March 3 2006, a new page was added in the nuclear history of India.So much hype was created over this historical deal. Some experts say that U.S has self interest in this deal (well they’ll have, if not then why is it called a Deal?). Where as some claim this deal as threat to future relation of India with its Asian allies.
Well these are expert views; here is a perspective of an electrical engineer. So let’s look the things from the eyes of an engineering student.
On Jan 21, 1985 India’s first Breeder reactor known as Fast Breeder Test Reactor (FBTR) with a capacity of 13 Mega watt energy (Mwe) started its functioning at Indira Gandhi Centre of Atomic Research (IGCAR), Kalpakkam .
The latest project by IGCAR is a 500 Mwe prototype FBR at Kalpakkam.
Experts have estimated that if the target set is accomplished within the deadlines, India shall be capable of producing 2, 00,000 Mw energy (nearly 20thousand fold of the current capacity) by 2050.
Presently India is solely dependent upon the fuel imported from other countries and can only meet 60% electricity requirement. Also 70% of the Indian villages still don’t have electricity.
Why Fast Breeder Reactors?
As the name suggests, fast means high energy neutrons and breeder means to breed or to multiply. So the neutrons multiply very fast hence resulting increase in the amount of the fuel. Meaning thereby, if you provide 1kg of fuel for electricity production, you shall have 1kg + amount as output fuel. Don’t be amazed, this doesn’t violate the energy conservation principle. Here Uranium-238 is converted into Polonium-239 and the design of the reactor is such that it produces marginal or higher fuel than the input. According to the data available, a normal FBR produces 1.6kg fuel for each 1kg input. And this Polonium-239 is used in bombs and various other nuclear weapons. In estimation, the profit earned by the extra fuel in 10 to 12 years is sufficient to build a new FBR with same capacity. So isn’t this interesting? And it has also opened new scope for electrical engineers.
Political perspective:
Well as I think U.S has done what the Indian politicians generally do during election time. They promise the poor people for providing telephone connections, whereas those people don’t even have the mandatory things required to live a normal life. By this I mean, the basic need of India is infrastructure, we don’t have the apt infrastructure, if building a FBR shall take 44 years- India has great deal to go. Also India must opt for Russia as its major nuclear supplier and not US.
Well friends it’s time for me to dust off my power systems book and read the nuclear power plant chapter with greater care now.
