Future Fast Reactor:

Baldev Raj, Director, IGCAR, has been elected chairman of a seven-country international project
to define a future fast reactor with closed nuclear fuel cycle (FR with CNFC) that will contribute
to the generation of 300 GWe to 500 GWe of nuclear power by 2050.
This futuristic reactor will meet seven specific requirements: safety, economy, non-proliferation,
technology, environmental concerns, waste management and infrastructure.
The seven countries are India, Russia, China, France, Japan, South Korea and Ukraine. . The
U.S. and Canada are likely to join the project.
The initiative is under the auspices of the International Project on Innovative Nuclear Reactors
and Fuel Cycle, called INPRO, of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
This reactor will have a capacity of 1000 MWe. The fuel that the reactor will use will be
identified soon.
Research and development on the reactor would be done individually by some countries and
others in a collaborative mode.
Representatives from the seven-member countries of the project met three times at Obninsk,
Russia; Vienna, Australia; and Kalpakkam to discuss the specifications of the new reactor. The
meeting at Kalpakkam was held in March 2006.
INPRO has prepared a manual listing the scientific ways of this reference reactor. The reactor
would be assessed jointly as per this manual.
Why such reactors
The cost of uranium an important fuel for nuclear power reactors had gone up three-fold in
the past 10 years. Uranium resources were also limited worldwide. "So only FRs with CNFC will
provide sustainability."
given the world scenario of nuclear power it has been concluded that FRs with CNFC are an
inevitable option if a large amount of energy is to be provided at a reasonable cost and less waste.
The project to define the characteristics of the new reactor is called Joint Assessment Study on
FRs with CNFC. (Unlike Fast Breeder Reactors (FBRs), FRs will not breed fuel from the fuel
they use. Closed nuclear fuel cycle means mastering the technology of reprocessing the spent
fuel from the reactors).
There is worldwide interest in FRs and Fast Breeder Reactors (FBRs).
FBRs are operational in Russia.
In India, the IGCAR has designed the 13 MWe Fast Breeder Test Reactor(FBTR)
operational at Kalpakkam, and the 500 MWe Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor under
construction at Kalpakkam. India plans to build four more 500 MWe FBRs before 2020.
France has Phenix breeder reactor. Japan has two breeders.
China is building an experimental breeder reactor.
Nuclear Energy
What are the achievements and failures of the Department of Atomic Energy in the last 60 years?
We have a large, capable human resource pool of scientists and technologists. This, I think, is a
very important achievement.
The second important achievement is that our programme, on the basis of self-reliance, has
demonstrated that we can take our R&D efforts, carried out in our laboratories, to commercial
scale of excellence in the marketplace.
The third achievement is that the first stage of India's nuclear power programme, presently
consisting of 12 Pressurized Heavy Water Reactors (PHWRs), is completely in the industrial
domain. It will grow on its own steam.
Lastly, as a result of the consolidation of the entire work done in the last 50 years, we now have a
clearly defined roadmap for future R&D and its commercialisation.
In terms of failures I will not call them failures but we did see several challenges. For example,
embargoes have been a major challenge. Embargoes have not deterred us from making progress and, in
fact, they have made our self-reliance that much more robust. Obviously, the dimensions of our
programme would have been bigger if we had been able to do things at a much faster pace.
We have different technologies for various applications.
Nuclear energy applications in agriculture, health, food security and so on. While we have done this, we
have also contributed towards nuclear weapons ability in the country. India today is a country with
nuclear weapons to ensure its long-term security. At the same time, we have domestic capability to
guarantee long-term energy security in a manner that will help in preserving the environment and
avoiding the adverse impact of climate change.
How important are the fast-breeder reactors in ensuring India's energy security?
Fast-breeder reactors are more important to India than to other countries which have capabilities in
nuclear power technology. This is because of the nuclear resource profile we have in the country. Our
uranium reserves what we have as per the present state of exploration will be able to support 10,000
MWe generating capacity, which is not large. But it is the starting point for setting up fast reactors.
When the same uranium, which will support 10,000 MWe generating capacity in the PHWRs, comes out
as spent fuel and we process that spent fuel into plutonium and residual uranium, and use it in the fast
reactors, we will be able to go to electricity capacity which will be as large 5,00,000 MWe. This is due to
the breeding potential of the fast reactors, using the plutonium-uranium cycle. That is the importance of
the fast-breeder reactors under Indian conditions, compared to other countries.
Production of Atomic Energy using Thorium
India has formulated a three stage nuclear power programme to optimally use its modest uranium and
vast thorium resources. Large scale thorium utilization is contemplated in the third stage of this
programme, where Uranium-233 bred is Fast Breeder Reactors of the second stage, will be used together
with thorium. The government has taken a number of steps to develop appropriate technologies for the
utilization of thorium. A few of the major steps are:
1) Setting up the research reactor Kamini at Kalpakkam using Uranium-233 fuel obtained from
irradiated thorium. The reactor has been operating since 1997. The fuel for the reactor is bred,
reprocessed and fabricated indigenously.
2) Irradiation of thorium fuel bundles in research reactor at Trombay and in Pressurised Heavy Water
Reactors (PHWRs) has been carried out.
3) Design and development of Advanced Heavy Water Reactor (AHWR) using thorium based fuel. This
reactor will serve as a technology demonstrator.
 Around 2,00,000 GW-yr electricity potential exists in India using domestic thorium
through the route of breeder technology.

Radiometric dating
Radiometric dating (often called radioactive dating) is a technique used to date materials, usually based
on a comparison between the observed abundance of a naturally occurring radioactive isotope and its
decay products, using known decay rates. It is the principal source of information about the absolute age
of rocks and other geological features, including the age of the Earth itself, and can be used to date a
wide range of natural and man-made materials.
Radiometric dating has been carried out since 1905 when it was invented by Ernest Rutherford
as a method by which one might determine the age of the Earth.
Dating can now be performed on samples as small as a billionth of a gram using a mass
spectrometer.
Different methods of radiometric dating vary in the timescale over which they are accurate and
the materials to which they can be applied.
Among the best-known techniques are
radiocarbon dating,
potassium-argon dating and
Uranium-lead dating.
Uses:
By allowing the establishment of geological timescales, it provides a significant source of
information about the ages of fossils and the deduced rates of evolutionary change.
Radiometric dating is also used to date archaeological materials, including ancient artifacts.

Generation IV Reactors:
Generation IV reactors (Gen IV) are a set of theoretical nuclear reactor designs currently being
researched. Most of these designs are generally not expected to be available for commercial construction
before 2030, with the exception of a version of the Very High Temperature Reactor (VHTR) called the
Next Generation Nuclear Plant (NGNP). The NGNP is to be completed by 2021.
Research into these reactor types was officially started by the Generation IV International Forum (GIF)
(estb in 2001) based on eight technology goals. The primary goals being to improve nuclear safety,
improve proliferation resistance, minimize waste and natural resource utilization, and to decrease the
cost to build and run such plants.
Current reactors in operation around the world are generally considered second- or third-generation
systems.
Advantages
Relative to current nuclear power plant technology the claimed benefits for 4th generation reactors
includes:-
i) Nuclear waste that lasts decades instead of millennia.
ii) 100-300 times more energy yield from the same amount of nuclear fuel.
iii) The ability to consume existing nuclear waste in the production of electricity.
VHTR The very-high temperature reactor is a next step in the evolutionary development of
high-temperature reactors. The VHTR is a helium gas-cooled, graphite-moderated, thermal neutron
spectrum reactor with a core outlet temperature greater than 900C, and a goal of 1000C, sufficient to
support production of hydrogen by thermo-chemical processes. The reference reactor thermal power is
set at a level that allows passive decay heat removal, currently estimated to be about 600 MWth. The
VHTR is primarily dedicated to the cogeneration of electricity and hydrogen, as well as to other process
heat applications. It can produce hydrogen from water by using thermo-chemical, electro-chemical or
hybrid processes with reduced emission of CO2 gases. At first, a once-through LEU (<20% 235U) fuel
cycle will be adopted, but a closed fuel cycle will be assessed, as well as potential symbiotic fuel cycles
with other types of reactors (especially light-water reactors) for waste reduction.
Food Irradiation:
Food irradiation is the process of exposing food to ionizing radiation to destroy microorganisms,
bacteria, viruses, or insects that might be present in the food.
The genuine effect of processing food by ionizing radiation involves damage to DNA, the basic genetic
information for life. Microorganisms can no longer proliferate and continue their malignant or
pathogenic activities. Spoilage-causing micro-organisms cannot continue their activities. Insects do not
survive, or become incapable of proliferation. Plants cannot continue the natural ripening or aging
process.
Irradiation is known as a cold process. It does not significantly increase the temperature or change the
physical or sensory characteristics of most foods. During irradiation, the energy waves affect unwanted
organisms but are not retained in the food.
Two things are needed for the irradiation process
A source of radiant energy, and
a way to confine that energy.
For food irradiation, the sources are radioisotopes (radioactive materials) and machines that
produce high-energy beams.
Three types of radiations are mainly used
- Gamma radiation (Cobalt-60 is the main isotope used)
- X-ray radiation
- Electron radiation
Benefits:
Food is irradiated mainly to eliminate or reduce harmful bacteria and insects that cause spoilage,
to increase shelf life by delaying ripening or inhibiting sprouting in the case of fruits and
vegetables. Irradiation however does not obviate the need for proper food handling practices.
can replace potentially harmful chemical fumigants when used to eliminate insects from dried
grain, legumes, spices, dried nuts, etc.
While irradiation for sterilizing medical products has been in use for more than 30 years in India,
its application for certain food items was first approved in 1994.
India is among the 40-odd countries that allow food irradiation.
The Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) that is popularizing the technology as also for Indian
farmers. Apart from two demonstration facilities run by the DAE, there are now six private
facilities for irradiating medical and food products.
An agreement was concluded recently between Indian and U.S. government, on the use of
irradiation before export to rid mangoes from India of pests and to delay their ripening.
Irradiation is also used for non-food items, such as medical hardware, plastics, tubes for gas-
pipelines, hoses for floor-heating, shrink-foils for food packaging, automobile parts, wires and
cables (isolation), tires, and even gemstones
Apprehensions:
It is assumed that the food products may become radioactive after irradiation. It has been well
documented that irradiating food with gamma rays using cobalt-60 or cesium-137 does not
induce radioactivity nor will electron energy up to 10 MeV.
Another apprehension is that the food irradiation might
- be used to mask spoiled food,
- discourage strict adherence to Good Manufacturing Practices,
- preferentially kill 'good' bacteria, encourage growth of 'bad' bacteria,
- devitalise and denature irradiated food.
- impair the flavour,
- not destroy bacterial toxins already present