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The Thorium Question - An interview with India's nuclear czar ( must read)

Mujraparty

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Dr RK Sinha took over as Chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) and Secretary, Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) last year. Besides heading India's nuclear estate he is also known as one of the leading lights of thorium based reactor research globally. 'Geek at Large' caught up with him at his South Block office to get some insights into what lay ahead technologically for India's civil nuclear program in the years to come. A longer version of this interview will appear in the forthcoming October edition of Geopolitics

What is the status of the Advanced Heavy Water Reactor (AHWR) project ? Has a site been finalized for it?

Well, the consultancy contract for design of conventional systems was awarded three years ago. Most of the design drawings, etc. are ready now. Our validation process is now proceeding on twin tracks.

You would note that the AHWR removes core heat from the system through natural circulation (convection) of the coolant under both normal working as well as shutdown conditions, which eliminates the need for pumps driven by electrical power that we see in most other reactor designs. For this purpose, a single coolant channel of the AHWR design has been tested in BARC for a rating of up to 2.5 - 3 MWt to confirm removal of heat from the system by natural circulation.

I would point out that we are being conservative about the margins here and testing for a higher level of heat removal will be needed to exactly determine the full margin and assess if the rated power of the reactor can be accordingly raised.

To do that we are setting up a large scale AHWR thermal hydraulic test facility (ATTF), with nearly 17 MWt heating capacity for two coolant channels.

The ATTF will validate the AHWR's full potential to remove core heat through natural circulation.

The experiments will thereby also show that much greater levels of decay heat than what can possibly ensue in the event of an emergency shutdown will be removed by the AHWR through natural circulation.

In addition to this, the AHWR has many other passive safety features, including a gravity driven water pool (GDWP) containing 6600 m3 of water that can provide emergency cooling to the core. The GDWP, along with other passive safety measures means that even in a Fukushima type scenario, decay heat can be removed from the AHWR under total station blackout conditions, without availability of any external source of water or operator action for a period of 110 days at a stretch. With such features, the AHWR is considered safe enough to build a case before the regulatory authority for locating the reactor near a population centre.

The other track is, of course, proceeding at the Critical Facility located at BARC Trombay, which was commissioned in 2009 to test the reactor physics side of the design.

Now, as far as site selection for the AHWR is concerned, we haven't identified a site as of now. Given the nature of the AHWR - it is essentially a technology demonstration project- and the fact that it won't contribute a lot of power (about 300 MWe), it doesn't really make sense to have a stand-alone site for it. On the other hand, the small size of the AHWR means that it can be accommodated at an existing site, preferably close to the R&D community.

So what is the time horizon for large scale deployment of thorium based reactors?

The 2040s, I would say. We have to keep in mind the need for optimisation of fissile fuel (uranium and plutonium) requirements for a sustainable path of accelerated growth. Obtaining enough fissile material (since Th-232 itself isn't fissile) before we execute a true thorium based cycle is a key consideration and we estimate that it will become possible by the early 2040s.


What about the AHWR- Low Enriched Uranium (LEU) variant? Could that be deployed faster?

Well yes. Enriched uranium is more readily available. The AHWR-LEU uses 19.75 percent enriched uranium along with Thorium, which comprises 80 percent of the entire mix.

This design has enhanced proliferation resistance owing to the presence of U-232 (with high radioactive decay products) in the spent fuel from the reactor. Using the separated U-233 (along with U-232) is therefore very challenging. Moreover, plutonium generation in this design is less, as compared to other designs. Also, dissolving thorium oxide, a highly stable ceramic, is in itself a stiff challenge. These challenges would make AHWR and AHWR-LEU spent fuel difficult to divert for proliferation objectives.

The burn-up for the AHWR-LEU is about 60000 MW/d (per day) and the reactor is extremely stable.

Coming back to the issue of securing enough fissile material, how is India currently placed in terms of thorium based fuel reprocessing ?


A huge amount of research on the technologies for front as well as back-end of U-233 - thorium fuel cycle has been done in India, and now the efforts are directed towards establishing industrial scale technologies, which will be demonstrated (along with the advanced passive safety features of AHWR), when the reactor and its associated fuel cycle facilities are operational


Of late there is renewed interest in thorium based nuclear power in other countries as well. China for instance is beginning to prioritize this as a research area, especially the investigation into molten salt reactor (MSR) technology for thorium utilization. Is there any danger of India's lead in the thorium domain eroding?


To the best of my knowledge nobody in the world has, till date, closed the thorium fuel cycle on an industrial scale. I think, our activities in the area of thorium research are more advanced towards that end than anybody else's. Our leadership in the area of scientific publications covering thorium based research establishes that.

India is also investigating Molten Salt Reactor (MSR) technology. We have molten salt loops operational at BARC.

Looking at the second stage now, what is the current status of the Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor (PFBR)? When will we see metallic fuel loaded onto it?


You can say that early commissioning activities are underway. Fuel is being supplied from Tarapur and the testing of equipment, to be eventually installed in PFBR, under 'hot sodium' conditions is underway in the sodium based facilities at IGCAR. The reactor is scheduled to attain criticality by end 2014, but physics and low power experiments will continue beyond that and the rise in power generated by the PFBR will be gradual.

As far as the timing of metallic fuel loading is concerned, this is still an open question as more R&D needs to be conducted in this sphere. R&D activities in this direction have been intensified during the XII Plan (2012-17) period. Our goal is to have this fuel available by the mid 2020's.


Do you think there is now greater appreciation of India's advocacy of closed fuel cycles?

Well, internationally there is a recognition of the need for closed fuel cycles to extend fissile sources.


So what about the India's own Integrated Nuclear Recycle Plant?

The Plan proposal for setting up INRP is currently in the process of government approval.


And the Fast Reactor Fuel Recycle Plant?

That has already received cabinet approval, and the activities at the site should begin very soon.

Is India also researching laser enrichment technologies?

We have a programme for this.




How is India placed in terms of accelerator driven sub-critical systems (ADSS) research since that is seen as one of the ways to use thorium sustainably as well as deal with high level waste including actinides?


A lot of activities are happening in this domain. Again, they are taking place on two fronts. In the first, we are developing the technologies necessary for superconducting radio frequency (SCRF) cavity based linear accelerators (LINACs). The key technologies include cryostats, niobium resonators, RF electronics, test stands etc. On the other front, we are indigenising previously imported equipment common to both normal and superconducting type LINACs, such as klystrons etc.

A 20 MeV 30 mA proton LINAC is being set up in project mode at BARC, Trombay during the 12th Plan period. A large superconducting RF cavity based accelerator will come up in the new Vizag
campus.

DAE institutions involved in this domain of activity include RRCAT, VECC and BARC. I think a lot of competence in the ADSS domain is getting developed through projects being executed in these institutions.

Could you give us an update on the Compact high temperature reactor (CHTR) and (High temperature reactor) programmes which are seen as a pathway to delivering process heat requirements at lower cost and generating hydrogen economically?



A cold version of the CHTR with dummy fuel is being set up at BARC, Trombay. It will be moved to the BARC campus at Vizag when the new site gets ready. The reactor will be built there.

The CHTR programme has led to the development of special components and materials needed for high temperature systems like beryllium oxide blocks (which serve as moderator in the CHTR), graphite as well as carbon-carbon composite based tubes (that will contain fuel), molten lead-bismuth alloy (coolant), and Niobium - Zirconium alloy (a structural material).

The HTR development will come up at the new BARC campus in Vizag. The HTR is a design meant for hydrogen production. The design studies for the HTR have been concluded. Investigation currently focuses on different high efficiency thermo-chemical processes for hydrogen production, including the highly challenging iodine-sulphur process.

Incidentally, the Vizag facility will look at a whole spectrum of hydrogen related technologies and not just its production.

Read more at: Saurav Jha's Blog : The Thorium Question - An interview with India's nuclear czar
 
So the location would be Chennai or Mumbai. Both have existing capabilities and the R&D teams.
 
So what is the time horizon for large scale deployment of thorium based reactors?
The 2040s, I would say.
~
Enough time to loot!
~
Since the UPA government assumed office in 2004 with Manmohan Singh as Prime Minister, 2.1 million tones of monazite, equivalent to 195,300 tonnes of thorium at 9.3 per cent recovery, has disappeared from the shores of India. Thorium is a clean nuclear fuel of strategic importance for both nuclear energy generation and nuclear-tipped missiles. The beaches of Orissa Sand Complex, Manavalakurichi in Kanyakumari district of Tamil Naduand the Aluva-Chavara belt on the Kerala coasthave been identified under the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act, 1957, as the main monazite bearing areas in the country. In most other countries, thorium reserves are embedded in rocks which require elaborate processing to extract. Public sector Indian Rare Earths Limitedhaving divisions at Chatrapur in Orissa, Manavalakurichi in Tamil Nadu, Chavara and Aluva, and its own research centre in Kollam in Kerala, is the only institution authorised to extract thorium from monazite sands. If the Comptroller and Auditor-General were to audit the accounts of the IREL and the Department of Atomic Energy, custodians of fissile minerals, the coalgate scam would look like small change. The missing thorium, conservatively estimated at $100 a tonne, works out to about Rs 48 lakh crore, putting all other UPA scams in the shade.
To a question by Kodikunnel Suresh addressed to the Prime Minister in the Lok Sabha on 30 November 2011, about the quantum of monazite being exported to other countries and whether the companies mining beach sand have violated the norms of the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board, V Narayanaswamy, Minister of State in the PMO, said that beach sands containing heavy minerals barring monazite were being exported. However, he said that licence under the Atomic Energy Act was required for the export of monazite and thorium which were prescribed substances, and that no licence was given for the export of these items. The Department of Atomic Energy, directly under Manmohan Singh, delisted heavy minerals like monazite and ilmenite from the prescribed substances list vide SO 61 (E) dated 20 January, 2006, to facilitate their export by private companies. Licences have been issued with the proviso that “having undertaken to comply with the conditions prescribed in the Atomic Energy (Working of mines, minerals hand handling of prescribed substances) Rules, 1984, licence is issued with the approval of the Licensing Authority.”
The Licencing Authority is the Nagpur-based Chief Controller of Mines, under the Union Ministry of Mines. Ever since CP Ambrose, Chief Controller of Mines, an upright officer, retired on 30 June 2008, the post has been deliberately kept open and Ranjan Sahai, Controller of Mines, Central Zone, alleged to be close to private placer mineral industrialists, has been allowed to officiate in place of the Chief Controller. Four years is a long time to keep a key post of crucial, strategic and vital importance vacant. Sahai is said to be the most favoured public functionary of the Union Ministry of Mines working in the field, enjoying dictatorial clout with all officials in the ministry. Several written public complaints against Sahai are pending with the Central Vigilance Commissioner, New Delhi. It is reliably learnt that the Departmental Promotion Committee has already selected an officer working in Nagpur to fill the post of Chief Controller of Mines but his appointment is being prevented by Sahai. Such is his clout in the Ministry of Mines.

According to K Balachandran of the Atomic Minerals Directorate for Exploration and Research, DAE, commercial exploitation of beach sand in India dates back to 1909 when Schomberg, a German chemist, was exploring for monazite occurrences in search of thorium for the gas mantles industry. After the German, the French, who understood the value of thorium, began buying beach sand from Kerala and exporting it to their country. From this starting point many milestones have been crossed with the discovery of ilmenite, rutile, garnet, zircon and sillimanite in our beach sands. When the Department of Atomic Energy was established in the early days of independence, one of the first decisions Prime Minister Nehrutook was to ban the export of thorium. India is reputed to have the largest mineral sands resources in the world.
Full story-
The Great Thorium Robbery – UPA | Murali
 
@eowyn , thanks for posting this wonderful interview . Gives interesting ' bites ' about our three stage nuclear programme .

Indeed number of foreign researchers have lauded India's lead in Thorium research .
 
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Great post.Sticking my neck out but here goes.America already perfected this tecnology in the late 60s and early 70s but did not make it public.Something like a RTI was filed by an american group and the reply was that it would be a threat to national security.I read it on a site called market-ticker.org.Basically it was not revealed for protecting the petrodollar.
 
Very interesting and informative article .... Thanks for sharing @eowyn .
 
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Dr RK Sinha took over as Chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) and Secretary, Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) last year. Besides heading India's nuclear estate he is also known as one of the leading lights of thorium based reactor research globally. 'Geek at Large' caught up with him at his South Block office to get some insights into what lay ahead technologically for India's civil nuclear program in the years to come. A longer version of this interview will appear in the forthcoming October edition of Geopolitics

What is the status of the Advanced Heavy Water Reactor (AHWR) project ? Has a site been finalized for it?

Well, the consultancy contract for design of conventional systems was awarded three years ago. Most of the design drawings, etc. are ready now. Our validation process is now proceeding on twin tracks.

You would note that the AHWR removes core heat from the system through natural circulation (convection) of the coolant under both normal working as well as shutdown conditions, which eliminates the need for pumps driven by electrical power that we see in most other reactor designs. For this purpose, a single coolant channel of the AHWR design has been tested in BARC for a rating of up to 2.5 - 3 MWt to confirm removal of heat from the system by natural circulation.

I would point out that we are being conservative about the margins here and testing for a higher level of heat removal will be needed to exactly determine the full margin and assess if the rated power of the reactor can be accordingly raised.

To do that we are setting up a large scale AHWR thermal hydraulic test facility (ATTF), with nearly 17 MWt heating capacity for two coolant channels.

The ATTF will validate the AHWR's full potential to remove core heat through natural circulation.

The experiments will thereby also show that much greater levels of decay heat than what can possibly ensue in the event of an emergency shutdown will be removed by the AHWR through natural circulation.

In addition to this, the AHWR has many other passive safety features, including a gravity driven water pool (GDWP) containing 6600 m3 of water that can provide emergency cooling to the core. The GDWP, along with other passive safety measures means that even in a Fukushima type scenario, decay heat can be removed from the AHWR under total station blackout conditions, without availability of any external source of water or operator action for a period of 110 days at a stretch. With such features, the AHWR is considered safe enough to build a case before the regulatory authority for locating the reactor near a population centre.

The other track is, of course, proceeding at the Critical Facility located at BARC Trombay, which was commissioned in 2009 to test the reactor physics side of the design.

Now, as far as site selection for the AHWR is concerned, we haven't identified a site as of now. Given the nature of the AHWR - it is essentially a technology demonstration project- and the fact that it won't contribute a lot of power (about 300 MWe), it doesn't really make sense to have a stand-alone site for it. On the other hand, the small size of the AHWR means that it can be accommodated at an existing site, preferably close to the R&D community.

So what is the time horizon for large scale deployment of thorium based reactors?

The 2040s, I would say. We have to keep in mind the need for optimisation of fissile fuel (uranium and plutonium) requirements for a sustainable path of accelerated growth. Obtaining enough fissile material (since Th-232 itself isn't fissile) before we execute a true thorium based cycle is a key consideration and we estimate that it will become possible by the early 2040s.


What about the AHWR- Low Enriched Uranium (LEU) variant? Could that be deployed faster?

Well yes. Enriched uranium is more readily available. The AHWR-LEU uses 19.75 percent enriched uranium along with Thorium, which comprises 80 percent of the entire mix.

This design has enhanced proliferation resistance owing to the presence of U-232 (with high radioactive decay products) in the spent fuel from the reactor. Using the separated U-233 (along with U-232) is therefore very challenging. Moreover, plutonium generation in this design is less, as compared to other designs. Also, dissolving thorium oxide, a highly stable ceramic, is in itself a stiff challenge. These challenges would make AHWR and AHWR-LEU spent fuel difficult to divert for proliferation objectives.

The burn-up for the AHWR-LEU is about 60000 MW/d (per day) and the reactor is extremely stable.

Coming back to the issue of securing enough fissile material, how is India currently placed in terms of thorium based fuel reprocessing ?


A huge amount of research on the technologies for front as well as back-end of U-233 - thorium fuel cycle has been done in India, and now the efforts are directed towards establishing industrial scale technologies, which will be demonstrated (along with the advanced passive safety features of AHWR), when the reactor and its associated fuel cycle facilities are operational


Of late there is renewed interest in thorium based nuclear power in other countries as well. China for instance is beginning to prioritize this as a research area, especially the investigation into molten salt reactor (MSR) technology for thorium utilization. Is there any danger of India's lead in the thorium domain eroding?


To the best of my knowledge nobody in the world has, till date, closed the thorium fuel cycle on an industrial scale. I think, our activities in the area of thorium research are more advanced towards that end than anybody else's. Our leadership in the area of scientific publications covering thorium based research establishes that.

India is also investigating Molten Salt Reactor (MSR) technology. We have molten salt loops operational at BARC.

Looking at the second stage now, what is the current status of the Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor (PFBR)? When will we see metallic fuel loaded onto it?


You can say that early commissioning activities are underway. Fuel is being supplied from Tarapur and the testing of equipment, to be eventually installed in PFBR, under 'hot sodium' conditions is underway in the sodium based facilities at IGCAR. The reactor is scheduled to attain criticality by end 2014, but physics and low power experiments will continue beyond that and the rise in power generated by the PFBR will be gradual.

As far as the timing of metallic fuel loading is concerned, this is still an open question as more R&D needs to be conducted in this sphere. R&D activities in this direction have been intensified during the XII Plan (2012-17) period. Our goal is to have this fuel available by the mid 2020's.


Do you think there is now greater appreciation of India's advocacy of closed fuel cycles?

Well, internationally there is a recognition of the need for closed fuel cycles to extend fissile sources.


So what about the India's own Integrated Nuclear Recycle Plant?

The Plan proposal for setting up INRP is currently in the process of government approval.


And the Fast Reactor Fuel Recycle Plant?

That has already received cabinet approval, and the activities at the site should begin very soon.

Is India also researching laser enrichment technologies?

We have a programme for this.




How is India placed in terms of accelerator driven sub-critical systems (ADSS) research since that is seen as one of the ways to use thorium sustainably as well as deal with high level waste including actinides?


A lot of activities are happening in this domain. Again, they are taking place on two fronts. In the first, we are developing the technologies necessary for superconducting radio frequency (SCRF) cavity based linear accelerators (LINACs). The key technologies include cryostats, niobium resonators, RF electronics, test stands etc. On the other front, we are indigenising previously imported equipment common to both normal and superconducting type LINACs, such as klystrons etc.

A 20 MeV 30 mA proton LINAC is being set up in project mode at BARC, Trombay during the 12th Plan period. A large superconducting RF cavity based accelerator will come up in the new Vizag
campus.

DAE institutions involved in this domain of activity include RRCAT, VECC and BARC. I think a lot of competence in the ADSS domain is getting developed through projects being executed in these institutions.

Could you give us an update on the Compact high temperature reactor (CHTR) and (High temperature reactor) programmes which are seen as a pathway to delivering process heat requirements at lower cost and generating hydrogen economically?



A cold version of the CHTR with dummy fuel is being set up at BARC, Trombay. It will be moved to the BARC campus at Vizag when the new site gets ready. The reactor will be built there.

The CHTR programme has led to the development of special components and materials needed for high temperature systems like beryllium oxide blocks (which serve as moderator in the CHTR), graphite as well as carbon-carbon composite based tubes (that will contain fuel), molten lead-bismuth alloy (coolant), and Niobium - Zirconium alloy (a structural material).

The HTR development will come up at the new BARC campus in Vizag. The HTR is a design meant for hydrogen production. The design studies for the HTR have been concluded. Investigation currently focuses on different high efficiency thermo-chemical processes for hydrogen production, including the highly challenging iodine-sulphur process.

Incidentally, the Vizag facility will look at a whole spectrum of hydrogen related technologies and not just its production.

Read more at: Saurav Jha's Blog : The Thorium Question - An interview with India's nuclear czar

Very informative article
 
well i think it would be done earlier(may be in 2025), let me tell you why
1) extensive research is going in IIT BOMBAY Department of Mechanical Engineering.
how i came to know?
well i was looking at the Syllabus of Mtech Thermal Fluid Engineering @ IIT Bombay i suddenly realized that they started specialization in new degree Nuclear Engineering. and then i asked one of my Sisters Colleague (he was doing Phd at that time in IIT) about the sudden induction of new course,and he said that they are doing extensive research on Nuclear Engineering and the thing is any Degree Engineer(from any DEPT) or a MSC can apply for it.
so i think the plant would be in Mumbai or Tarapur may be and will be done early.
Untitled Document
 
I personally believe Thorium based Fast Breeder Reactor is the single most importanat project as far as near future of India is concerned ....

I am surprised such issues are not discussed and debated at length ....

This is more perhaps important than Agni VI , MMRCA , UN security council seat or so on ....

If India is to continue to develop and to cater jobs to its huge young population....ensuring energy security that too when fossil fuels are depleting and Global climate change crisis is impending ....is a major challenge which can be met only through realization of Thorium based fast breeder reactor ....

This is the only technology area where India is a world leader ...and India needs to exploit that advantage !
 

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