Nuclear Reacotors in IndiA

8/3/2019 Nuclear Reacotors in IndiA

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Nuclear reactors in IndiaPrime Minister Manmohan Singh told Parliament on MARCH 15, 2011 that the country's atomic

energy establishment had been asked to undertake an immediate review of all safety systems of India'snuclear power plants to ensure that they would be able to withstand the impact of earthquakes andtsunamis .India has 20 operating nuclear reactors with an installed capacity of 4,780MW. Eighteen areindigenous pressurised heavy water reactors, and two are boiling water reactors of the type in

Fukushima. Singh said Indian nuclear reactors had met safety standards in the past. The Kakraparatomic power station continued to operate safely during the Bhuj earthquake of January 2002 and theMadras Atomic Power Station was safely shutdown during the tsunami of December 2004.

Nuclear Reactor in Rajasthan Nuclear Reactor KalpakkamThe Nuclear Power Corporation of India LtdThe Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd (NPCIL) is responsible for design, construction, commissioning

and operation of thermal nuclear power plants. The Atomic Energy Commission oversees Indias nuclear power

industry. It has 14 small and one mid-sized nuclear power reactors in commercial operation, nine underconstruction - including two large ones and a fast breeder reactor, and more planned. The Atomic Energy

Establishment was set up at Trombay in 1957 and renamed as Bhaba Atomic Research Centre (BARC) ten years

later. Plans for building the first Pressurised Heavy Water Reactor (PHWR) were finalised in 1964, and this

prototype - Rawatbhata-1 which had Canada's Douglas Point reactor as a reference unit, was built as a

collaborative venture between Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd and NPCIL. It started up in 1972 and was duplicated

Subsequent indigenous PHWR development has been based on these units. Rawatbhata-1 was down-rated early in

its life and has operated very little since 2002 due to ongoing problems.India's operating nuclear power reactors are given in the following table:

Reactor Type MWe, net each Start

Tarapur 1 & 2 BWR 150 1969

Kaiga 1 & 2 PHWR 202 1999-2000

Kakrapar 1 & 2 PHWR 202 1993-95

Kalpakkam 1 & 2 (MAPS PHWR 202 1984-86

Narora 1 & 2 PHWR 202 1991-92

Rawatbhata 1 PHWR 90 1973Rawatbhata 2 PHWR 187 1981

Rawatbhata 3 & 4 PHWR 202 1999-2000

Tarapur 3 & 4 PHWR 490 2005-07

Total 3577 MWe

Types of ReactorsThe two Tarapur 150 MWe Boiling Water Reactors (BWRs) built by GE on a turnkey contract before the


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advent of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty were originally 200 MWe but were derated due torecurrent problems and have run well since. They have been using imported enriched uranium and areunder IAEA safeguards. However, late in 2004 Russia deferred to the Nuclear Suppliers' Group anddeclined to supply further uranium for them. They underwent six months refurbishment over 2005-06,and in March 2006 Russia agreed to resume fuel supply. The two small Canadian (Candu) PHWRs atRawatbhata started up in 1972 & 1980, and are also under safeguards. The ten 220 MWe PHWRs (202

MWe net) were indigenously designed and constructed by NPCIL, based on Canadian design. TheKalpakkam (MAPS) reactors were refurbished in 2002-03 and 2004-05 and their capacity restored to220 MWe gross (from 170). Much of the core of each reactor was replaced, and the lifespans extendedto 2033/36Russia is supplying the country's first large nuclear power plant, comprising two VVER-1000 (V-392)

reactors, under a Russian-financed US$ 3 billion contract. The units are being built by NPCIL and will becommissioned and operated by it under safeguards. Russia will supply all the enriched fuel, though Indiawill reprocess it and keep the plutonium. The first unit is due to be commissioned late in 2007, aftersome delay. Between 2010 and 2020, construction of four 220 MWe PHWRs, ten 700 MWe PHWRsthree 500 MWe FBRs and up to six 1000 MWe VVERs is projected, giving about 20,000 MWe then, halffrom PHWRs. Some 300 MWe AHWR units may also be built in that time frame. The nuclear capacitytarget is part of national energy. policy.

Four sites were approved in 2005 for eight new reactors. Two of the sites - Kakrapar and Rawatbhata,are to have 700 MWe indigenous PHWR units, another is to have imported 1000 MWe light waterreactors alongside the two being constructed by Russia at Kudankulam, and the fourth site is greenfieldfor 1000 MWe LWR units - Jaitapur in the Konkan region. Acquisition of any further light water reactorsdepends upon international political approvals.

Due to NPT, India's nuclear power program proceeds largely without fuel or technological assistancefrom other countries (but see later section). Its power reactors to the mid 1990s had some of the world'slowest capacity factors, reflecting the technical difficulties of the country's isolation, but rose impressivelyfrom 60% in 1995 to 85% in 2001-02.

India's uranium resources are modest, with 54,000 tonnes U as reasonably assured resources and23,500 tonnes as estimated additional resources in situ. India has reserves of 290,000 tonnes of thorium

about one quarter of the world total, and these are intended to fuel its nuclear power program longer-term. Mining and processing of uranium is carried out by Uranium Corporation of India, a DAEsubsidiary, at Jaduguda and Bhatin (since 1967), Narwapahar (since 1995) and Turamdih (since 2002) -all in Jharkand. Heavy water is supplied by DAE's Heavy Water Board, and the seven plants are working

at capacity due to the current building program. Used fuel from the civil PHWRs is reprocessed by BARCat Trombay, Tarapur and Kalpakkam to extract reactor-grade plutonium for use in the fast breederreactors.

Radioactive wastes from the nuclear reactors and reprocessing plants are treated and stored at eachsite. Waste immobilization plants are in operation at Tarapur and Trombay and another is beingconstructed at Kalpakkam. Research on final disposal of high-level and long-lived wastes in a geological

repository is in progress at BARC.The proposed Jaitapur nuclear plantsThe proposed Jaitapur station in the state of Maharashtra would be one of the biggest nuclear plants in

the world with a total of six reactors providing 9,600 megawatts of power. Nuclear stations are often builtby the sea due to their water consumption, and India -- which aims to supply 25 percent of its electricityfrom nuclear sources by 2050 -- already has several other nuclear facilities on the coast. But the Jaitapurprogramme has attracted large protests from locals and environmentalists who are concerned about the

loss of land, the danger of radiation and destruction in the ecologically-sensitive Western Ghats region.


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There Are Two Types of Reactors

The Pressurized Water Reactor (PWR)

Pressurized Water Reactors are known as "PWRs." They keep water under pressure so that it

heats but does not boil. Water from the reactor and the water that is turned into steam are inseparate pipes and never mix.

And the Boiling Water Reactor (BWR)


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Boiling Water Reactors are known as "BWRs." In BWRs, the water heated by fission actuallyboils and turns into steam to turn the generator. In both types of plants, the steam is turned back

into water and can be used again in the process.

Radioactivity must be carefully managed because it can be dangerous if not handled properly. It

can damage human cells or cause cancer over time. Since the fission process createsradioactivity, all nuclear power plants have many safety systems that protect workers, the publicand the environment. For example, systems allow the fission process to be stopped and the

reactor to be shut down quickly. Other systems cool the reactor and carry heat away from it.Barriers keep the radioactivity from escaping into the environment.

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Nuclear Reacotors in IndiA