India’s Energy Security – The Role of Nuclear Energy

1
Indias Energy Security The Role of Nuclear
Energy

• Ratan K. Sinha
• Distinguished Scientist and Director,
• Reactor Design Development Group,
• BARC
• Guest Lecture at Petroleum Federation of India,
  New Delhi
• May 27, 2005

2
Organisation of Atomic Energy Commission
3
Bhabha Atomic Research Centre
19 Groups 71 Divisions 14900 Total
Staff Strength 4130 Scientists/ Engrs. 200
Acres Area 10000 sq. m. developed gardens.
4
Goals of RD Activities in BARC

• Indigenous development of nuclear technology
• - for generating energy
• - for non-power applications
• Research, Development, Demonstration and
  Deployment - RD3
• - Fruits of research handed over for
  exploitation on industrial scale by
  NPCIL, NFC, HWB, IREL, UCIL AND ECIL
• Pursue excellence in all areas of nuclear
  science and technology
• - Utilisation of research reactors
• - Front and back end of nuclear fuel
  cycle
• - Production of radioisotopes and
  development of radiation
• technology

5
Scope of my talk today

• In the available time, I intend to cover the
  following
• Energy Security and Nuclear Energy
• The Physics behind Nuclear Power
• The Indian Nuclear Power Programme and its
  Rationale.
• The Indian Advanced Heavy Water Reactor An
  illustration of the Philosophy Behind Design
  Development of Advanced Nuclear Reactors.
• The Indian Programme for Generation of Hydrogen
  using Nuclear Energy

6
Energy Security and Nuclear Energy
7
There is no power as costly as no-power Homi
Bhabha
8
Nuclear Power is the greatest facilitator of
energy security in countries with inadequate
domestic energy resources
Requirement of natural uranium for a 1000 MWe
Nuclear Power Plant 160 t /Year.
REACTOR
Requirement of coal for a 1000 MWe Coal fired
plant 2.6 million t / Year (i.e. 5 trains of
1400 t /Day)
9
'The ice is melting much faster than we thought'
Even if they (opponents of nuclear energy) were
right about its dangers, and they are not, its
worldwide use as our main source of energy would
pose an insignificant threat compared with the
dangers of intolerable and lethal heat waves and
sea levels rising to drown every coastal city of
the world. We have no time to experiment with
visionary energy sources civilisation is in
imminent danger and has to use nuclear - the one
safe, available, energy source - now or suffer
the pain soon to be inflicted by our outraged
planet. - Eminent Environmental Scientist, James
Lovelock, The Independent, May 24, 2004

• Greenland Picture http//earthobservatory.nasa.go
  v/Newsroom/NewImages/images.php3?img_id15341

10
Nuclear Power in the World Today

• First commercial nuclear power stations started
  operation in 1950s.
• 440 commercial nuclear reactors operating in 31
  countries
• 360,000 MWe is the total capacity.
• Supply of 16 of the world's electricity
• 56 countries operate a total of 284 research
  reactors.

11
Development of Nuclear Power - Chronology
1970's Oil Shock 1979 - TMI Accident 1986
- Chernobyl Accident
1990's Liberalisation of electricity
marketand availability of cheap gas
Major Events Affecting Growth of Nuclear Power
12
Some Data for the Top Twelve GDP Ranking Countries

• Sources 1. Uranium Information Centre,
  Australia http//www.uic.com.au/reactors.htm 3.
  WNA
• 2. CIA World Fact Book 2003 (Electricity
  Prodn. 2001, Population 2003)

13
We can draw some interesting inferences from the
data for the twelve top rankers

• GDP and Electricity Generation ranks more or
  less match A Strong Correlation.
• Exceptions countries with a very cold climate
  (Russia and Canada)
• All the twelve countries have (or have had) a
  significant nuclear power programme
• Countries with no active nuclear construction
  programmes today have either high per capita
  electricity generation or access to alternative
  energy options (cheaper in the short term).
• Japan High PCEC, but no domestic fuel resources
  - active programme.
• Brazil Low PCEC, but large hydro resources
  dormant programme.
• Italy Shutdown its existing four Nuclear Power
  Plants, but imports 20 of its electricity from
  neighboring France, which produces 80 of its
  electricity using Nuclear. Acid rain damaging
  Italian lakes.
• The selection of nuclear reactor technology has a
  large bearing on the efficient utilisation of
  available Uranium.
• India (PHWRs) tops the list in this regard.

14
Perspective of a country on nuclear energy
depends on domestic realities

• In general, the perspective of a country on
  nuclear energy and degree of public acceptance
  could depend on where you are on these curves,
  on the availability of fossil and hydro
  resources, and on technological development
  capacity.
• - R. Chidambaram, 2003

15
The three basic concepts of the Physics behind
Nuclear Power
16
1. Fission

• Natural uranium that is mined from the ground is
  0.7 U-235 and 99.3 U-238.
• Slow Neutrons can initiate a fission of uranium
  235 (U-235), an isotope of uranium that occurs
  in nature.
• The result of the fission is
• Fission products that are radioactive,
• Radiation,
• Fast neutrons ( 2.5 neutrons per fission)
• Heat.

17
The fission reaction
Fission of 1 gm of U-235 per day generates 1 MW
Power
18
2. Moderation

• The fast neutrons have a low probability of
  inducing further fissions (but used as such in
  fast reactors), and hence generating more
  neutrons thus sustaining a chain reaction.
• So in thermal reactors, we need to slow down the
  neutrons (i.e., thermalise or moderate them),
  which we do by using a moderator such as water
  (Heavy Water or Light water).

19
Slowing down (thermalisation or moderation) of
fission neutrons facilitates lower critical mass,
but leads to some loss of neutrons through
absorption in the moderator
Variation of fission cross-section (barns) of
U-235 with neutron energy (eV)
Cross-section The effective target presented by
a nucleus for collisions leading to nuclear
reactions . 1 barn 10-24 cm2
Energy distribution of fission neutrons peaks at
0.7 MeV with average energy at 1.9 MeV.
Thermal Reactors
Fast Reactors
20
3. Conversion

• Uranium-235 is the only naturally occurring
  fissile isotope.
• Plutonium-239 and Uranium-233 are man-made
  fissile isotopes which can be produced in a
  reactor.
• Uranium 238 (99.3 of natural uranium) on
  absorbing neutrons in a nuclear reactor, gets
  converted to Plutonium-239.
• Thorium-232, another naturally occurring element,
  on absorbing neutrons in a nuclear reactor, gets
  converted to Uranium-233.
• The converted fissile materials (Pu-239 and
  U-233) can be recovered by reprocessing the spent
  fuel coming out of a reactor.- Closed Nuclear
  Fuel Cycle
• In breeder reactors (practically, Fast Breeder
  Reactors) it is possible to produce more fissile
  material than that gets consumed.

21
Conversion of fertile material to fissile
material is made possible by neutron capture
reactions
(n, g)
92U238 0n1
92U239 g (Fertile)


93Np239 -1 b 0

(Fissile) 94Pu239 -1 b
0
(n, g)
90Th232 0n1
90Th233 g (Fertile)


91Pa233 -1 b 0

(Fissile) 92U233 -1 b 0
22
Nuclear reactors operating on fission are broadly
classified into two types
Classification of Reactor Systems

• Thermal Reactors
• Fission is sustained primarily by thermal
  neutrons ( E 0.025 eV).
• Moderator (Ordinary water, heavy water, graphite,
  beryllium) is required to slow down the high
  energy fission neutrons. Large core.
• Very high fission cross-section for thermal
  neutrons, less fuel inventory.

• Fast Reactors
• Fission is sustained primarily by fast neutrons
  (E 1 MeV)
• No moderator used. Compact core. High core power
  density liquid metal or helium gas as coolant.
• Higher number of neutrons available for capture
  in fertile material. Breeding possible.

23
There are two options for a Nuclear Fuel Cycle
Open, and Closed
24
Main attributes of nuclear energy relevant for
electricity and hydrogen generation

• Very large resource
• Suitable for large unit sizes for meeting urban
  and concentrated industrial demands
• No CO2 emissions
• Relatively insensitive to fuel price increase
• Capability to produce very high temperature
  process heat

25
The Indian Nuclear Power Programme and its
Rationale
26
Our Goal

• Our dream to realise a quality of life for people
  commensurate with other developed countries -
• Needs generation of 5000 kWh per year per capita,
  
• Demands a total capacity of 7500 billion kWh per
  year for a population of 1.5 billion by 2050,
• Calls for a strategic growth in electricity
  generation considering
• Energy resources, self sufficiency,
• Effect on local, regional global environment,
• Health externalities,
• Demand profile energy import scenario.
• Our study indicates a necessity to meet more
  than 1/4th of electricity generation by
  nuclear.
• Nuclear energy will also need to play a
  progressively increasing role for non-
  grid-based-electricity applications (hydrogen
  generation, desalination, compact power packs).
• - From a presentation by Dr. Anil Kakodkar in
  INSAC-2003, Kalpakkam

27
Domestic energy resources must be a major
contributor to Indian energy supply.
For a large country like India, with huge future
energy requirements, depending largely upon
import of energy resources and technologies is
neither economically sustainable nor
strategically sound for energy security.
28
The Indian Energy Resource Base explains our
current priority for Closed Nuclear Fuel Cycle
and Thorium
Ref. A Strategy for Growth of Electrical Energy
in India, DAE, August 2004
29
India has adopted a closed nuclear fuel cycle for
its indigenous programme

• To facilitate wide-spread and long term use of
  nuclear power a sustainable nuclear fuel
  strategy, based on closed nuclear fuel cycle and
  thorium utilisation is essential.
• Taking cognisance of its resource position, the
  Indian priority for adopting this strategy has
  been high.
• The Indian nuclear power programme, therefore,
  has three major stages
• Nat. U in PHWRs
• Pu in FBRs
• U-233, Th in advanced reactors a possibility of
  synergy with Accelerator Driven Systems (ADS).

30
The three stage Indian Nuclear Power Programme
aims to achieve long-term energy security through
self-reliance.
3rd Stage Thorium-233U based reactors 2nd
Stage Fast Breeder Reactors using Pu as fuel and
breeding Pu and 233U. 1st Stage Pressurised
Heavy Water Reactors using Natural Uranium as
fuel and producing Plutonium which is recovered
in reprocessing plants for initiating the 2nd
Stage
31
Rationale for Import of NPPs - Early Sixties

• Objective
• Technology absorption, familiarisation and
  infrastructure building.
• Requirements
• Affordability - Low capital cost and favourable
  payment terms.
• Security - Assurance of future supplies and
  support
• Technology - Readily available, proven
  technology Turn-key construction
• Outcome
• Two 200 MWe BWRs at Tarapur supplied by GE
  USA.

32
Rationale for Import of NPPs - Late Sixties

• Objective
• Long term economics and sustainability for
  building a large programme.
• Requirements
• Security and Sustainability - security of fuel
  supply.
• Technology
• - consistent with first stage of a long term
  vision
• - participation of local industry.
• - willingness to consider a new technology.
• Outcome
• Launching a PHWR programme, starting with RAPS-1,
  a 200 MWe PHWR built with Canadian support.

33
Current Rationale for Import of NPPs

• Objective
• Augment nuclear share in the energy mix, in the
  short term.
• Requirements
• Light water reactors of proven performance
• Terms acceptable to India
• Limited number (about 6 GWe)
• Outcome
• Kundankulam-1 2, 2x1000MWe VVER based NPPs
  from RF

34
The current Indian nuclear power reactors belong
to six different configurations
DIFFERENT POWER REACTOR CONFIGURATIONS
ORDINARY WATER MODERATED REACTORS
HEAVY WATER MODERATED REACTORS
FAST BREEDER REACTORS
GAS COOLED REACTORS
Kalpakkam
OTHER REACTORS
PRESSURISED WATER Cooled
BOILING WATER Cooled
PRESSURISEDHEAVY WATER Cooled
BOILING WATER Cooled
CHTR
Rajasthan Kalpakkam Narora Kaiga Kakarapar,
Tarapur
AHWR
Tarapur 12
Kundankulam
35
Current status of the Indian nuclear power
programme

• Stage - III
• Thorium Based Reactors
• 30 kWth KAMINI- Oper.
• 300 MWe AHWR- Under development
• CHTR Under design.
• POWER POTENTIAL ? Very Large. Availability
  of ADS can enable early introduction of Thorium
  on a large scale.

• Stage - I
• PHWRs
• 13- Operating
• 5 - Under construction
• Several others planned
• POTENTIAL ? 10 GWe
• LWRs
• 2 BWRs- Operating
• 2 VVERs- Under
• construction

• Stage II
• FBRs
• 40 MWth FBTR- Oper.
• 500 MWe PFBR- Under construction
• POTENTIAL ? 350 GWe

36
Indian Nuclear Power Programme till 2020
37
A Study on Projected Growth of Installed Nuclear
Generation Capacity using Indigenous Fuel and
Technologies
Ref. A Strategy for Growth of Electrical Energy
in India, DAE, August 2004
38
The Indian Advanced Heavy Water Reactor An
illustration of the Philosophy Behind Design
Development of Advanced Nuclear Reactors.
At BARC, the design and development of AHWR is
currently in an advanced stage.
39
Advanced Heavy Water Reactor
AHWR is a vertical pressure tube type, boiling
light water cooled and heavy water moderated
reactor using 233U-Th MOX (Mixed Oxide) and Pu-Th
MOX fuel.

• Major Design Objectives
• A large fraction of power from thorium.
• Deployment of passive safety features 3 days
  grace period.
• No need for planning off-site emergency measures.
• Power output 300 MWe with 500 m3/d of
  desalinated water.
• Design life of 100 years.

40
The 3.5 m long AHWR fuel clusters have a design
which is unique in the world.
Fuel Cluster Cross-Section

• Key Features
• Thorium bearing fuel (Th Pu)O2 MOX, (Th
  233U)O2 MOX Enrichment 2.5 (top half) 4
  (bottom half) in the former
• Central (ZrO2-Dy2O3) displacer rod
• Emergency core cooling water injected into the
  cluster through the holes in displacer rod
• Low pressure drop design

41
These fuel clusters reside in 452 out of 505
lattice positions in a vertical core having Heavy
Water moderator
Typical incore detector (36 positions)
452 Fuel Channels
42
The reactor is located in the basement with four
steam drums located at the top
43
Boiling water under natural circulation (i.e., no
pumps are used in the main coolant circuit) cools
the fuel clusters
 Heat removal from core under both normal full
power operating condition as well as shutdown
condition is by natural circulation of coolant.
44
Even if the largest size pipe suddenly breaks,
the Emergency Core Cooling System (ECCS) will
flood the core with cold water, without any
operator or control action
Passive injection of cooling water, initially
from accumulator and later from the overhead
GDWP, directly into fuel cluster.
45
The reactor has unique advanced safety features
to reliably cool it and shut it down even with
human failure, power failure, and failure of all
wired controls.
Pressure 70 bar
Pressure 71 bar
Pressure 76.5 bar
Pressure 82 bar
46
Computations indicate that the fuel temperature
will hardly rise even with such extremely low
probability accidents (contemplated in the
design.)
Flow through Isolation Condenser
Clad Surface Temperature
47
A large number of experimental facilities have
been built and used to validate the computer
codes used in AHWR design.
48
Some Thermal Hydraulic Experimental Facilities
for Development of AHWR
- 1/2
Facility at Apsara Reactor for Flow Pattern
Transition Studies by Neutron Radiography
Natural Circulation Loop (NCL) for Stability and
Start-up Studies
49
Some Thermal Hydraulic Experimental Facilities
for Development of AHWR
- 2/2
Transparent Set up for Natural Circulation Flow
Distribution Studies
3 MW Boiling Water Loop
50
Most of the AHWR design objectives are consistent
with the recent internationally stipulated
requirements for next generation NPPs.
51
The Indian Programme for Generation of Hydrogen
using Nuclear Energy
52
Large scale commercial production of hydrogen is
an energy intensive process
53
High temperatures (typically gt 800 C) are
generally required for efficiently producing
hydrogen from water
Electrolysis
Thermo-chemical cycle
Water
H2
Thermo-chemical Processes Cu-Cl Copper -
Chlorine, Ca-Br2 Calcium-Bromine, I-S
Iodine-Sulfur Process
Electrolysis Processes AW Alkali Water, MC
Molten Carbonate SP Solid Polymer, HT High
Temperature
Ref High Efficiency Generation of Hydrogen Fuels
Using Nuclear Power, G.E. Besenbruch, L.C. Brown,
J.F. Funk, S.K. Showalter, Report GAA23510 and
ORNL Website
Ref IAEA-TECDOC-1085 Hydrogen as an energy
carrier and its production by nuclear power
54
Comparison of thermo-chemical processes
55
Schematic flow diagram of I-S process
56
BARC roadmap of R D for the thermo-chemical
process based hydrogen production
Demonstration using 600 MWTh HTR 80,000 m3
H2/hr
System design Process, chemical reactors
Process simulation using chemical process
simulator
Demonstration with metallic chemical
reactors 13 m3 H2/hr
FLOWSHEETING
Experimental studies for improving specific
processing methods
Lab scale demonstration 50 L H2/hr
Evaluation Development of materials
Early RD -Studies on reactions separations
57
High temperature electrolysis is more efficient
and needs less electricity. For this process,
nuclear reactors can supply both - high
temperature heat electricity.

• High Temperature Steam Electrolysis (HTSE)
• A high temperature nuclear reactor coupled with a
  steam electrolyser would be extremely efficient
  with a thermal to-hydrogen conversion efficiency
  of 55
• Part of the energy needed to split the water is
  added as heat instead of electricity, thus
  reducing the overall energy required and
  improving process efficiency
• Super heated steam (at 850C) is introduced at
  the cathode where hydrogen is separated and
  oxygen ion passes through a conducting ceramic
  membrane (usually Yttria Stabilized Zirconia,
  YSZ) and liberated at anode
• HTSE cell and components are similar to SOFC
• BARC is developing a 5 kW SOFC system
• SOFC development will ease switch over to steam
  electrolysis system

High Temperature Steam Electrolysis (Tubular
Geometry)
58
Nuclear hydrogen production system being
developed in BARC is to satisfy total energy
needs of a region in the form of hydrogen,
electricity and potable water
59
A Compact High Temperature Reactor (CHTR) is
under design at BARC. It will serve as the
platform for developing and demonstrating
technologies associated with Indian HTRs.

• CHTR- Technology Demonstrator
• 100 kWTh, 1000 C, Portable, TRISO Fuel
• Several passive systems for reactor safety and
  heat removal - unattended operation
• Prolonged operation without refuelling

• Indian HTR for Hydrogen Prodn.
• 600 MWTh , 1000 C, TRISO Fuel
• Combination of active and passive systems for
  control cooling
• Medium life core

• Multipurpose Nuclear Power Pack (MNPP)
• 5 MWTh, 550 C, Portable, Metallic Fuel
• Several passive systems for reactor safety and
  heat removal - unattended operation
• gt15 year operation without refuelling

60
CHTR has an all ceramic core containing mainly
BeO and carbon based components
Fuel Channels
Beryllia
Passive Power Regulation
System
Graphite Reflector
Downcomers
Molybdenum alloy Shell
Gas Gaps
High Thermal Conductivity
Material Shells
Steel Shell
61
Several innovations in the areas of fuel,
materials, passive reactor safety, efficient heat
removal systems liquid heavy metal coolant
technology mark CHTR configuration.
62
Passive systems for CHTR

• Natural circulation of coolant
• Passive regulation of reactor power under normal
  operation
• Negative Doppler coefficient (-2.8 x 10-5
  ?k/k/C)
• Negative moderator temperature coefficient
• Passive shutdown for accidental conditions
• Passive system for conduction of heat from
  reactor core by filling of gas gaps by liquid
  metal
• Removal of heat from upper plenum, under both
  normal and accidental conditions by heat pipes
• Removal of heat from the core by C/C composite
  heat pipes under accidental conditions with LOCA

Inherently safe
Several of these features will be retained for
the Indian High Temperature Reactor for Hydrogen
production
63
Major Research Development issues and critical
technologies for high temperature reactors

• Materials related technologies
• Molten heavy metal coolant technology -
  Experimental Loop being set-up
• Advanced TRISO coated fuel particles - Coating
  trials underway
• BeO Production of required shape and size -
  Sample pieces made
• Graphite C-C composites for reactor components
  - Collaboration with other R D centre
• High temperature structural materials - Under
  development
• Oxidation and corrosion resistant coatings -
  Under development
• Technologies for engineering systems
• Passive reactor regulation shutdown systems
• High heat flux passive heat removal technologies
• High temperature heat removal by heat pipes
• Reactor physics calculations for compact cores -
  Codes developed
• Structural and thermal design rules for brittle
  materials - Being developed
• High temperature instrumentation components for
  liquid metals - Being developed

Experimental set-up designed
64
Concluding Remarks

• Indian Atomic Energy Programme has come of age.
• The Programme has successfully delivered a
  self-reliant capability for its first stage
  involving setting up of Pressurised Heavy Water
  Reactor Systems and associated fuel cycle plants.
  
• We have launched commercial Fast Breeder Reactor
  technology.
• Our priority for the present and the future is to
  accelerate the development of the third stage,
  which would take us closer to our ultimate
  objective of exploitation of our vast thorium
  resources to address our long-term energy needs.

65
Thank You
66
(No Transcript)
67
The Indian energy resource position explains our
strategy for deployment of nuclear energy

• If the level of our per capita electricity
  consumption is raised to the level of a developed
  country (5000 kWh/person/year) and only a single
  energy resource is to be used
• Domestic extractable coal reserves will last for
  lt 13 years.
• Uranium in open cycle will last for 0.5 year
• Uranium in closed cycle with FBRs will last for
  73 years
• Known reserves of thorium in closed cycle with
• breeder reactors will last for gt 250
  years
• Entire renewable energy (including
• hydroelectric capacity) will be sufficient
  for lt 70 days/ year
• Total solar collection area (based on MNES
• estimate 20 MW/km2) needed will be at least
  31000 sq. km.
• It is obvious that for long term energy security
  nuclear energy based on thorium has to be a
  prominent component of Indian energy mix.

68
Radiation is everywhere
Source Public myths and perception, DAE
publication
69
The two conclusions of an Oak Ridge National Lab.
Study

• http//www.ornl.gov/ORNLReview/rev26-4/text/colmai
  n.html
• A typical 1000 MWe coal-fired plant
• burns 4 million tons of coal each year
• Releases 5.2 tons of uranium (containing 74
  pounds of uranium-235) and 12.8 tons of thorium
  (Environmental Protection Agency figures
  typical US coal contains uranium and thorium
  concentrations of 1.3 ppm and 3.2 ppm)
• The energy content of nuclear fuel released in
  coal combustion is 1.5 times more than that of
  the coal consumed.
• Americans living near coal-fired power plants are
  exposed to higher radiation doses than those
  living near nuclear power plants that meet
  government regulations.

70
The volume of waste generated by nuclear power
plant is very low. It can be stored for long
period before disposal.
Solidified high level waste produced by
generating electricity, for an average Indian
family, for 25 years from nuclear power

• Waste generated from a 1000 MWe Coal fired power
  plant
• Carbon dioxide 2.6 million t /Year
• Sulpher dioxide 900 t /Year
• NOx 4500 t /Year
• Ash 3,20,000 t/Year
• (with 400 t/Year of toxic heavy metals)

• Waste generated from a 1000 MWe NPP
• High Level 35 t /Year
• Intermediate Level 310 t /Year
• Low Level 460 t /year

71
A balanced perspective on accidents in energy
industry (or any other industry serving society)
is important.