The Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research (IGCAR), Kalpakkam, has entered into a collaboration with IIT Kharagpur to carry out research for the design and development of Fast Breeder Reactors (FBRs). This is a major development that will boost the second stage of India's nuclear power programme.

 

How are fast breeder reactors different from normal nuclear reactors?

Nuclear reactors use fission reaction to produce energy. Here, the nucleus of an atom splits into two or more smaller nuclei, generating a large amount of energy by converting a small amount of mass into energy.

In a reactor, a uranium nucleus produces two or more neutrons when it splits. These can then be absorbed by other nuclei, which cause them to undergo fission. Thus a chain fission reaction is achieved.

Fission-produced neutrons have high energy; so, they need to be cooled down using a moderator so that they can cause fission more effectively. The fast neutrons, which are brought to the same temperature as the surrounding coolant using a liquid or gas moderator, are called thermal neutrons.

A fast breeder reactor uses a coolant that is not an efficient moderator so that the neutrons remain high energy. The fast neutrons are not very good for fission but they can be captured easily by a uranium isotope (U238) to turn into plutonium (Pu239).

This isotope of plutonium can be used as more reactor fuel or in the production of nuclear weapons. Nuclear reactors can be designed in such a way that they maximise the production of plutonium. Some can produce more fuel than they consume. These are called fast breeder reactors.

 

Why do we need fast breeder reactors?

"FBRs are inevitable for long term security and sustainability of clean energy, particularly for a country like India with a moderate uranium reserves and large thorium reserves," said ICGAR Director Arun Kumar Bhaduri on the importance of FBRs for meeting the energy needs of the country.

 

The research collaboration with IIT Kharagpur will further the aim to functionalise the fully indigenous FBRs for the commercial production of nuclear power.

 

 

Why is the tie-up between IIT Kharagpur and IGCAR important?

IGCAR has been pursuing indigenous technology development for sodium-cooled FBRs since 1971 and has designed the country's first techno-commercial demonstrator fast breeder reactor, the 500 MWe Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor (PFBR).

"The collaboration between IGCAR and IIT Kharagpur is of huge strategic importance," said Pallab Dasgupta, Dean, Sponsored Research and Industry Consultancy.

"IIT Kharagpur has the necessary expertise to provide R&D support to IGCAR in core areas like safety critical and reliable software, health monitoring of reactors, materials and manufacturing," he added.

The research collaboration with IIT Kharagpur will further the aim to functionalise the fully indigenous FBRs for the commercial production of nuclear power.

"The collaboration with IIT KGP will lead to indigenous design and development of reliable software, electronics and structures," said ICGAR Director Bhaduri.

 

New research centre established

A dedicated IGCAR-IITKGP research and development cell has been set up in the premises of IIT Kharagpur under the Advanced Technology Development Centre's Structural Reliability Research Facility of IIT KGP.

The research centre will address key issues in software and systems reliability, safety and security, health monitoring, materials and manufacturing.

Recalling IIT Kharagpur's long-standing collaboration with BARC and IGCAR leading to the creation of the Structural Reliability Research Facility of IIT KGP, Baidurya Bhattacharya, the co-convenor of the IGCAR-IITKGP R&D Cell, noted that several key experimental and computational setups will be created through the new initiative to enable researchers at IIT Kharagpur to develop technology that can be easily translated into the FBRs.