| IPHWR-700 Reactor Class | |
|---|---|
 Kakrapar Atomic Power Station reactor units 3 and 4, under construction in the Indian state ofGujarat | |
| Generation | Generation III+ reactor |
| Reactor concept | pressurized heavy-water reactor |
| Reactor line | IPHWR (Indian Pressurized Heavy-water Reactor) |
| Designed by | NPCIL |
| Manufactured by | NPCIL |
| Status |
|
| Main parameters of the reactor core | |
| Fuel (fissile material) | 235U (NU/SEU/LEU) |
| Fuel state | Solid |
| Neutron energy spectrum | Thermal |
| Primary control method | Control rods |
| Primary moderator | Heavy water |
| Primary coolant | Heavy water |
| Reactor usage | |
| Primary use | Generation of electricity |
| Power (thermal) | 2166 MWth |
| Power (electric) | 700 MWe |
TheIPHWR-700 (Indian Pressurized Heavy Water Reactor-700) is an Indianpressurized heavy-water reactor designed by theNuclear Power Corporation of India (NPCIL).[1] It is aGeneration III+ reactor developed from earlierCANDU based 220 MW and 540 MW designs. It can generate 700 MW of electricity. Currently there are 3 units operational, 3 unit under construction and 12 more units planned, at a combined cost of₹1.05lakhcrore (US$12 billion).
PHWR technology was introduced in India in the late 1960s with the construction ofRAPS-1, aCANDU reactor inRajasthan. All the main components for the first unit were supplied by Canada. India did the construction, installation and commissioning. In 1974, after India conductedSmiling Buddha, its firstnuclear weapons test, Canada stopped their support of the project. This delayed the commissioning of RAPS-2 until 1981.[2]
After Canada withdrew from the project, research, design and development work in theBhabha Atomic Research Centre andNuclear Power Corporation of India (NPCIL) enabled India to proceed without assistance. Some industry partners did manufacturing and construction work. Over four decades, fifteen 220-MW reactors of indigenous design were built. New safety systems were incorporated. Reliability was enhanced, bringing better capacity factors and lower costs.
To geteconomies of scale, NPCIL developed a 540 MW design. Two of these were constructed at theTarapur Atomic Power Station.
After a redesign to utilise excess thermal margins, the 540 MW PHWR design achieved a 700 MW capacity without many design changes. Almost 100% of the parts of these indigenously designed reactors are manufactured by Indian industry.[3]
Like otherpressurized heavy-water reactors, IPHWR-700 usesheavy water (deuterium oxide, D2O) as itscoolant andneutron moderator. The design retains the features of other standardized Indian PHWR units, which include:[4]
It also has some new features as well, including:
The reactor has less excess reactivity. Therefore, it does not need neutron poison inside the fuel or moderator. These designs handle the case of a loss of coolant accident such as occurred in theFukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster.[5]
The reactor fuel usesnatural uranium fuel with Zircaloy-4 cladding. The core produces 2166 MW of heat which is converted into 700 MW of electricity at athermal efficiency of 32%. Because there is less excess reactivity inside the reactor, it needs to berefuelled continually during operation. The reactor is designed for an estimated life of 40 years.[6]
Unit 3 ofKakrapar Atomic Power Station was connected to the grid on 10 January 2021.[7]
| Power station | Location | Operator | Units | Total capacity | Status | Operation start |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| In Operation | ||||||
| KAPS-3 | Kakrapar, Gujarat | NPCIL | 700 x 2 | 1400 | Operational | 2021[7][8] |
| KAPS-4 | Operational | 2024[9] | ||||
| RAPS-7 | Rawatbhata, Rajasthan | NPCIL | 700 x 1 | 700 | Operational | 2025[10] |
| Under Construction | ||||||
| RAPS-8 | Rawatbhata, Rajasthan | NPCIL | 700 x 1 | 700 | Under construction | 2026 |
| GHAVP-1 | Gorakhpur, Haryana | 700 x 2 | 1400 | Under construction | 2028 | |
| GHAVP-2 | Under construction | 2029 | ||||
| Mahi Banswara 1 | Banswara, Rajasthan | ASHVINI JV - Anushakti Vidhyut Nigam | 700 x 4 | 2800 | Planned | ~2032 |
| Mahi Banswara 2 | ||||||
| Mahi Banswara 3 | ||||||
| Mahi Banswara 4 | ||||||
| Chutka 1 | Chutka, Madhya Pradesh | NPCIL | 700 x 2 | 1400 | ||
| Chutka 2 | ||||||
| GHAVP-3 | Gorakhpur, Haryana | 700 x 2 | 1400 | |||
| GHAVP-4 | ||||||
| KGS-5 | Kaiga, Karnataka | NPCIL | 700 x 2 | 1400 | Planned | 2030 |
| KGS-6 | Planned | 2031 | ||||
| Specifications | IPHWR-220[11] | IPHWR-540[12][13][14][15] | IPHWR-700[16] |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thermal output, MWth | 754.5 | 1730 | 2166 |
| Active power, MWe | 220 | 540 | 700 |
| Efficiency, net % | 27.8 | 28.08 | 29.00 |
| Coolant temperature, °C: | |||
| core coolant inlet | 249 | 266 | 266 |
| core coolant outlet | 293.4 | 310 | 310 |
| Primary coolant material | Heavy Water | ||
| Secondary coolant material | Light Water | ||
| Moderator material | Heavy Water | ||
| Reactor operating pressure, kg/cm2 (g) | 87 | 100 | 100 |
| Active core height, cm | 508.5 | 594 | 594 |
| Equivalent core diameter, cm | 451 | – | 638.4 |
| Average fuel power density | 9.24 KW/KgU | 235 MW/m3 | |
| Average core power density, MW/m3 | 10.13 | 12.1 | |
| Fuel | Sintered Natural UO2 pellets | ||
| Cladding tube material | Zircaloy-2 | Zircaloy-4 | |
| Fuel assemblies | 3672 | 5096 | 4704 fuel bundles in 392 channels |
| Number of fuel rods in assembly | 19 elements in 3 rings | 37 | 37 elements in 4 rings |
| Enrichment of reload fuel | 0.7% U-235 | ||
| Fuel cycle length, Months | 24 | 12 | 12 |
| Average fuelburnup, MW · day / ton | 6700 | 7500 | 7050 |
| Control rods | SS/Co | Cadmium/SS | |
| Neutron absorber | Boric Anhydride | Boron | |
| Residual heat removal system | Active: Shutdown cooling system Passive: Natural circulation through steam generators | Active: Shutdown cooling system Passive: Natural circulation through steam generators and Passive Decay heat removal system | |
| Safety injection system | Emergency core cooling system | ||
