Context
India’s nuclear scientist Anil Kakodkar has advocated early introduction of thorium-based fuel in indigenous Pressurised Heavy Water Reactors (PHWRs). The proposal aims to reduce dependence on imported uranium and accelerate utilisation of India’s abundant thorium resources.
Explanation
- India follows the Three-Stage Nuclear Power Programme, designed by Homi J. Bhabha, to achieve long-term energy security using domestic thorium.
- Stage I: PHWRs use natural uranium (U-238 with U-235) and generate plutonium in spent fuel.
- Stage II: Fast Breeder Reactors (FBRs) use plutonium-based fuel and breed additional fissile material, including Uranium-233 (U-233) when thorium is irradiated.
- Stage III: Thorium-232 is converted into fissile U-233, envisaged for large-scale thorium-based power generation.
- India has limited uranium but substantial thorium resources, particularly in monazite-bearing coastal sands.
- Kakodkar suggests using thorium with High-Assay Low-Enriched Uranium (HALEU) in PHWRs to begin thorium irradiation earlier.
HALEU-Thorium is an advanced nuclear fuel mix that blends Thorium with High-Assay Low-Enriched Uranium (HALEU) to provide higher energy output and less radioactive waste.
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Early Use of Thorium Fuel in India’s PHWRs