 1978 |volume=212 |issue=4 |pages=89–91, 200, 202 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tQAAAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA89 }}

• FBR-600 - commercial variant of the PFBR design
• India's three stage nuclear power programme

{{reflist}}

• {{cite news |title=Kalpakkam PFBR to be completed ahead of schedule; 4 more to come up by 2020 |newspaper=The Hindu |date=7 September 2005 |url=http://www.hinduonnet.com/2005/09/07/stories/2005090704781300.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080201070722/http://www.hinduonnet.com/2005/09/07/stories/2005090704781300.htm|url-status=usurped|archive-date=1 February 2008}}
• [http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S002954930600080X The design of the Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor], Nuclear Engineering and Design, April 2006

{{Nuclear power in India}}

{{Nuclear technology}}

Category:Liquid metal fast reactors

Category:Nuclear power in India