Wikipedia

Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor

The Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor (PFBR) is a 500 MWe pool type sodium-cooled, fast breeder reactor commissioned at the same site as the Madras Atomic Power Station in Kokkilamedu, near Kalpakkam, Tamil Nadu, India.[4]

Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor
GenerationPrototype
Reactor conceptSodium-cooled fast reactor
Reactor lineIFBR (Indian fast-breeder Reactor)
Designed byIGCAR
Manufactured byBHAVINI
StatusCritical[1]
Main parameters of the reactor core
Fuel (fissile material)Plutonium/235U[2]
Fuel stateSolid
Neutron energy spectrumFast
Primary control methodControl rods
Primary coolantLiquid sodium
Reactor usage
Primary useBreeding of 233U for AHWR-300 and generation of electricity
Power (thermal)1253
Power (electric)500
Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor
Map
Official nameआदिप्ररूप द्रुत प्रजनक रिएक्टर
CountryIndia
LocationKokkilamedu, near Kalpakkam, Tamil Nadu, India
Coordinates12°33′11″N 80°10′24″E / 12.55306°N 80.17333°E / 12.55306; 80.17333
StatusCritical
Construction began2004
Commission date2026 (planned)
Construction cost₹5,850 crore (equivalent to ₹220 billion or US$2.24 billion in 2023)[3]
OwnerBHAVINI
OperatorBHAVINI
Nuclear power station
Reactor typeFast breeder
Thermal power station
Primary fuel
Cooling source
Power generation
Nameplate capacity500 MW
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The indigenously developed reactor achieves a crucial second stage outlined in India's three stage nuclear power program building on the decades of experience gained from operating the lower power Kalpakkam Mini reactor (KAMINI)[5] and Fast Breeder Test Reactor (FBTR).[6] Since the PFBR, with closed fuel cycle as the energy resource, is capable of generating a large amount of uranium-233, a fissile isotope from thorium-232,[7] it is instrumental in paving the way for utilization of India's abundant thorium reserves and reducing dependence on uranium import for its nuclear energy program, which has been a historical constraint in India's nuclear energy ambitions.[8]

The project is commissioned by Bharatiya Nabhikiya Vidyut Nigam Limited (BHAVINI), a Public Sector Undertaking (PSU) under the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE), Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research (IGCAR) is responsible for the design of this reactor, the Advanced Fuel Fabrication Facility at the affiliated campus of Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) in Tarapur is responsible for MOX fuel fabrication and Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) is providing technology and equipment for construction of the reactor.[9][10]

Construction work on the reactor beginning in 2004, was supposed to be completed in September 2010 but upon facing several delays was completed on 4th March 2024.[11][12] The project's cost has also more than doubled from ₹3,500 crore to ₹8,181 crore due to the multiple delays.[13] The Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor successfully achieved first criticality on 6th April 2026 at 08:25 PM IST.[14]

Background

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The reactor uses Uranium-Plutonium Mixed Oxide (MOX) fuel reprocessed from its first stage of reactors to generate electricity and using a blanket of fertile material, Uranium-238 or Thorium-232, to generate fissile byproducts, Plutonium-239 and Uranium-233 through nuclear transmutation respectively.[14] The later is meant to be used in the third stage of Thorium-232–Uranium-233 fuelled reactors. FBR is thus a stepping stone for the third stage of the program paving the way for the eventual full utilization of India's abundant thorium reserves.[11][15] The surplus plutonium (or uranium-233 for thorium reactors) from each fast reactor can be used to set up more such reactors and grow the nuclear capacity in tune with India's needs for power. The PFBR is a part of the India's three-stage nuclear power programme laid down by Homi J. Bhabha.[16][17]

India has the capability to use thorium cycle based processes to extract nuclear fuel. This is of special significance to the Indian nuclear power generation strategy as India has one of the world's largest reserves of thorium, which could provide power for perhaps as long as 60,000 years.[18][19]

Design and construction

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Commissioning

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For drawing a plan for PFBR, a steering group of scientists was setup in December 1979 by Dr. Raja Ramanna, the then Secretary of DAE. Its report published in 1980 was iterated upon by a PFBR working group, in coming up with a design proposal in 1983. Based on design validation and analysis, a detailed project report was submitted in 1985 for financial sanction, which had to undergo further tests and studies resulting in a revised detailed project report for PFBR published in 2002 that received financial sanction by Government of India in September 2003, expecting completion in 2010.[20] The design of PFBR drew inspiration and lessons learnt from operation of lower power Kalpakkam Mini reactor (KAMINI)[5] and Fast Breeder Test Reactor (FBTR).[6]

Manufacture of components for the reactor and sodium metal procurement was completed by 2010 behind schedule,[21] however the project also faced further string of delays,[22] including technical delays, such as in commissioning of sodium circuits and preheating of main vessel,[21] delays due to regulatory changes, such as Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB) regulations regarding earthquake resistant safety designs following Fukushima accident,[23][24] and problems with plutonium production and fuel fabrication.[25] The cost had also more than doubled from ₹3,500 crore to ₹8,181 crore by the time of its completion in 2024, nearly 20 years since the beginning of its construction.[13]

Prime Minister Narendra Modi was in Kalpakkam on 4 March 2024 to witness the initiation of its first core loading, marking the second stage of India's three-stage nuclear power program.[26] On 31 July 2024, AERB approved adding nuclear fuel and starting the chain reaction.[27] But new technical issues crept up, after solving those, the AERB cleared BHAVINI to commence final fuel loading which began on 18 October, 2025. The reactor achieved first criticality on 6 April 2026.[28][29][30]

A few lower power physics experiments will be carried out once sustained nuclear chain reaction is achieved. The next step will link the reactor to electrical grid and start producing power on a commercial basis, pending approval from AERB. Kalpakkam will see the construction of two more fast breeder reactors after the DAE is satisfied with the reactor's performance.[31] Construction of the first two FBR are planned at Kalpakkam, after a year of successful operation of the PFBR. Other four FBR are planned to follow beyond 2030, at sites to be defined.[32]

Technical details

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Schematic diagram showing the difference between the loop and pool designs of a liquid metal fast breeder reactor. The pool-type has greater thermal inertia to changes in temperature, which therefore gives more time to shut down/SCRAM during a loss of coolant accident situation.

The reactor is a pool type LMFBR with 1,750 tonnes of sodium as coolant. Designed to generate 500 MWe of electrical power, with an operational life of 40 years, it will burn a mixed uranium-plutonium MOX fuel, a mixture of PuO
2 and UO
2. A fuel burnup of 100 GWd/t is expected. The Fuel Fabrication Facility (FFF), under the direction of BARC, Tarapur is responsible for the fuel rods manufacturing. FFF comes under "Nuclear Recycle Board" of Bhabha Atomic Research Center and has been responsible for fuel rod manufacturing of various types in the past.[citation needed] FFF Tarapur in early 2023 had successfully completed fabrication of 100,000 PFBR fuel elements.[clarification needed][33]

Safety considerations

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The prototype fast breeder reactor has a negative void coefficient, thus ensuring a high level of passive nuclear safety. This means that when the reactor overheats (above the boiling point of sodium) the speed of the fission chain reaction decreases, lowering the power level and the temperature.[34] Similarly, before such a potential positive void condition may form from a complete loss of coolant accident, sufficient coolant flow rates are made possible by the use of conventional pump inertia, alongside multiple inlet-perforations, to prevent the possible accident scenario of a single blockage halting coolant flow.[34]

The active-safety reactor decay heat removal system consists of four independent coolant circuits of 8MWt capacity each.[35] Further active defenses against the positive feedback possibility include two independent SCRAM shutdown systems, designed to shut the fission reactions down effectively within a second, with the remaining decay heat then needing to be cooled for a number of hours by the four independent circuits.

The fact that the PFBR is cooled by liquid sodium creates additional safety requirements to isolate the coolant from the environment, especially in a loss of coolant accident scenario, since sodium explodes if it comes into contact with water and burns when in contact with air. This latter event occurred in the Monju reactor in Japan in 1995. Another consideration with the use of sodium as a coolant is the absorption of neutrons to generate the radioactive isotope 24
Na, which has a 15-hour half life.[36]

See also

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References

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  1. ↑ "First criticality for Indian fast breeder reactor - World Nuclear News" https://world-nuclear-news.org/articles/first-criticality-for-indian-fast-breeder-reactor
  2. ↑ "India's Most Advanced Nuclear Reactor Approaches Finish Line".
  3. ↑ "Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 330, Budget Session 2021" (PDF). Department of Atomic Energy, Government of India. 3 February 2021. Retrieved 18 April 2021.
  4. ↑ Baldev Raj, S.C. Chetal and P. Chellapandi (8 January 2010). "Great expectations". Nuclear Engineering International.
  5. 1 2 "Fifteen Years of Operating Experience of KAMINI Reactor" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 9 March 2017.
  6. 1 2 "India's PFBR attains criticality at last". www.ans.org. Retrieved 18 April 2026.
  7. ↑ "Explained | Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor (PFBR)". Onmanorama. Retrieved 15 May 2024.
  8. ↑ M M, Curtis (January 2007). "India's Worsening Uranium Shortage" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 8 March 2025.
  9. ↑ "BHEL achieves breakthrough in the Nuclear Power segment; Wins order for new rating, indigenously-developed 700 MWe Nuclear Sets based on Pressurised Heavy Water Reactors | Official Website of Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited, New Delhi, India". www.bhel.com. Retrieved 15 May 2024.
  10. ↑ "Technological developments in safe and efficient fabrication of fast reactor fuel elements" (PDF). inis.iaea.org.
  11. 1 2 "PM witnesses the historic "Commencement of Core Loading" at India's first indigenous Fast Breeder Reactor (500 MWe) at Kalpakkam, Tamil Nadu". Department of Atomic Energy. 4 March 2024. Retrieved 30 July 2025.
  12. ↑ "How India's beaches can unlock a nuclear-powered future". www.downtoearth.org.in. 16 April 2024. Retrieved 15 May 2024.
  13. 1 2 Ramesh, M. (5 April 2026). "Parliament body unhappy as PFBR cost mounts to ₹8,181 crore". BusinessLine. Retrieved 8 April 2026.
  14. 1 2 "Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor at Kalpakkam, Tamil Nadu attains First Criticality | Department Of Atomic Energy | India". Retrieved 8 April 2026.
  15. ↑ "PM watches core loading of first indigenous fast breeder reactor". The Times of India. 5 March 2024. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 15 May 2024.
  16. ↑ "India's Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor draws global praise". DT Next. 10 April 2026. Retrieved 11 April 2026.
  17. ↑ Jayakumar, P. B. (11 April 2026). "India's civil nuclear energy ambitions soar to the next level, as the first Fast Breeder Reactor takes off". Fortune India. Retrieved 11 April 2026.
  18. ↑ MacKay, David J. C. (20 February 2009). Sustainable Energy - Without the Hot Air. UIT Cambridge Ltd. p. 166. Retrieved 23 March 2012.
  19. ↑ Rodricks, Dan (9 May 2011). "Thor's nuclear-powered hammer". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved 23 March 2012.
  20. ↑ Baldev, Raj (July 2006). "History and Evolution of Fast Breeder Reactor Design in India" (PDF). INDIRA GANDHI CENTRE FOR ATOMIC RESEARCH.
  21. 1 2 Kale, R. D. (1 April 2020). "India's fast reactor programme – A review and critical assessment". Progress in Nuclear Energy. 122 103265. doi:10.1016/j.pnucene.2020.103265. ISSN 0149-1970.
  22. ↑ "India's prototype breeder reactor is delayed again". IPFM Blog. 12 March 2020. Retrieved 18 April 2026.
  23. ↑ "Yet another delay in commissioning India's Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor". IPFM Blog. 24 April 2017. Retrieved 18 April 2026.
  24. ↑ Shivakumar, C. (30 April 2016). "AERB Rules Slowing Reactor Project?". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 18 April 2026.
  25. ↑ "Further delay in commissioning India's Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor". IPFM Blog. 31 July 2016. Retrieved 18 April 2026.
  26. ↑ "Core loading of India's 1st indigenous nuclear reactor in Kalpakkam on Monday". The New Indian Express. 4 March 2024. Retrieved 4 March 2024.
  27. ↑ Singh, Surendra (31 July 2024). "India's most advanced fast breeder reactor gets regulator's nod for loading N-fuel". The Times of India. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 1 August 2024.
  28. ↑ Koshy, Jacob P. (7 April 2026). "Fast Breeder Nuclear Reactor at Kalpakam takes 'critical' leap forward". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 7 April 2026.
  29. ↑ Bagla, Pallava (7 April 2026). "India's Most Advanced Atomic Reactor Reaches Milestone, Attains Criticality". ndtv.com. Retrieved 7 April 2026.
  30. ↑ Kabir, Radifah (7 April 2026). "India has a nuclear reactor that can make more fuel than it burns. Science explained". India Today. Retrieved 7 April 2026.
  31. ↑ "India's nuclear regulator approves criticality for Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor". Nuclear Engineering International. 1 August 2024. Retrieved 1 August 2024.
  32. ↑ "India plans to construct six more fast breeder reactors". The Economic Times. 1 December 2015. Archived from the original on 22 December 2015. Retrieved 15 December 2015.
  33. ↑ Republic Day Address, BARC Director.
  34. 1 2 Raj, Baldev (30 October 2009). "Design Robustness and Safety Adequacy of India's Fast Breeder Reactor". Science & Global Security. 17 (2–3): 194–196. Bibcode:2009S&GS...17..194R. doi:10.1080/08929880903451397. S2CID 119918317.
  35. ↑ "Design of 500 MWe Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 April 2012. Retrieved 17 April 2012.
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