CHENNAI:
India's ambitious fast breeder nuclear programme has moved closer to producing electricity, with Atomic Energy Commission chairman and Department of Atomic Energy secretary Ajit Kumar Mohanty reviewing the final technical work needed before the 500 MW Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor (PFBR) at Kalpakkam is synchronised with the power grid.
The visit by Mohanty comes eleven weeks after the reactor achieved first criticality — the controlled start of a self-sustaining nuclear chain reaction — marking its transition from a decades-long construction project to the commissioning phase.
At the centre of the current effort is the overhaul of the plant's 500 MW turbine generator, a critical step before electricity generated by the reactor can be fed into the national grid. The work is being carried out by Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd (BHEL), the original equipment manufacturer, whose engineering team briefed Mohanty during the review.
The turbine generator converts thermal energy produced by the reactor into electricity. In the PFBR, superheated steam generated by sodium-heated once-through steam generators drives a tandem-compound turbine comprising separate high-, intermediate- and low-pressure cylinders. Once commissioned, the reactor will generate 500 MW of electricity.
The ongoing low-power physics experiments, a series of tests conducted after first criticality to validate reactor behaviour before power is gradually increased was also reviewed.
The PFBR represents the part of India's second-stage nuclear programme, which seeks to use fast breeder technology to produce more fissile material than the reactor consumes. The approach is intended to multiply the country's limited uranium resources while laying the foundation for the eventual use of India's abundant thorium reserves under the three-stage nuclear strategy conceived by physicist Homi Bhabha.
Unlike conventional reactors, fast breeder reactors are designed not only to generate electricity but also to create additional nuclear fuel. The reactor's commissioning is being overseen by Bharatiya Nabhikiya Vidyut Nigam Ltd (BHAVINI), the state-owned company established to build and operate India's fast breeder reactors.
With the prototype entering its final commissioning stages, the government is already preparing to move beyond demonstration mode. Pre-project activities have begun for a twin-unit commercial fast breeder station adjacent to the existing Kalpakkam complex, while site identification and preliminary assessments are under way for a wider rollout of fast reactors across the country, according to a statement from Department of Atomic Energy.
India's ambitious fast breeder nuclear programme has moved closer to producing electricity, with Atomic Energy Commission chairman and Department of Atomic Energy secretary Ajit Kumar Mohanty reviewing the final technical work needed before the 500 MW Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor (PFBR) at Kalpakkam is synchronised with the power grid.
The visit by Mohanty comes eleven weeks after the reactor achieved first criticality — the controlled start of a self-sustaining nuclear chain reaction — marking its transition from a decades-long construction project to the commissioning phase.
At the centre of the current effort is the overhaul of the plant's 500 MW turbine generator, a critical step before electricity generated by the reactor can be fed into the national grid. The work is being carried out by Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd (BHEL), the original equipment manufacturer, whose engineering team briefed Mohanty during the review.
The turbine generator converts thermal energy produced by the reactor into electricity. In the PFBR, superheated steam generated by sodium-heated once-through steam generators drives a tandem-compound turbine comprising separate high-, intermediate- and low-pressure cylinders. Once commissioned, the reactor will generate 500 MW of electricity.
The ongoing low-power physics experiments, a series of tests conducted after first criticality to validate reactor behaviour before power is gradually increased was also reviewed.
The PFBR represents the part of India's second-stage nuclear programme, which seeks to use fast breeder technology to produce more fissile material than the reactor consumes. The approach is intended to multiply the country's limited uranium resources while laying the foundation for the eventual use of India's abundant thorium reserves under the three-stage nuclear strategy conceived by physicist Homi Bhabha.
Unlike conventional reactors, fast breeder reactors are designed not only to generate electricity but also to create additional nuclear fuel. The reactor's commissioning is being overseen by Bharatiya Nabhikiya Vidyut Nigam Ltd (BHAVINI), the state-owned company established to build and operate India's fast breeder reactors.
With the prototype entering its final commissioning stages, the government is already preparing to move beyond demonstration mode. Pre-project activities have begun for a twin-unit commercial fast breeder station adjacent to the existing Kalpakkam complex, while site identification and preliminary assessments are under way for a wider rollout of fast reactors across the country, according to a statement from Department of Atomic Energy.
