Nuclear Energy

NUCLEAR ENERGY IS ECO-FRIENDLY & ECONOMIC FOR INDIA

INTRODUCTION • NUCLEAR ENERGY IS A PART OF GLOBAL ENERGY MIX FOR LAST 50 YEARS

• RECENT

CONCERNS FOR DEVELOPMENT AND CLIMATE TO RENEWED INTEREST ENERGY

SUSTAINABLE CHANGE LEAD IN NUCLEAR

• CURRENT DEMAND FOR URANIUM BY 430 REACTORS GLOBALLY IS 60,000 T

• CURRENT KNOWN RESERVE WILL SUPPORT

NUCLEAR PROGRAMME FOR 80 YEARS. BUT UNDISCOVERED RESERVES COULD EXTEND THIS PERIOD BY A FACTOR OF 3

• USE OF RECYCLED REACTOR RESIDUE AND FAST BREEDER REACTORS MAY EXTEND THE OPERATING PERIOD BY A FACTOR OF 100

• THORIUM FUEL CYCLE HAS MUCH HIGHER POTENTIAL

• URANIUM EXTRACTION FROM SEA WATER HAS THE POTENTIAL TO RECOVER 4000 MT

WHAT GOES ON INSIDE A NUCLEAR REACTOR? • NUCLEAR

FISSION TAKES PLACE BY REACTION OF A NEUTRON WITH THE NUCLEUS OF A FISSILE MATERIAL LIKE U235

• U235 BREAKS UP INTO SMALLER STABLE PARTICLES WITH LOSS OF WEIGHT

• LOSS OF MASS IS CONVERTED INTO ENERGY ACCORDING TO EINSTEIN’S FORMULA E = MC2

CLASSICAL

• NUCLEAR

TRANSMUTATION IS ANOTHER PHENOMENON WHERE A NON-FISSILE ATOM OF SAY, U238 ABSORBS A NEUTRON AND BECOMES Pu239, WHICH IS A FISSILE MATERIAL

• U238 & U235 ARE AVAILABLE IN EARTH’S CRUST BUT Pu239 IS MAN MADE INSIDE A REACTOR

• IN NATURE U235 IS PRESENT ALONG WITH U238

AT A CONCENTRATION OF 0.7 % AND U235 BELOW 0.25 % IS NOT COMMERCIALLY FISSIONABLE

• THE

NUCLEAR REPRESENTED

FISSION

REACTION

IS

• IF THE FISSION CHAIN CONTINUES IN AN UNCONTROLLED MANNER, IT LEADS TO NEUCLEAR EXPLOSION (AN ATOM BOMB)

• UNDER

CONTROLLED CONDITION FISSION CHAIN CONTINUES TO PROVIDE SUSTAINABLE ENERGY

• FISSILE ISOTOPES LIKE U233, U235 AND

Pu239 ARE MAJOR FUELS FOR NUCLEAR REACTORS

• U238 AND Th232 ARE FERTILE ISOTOPES AND ON ABSORPTION OF NEUTRON , THEY BECOME FISSILE ISOTOPES

• U235 IS USED IN THERMAL REACTORS IN A CONTROLLED FISSION CHAIN, WHILE Pu239 IS BEST USED IN A FAST REACTOR FOR EFFICIENT BREEDING OF FISSILE MATERIAL

• THERMAL REACTORS USE MODERATORS LIKE HEAVY WATER WHILE FAST REACTORS NEED NO MODERATOR

BREEDER

WHY DO WE NEED FAST BREEDER REACTORS? • NATURAL URANIUM CONTAINS 0.7 % AND LARGE VOLUME OF U238

U235

• U238 DOES NOT PARTICIPATE IN ENERGY FORMATION BUT GETS CONVERTED TO Pu239 WHICH IS A FISSILE MATERIAL

• MAN MADE PU239 IS A NUCLEAR FUEL FOR FAST REACTOR . IN A FAST REACTOR MORE NUMBER OF NEUTRONS ARE PRODUCED PER FISSION THAN IN A THERMAL (SLOW) REACTOR

• OUT OF THE NEUTRONS PRODUCED , ONLY ONE

NEUTRON IS NEEDED TO SUSTAIN THE CHAIN REACTION. THE EXCESS NEUTRONS ARE AVAILABLE FOR NON-FISSION PROCESS LIKE NUCLEAR TRANSMUTATION. THIS PROCESS OF TRANSMUTATION IS FASTER IN A FAST REACTOR

• CONVERSION OF FERTILE ( U238 ) TO FISSILE (Pu239) IS KNOWN AS FUEL BREEDING

• SIMILARLY, Th232, A NATUARALLY OCCURING MINERAL ALONG THE COAST LINE OF INDIA IS FERTILE AND CAN BE CONVERTED TO FISSILE MATERIAL LIKE U233 ACCORDING TO THE FOLLOWING REACTION

• INDIA HAS SECOND LARGEST DEPOSIT OF THORIUM ONLY NEXT TO AUSTRALIA. THORIUM WILL, THEREFORE, BE THE FINAL NUCLEAR FUEL FOR INDIA

• UNLIKE URANIUM, THORIUM DOES NOT CONTAIN ANY FISSILE ISOTOPE

• TO CONVERT Th232 TO U233, A FISSILE

MATERIAL LIKE U235 OR Pu239 NEED TO BE MIXED INITIALLY

• FOR THIS ENOUGH STOCK OF FISSILE

MATERIAL LIKE Pu239 NEED TO BE BUILDUP USING FAST BREEDER REACTORS

• INCIDENTALLY, INDIA DOES NOT YET HAVE ANY U235 ENRICHMENT FACILITY

• ONCE THIS TECHNOLOGY IS DEVELOPED OR ACQUIRED, INDIA WILL BE SELF SUFFICIENT IN BOTH NUCLEAR FUEL AND REACTOR DESIGN

• INDIA WILL FINALLY EMERGE AS A MAJOR NUCLEAR ENERGY PROVIDER FOR WORLD USING U – Th FUEL CYCLE

THE

WHY THEN, WE NEED TO IMPORT ENRICHED URANIUM?

• WITH CURRENT KNOWN RESERVE OF U235 & U238 IN INDIA, HARDLY 10,000 MWe ENERGY CAN BE PRODUCED

• HENCE INDIA NEEDS TO IMPORT ENRICHED

URANIUM FROM URANIUM SUPPLIER COUNTRIES TILL WE DEVELOP COMMERCIALLY VIABLE TECHNOLOGY FOR U-Th FUEL CYCLE

• INCIDENTALLY, COST OF URANIUM IN THE COST OF NUCLEAR ENERGY IS ONLY 5 % AS AGAINST 30 % IN CASE OF COAL

• OVER THE NEXT FEW DECADES, INDIA’S DEPENDENCE ON IMPORTED WILL COME DOWN SHARPLY

URANIUM

• IN THE INTERIM, WE NEED TO WORK ON

U235 & Pu232 FOR COMMERCIAL NUCLEAR ENERGY AND DEVELOP Th232 TECHNOLOGY FOR THE FUTURE

• INDIAN

SCIENTISTS ARE WORKING RELENTLESSLY AND THE SUCCESS IS WELL WITHIN SIGHT

LET US NOW LOOK AT A FEW COMPARATIVE STATISTICS TABLE 1: NUCLEAR ENERGY GENERATION IN THE WORLD AS % OF TOTAL ENERGY-MIX IN 2002

NORTH AMERICA

17.8 %

LATIN AMERICA

2.7 %

WESTERN EUROPE

28.5 %

AFRICA

2.6 %

MIDDLE EAST & SOUTH EAST ASIA FAR EAST

1.7 % 15.3 %

WHOLE WORLD

16.0 %

FRANCE HAS HIGHEST GENERATION OF NUCLEAR ENERGY AT 80 % WHILE INDIA’S GENERATION IS 3.5 %

TABLE 2: ANNUAL FUEL REQUIREMENT TO RUN 1000 MWe POWER PLANT

COAL BASED POWER PLANT

2.6 mt of coal

OIL BASED POWER PLANT

2.0 mt of oil

URANIUM PLANT

30 t of U

BASED

POWER

TABLE 3: WASTE GENERATION ANNUALLY IN FUEL PREPARATION AND PLANT OPERATION

MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE WASTES

• RADIOACTIVE WASTES ARE GENERATED AT

VARIOUS STAGES OF NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE:

• MINING & MILLING OF URANIUM ORE • FUEL FABRICATION • REACTOR OPERATION • SPENT FUEL REPROCESSING • INDIAN WASTE MANAGEMENT FACILITIES ARE

CO-LOCATED WITH WASTE GENERATING FACILITIES TO AVOID TRANSPORTATION OF WASTE FROM ONE PLACE TO ANOTHER

• AN 1000 MWe POWER PLANT DISCHARGES APPROXIMATELY ANNUALLY

30t

OF

SPENT

• BY 2010, WORLDWIDE CUMULATIVE

FUEL

AMOUNT OF SPENT FUEL WILL BE 340,000 t OF WHICH 110,000 t WILL BE REPROCESSED LEAVING A BALANCE OF 230,000 t IN STORAGE

• THREE OPTIONS EXIST FOR MANAGING NUCLEAR WASTES:

• CONCENTRATE AND CONTAIN • DILUTE AND DISCHARGE • DELAY AND DECAY

• STEPS FOLLOWED IN MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE WASTES:

• COLLECTION • SEGREGATION • TREATMET • CONDITIONING • INTERIM STORAGE • DISPOSAL

• STEPS FOLLOWED IN TREATMENT OF RADIOACTIVE WASTES:

• GASEOUS

WASTES WITH LOW LEVEL OF RADIOACTIVITY ARE DISCHARGED IN AIR THROUGH TALL CHIMNEY WHILE GASEOUS WASTE WITH HIGHER LEVEL OF RADIOACTIVITY IS CONVERTED TO SOLID WASTE FOR DISPOSAL

• LIQUID WASTES OF LOW LEVEL RADIOACTIY ARE

DISCHARGED IN LARGE VOLUME OF WATER BODY. INTERMEDIATE LEVEL WASTES ARE EITHER BITUMINIZED OR CEMENTED FOR DISPOSAL IN A NEAR SURFACE FACILITY. HIGH LEVEL WASTES ARE VITRIFIED IN SUITABLE MATRICES LIKE GLASS AND DISPOSED IN DEEP GEOLOGICAL REPOSITORIES LIKE ABUNDANT KOLAR GOLD MINES

• SOLID WASTES OF LOW AND INTERMEDIATE

LEVELS OF RADIOACTIVITY ARE CONDITIONED IN SUITABLE MATRICES FOR DISPOSAL IN NEAR SURFACE DISPOSAL FACILITY. HIGH LEVEL SOLID WASTES ARE DISPOSED IN DEEP GEOLOGICAL REPOSITORIES AFTER SUITABLE CONDITIONING

• SPENT FUEL IS A RESOURCE MATERIAL FOR

RECOVERY AND RECYCLE OF FISSILE MATERIAL. EACH REPROCESSING PLANT HAS A CO-LOCATED VITRIFICATION PLANT

• RADIATION

REGULATORY BODY INSTITUTES MONITORING AND SURVEILLANCE OVER A SPAN OF 300 YEARS, COMPRISING OF 100 YEARS OF ACTIVE CONTROL AND 200 YEARS OF PASSIVE CONTROL TO ALLOW DECAY OF RADIOACTIVE NUCLIDES RENDERING THEM INNOCUOUS

• WITH ALL THESE, THE OVERALL COST OF MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AROUND 20 PAISE / KWh

WASTE

IS

TABLE 4: LAND REQUIREMENT FOR 1000 MWe POWER PLANT

COAL BASED PLANT

3 SQ. Km

NUCLEAR BASED PLANT SOLAR BASED PLANT

4 SQ. Km

WIND MILLS BIOMASS PLANT

25 SQ. Km 100 SQ. Km 5000 SQ. Km

TABLE 5: INVESTMENT FOR 1 MWe CAPACITY POWER PLANT

GAS BASED

Rs. 4.0 Cr

OIL BASED

Rs. 4.5 Cr

COAL BASED

Rs. 4.5 Cr

HYDRO BASED

Rs. 6.0 Cr

NUCLEAR BASED

RS. 7.0 Cr

TABLE 6: ENERGY COST FROM DIFFERENT FUEL BASED POWER PLANT

OIL & GAS BASED

Rs. 5.0 / Kwh

COAL BASED

Rs. 3.5 / Kwh

HYDRO BASED

Rs. 2.0 / Kwh

NUCLEAR BASED

Rs. 2.5 / Kwh

TABLE 7: RELATIVE ENERGY POTENTIAL OF DIFFERENT FUELS AVAILABLE IN INDIA

COAL

7,614 GWE Yr.

HYDRO CARBON

5,833 GWE Yr.

HYDRO RENEWABLE

84 GWE Yr.

URANIUM THERMAL

328 GWE Yr.

URANIUM FAST THORIUM REACTOR

42,231 GWE Yr. 1,55,502 GWE Yr.

CONCLUSION AREA OF LAND NEEDED FOR A POWER PLANT, INVESTMENT

• ON THE BASIS OF FUEL REQUIREMENT, FUEL AVAILABILITY,

COST AND COST OF POWER GENERATION, NUCLEAR POWER IS A MOST ATTRACTIVE PROPOSITION

• WASTE GENERATION IS ALSO MINIUM IN A NUCLEAR POWER PLANT AND COST OF WASTE MANAGEMENT IS ALSO LOW

• THERE IS CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT TOWARDS HIGHER PERFORMANCE, RELIABILITY AND SAFETY OF FUEL FABRICATION AND WASTE DISPOSAL

DESIGN,

• EFFORTS ARE ON TO REDUCE THE QUANTITY OF SPENT FUEL AND THEREBY REDUCE LONG TERM LIABILITY

• RELATIVE ECONOMIC MERIT OF REPROCESSING SPENT FUEL

HOLDS THE POTENTIAL TO REDUCE SPECIFIC CONSUMPTION OF URANIUM AND DRASTIC REDUCTION IN GENERATION OF RADIO ACTIVE NUCLIDES, TO BE FINALLY DISPOSED OF.

• IT IS CLEAR THAT URANIUM FAST BREEDER

AND THORIUM REACTORS HAVE HIGHEST POTENTIAL IN INDIA

• AT PRESENT 15 NUCLEAR REACTORS ARE IN

OPERATION IN INDIA AND ANOTHER 8 UNITS ARE AT VARIOUS STAGES OF CONSTRUCTION

• THERMAL REACTORS WILL SATURATE AT AROUND 10,000 MWe CAPACITY

• WITH IMPORTED URANIUM, THE CAPACITY OF NUCLEAR FURTHER

POWER

CAN

BE

INCREASED

• HOWEVER, WITH FUEL DERIVED FROM INTERNAL RESOURCES, IT IS POSSIBLE TO BUILD FAST BREEDER REACTORS TO PRODUCE AROUND 200,000 MWe BY 2052 THIS WILL ACCOUNT FOR 16 % OF THE TOTAL ENERGY MIX, PRODUCED BY THEN

• ONCE SUFFICIENT FISSILE PLUTONIUM IS BUILT-UP

THROUGH FAST BREEDER REACTORS, THORIUM CAN PROVIDE ENOUGH ENERGY SECURITY TO OUR COUNTRY

• IT IS NOW CLEAR THAT NUCLEAR FUEL IS NOT MORE

EXPENSIVE THAN OTHER FORMS OF FUELS AND INDIA WILL NOT BE PERRINNIALLY DEPENDENT ON URANIUM SUPPLIER COUNTRIES

• BESIDES ECONOMY, THE BEST ARGUMENT IN FAVOUR OF NUCLEAR POWER IS ITS ZERO IMPACT ON GLOBAL WARMING DUE TO NO EMISSION OF CO2