| IPWR-900 | |
|---|---|
| Generation | Generation III+ reactor |
| Reactor concept | pressurized water reactor |
| Reactor line | IPWR (Indian Pressurized Water Reactor) |
| Designed by | Bhabha Atomic Research Centre |
| Manufactured by | NPCIL |
| Status | Under development |
| Main parameters of the reactor core | |
| Fuel (fissile material) | 235U (LEU) |
| Fuel state | Solid |
| Neutron energy spectrum | Thermal |
| Primary control method | control rods |
| Primary moderator | Light Water |
| Primary coolant | Light Water |
| Reactor usage | |
| Primary use | Generation of electricity |
| Power (thermal) | 2700 MWth |
| Power (electric) | 900 MWe |
TheIndian Pressurized Water Reactor-900 (IPWR-900) is a class ofpressurized water reactors being designed by theBhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) in partnership with theNuclear Power Corporation of India Limited to supplement theIndian three-stage nuclear power programme.
BARC has developed a 83 MW compactlight water reactor known as CLWR-B1 for theIndian Navy'sArihant-class submarine program which includes a prototype reactor operating atKalpakkam since 2002 and was made operational in theINS Arihant in 2013. The experience gained in the naval reactor program is being used to develop a commercial electricity generation reactor of 900 MWe capacity.[1]
To support the industrial capacity to fabricate the large forgings for areactor pressure vessel, a heavy forge unit has been set up as a joint venture by theNuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) and Indian engineering conglomerateLarsen & Toubro's subsidiary L&T Special Steels and Heavy Forgings Limited inHazira, Gujarat. The joint venture has set up a 9000-ton forging press and plans to increase it to 17,000 tons.[2][3] BARC reported the completion of manufacture of test forgings in August 2021 and confirmed the technological know-how and capability to manufacture forgings of thicknesses 350 mm to 750 mm essential to manufacturing of reactor pressure vessels for pressurized water reactor program.[4]
Indian nuclear activities regulatorAtomic Energy Regulatory Board carried out the Pre-Consenting design review for the design in the fiscal year 2015–16.[3]
The IPWR design is planned to retain commonality of majority of non-nuclear island components of the design with theIPHWR-700pressurized heavy-water reactors currently in use to limit design timelines and construction costs. Thesteam generator design and configuration will also be adopted from the IPHWR-700 design.[5]
The IPWR core consists 151fuel assemblies arranged in a hexagonal pitch with 331 lattice locations wherein 311 locations are occupied by fuel pins, 18 by control guide tubes and 1 by instrumentation tube and the remaining location at centre is occupied by central water rod. The fuel pins have an outer diameter 9.4 mm with a wall thickness of 0.7 mm. The core contains 103 rod cluster assemblies with each cluster containing 18 rods which haveB4C andDy2O3·TiO2 as thecontrol material. The control rods have been designed to provide negativereactivity coefficients with a shutdown margin of 10 mk at hotzero power state for a prolonged time.[6]
IPWR utilisesGadolinium(Gd) compoundGd2O3(Gadolinia) as aneutron absorber for suppression of initial reactivity which is a prominent feature of modern PWR designs includingEPR andAP1000. The use of Gd reduces concentration of dissolved boron required at the beginning of the fuel cycle and helps keep the coolant temperature coefficient of reactivity sufficiently negative in all operating conditions.[6]
The reactor will utilise areactor pressure vessel made of 20MnMoNi55 steel[7] also known as “APURVA” (Advanced PurifiedReactor Vessel Alloy).[4] BARC disclosed in January 2020 that aCore catcher design has been validated that can manage a 100%core melt accident.[8][9]
The design will includeGeneration III+ safety features likePassive Decay Heat Removal System, Emergency Core Cooling System (ECCS),Corium Retention and Core Catcher System.[5]
TheGovernment of India orNPCIL have not disclosed any locations or timeline for the construction of the first IPWR-900 reactor.
| Specifications | IPWR-900[6] |
|---|---|
| Thermal output, MW | 2700 |
| Electrical output, MW | 900 |
| Efficiency, net % | 33.33% |
| Vapor pressure, in 100 kPa | |
| in front of the turbine | - |
| in the first circuit | - |
| Water temperature, °C: | |
| core coolant inlet | 307.5 |
| core coolant outlet | 320 |
| Equivalent core diameter, m | — |
| Active core height, mm | 3600 |
| Outer diameter of fuel rods, mm | 13.16 |
| Number of fuel rods in assembly | 311 |
| Number of fuel assemblies | 151 |
| Uranium loading, tons | - |
| Averageuranium enrichment, % | 4.22 |
| Average fuelburnup, MW · day / kg | 30 |
| Maximum fuelburnup, MW · day / kg | 50 |
| Average linear heat generation rate in a pin (W/cm) | 159.6 |
| Power density (MW/m3 or KW/litre)) | 87.4 |
| System pressure (MPa) | 15.7 |
| Cycle length (FPDs) | 410 |
| Burnableneutron absorber material in fuel (IFBA) | Gd2O3(Gadolinia) |
| Reactivity control | Solubleboron (H3BO3 in water) |
| Control rod material | B4C andDy2O3·TiO2 |
