Roles of Fast Breeder Reactors and Thorium in Indian Nuclear Programme

Nuclear energy has the potential for meeting a substantial part of the clean energy requirement of the country for several centuries with indigenous resources of fissile and fertile materials. Fast breeder reactors which can convert fertile nucleides, uranium-238 and thorium-232, most efficiently have a unique role to play in rapidly increasing the inventory of fissile nucleides necessary for the growth of installed nuclear power generation capacity which can be sustained by the use of thorium, of which India has a huge reserve. The well known three stage nuclear strategy, conceived in the 1950s, is finding greater relevance today in combating climate change and ensuring a long-term energy security for the country. Having established a robust technology base for the pressurized heavy water reactors and for reprocessing of their spent fuel and successfully operating an indigenously built fast breeder test reactor at Kalpakkam for over thirty years, we have embarked upon the installation of a prototype fast breeder reactor (PFBR). The basic design concepts which involve neutronics and thermal hydraulics of molten sodium in the reactor core, the development of materials which can withstand the high level of radiation damage, the safety features of the reactor and the challenges faced in the technology development of PFBR will be briefly covered in this presentation. R&D on new types of fuel for achieving a faster breeding of fissile material and on structural materials with higher tolerance for radiation damage will also be discussed.  The rationale for the selection of the most appropriate option for thorium utilization in energy generation will be summarised.