Bharat Rakshak

Tanaji wrote: ↑14 Jun 2025 13:43 No fair AmberG , I deserve at least partial credit for Q2. FBTRs are an explicitly required step for thorium cycle as we never had enough Pu stock required for step 3. I guess I misunderstood the question, now that you explained it.

Amber G. wrote: ↑14 Jun 2025 00:36

Tanaji wrote: ↑12 Jun 2025 03:53 Without looking :
Q1: either a or b. Saha was an astrophysicist and Kosambi was a mathematician I think

Thanks. (After seeing your answer, I realized my question might have been a little imprecise )..

Q was:

Q1 Which Indian physicist, played a key role in applying nuclear physics to national planning, and was instrumental in the early conceptualization of India's atomic energy program — before Homi Bhabha formalized it?

(a) D.M. Bose
(b) K.S. Krishnan
(c) D.D. Kosambi
(d) M.N. Saha

Correct Answer: (d) Meghnad Saha — but K.S. Krishnan also deserves partial credit for his later institutional role.


Short Answer & Perspective (from a physics-savvy lens):
Let’s be honest — both Saha and Krishnan made major contributions, but in different phases. So depending on what you mean by “key role” and “early conceptualization,” Saha takes the crown — but Krishnan wasn’t far behind when it came to building the actual system.

Why Saha Wins (for this question):

Meghnad Saha was talking about atomic energy in the 1930s–40s, before most people in India even knew what a nucleus was.

He saw science — including nuclear power — as essential to national development.

He pushed hard for state-led planning, wrote extensively on using science for public good, and even served in Parliament doing exactly that.

So while he wasn’t running labs, he was laying the intellectual groundwork and urging political investment.

Krishnan’s Timeline — and Real Contribution:

K.S. Krishnan came into the atomic energy picture more after Independence, late 1940s and 1950s.

He was co-discoverer of the Raman effect, had a strong background in experimental physics (solid-state, magnetism).

He joined the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) and helped build its institutional base.

Nehru briefly considered him to head the atomic effort, but chose Bhabha instead.

So yes — Krishnan helped implement, but Saha was already conceptualizing.

D.M. Bose - Early nuclear research (cosmic rays), mentor to Bibha Big contribution in science and Mentoring but - limited role in planning and (politics, so less well known)
D.D. Kosambi - Very famous Mathematician (and Marxist historian); strong in planning, theory, but not involved in nuclear..

How Bhabha Overshadowed Saha and others :

Bhabha had charisma, Tata family connections, and Nehru’s trust.

He wrote the famous 1944 letter to the Tata Trust asking for support — and got it.

That led to TIFR, which became the nucleus (pun intended) of India’s atomic energy program.

While Saha stayed outside the Bhabha-Nehru institutional circuit, Bhabha got full control of the program by the late 1940s.

Atomic Energy Leadership Timeline (Simplified) (For interested people here):

- 1930s–40s Saha Advocated atomic energy in national development
- 1944 Bhabha Proposed atomic program to Tata Trust (via letter)
- 1945 TIFR founded Bhabha becomes de facto leader
- 1948 AEC created Bhabha leads; Krishnan joins commission
- 1950s Bhabha + Krishnan Build institutions and research programs
- 1960's-70's - Many young people (like me and institutes (including IIT's) - became interested in Nuclear Physics and Bhabha's vision )

If the question is about who first brought nuclear physics into the national planning conversation, (d) Meghnad Saha is the clear answer.

But if you're grading generously, K.S. Krishnan deserves a solid partial credit for helping turn the vision into a system — post-Bhabha, but still critical.

Comment on this (and other Q's welcome - I will post my thoughts also)

Haridas wrote: ↑24 Jul 2025 00:08 <snip>
AHWR based Thorium utilization, by using enriched U from internal or imported enriched fuel, was always a option. After IUCNU deal that made most sense for Bharat, an opportunity lost to be ready with field tested design, so that when national economic development demands it ( geopolitical risk mitigation) Bharat can build cookie cutter plants...
<snip>

BARC is looking at energy efficient generation of neutron beam source...

Q3 - A coastal region in India is famous for its black sand beaches rich in monazite, leading to naturally high background radiation. In fact, in some houses there, the annual radiation measured exceeds 50 millisieverts.

Using Amber G.’s favorite unit BED -“Banana Equivalent Dose”- (Popularized in BRF, and quite often used in other places now) approximately how many bananas per year would give you the same dose as living in one of those homes?

(a) 5,000
(b) 50,000
(c) 500,000
(d) 5,000,000,

(Bonus question: “How many bananas would it take to trigger an airport radiation detector?” (A real anecdote once shared on BRF!)

Amber G. wrote: ↑12 Jun 2025 01:42

Just for fun — Can you answer this without looking it up?:


Q4 - A Brfoldie of Bharat Rakshak once posed a puzzle: A uranium sample with 3% U-235 is enriched for reactor fuel. Which of the following enrichment levels is closest to the minimum required for light water reactors?
(a) 0.7%
(b) 3-5%
(c) 20%
(d) 90%

(Comments welcomed .. )

India is developing three different types of small modular reactors (SMRs), including one dedicated to the production of hydrogen, mostly in the form of captive plants for energy intensive industries, Union minister Jitendra Singh said on Thursday

A 5 MWth high temperature Gas Cooled Reactor (GCR) is also planned to be used exclusively for hydrogen production by coupling with a suitable thermochemical hydrogen production process, he said. The potential thermo-chemical technologies for hydrogen production, such as Copper-Chloride (Cu-Cl) and Iodine-Sulphur (I-S) cycles, have already been developed and demonstrated by the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC), Singh said.

These plants are designed & developed considering deployment as captive power plants, repurposing of retiring fossil fuel-based plants and hydrogen production to support the transport sector with the prime objective of decarbonisation, Singh said.

Receiving an overwhelming response from industrial houses to set up Bharat Small Reactors (BSRs), the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) has extended the request for proposal date till Sep 30.

This comes as NPCIL has already received queries from over two dozen big corporates such as Adani Energy Solution, Reliance Industries, Tata Power, JSW Energy Limited, Jindal Nuclear Power, Jindal Stainless, and Aditya Birla Renewables Limited (Hindalco), among others.

The NPCIL further stated that numerous industrial houses and industries have expressed interest in implementing BSR to achieve their decarbonization targets and have requested an extension of the proposal submission date from June 30. The NPCIL in RFP has said that BSR is for captive use, but the industry can sell the excess power at a tariff decided by them.

Research Focuses On Overcoming Challenges
Challenges remain, however, in the research, development, and demonstration of commercially viable thermochemical cycles and reactors:

• The efficiency and durability of reactant materials for thermochemical cycling need to be improved.
• Efficient and robust reactor designs compatible with high temperatures and heat cycling need to be developed.
• For solar thermochemical systems, the cost of the concentrating mirror systems needs to be reduced.

Exciting progress continues in this field, leveraging synergies with concentrated solar power technologies, and with emerging solar-fuel production technologies.

KL Dubey wrote: ↑26 Jul 2025 02:39 I
As bredicted by credible posters on BRF earlier:

..India is developing three different types of small modular reactors (SMRs),..

Mostly still in research phase only. Development and more importantly demonstration of commercial viability are still in to the future. So how far into the future is the billion or even trillion dollar question.

Thermochemical water splitting processes have been successfully demonstrated in laboratory and pilot-scale facilities