An Overview of PHWR Fuel in India

Abstract

Pressurised Heavy Water Reactor (PHWR) is the first stage and the backbone of the nuclear power programme in India. Presently, twelve PHWR 220 MWe type units are in operation and two units of PHWR 540 MWe & four units of PHWR 220 are in different stages of construction. Design and development activities are underway for further augmenting the capacity of PHWR 540 to 680 MWe. Eight such reactors have been planned by Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL). The exploration and mining activities of uranium has been significantly enhanced by Atomic Minerals Directorate for Exploration and Research (AMD) and Uranium Corporation of India Limited (UCIL) respectively and a new underground mine has been opened in Turamdih in Jharkhand State. Nuclear Fuel Complex (NFC) has, so far, manufactured some 280,000 zirconium alloy clad natural uranium oxide fuel bundles and some 4,600 depleted and some 300 thorium oxide assemblies. These fuel bundles and assemblies are of the 19-element type. NFC has recently initiated the fabrication activity of 37-element fuel bundles for the 2 forthcoming PHWR 540 units of the Tarapur Atomic Power Project (TAPP 3&4). In recent years, NFC has introduced several modifications in the manufacturing and quality control processes, which have significantly improved the productivity, recovery and quality of PHWR fuel and in turn its performance in reactors. Large-scale introduction of depleted uranium oxide bundles has been planned not only for the initial core for neutron flux flattening but also for the subsequent equilibrium cores. As part of Pu recycling programme, 50 numbers of MOX-7 test fuel bundles have been manufactured by Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) in collaboration with NFC for irradiation-testing in one of the PHWR 220 units of Kakarapar Atomic Power Station.