08-22-2006, 08:59 PM
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<span style='color:green'><span style='font-size:14pt;line-height:100%'>Deccan Herald » State » Detailed Story
India sitting pretty on alternate nuclear fuel
DH News Service Bangalore:
Do you know that India is sitting on the worldâs largest reserve of thorium, a nuclear fuel, sufficient to meet the countryâs energy requirements for centuries?
Do you know that India is sitting on the worldâs largest reserve of thorium, a nuclear fuel, sufficient to meet the countryâs energy requirements for centuries?
In fact, nearly a third of the worldâs thorium is in India. However, thorium, unlike uranium, cannot be directly used in a nuclear reactor to produce energy. It will first have to be converted into uranium-233, in a reactor. And, for large-scale generation of nuclear energy, India must shift focus towards utilisation of thorium.
âThat is what we are doing. We are planning to build second-generation of fast breeder reactors that can utilise thorium to produce power,â said Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) Director Srikumar Banerjee in his talk on âNuclear Energy Programme in India and its Societal Impactâ, organised by Samvaada Trust on Sunday.
Most nations that are advanced in nuclear technology have access to sufficiently large quantities of uranium reserves. Hence, the technologies needed to exploit thorium have a much higher priority for India, he pointed out. The research and development challenges involved in pursuing the thorium path âhave to be met indigenously without much benefit from the knowledge base available elsewhereâ.
Water reactors
Dr Banerjee pointed out that India had all along built heavy-water reactors that use natural uranium. But Indiaâs uranium reserves are meagre and cannot be sustained for long-term utilisation. Moreover, supply of the nuclear material has been embargoed by uranium-producing countries as India is not a signatory to the Non-Proliferation Treaty.
However, its known reserves of thorium can easily fulfil Indiaâs needs during the next century and beyond. Further, âuranium-233 converted from thorium and can be used for any type of reactors, thermal or fast, thus freeing us from any type of restrictions from the point of view of resourcesâ, he added.
Using the new technology, Indiaâs first 500-MW Prototype Fast-Breeder Reactor (PFBR) at Kalpakkam is expected to be ready in 2009.
With installation of fast-breeder power generating reactors, India plans to increase its nuclear power capacity to 20,000 MW by 2020. </span></span>
<span style='color:green'><span style='font-size:14pt;line-height:100%'>Deccan Herald » State » Detailed Story
India sitting pretty on alternate nuclear fuel
DH News Service Bangalore:
Do you know that India is sitting on the worldâs largest reserve of thorium, a nuclear fuel, sufficient to meet the countryâs energy requirements for centuries?
Do you know that India is sitting on the worldâs largest reserve of thorium, a nuclear fuel, sufficient to meet the countryâs energy requirements for centuries?
In fact, nearly a third of the worldâs thorium is in India. However, thorium, unlike uranium, cannot be directly used in a nuclear reactor to produce energy. It will first have to be converted into uranium-233, in a reactor. And, for large-scale generation of nuclear energy, India must shift focus towards utilisation of thorium.
âThat is what we are doing. We are planning to build second-generation of fast breeder reactors that can utilise thorium to produce power,â said Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) Director Srikumar Banerjee in his talk on âNuclear Energy Programme in India and its Societal Impactâ, organised by Samvaada Trust on Sunday.
Most nations that are advanced in nuclear technology have access to sufficiently large quantities of uranium reserves. Hence, the technologies needed to exploit thorium have a much higher priority for India, he pointed out. The research and development challenges involved in pursuing the thorium path âhave to be met indigenously without much benefit from the knowledge base available elsewhereâ.
Water reactors
Dr Banerjee pointed out that India had all along built heavy-water reactors that use natural uranium. But Indiaâs uranium reserves are meagre and cannot be sustained for long-term utilisation. Moreover, supply of the nuclear material has been embargoed by uranium-producing countries as India is not a signatory to the Non-Proliferation Treaty.
However, its known reserves of thorium can easily fulfil Indiaâs needs during the next century and beyond. Further, âuranium-233 converted from thorium and can be used for any type of reactors, thermal or fast, thus freeing us from any type of restrictions from the point of view of resourcesâ, he added.
Using the new technology, Indiaâs first 500-MW Prototype Fast-Breeder Reactor (PFBR) at Kalpakkam is expected to be ready in 2009.
With installation of fast-breeder power generating reactors, India plans to increase its nuclear power capacity to 20,000 MW by 2020. </span></span>