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Quick scan: Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor at Kalpakkam
ଖବରରେ କାହିଁକି?
Fast breeders make more fuel than they burn: the PFBR Kalpakkam fact behind GS3 nuclear questions
PFBR at Kalpakkam is BHAVINI's sodium-cooled fast breeder.
Why it matters: GS-3 core; factual, Prelims-type
What you need to know
2 ମିନିଟ
The Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor at Kalpakkam in Tamil Nadu is a sodium-cooled fast reactor being built by Bharatiya Nabhikiya Vidyut Nigam Limited (BHAVINI).
Fast breeders generate more fissile material than they use and are the second stage of India's three-stage nuclear programme.
ଉତ୍ସ: Topper IAS editorial (PIB / The Hindu / Indian Express)
ମୁଖ୍ୟ ତଥ୍ୟ
Remember these
- PFBR is at Kalpakkam, Tamil Nadu, and is being built by BHAVINI (Bharatiya Nabhikiya Vidyut Nigam Limited).
- It is a sodium-cooled fast breeder reactor with a capacity of 500 MWe.
- A fast breeder produces more fissile material (plutonium-239) than it consumes.
- It is the second stage of India's three-stage nuclear programme conceived by Homi Bhabha.
- Stage 1 is PHWRs on natural uranium; stage 3 is thorium-based reactors using uranium-233.
ପ୍ରିଲିମ୍ସ · ମେନ୍ସ
How the exam will ask it
ପ୍ରିଲିମ୍ସ
- Statement: A fast breeder reactor uses liquid sodium as coolant and can generate more fissile material than it uses.
- Statement: The second stage of India's nuclear programme uses plutonium recovered from stage-1 spent fuel.
- Statement: BHAVINI, the developer of PFBR, is a public sector company based at Kalpakkam.
ମେନ୍ସ
GS Paper 3 (Science and Technology / Energy): India's limited uranium but large thorium reserves led to the three-stage programme, and the PFBR is the bridge to the thorium stage. Delays, cost and sodium-handling safety are the challenges; the way forward is timely commissioning, strong safety regulation and building the closed fuel cycle to support clean-energy and energy-security goals.
Quick recall
Answer before you reveal
The Anubhava Mantapa, the 12th-century forum of the Sharanas in present-day Karnataka, is associated with which reformer?
- Basavanna
- Ramanujacharya
- Madhvacharya
- Purandara Dasa
ଉତ୍ତର ଦେଖନ୍ତୁ
ଉତ୍ତର: A — Correct: Basavanna — The Anubhava Mantapa is associated with Basavanna and the Vachana movement of the Sharanas at Kalyana. • Ramanujacharya — wrong: Ramanujacharya was a Vishishtadvaita philosopher who worked in Melkote, not the founder of this forum. • Madhvacharya — wrong: Madhvacharya founded the Dvaita school at Udupi, which is unrelated to this forum. • Purandara Dasa — wrong: Purandara Dasa was a Haridasa composer of the 15th-16th centuries, later than the Sharana forum.
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