BHARATIYA NABHIKIYA VIDYUT NIGAM LIMITED

(A Government of India Enterprise)

Department of Atomic Energy
Kalpakkam-603102

500MWe PROTOTYPE FAST BREEDER

500 MWe PROTOTYPE REACTOR
FAST (PFBR)
BREEDER REACTOR (PFBR)

Energy Security for the Future

 Fast Breeder Reactor Programme in India
India pursues a three-stage nuclear power programme aimed at optimum utilization of the country’s nuclear
resources of modest Uranium and abundant Thorium to provide long term energy security. The programme is
sequential and each stage has fuel cycle linkages in which spent fuel from one stage is reprocessed to obtain fuel
for the next stage. The three stages of the programme are:

 First stage of Pressurised Heavy Water Reactors (PHWRs) using natural Uranium fuel,
 Second stage of Fast Breeder Reactors (FBRs) using Plutonium as fuel and
 Third Stage of Advanced Reactors using U-233 as fuel in Thorium-Uranium cycle.

Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) pursues the first stage of the programme comprising
PHWRs, while Bharatiya Nabhikiya Vidyut Nigam Limited (BHAVINI) pursues the second stage of Nuclear Power
Programme comprising FBRs.

BHAVINI is a wholly owned Enterprise of Government of India under the administrative control of the
Department of Atomic Energy (DAE). BHAVINI was incorporated on 22nd October 2003 as a Public Limited
Company under the Companies Act, 1956 with the objective to construct, commission, operate and maintain
FBRs.
BHAVINI is currently constructing a 500 MWe Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor (PFBR) at Kalpakkam, 70 km
away from Chennai. PFBR is the forerunner of the future FBRs. PFBR is being built with the design and
technology developed at Indira Gandhi Center for Atomic Research (IGCAR) located at Kalpakkam.

The mandate of BHAVINI is to construct and operate PFBR and future FBRs. The FBRs will generate power
by recycling Plutonium and depleted Uranium recovered from the spent fuel of the PHWRs. FBRs, with closed fuel
cycle as the energy resource, is capable of generation of large amount of U-233 (a fissile isotope) from the
abundant available Thorium within the country, to launch the third stage nuclear energy programme based on U-
233 fuel cycle.

It is proposed to construct 2x600 MWe Fast Breeder Reactors (FBR-1&2) at Kalpakkam adjacent to PFBR.
The pre-project activities for FBR-1&2 have commenced.
 PFBR REACTOR ASSEMBLY
LEGEND

1 Main Vessel 9 Small Rotatable Plug

2 Core Support structure 10 Control Plug

3 Core Catcher 11 Control & Safety Rod Mechanism

4 Grid Plate 12 In-vessel Transfer Machine

5 Core 13 Intermediate Heat Exchanger

6 Inner Vessel 14 Primary Sodium Pump

7 Roof Slab 15 Safety Vessel

8 Large Rotatable Plug 16 Reactor Vault

The reactor assembly consists of Core, Grid Plate,

Core Support Structure, Inner Vessel, Main Vessel,
Thermal Baffles, Safety Vessel, Thermal Insulation, Roof
Slab, Rotatable Plugs, Control Plug, Absorber Rod Drive
Mechanisms, Pumps, Intermediate Heat Exchanger,
Transfer Arm and Inclined Fuel Transfer Machine.

The reactor core is the source of heat from nuclear

fission. The Grid Plate locates the core subassemblies and
also forms the inlet plenum for distribution of coolant flow
from the pumps to the core. The Core Support Structure Safety Vessel is provided to collect the

supports the Grid Plate (which has four inlet pipes for liquid sodium in the remote event of any leakage from

sodium, two from each primary sodium pumps) and inner the Main Vessel. Twelve absorber rods are used,

vessel. This structure, together with the Inner Vessel, acts out of which nine for manual control of power &

also as a barrier between the hot and cold pools of sodium. reactor safety and three for reactor safety.
 How PFBR works

PFBR core works with Fast Neutron Spectrum. The heat energy produced in the core due to nuclear fission
reaction is removed by circulating liquid sodium using two primary sodium pumps. The sodium enters the core at
397°C and leaves at 547°C. The hot primary sodium is radioactive and is not used directly to produce steam,
instead it transfers the heat to secondary sodium through four intermediate heat exchangers. The non-radioactive
secondary sodium is circulated through two independent secondary loops, each having a sodium pump, two
intermediate heat exchangers and four steam generators. The generated steam is used for rotating the turbine
connected with generator in tandem for production of electrical power. In case of off-site power failure or non-
availability of steam water system, the decay heat in the core is removed by a passive Safety Grade Decay Heat
Removal system consisting of four independent loops each having the heat removal capacity of 8 MWth. The
circulation of sodium and air in this loop is by natural convection.
 Salient features of PFBR
Description Details Description Details
Reactor Power (Thermal) 1250 MWth Number of Primary Sodium Pumps 2
Reactor Power (Electrical) 500 MWe Number of Intermediate Heat Exchangers 4
Reactor Coolant Sodium (Na) Number of Secondary Loops 2
Gross Thermal Efficiency 40% Number of Steam Generators per loop 4
Primary circuit concept Pool Number of Turbine Generator 1
Fuel PuO2 + UO2 Design Life 40 years

 PFBR is a 500 MWe Sodium cooled, pool type, Mixed Oxide (MOX) fuelled Fast Breeder Reactor.
 Sodium is used as coolant due to its high thermal conductivity, less neutron moderation and compatibility with
fuel & structural material.
 The inherent design feature of pool type concept without penetrations in Main Vessel and passive decay heat
removal system ensures continuous core cooling in all the conditions. There is no possibility of loss of coolant
incident in pool type Fast Breeder Reactor.

Safety features of PFBR

 The reactor can be shutdown on demand with highly reliable, independent, redundant & diverse shutdown
systems with Control & Safety Rods and Diverse Safety Rods.
 Two independent Decay Heat Removal Systems:
 Operation Grade Decay Heat Removal System is an active system to remove the decay heat from the
reactor core through steam water circuit.
 Safety Grade Heat Removal System is a passive system that removes the decay heat by natural
convection without electrical power supply.
 Four emergency diesel generators of 4500 kVA are made available in separate buildings, two in the east side
and another two in the west side of Nuclear Island Connected Building (NICB).
 Two more 500 kVA mobile diesel generators are stationed at site to meet the emergency power supply
requirement in case of failure of all power sources.
 NICB is located at 9.7 m above Mean Sea Level.
 Shore protection and Tsunami bund are provided along the sea coast to protect the plant against entry of water
in case of Tsunami.
 PFBR : Eco friendly project

www.bhavini.nic.in PFBR-BHAVINI, Kalpakkam Released : June 2018