KAMINI

KAMINI (Kalpakkam Mini reactor) is a research reactor at the Indira Gandhi Center for Atomic Research in Kalpakkam, India. It achieved criticality on October 29, 1996.[1][2] It was designed and built jointly by the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) and Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research (IGCAR).[3] it produces 30 kW of thermal energy at full power.[2][4] KAMINI is cooled and moderated by light water, uses a beryllium oxide neutron reflector,[2] and is fueled with uranium-233 metal produced by the thorium fuel cycle harnessed by the neighbouring FBTR reactor.

As of 2006[update], it is the world's only thorium-based experimental reactor. KAMINI was the first and is currently the only reactor in the world designed specifically to use uranium-233 fuel. Use of the large thorium reserves to produce nuclear fuel is a key strategy of India's nuclear energy program.

## Contents

* 1 Construction
* 2 Structure and Core details
* 3 References
* 4 External links

## Construction

The KAlpakkam MINI reactor (KAMINI) was jointly designed and built by the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) and the Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research (IGCAR) to serve as India’s first U‑233–fueled research reactor. Civil works and installation began in the mid‑1990s within the Post‑Irradiation Examination Facility at Kalpakkam, with the reactor achieving first criticality on 29 October 1996 and reaching its nominal thermal power of 30 kW in September 1997.[5]

## Structure and Core details

KAMINI is a pool‑type, light-water-moderated and cooled reactor centered on a stainless‑steel reactor tank housing plate‑type U‑233/Al alloy fuel elements arranged in a compact core. Demineralized water serves three functions-moderator, coolant, and biological shield, surrounding the core to absorb radiation and heat.[6] The core is reflected on all sides by 200 mm of beryllium oxide, clad in Zircaloy‑2, to enhance neutron economy and flatten flux profiles.[7]

Two cadmium-lined safety control plates slide vertically into the core tank for power regulation and rapid shutdown. These plates provide negative reactivity insertion in case of an emergency. The pool itself is housed within a reinforced‑concrete vault, further encased by ordinary and high‑density concrete walls, and backed by lead panels that form the biological shield. Three radial beam tubes penetrate the pool wall, each terminating in collimated ports for neutron radiography and detector calibration at fluxes up to 10¹² n cm⁻² s⁻¹. Additionally, KAMINI offers three dedicated irradiation sites, two thimble locations and one pneumatic fast‑transfer system (PFTS) for neutron activation analysis, physics experiments, and materials testing.[8]

## References

1. ↑ "India: Experimental thorium reactor critical". Wise International. 1996-11-13. https://www.wiseinternational.org/nuclear-monitor/461/india-experimental-thorium-reactor-critical. Retrieved 2016-08-17.
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Ramanarayanan, R. R.; Anandkumar, V.; Mohanakrishnan, P.; Pillai, C.P.; Kumar, P.V.; Kapoor, R.P. (June 2000). ﻿Kamini reactor commissioning and operating experience, research facilities and their utilization﻿ (Report). International Atomic Energy Agency. RN:31043004. https://www-pub.iaea.org/mtcd/publications/pdf/csp_004c/pdffiles/008.pdf. Retrieved 17 November 2024.
3. ↑ "Applications of KAMINI - The Reactor". Department of Atomic Energy. http://www.dae.gov.in/ni/nisep02/xx/kamini.htm.
4. ↑ "IGCAR Reprocessing Group". Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research. http://www.igcar.ernet.in/igc2004/rpg/rpg.htm.
5. ↑ Usha, S.; Ramanarayanan, R. R.; Mohanakrishnan, P.; Kapoor, R. P. (April 2004). "Research reactor KAMINI" (in English). Nuclear Engineering and Design 236 (7–8): 872–880. doi:10.1016/j.nucengdes.2005.09.033. ISSN 0029-5493. https://inis.iaea.org/records/kjvne-86t55.
6. ↑ Manoharan, P.N.. "International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)". https://www-pub.iaea.org/MTCD/Publications/PDF/P1575_CD_web/datasets/abstracts/B11Manoharan.html.
7. ↑ Usha, S.; Ramanarayanan, R. R.; Mohanakrishnan, P.; Kapoor, R. P. (January 2006). "Research reactor KAMINI" (in en). Nuclear Engineering and Design 236 (7): 872–880. doi:10.1016/j.nucengdes.2005.09.033. Bibcode: 2006NuEnD.236..872U. https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2006NuEnD.236..872U/abstract.
8. ↑ Manoharan, P.N.; Suresh Kumar, K.V.; Srinivasan, G. (18 October 2018). "Fifteen Years of Operating Experience of KAMINI Reactor". International Atomic Energy Agency B11. https://www-pub.iaea.org/MTCD/publications/PDF/P1575_CD_web/datasets/papers/B11 Manoharan.pdf.

## External links

* KAlpakkam Mini Reactor (KAMINI)
* Thorium fuel cycle in India:KAMINI fuel
* BBC - Why India wants to turn its beaches into nuclear fuel.html
* Stanford - India - A Key Player in the Future of Thorium

[ ⚑ ]  12°33′30″N 80°10′30″E﻿ / ﻿12.55833°N 80.175°E﻿ / 12.55833; 80.175

* 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

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