Bhabha Atomic Research Center
The Bhabha Atomic Research Center (BARC) in Trombay , Maharashtra was founded on January 20, 1957 as Atomic Energy Establishment Trombay (AEET) by the then Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru . The facility is located approximately 15 km northeast of central Mumbai on Thane Creek . Homi Jehangir Bhabha was appointed as its director . After he was killed in a plane crash in the Swiss Alps in January 1966 , Prime Minister Indira Gandhi renamed the center the Bhabha Atomic Research Center a year later .
The BARC employs around 7,000 people. You are active in all areas of nuclear research (reprocessing, nuclear weapons, reactor research, etc.).
The reactors
There are numerous nuclear facilities on the site.
The first reactor in India, APSARA , a light water reactor in swimming pool design with an output of around 1 megawatt, was built with the help of the British. It became critical for the first time on August 4, 1956 .
The second, CIRUS ( C anadian I ndian R eaktor with US heavy water), a reactor with 40 megawatts of power, was critical with the help of the Canadians on July 10, 1960th With this reactor it was now possible to produce around 8 kilograms of plutonium annually.
The third, Zerlina , a research reactor, went critical on January 1, 1961 and shut down for good in 1983.
All three reactors were built with help from abroad. In response to the 1974 Indian nuclear test , nuclear cooperation has effectively ceased.
The Dhruva reactor went critical on August 8, 1985. It is a heavy water reactor with a capacity of 100 megawatts and produces around 20 kilograms of plutonium per year.
The PURNIMA series:
- PURNIMA was started on May 1st, 1972 and has since been switched off again.
- PURNIMA II. Was started on May 10, 1984 and has also been switched off again and was a light water research reactor.
- PURNIMA-III was started in 1994 and works with U233. It is probably the predecessor of the KAMINI in Kalpakkam .
After delays, the Advanced Heavy Water Reactor (AWHR) is to be built from 2007 . The research reactor should have an output of 300 megawatts. It is an important part of the planned thorium cycle , here the uranium is to be incubated. A construction period of 5 to 6 years is planned. A research reactor called the Compact High Temperature Reactor (CHTR) was built. The start-up was planned for 2010. In 2011 the completion was reported.
Other plants
The Plutonium Separation Plant in Trombay is a facility for plutonium and uranium enrichment. The plans should originally come from Vitro International (USA). Plutonium has been extracted here from the fuel rods of the CIRUS reactor since 1964, and later also from the Dhruva reactor. The plant can process around 150 tons of fuel per year.
Since 1985 there has also been a facility for uranium enrichment with the help of ultracentrifuges .
A system for enrichment with laser processes has also been in existence since 1993 .
Accidents
On December 13, 1991, a pipe that discharges radioactive waste water into the sea broke. Several workers were exposed to radiation during the cleanup.
Data of the reactors
The Bhabha Atomic Research Center has four operational and four shutdown reactors:
| Name of the reactor | Reactor type | power | fuel | Installation | Shutdown |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| APSARA | Swimming pool type | 1 MW | enriched uranium | 08/04/1956 | |
| CIRUS | Vertical tank type | 40 MW | Natural uranium | 07/10/1960 | |
| DHRUVA | Vertical tank type | 100 MW | Natural uranium | 08/08/1985 | |
| CHIMNEY | Vertical tank type | 30 kW | U-233-Al alloy | 10/29/1996 | |
| PURNIMA-I | Fast reactor | 1 w | Plutonia | 05/18/1972 | 1973 |
| PURNIMA-II | Vertical tank type | 100 mW | U233 | 05/10/1984 | 1986 |
| PURNIMA-III | Vertical tank type | 1 w | U233 | 11/9/1990 | 1991 |
| ZERLINA | Vertical tank type | 100 W | Natural uranium | 01/14/1961 | 1983 |
See also
Web links
- BARC homepage
- The nuclear arena. India's nuclear weapons complex. Spektrum Verlag - Wissenschaft-Online, archived from the original on August 19, 2011 ; Retrieved June 19, 2016 .
- Brief info
Individual evidence
- ^ Research Reactor Database of the IAEA
- ↑ Advanced Heavy Water Reactor new construction start ( page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ^ 62nd Republic Day of India. BARC, January 26, 2011, archived from the original on May 21, 2012 ; accessed on June 19, 2016 (English, press release).
- ↑ APSARA REACTOR (English)
- ↑ CIRUS REACTOR (English)
- ↑ DHRUVA REACTOR (English)
- ↑ KAMINI REACTOR (English)
- ↑ PURNIMA-I REACTOR (English)
- ↑ PURNIMA-II REACTOR (English)
- ↑ PURNIMA-III REACTOR (English)
- ↑ ZERLINA REACTOR (English)
Coordinates: 19 ° 0 ′ 55 ″ N , 72 ° 55 ′ 26 ″ E