Prototype fast breeder reactor
| Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor | |
|---|---|
 Location of Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor in Tamil Nadu
|
|
| Country | India |
| Location | Madras |
| Coordinates | 12°33′11″N 80°10′24″E / 12.55306°N 80.17333°ECoordinates: 12°33′11″N 80°10′24″E / 12.55306°N 80.17333°E |
| Status | Under construction |
| Construction began | 2004 |
| Construction cost | ₹5,677 crore (US$843.60 million) |
| Owner(s) | BHAVINI |
| Operator(s) | BHAVINI |
| Nuclear power station | |
| Reactor type | fast breeder |
| Fuel supplier | Advanced Fuel Fabrication Facility (BARC) |
| Power generation | |
| Nameplate capacity | 500 MW |
The Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor (PFBR) is a 500 MWe fast breeder nuclear reactor presently being constructed at the Madras Atomic Power Station in Kalpakkam, India. The Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research (IGCAR) is responsible for the design of this reactor. As of 2007 the reactor was expected to begin functioning in 2010 but now it is not expected to achieve first criticality before October 2017.[1] The Kalpakkam PFBR is using uranium-238 not thorium, to breed new fissile material, in a sodium-cooled fast reactor design. The power island of this project is being engineered by Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited, largest power equipment utility of India.
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 part of the three-stage nuclear power program.
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 more than 10,000 years, and perhaps as long as 60,000 years.
The design of this reactor was started in the 1980s, as a prototype for a 600 MW FBR. 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.
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