Fast Breeder Test Reactor

Short description: Breeder reactor in Tamil Nadu, India

Fast Breeder Test Reactor in Kalpakkam

[ ⚑ ]  12°33′44″N 80°09′52″E﻿ / ﻿12.5623504°N 80.1645415°E﻿ / 12.5623504; 80.1645415 The Fast Breeder Test Reactor (FBTR) is a breeder reactor located at Kalpakkam, Tamil Nadu, India.[1] The Indira Gandhi Center for Atomic Research (IGCAR) and Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) jointly designed, constructed, and operate the reactor.

## History

Construction started in 1972 ad it first reached criticality in October 1985 (40 years ago) (1985-10),[2] making India the seventh nation to have the technology to build and operate a breeder reactor after United States, UK, France, Japan, Germany, and Russia. The reactor was designed to produce 40 MW of thermal power and 13.2 MW of electrical power. The initial nuclear fuel core used in the FBTR consisted of approximately 50 kg (110 lb) of weapons-grade plutonium.

The FBTR has rarely operated at its designed capacity and had to be shut down between 1987 and 1989 due to technical problems. From 1989 to 1992, the reactor operated at 1 MW.

In 1993, the reactor's power level was raised to 10.5 MW. In September 2002, fuel burn-up in the FBTR for the first time reached the 100,000 megawatt-days per metric ton uranium (MWd/MTU) mark. This is considered an important milestone in breeder reactor technology. On 7 March 2022 it attained the design power level of 40 MWt.[2]

Using the experience gained from the operation of the FBTR and KAMINI a 500 MWe Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor (PFBR) is in advanced stage of construction at Kalpakkam.[3]

## Technical details

The reactor uses a plutonium-uranium mixed carbide fuel and liquid sodium as a coolant. The fuel is an indigenous mix of 70 percent plutonium carbide and 30 percent uranium carbide. Plutonium for the fuel is extracted from irradiated fuel in the Madras power reactors and reprocessed in Tarapur.

Some of the uranium is created from the transmutation of thorium bundles that are also placed in the core.[4]

## References

1. ↑ "A creditable performance at Kalpakkam". Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research. 2005-10-19. http://www.igcar.ernet.in/press_releases/press15.htm.
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 "IGCAR: Milestones". Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research. http://www.igcar.gov.in/milestones.html. Retrieved 19 January 2023.
3. ↑ "Indian test reactor reaches operation landmark : New Nuclear - World Nuclear News". https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/Indian-test-reactor-reaches-operation-landmark.
4. ↑ "Press Release | February 27, 2013". Department of Science and Technology (India). 27 February 2013. http://dst.gov.in/whats_new/press-release13/pib_27-02-2013_4.htm.

* v
* t
* e

Nuclear power in India

Uranium resources|

* Jaduguda uranium mine
* Tummalapalle uranium mine

Operational plants|

* Kaiga
* Kakrapar
* Koodankulam
* Madras (Kalpakkam)
* Narora
* Rajasthan (Kota)
* Tarapur

Research and testing|

* Atomic Minerals Directorate for Exploration and Research
* Nuclear Fuel Complex
* Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC)
* CIRUS reactor
* Dhruva reactor
* Heavy Water Board
* Raja Ramanna Centre for Advanced Technology
* Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research (IGCAR)
* Institute for Plasma Research (IPR)
* Pokhran
* Pokhran-I (Smiling Buddha)
* Pokhran-II (Operation Shakti)
* Variable Energy Cyclotron Centre (VECC)

Organisations|

* Atomic Energy Commission of India
* Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB)
* Bharatiya Nabhikiya Vidyut Nigam Ltd. (BHAVINI)
* Board of Radiation and Isotope Technology (BRIT)
* Department of Atomic Energy
* Homi Bhabha National Institute
* Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd. (NPCIL)
* Indian Rare Earths Limited
* Uranium Corporation of India
* People's Movement Against Nuclear Energy

Other topics|

* Energy policy of India
* India's three stage nuclear power programme
* Jaitapur Nuclear Power Project
* Kovvada Atomic Power Project
* U.S.-India Civil Nuclear Cooperation Initiative

* Electricity sector
* Solar power
* Wind power

* v
* t
* e

Types of nuclear fission reactor

Moderator

Light water|

* Aqueous homogeneous
* Boiling
* BWR
* ABWR
* ESBWR
* Kerena
* Pressurized
* AP1000
* APR-1400
* APR+
* APWR
* ATMEA1
* CAP1400
* CPR-1000
* EPR
* HPR-1000
* ACPR1000
* ACP1000
* VVER
* many others
* Supercritical (SCWR)
* Natural fission

Heavy water|

| D2O|

* Pressurized
* CANDU
* CANDU 6
* CANDU 9
* EC6
* AFCR
* ACR-1000
* AHWR
* CVTR
* IPHWR-X
* PHWR KWU
* MZFR
* R3
* R4 Marviken

|

H2O|

* HWLWR
* ATR
* HW BLWR 250
* Steam-generating (SGHWR)

Organic|

* WR-1

CO2|

* HWGCR
* EL-4
* KKN
* KS 150
* Lucens

Graphite
by coolant

| Water|

| H2O|

* AM-1
* AMB-X
* EGP-6
* RBMK

|

Gas|

| CO2|

* Uranium Naturel Graphite Gaz (UNGG)
* Magnox
* Advanced gas-cooled (AGR)

|

He|

* GTMHR
* MHR-T
* UHTREX
* VHTR (HTGR)
* PBR (PBMR)
* AVR
* HTR-10
* HTR-PM
* THTR-300
* PMR

Molten-salt|

| Fluorides|

* Fuji MSR
* Liquid-fluoride thorium reactor (LFTR)
* Molten-Salt Reactor Experiment (MSRE)
* Integral Molten Salt Reactor (IMSR)
* ThorCon

|

None
(fast-neutron)

* Breeder (FBR)
* Integral (IFR)
* Liquid-metal-cooled (LMFR)
* Small sealed transportable autonomous (SSTAR)
* Traveling-wave (TWR)
* Energy Multiplier Module (EM2)
* Reduced-moderation (RMWR)
* Fast Breeder Test Reactor (FBTR)
* Dual fluid reactor (DFR)

Generation IV|

* Sodium (SFR)
* BN-350
* BN-600
* BN-800
* BN-1200
* CFR-600
* Phénix
* Superphénix
* PFBR
* CEFR
* PFR
* PRISM
* Lead
* Helium gas (GFR)

Others|

* Organic nuclear reactor
* Arbus
* Piqua
* Aircraft Reactor Experiment

* Nuclear fusion reactors
* List of nuclear reactors
* Nuclear technology
* Nuclear accidents

0.00

(0 votes)

Original source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fast Breeder Test Reactor. Read more

|

Retrieved from "https://handwiki.org/wiki/index.php?title=Engineering:Fast_Breeder_Test_Reactor&oldid=3882406"
*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template