India : Nuclear Technology Scenario

India: Nuclear Technology Scenario
by K S Parthasarathy
RECENT developments in nuclear technology and allied fields have given nuclear advocacy groups and their well-wishers in India, an inspiration for calm contemplation; an occasion to assess the weaknesses of the programme and to appreciate its inherent strengths.
India has made laudable progress in operating the entire nuclear fuel cycle consisting of mining, milling, fuel fabrication, nuclear reactor operation and spent fuel management. The latest annual report of the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE, 2006-07) amply demonstrates “a paradigm shift in terms of far greater mobilisation of resources and technologies” for uranium exploration activities.
The Atomic Minerals Directorate for Exploration and Research (AMD) established over 6600 tonnes of additional uranium resources at Lostoin, Wahkyn, West Khasi Hills in Meghalaya, Chitrial, Nalgonda district, Andhra Pradesh and Rahul, Sikar district in Rajasthan. The agency is leaving no stones unturned to locate uranium resources across different regions in the country.
Prospecting and drilling for the precious resource continued with renewed vigour in several areas in Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Madhya Pradesh. AMD estimated over 120 million tonnes of total heavy mineral resources as an inferred category along the 30 km coastline in Puri district, Orissa. The operating units of the Uranium Corporation of India Limited (UCIL) showed improved capacity utilisation during the year. Narwapahar mine and Jaduguda plant maintained their excellent performance; the quantity of uranium ore they produced and processed, respectively exceeded their production capacities.
The Nuclear Fuel Complex (NFC) met the fuel requirements of all the operating pressurised heavy water reactors and boiling water reactors. NFC supplied the entire initial full core fuel requirement of unit 3 of the Tarapur Atomic Power Project (TAPP-3), the reactor internals of unit 6 of Rajasthan Atomic Power Project (RAPP-6), the coolant tubes and Garter springs for replacement in Units 1 and 2 of the Narora Atomic Power Station and the first supply of titanium half alloy hydraulic tubes (a critical component in the Light Combat Aircraft) for the Aeronautical Development Authority. The scientists and engineers at the India Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research operated the Fast Breeder Test Reactor (FBTR) at Kalpakkam without any failure of the mixed carbide fuel used, for a record length of time. Four sodium pumps operated trouble free for 5,50,000 hours. The experience gained in operating FBTR will be invaluable in our fast breeder reactor programme.
The construction of the Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor (PFBR) and related facilities at Kalpakkam is on course. The manufacture of a few important systems and components of the 300 MWe Advanced Heavy Water Reactor (AHWR) being developed by Bhabha Atomic Research Centre have been completed.
During 2006-07, the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) achieved the target capacity addition of 1300 MWe in the Xth plan with the commissioning of two nuclear power reactors of 540 MWe capacity at Tarapur (TAPP-3 and 4) and two units of 220 MWe at Kaiga (Kaiga-3 and 4). Unit 4 of the Rajasthan Atomic Power Station operated continuously for 373 days, breaking an earlier record. Unit 1 of the Kaiga Atomic Power Station operated non-stop for 356 days. Units 1 and 2 of the Tarapur Atomic Power Station, the first nuclear power station in the country, recorded the highest power generation since the station began its commercial operation.
The total generation including wind power generation at Kudankulam was 398 million units more than the last year. But the overall capacity factor for the nuclear power plants was low at 63 per cent. The annual report of NPCIL for 2006-07 noted that the capacity factor will improve proportionately when the mismatch between fuel supply and generation is resolved, shortly. NPCIL successfully completed the life extension and safety up-gradation of unit 1 of the Narora Atomic Power Station (NAPS-1) within the estimated cost and time. The Raja Ramanna Centre for Advanced Technology (RRCAT) and NPCIL developed various laser-based tools indigenously to reduce radiation exposure to workers involved in en masse replacement of coolant tubes at NAPS-1; this was possible as the duration in which the coolant tubes were removed and replaced became shorter, when these advanced tools were used.
NPCIL concentrates its research and development (R&D) activities in 21 areas in nuclear and electronic systems. These include new and improvised technologies to enhance safety, safety experiments to validate design parameters, methods to reduce operation and maintenance costs of operating units, management of radioactive waste, ageing and degradation studies, remote inspection, maintenance, emergency handling and refurbishment/repair technologies, indigenisation of processes, equipment and components, development of electronics and computer-based systems for new projects and up-gradation of systems for existing nuclear power plants among others.
The sophisticated tools used by NPCIL included a “remote operated vehicle” to carry out in situ inspection to identify locations where suspected leakages on the steel liners in the calandria vault of KAPS-1 occur and an indigenously developed automatic cutting/beveling machine for feeder pipe replacement during the en masse coolant channel replacement campaign. This helped to reduce plant outage time and to save substantial foreign exchange.
The NPCIL’s annual report for 2006-07 indicates that its R&D expenditure was Rs 120.43 million or 0.33 per cent of the turnover. It registered a considerable increase over the amount for 2005-06 of Rs 61.9 million or 0.17 per cent of the turnover.
The enchanting mustard fields with Narora Atomic Power Station in its background, the colourful and beautiful birds like the Red Avadavat at the Rajasthan Atomic Power Station, the mixed group of painted storks, grey pelicans and cormorants near the Kudankulam project site and a variety of butterflies at the Madras Atomic Power Station; NPCIL’s annual report contains the images of “a microcosm of the ideal eco-friendly biosphere.” I wonder how the NPCIL staff missed the shoal of colourful fish swimming against the water currents at the outfall of Rajasthan Atomic Power Station. Nuclear stations in India show that they can exist harmoniously with flora and fauna at each location.