India Nuclear News and Discussion 4 July 2011

[Vayutuvan]

So renewables are a little more than 43% of the total. Wow. That is really great news.

[vera_k]

Capacity is a misleading metric. All types of renewables generated about 20% of electricity. Nuclear shines in this regard, where it generated about 3% of electricity although capacity is less than 2%.

More data here

[Amber G.]

^^^ Thanks. To add to above (for general knowledge):

- NPP typically convert about 1/3 of the thermal energy produced by nuclear fission into electricity. This means that approximately 67% of the energy is lost as heat, primarily dissipated through cooling systems.

- While most nuclear energy is converted into electricity, there are procedures that utilize the thermal energy directly - :

Desalination: NPP use waste heat to produce fresh water through desalination, especially in coastal areas.
District Heating: Nuclear power plants can provide heat for nearby cities or industries, (similar to fossil fuel-based district heating systems)
Industrial Processes: (such as)
Hydrogen production through electrolysis or thermochemical processes.
Chemical synthesis, like producing ammonia or methanol.
High-temperature processes, such as steel production or advanced materials manufacturing.
Nuclear-Powered Ships .
Space Exploration: Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generators (RTGs) convert the heat generated by radioactive decay into electricity, powering spacecraft and satellites.

From what I know, In India's case:

- The Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant in Tamil Nadu has a desalination plant that uses waste heat to produce 4.5 million liters of fresh water per day.
(Similar projects are planned for other coastal nuclear power plants)

- BARC has developed a nuclear-powered hydrogen production facility.
(To use nuclear energy for chemical synthesis, such as producing ammonia and methanol)

- Nuclear-powered submarines, (EG INS Arihant, and plans to build more)

There are proposals to use nuclear power plants for district heating in cities like Mumbai and Delhi.

[Vayutuvan]

A doubt. How does district heating work?

What medium carries the heat from the source (nuclear power plant) to consumer(s)? What are the losses? I guess only modular NPPs are viable for this kind of application where they can be placed close to the consumer.

Desalination is by heating the saline water (sea water, I presume) to boiling temperatures which and condense the water vapor, right? Membrane separation requires electricity.

For good waste heat recovery, one needs to colocate the plants that use the heat directly.

[Amber G.]

FWIW - short answers:


- The medium that carries heat from a nuclear power plant to consumers is typically steam, (for district heating, desalination, and industrial processes.), Hot Water (for district heating) and Gases:( Eg Co2, He - used in some industrial processes)

- Yes, modular NPPs \ are well-suited for direct heat applications as you say.

Wrt - Desalination
Correct! Desalination using nuclear energy typically involves:
(Heating to produce steam, which is then condensed) producing fresh water but there are similar methods including Membrane separation or Reverse Osmosis etc.. which are used -- and yes these requires electricity..)

( Good place to see details is sites like IAEA, NAS, and some popular sites )

[disha]

^ I wonder why one needs district wide heating in India. I would think one needs district cooling in India. And for that one does not need to rely on nuclear power plants. For example in peak summer, one can use ambient below ground heat sink to collect heat from building(s) and dump it in the heat sink and use the heat to power or heat up something else (a secondary heat sink).

Any fluid, including water can be used. It all depends upon the thermal capacity per unit volume, safety and cost. In all of that, water beats hands down. Of course purified water is costly and de-ionized water is used, but de-ionized water in iron or copper or lead pipes and some type of pvc pipes will lead to very interesting corrosion problems . So glycols are added (mostly in colder climes) but then some percentage of glycol acts as excellent algae nutrient! I would go back to water. Maybe a little salty water so that the pipes do not corrode and even if it leaks, it is not a toxic hazard.

But why are we discussing district wide heating in India, when India needs distributed large scale cooling (and not use A/Cs), it can use for example solar water heaters on top of buildings and water pools and heat sinks using ambient ground temperature and a passive evaporative green cooling for district cooling. All large and public buildings in India can design as such.

NPP for India should be for water desalination and hydrogen production. And of course base load and I would love to see 50% of India's power coming from NPP.

[Shameek]

^ District heating can help most of North India in Winter to avoid people running personal heaters and worse, lighting fires to keep warm.

[KL Dubey]

Correct! Desalination using nuclear energy typically involves:
(Heating to produce steam, which is then condensed) producing fresh water but there are similar methods including Membrane separation or Reverse Osmosis etc.. which are used -- and yes these requires electricity..)

More specifically, it depends on how much electricity the turbine squeezes out from the high-pressure steam (HPS) generated from the nuclear reactor heat.

In one option, the turbine squeezes out "extra" electricity all the way to low-pressure steam (LPS)...some of this electricity can be used to run an RO desalination plant....the remaining LPS can also be used for additional water production by multi-effect evaporators (MEE)...these don't produce "steam", they produce water vapor since the LPS is low quality heat slightly above/below 100C.

In other options, the turbine exit steam is higher quality ("MPS" instead of LPS) and can be used for multi-effect distillation (MED) above 100C. In some cases, it is of high enough quality that you can do flash distillations.

[Amber G.]

^^^ Thanks.
(PS ... whenever you have time and feel like doing it - more details on this (or other topics) for India would be nice. Thanks in advance)

[chetak]

-#India's atomic regulator permits loading nuclear fuel & controlled chain reaction of Throium-232 based Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor, Kalpakkam


India's Atomic Energy designed in 60s in 3-Phases

Uranium Reactor(need Nuclear Fuel from NSG Suppliers)

Fast Breeder Reactors with plutonium fuel

Last Thorium

Its the Last stage that NATO wants to Stop India's Self Sufficiency =>India has world's 2d Largest Thorium Reserves in Tamilnadu

[Amber G.]

India's second 700 MW nuclear power KAPS-4 plant starts operations at full capacity

India's Kakrapar Atomic Power Station saw its second home-built 700 MW nuclear reactor begin operating at full capacity. The Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited confirmed that Unit 4, which started commercial operations on March 31, 2024, has now reached 700 MWe. This marks a significant milestone, as India plans to add 14 more reactors by 2031-32.

[Amber G.]

Indigenous fast breeder reactor set to become critical:

[Amber G.]

I have posted such data here before but these graphs make as good a case for nuclear as any I have seen :
1. Amount of carbon-intensive material needed for different power plants.


2. Number of deaths by energy source.


3.Carbon intensity .

(Image credit: Bill Gates and other well known sources)

[VKumar]

Now only if someone can find a solution to the used fuel
dispoal.

[Amber G.]

Now only if someone can find a solution to the used fuel
dispoal.

FWIW: A nuclear physicist perspective:

There is a lot of misinformation driven by agendas and paranoia rather than actual knowledge and understanding about nuclear power and 'spent fuel.'

For those interested, here are some facts. Ask any reputable nuclear scientist or look up reputable resources to verify these claims. (I, as a nuclear physicist, have posted these in various BRF dhagas over 10-20 years - check out those posts and references.)

Again for perspective, consider these facts:

While nuclear power plants do emit radioactivity, coal plants actually release more radioactive materials into the environment per kilowatt-hour (kWh) of electricity generated. This is due to the radioactive elements present in coal, such as uranium and thorium, which are released during combustion. In fact, coal-fired power plants can release 100 to 1,000 times more radioactivity per kWh into the environment than nuclear power plants.
(See various posts where I discussed this in detail or see this SA article - Coal Ash Is More Radioactive Than Nuclear Waste

(Both are lower than most of us get due to cosmic radiation and other natural resources. However, the harm caused by gases in coal plants, such as smoke, is MUCH more serious.)

Now, consider the 'waste':

Average nuclear power plant: Generates 20-30 tons of spent fuel per GWh
A coal plant, for comparison, generates 400-500 tons of fly ash per GWh!

In the USA, there is approximately 88,000 tons of spent fuel accumulated since 1957, compared to about 13 billion tons (150,000 times) of fly ash accumulated by coal plants since the same time period.

Nuclear power plant waste is significantly more radioactive but better contained and regulated.
Coal fly ash contaminates water sources, air, and soil, much worse than nuclear waste, and is quite dangerous.

Just speaking of radioactivity:

Average uranium concentration in US coal fly ash: about 2 parts per million (ppm)
Total uranium in US coal fly ash reserves: Estimated 2-3 million tons

Extractable U-235 from US coal fly ash: 5,000-10,700 tons! (500,000 smiling Budhas!)

US coal fly ash uranium: Equivalent to 10-20 years of US uranium demand (based on 2019 consumption) - if we can extract U from fly-ash.

[Amber G.]

^^^
In India's case:

India's nuclear power program IMO is quite good in managing spent fuel, with a focus on reprocessing and recycling. The country's first spent fuel reprocessing plant was established in 1965, and since then, India has been actively working on spent fuel management strategies.

India's nuclear power plants generate around 60 tons of spent fuel per year from each reactor. With multiple reactors operating across the country, the total spent fuel generation is substantial but India's disposal efficiency is enhanced through its closed fuel cycle approach, which reduces waste volume and mitigates radio-toxicity . The country's nuclear waste management program includes on-site storage of low and intermediate-level waste, with plans for final disposal through geological repositorie.

(There are challenges but overall, India's nuclear power program has demonstrated a commitment to responsible spent fuel management). Main thing IMO is -- Ensuring public acceptance and awareness.

For those interested please see:
https://barc.gov.in/barc_nl/2022/2022010201.pdf
https://www.barc.gov.in/barc_nl/2022/2022010202.pdf

[vera_k]

Reference to coal ash above reminded me of this recent real world article.

Wealthy Carolina Town Worries There’s Danger Lurking Under Its Lawns

[Amber G.]

^^^Thanks. The article has many valid points - coal ash mixed could make the earth 10x or more radioactive..of course we need energy so we need power plants.

But for perspective, in 2014 about 130 million tons of coal ash was produced in USA.. Annual estimate for the world is around 700 million tons per year! (containing about 1400 tons of Uranium - 10 tons of U235).

Coal ash dumps can be huge, with some of the biggest exceeding hundreds of acres in size. For example, the Kingston Fossil Plant in Tennessee, which experienced a massive spill in 2008, has a coal ash storage area covering about 300 acres!

( They do not get as much news paper attention as nuclear waste)