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Nuclear Energy

[pib] Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor (PFBR)

Prelims Only | Science Tech | Mains Paper 3: Awareness in various sc and tech fields

Why in the News?

The Bharatiya Nabhikiya Vidyut Nigam Limited (BHAVINI) 500 MWe Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor (PFBR) at Kalpakkam, Tamil Nadu, is scheduled to achieve criticality in March 2026 and reach full power generation by December 2026.

What is a Fast Breeder Reactor (FBR)?

  • A Fast Breeder Reactor (FBR) is a type of nuclear reactor that generates more fuel than it consumes, essentially “breeding” more nuclear material to power itself and future reactors.
  • It does this by using high-energy, or “fast,” neutrons to convert abundant, non-fissile uranium (U-238) into fissile plutonium (Pu-239) for fuel.

About India’s Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor (PFBR):

  • Design began: 1980s as prototype for future 600 MWe FBRs.
  • Timeline: Construction began in 2004, faced delays; cost escalated from ₹3,500 crore to ₹7,700 crore.
  • Capacity: 500 MWe, sodium-cooled fast breeder reactor.
  • Predecessors: It builds on India’s earlier reactors: KAMINI and Fast Breeder Test Reactor (FBTR).
  • Technology: Completely indigenous, designed by Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research (IGCAR).
  • Fuel: Uranium-Plutonium mixed oxide (MOX); later stages to use Thorium-232 to breed fissile U-233.
  • Burnup: 100 GWd/t, reactor life ~40 years.
  • Coolant: 1,750 tonnes of liquid sodium; pool-type design with high thermal inertia.
  • Construction agencies: Uranium-Plutonium mixed oxide (MOX) fuel fabricated by BARC Tarapur; reactor equipment by BHEL.
  • Site: Kokkilamedu, near Kalpakkam (next to Madras Atomic Power Station).

Significance in India’s Nuclear Programme:

  • PFBR is the second stage of India’s three-stage programme:
    • Stage 1: Pressurised Heavy Water Reactors (PHWRs) using natural uranium.
    • Stage 2: Fast Breeder Reactors producing plutonium and U-233 from thorium.
    • Stage 3: Thorium-based U-233 fuel cycle.
  • Enables closed fuel cycle: recovery and recycling of fissile and fertile material from spent nuclear fuel (SNF).
  • Enhances energy security by optimally utilising limited uranium and vast thorium reserves.
  • Reduces radioactive waste through recycling.
[UPSC 2024] With reference to radioisotope thermoelectric generators (RTGs), consider the following statements:

1. RTGs are miniature fission reactors.

2. RTGs are used for powering the onboard systems of spacecrafts.

3. RTGs can use Plutonium-238, which is a by-product of weapons development.

Which of the statements given above are correct?

Options: (a) 1 and 2 only (b) 2 and 3 only* (c) 1 and 3 only (d) 1, 2 and 3

 

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