NUCLEAR POWER NECESSARY FOR INDIA : Kocherlakota Sakram Vanth,

NUCLEAR POWER NECESSARY FOR INDIA

by

Kocherlakota Sakram Vanth,

Free Lance Writer,

4-60-11, Lawson’s Bay Colony,

Visakhapatnam – 530017 (A.P)

Date: 17 January 2014.

INTRODUCTION

        Till year 1991 the households in India are having only one ceiling fan and single mercury tube-light. These are run by electricity. This electricity was generated by hydro-power, gas-based and coal-based power plants. These plants need fossil fuels which are available in India in large quantities, but they are getting exhausted over a period of time as they are very limited. Non-renewable are Nuclear, Thermal Power, Coal, Gas or Liquid Fuel based and finally Diesel based. Renewable sources are, Hydroelectric Power, Solar Power and Wind Power.

COAL

        These fuels are being used from the British colonial era, especially in India. Much of the coal was transported by rail to foreign countries during the years of British train transport facilities. Hence over the period of two and half centuries this resource was being exhausted. India still stood as a coal exporting country for several imperialistic countries even after gaining Independence. Coal based power plants in sufficient number existing in India all over the country.

        They were developed by several electrical engineers. Coal sources 69.1% MW total in India.  Coal more than 51% of India’s commercial demand is met through vast coal reserves in India. Public undertaking NTPC and other state level power generating companies are operating. As on July 31, 2010, as per CEA the total installed capacity of Coal or Lignite based power plants in India are 87,093.38MW.

WIND POWER PRODUCTION

        India has the world’s fifth largest power industry, with installed capacity of 9587MW. Power in Satara District. There are others of less productive capacity. Among the top countries a Plant in Maharashtra state has total capacity of 259MWe and producer is Suzlon Energy Ltd f the world India stands fifth with total capacity of about 20,149 MW by the end of 2012.

Fig.1 India stands fifth with total capacity of 

    about 20,149 MW by the end of 2012.

SOLAR POWER IN INDIA

        The largest is the Charanka Solar Park in Charanka village, Patan District, in Gujarat state with output of 221MW commissioned in 2012.

HYDRO-POWER PLANTS

Bharat heavy Electronics Limited and Navarathna Status Co were producing turbines for hydro-power generation. The hydro-power plants built in India starting from Machkund in Andhra State and other regions in India. Electricity production from Hydroelectric sources kWh in India 114295000000.0.

For the Dams in India of two kinds are built one with modern cement technology and the earlier one based on indigenous Lime mortar construction. Surprisingly the Lime mortar dams in India survived for more than 150 years, like the one Tamil Nadu, and provided suitable hydroelectric power generation. Only those stations above 1000MW generation listed.

 TABLE DEPICTING MORE THAN 1000 MW GENERATING POWER

Station	State	Operator	Generated      Units	Capacity MW	Coordinates
Tehri Dam	Uttarakhand	THDC India	4*250,4*100,4*250	2400	30022’40”N&780 28’50”E
Sardar Sarovar	Gujarat	SSNNL	6x200,5x140	1450	21049’49”&73044’50”E
Nathpa Jhakri	Himachal Pradesh	SJVNL	6x250	1500	31033’50”N&77058’49”E
Bhakra Dam	Punjab	BBMB	5x108,5x157	1325	31024’39”N&76026’0”E
Karcham Wangloo	Himachal Pradesh	Jaypee Group	4x250	1000	31032’35.53”N&78000’.54 80”E
Sharavathi	Karnataka	KPCL	10x103.5,2x27.5,4x60	1469	14017’56”N&74025’27”E
Kalinadi	Karnataka	KPCL	2x50,1x135,5x150, 3x50,3x40	1240	14050’32”N&74007’23”E
Indira Sagar	Madhya Pradesh	NHPC	8x125	1000	22017’02”N&76028’17”E
Koyna	Maharashtra State	MahaGenco	4x70,4x80,2x20,4x80,4x250	1960	17024’06”N&73045’08”E

                       

DIESEL BASED

        As on July 31, 2010, CEA has total installed capacity of 1,199.75MW. 

GAS PLANTS

        These plants may come to a grinding halt is the latest news in Daily News & Analysis dated January 30, 2014.

NATURAL GAS BASED POWER PLANTS

        Natural gas mostly contains methane. It is more potent greenhouse gas due to greater global-warming potential of methane. Natural gas releases an isotope of Radon ranging from 5 to 200000 Becquerel’s per cubic meter. The leakage of gas in transportation is major problem and has been criticized by several scientists world over.

        By the end of 2012 there were about 17.25million natural gas vehicles with India about 1.5million. The energy efficiency is equivalent to that of gasoline engines, but lower compared to modern diesel engines. CNG-specific engines have higher compression ratio due to fuel’s higher Octane Number of 120-130. CNG transported at higher pressure of 200bars.

Electricity production from natural Gas source (kWh) in India was measured in 2011 as 108534000000 according to World Bank. Natural gas excludes natural gas liquids. Electricity production from natural gas kWh in India 81927000000.0.

       

Of the late, i.e. during the years 2000 onward the electric power generation (smaller plants) began based on fossil fuels of vast waste lands like the one near Vijayawada in A.P. They are found competitive with the local needs of power requirements and providing job opportunities to many engineering graduates.

15MV gas based power plant in Assam. Chadar district in Gujarat has RGPPL promoted by NTPC largest power plant MW1967. Palatane power project biggest gas based thermal power in North Eastern states.  Maharashtra state is finalizing a gas power plant.

BIO GAS

          Methanogenic archaea are responsible for all biological sources of methane. Principal component of natural gas include landfill gas, biogas and methane hydrate. Methane rich gases produced by the anaerobic decay of non-fossil organic matter (biomass), they are referred as natural biogas. Sources include swamps, marshes, and landfills and agricultural waste such as sewage sledge and manure by anaerobic digesters, enteric fermentation particularly in cattle. About half landfill gas is methane and rest is carbon dioxide, devoid of water vapor. The gas can be vented in atmosphere, flared or burned to produce electricity or heat.  Anaerobic lagoons produce biogas from manure. Biogas reactors may be used for manure or plant parts. Co-firing landfill gas with natural gas improves combustion that lowers emissions. Hyperion sewage plant in Los Angeles burns 8MCF (or 230000m³) of gas per day to generate power. The total bio-power generation from 74 plants with anaerobic digesters is about 66MW in the city of Bakersfield, California. New York City also uses sewage plant to generate electricity.

NUCLEAR POWER REACTORS

Nuclear Power is a MANIFOLD TERM. It can be described by the production of electricity as well as a state possessing nuclear weapons. It is known that reactor is a device in which controlled chain reaction of fission is maintained, with power of 1MW corresponds to chain reaction in which 3E+16 fission acts takes place.

PIONEERING NUCLEAR RESEARCH IN INDIA

by Prof K R Rao at Visakhapatnam

The Andhra University under the leadership of Prof. K. R. Rao embarked on Nuclear Research almost 13 years ahead of the Bhabha’s attempt at Bombay. The academic interest in diverse fields of Physics and Technology, of Andhra University was initiated by Prof. K. R. Rao in 1932 but was halted just a few years due to vested interests. India’s Nuclear Research was born from Visakhapatnam from a dynamic leadership of Late Prof K. R. Rao almost 13 years ahead of Homi. J. Bhabha and “Sir” Dorab Tata Trust.

Later, following Prof. K. R. Rao’s invited visit to NPL at Delhi under invitation by its Director K. S. Krishnan, and Rao offered a seat of comfortable room to a Professor in Physics Department, primarily to initiate and continue the full fledged Nuclear Research, with an admirable minister’s grant, from Andhra Government funds, nearly 5lakh rupees for peaceful and exclusively academic Nuclear Research interest. Rao also has instituted two of his talented students in Physics in the Nuclear Physics section, one of them just died on Y'day Saturday Feb 1, 2014, and the other succumbed to injuries of unknown nature in 1990's

 Homi. J. Bhabha got the bent of mind to foster Nuclear Research as Indian Atomic Energy programme in 1945. Bhabha with the help of political leaders and “Sir” Dorab Tata Trust, a relative of his, and admirably employed all Science and Technology interestingly a large number of graduates from Andhra University, in Bombay AEC. Most of them were unnamed and unrecognized Doctoral students of Andhra University during the years 1945 to 1955. The outstanding potential contribution by Andhra University graduates employed in Bombay by AEC is noteworthy.

Modernization of India began with the dynamic leadership of Prof. K. R. Rao at Andhra University, cultivating the talent, research and knowledge, from year 1932, required to undertake the most advanced field of Science and Technology at that time, the Atomic Energy! 

Bhabha started only in 1945 and found the ready products of Andhra students of Andhra University most suited for the dedicated and secret effort.

NUCLEAR POWER REACTORS

        About twenty Nuclear Power reactors operating at seven sites mostly run by Nuclear Power Corporation of India has installed capacity of 5,780MW i.e. about 2.9% of total installed base. Main task of the Nuclear Power reactors was to produce Electric Energy and or/heat. They are best source of heat source of a Nuclear Power Station. Most employ pressurized water reactors (PWR) or boiling water reactor (BWR), heavy water reactors (HWR) and gas cooled reactors (GCR). The fast breeder reactor like the one at Madras beach coast is of special importance, since they have a dual aim of primarily energy production and next they can be used to produce new nuclear fuel, by converting U²³⁵, U²³² to fissile material. Fast breeder reactors (LMFBR) also can be cooled by liquid metals.

        In PWE, the saturated steam formed in the boiler at pressures 40-60bar led to the turbine and subsequently cooled and returns to the boiler. The reactor has about 40-80tonnes of Uranium fuel of low enrichment about one third exchanged in every year giving output of 1dm² of the core about 100kW. Efficiency is about 33%.

        The activity of a thermal reactor producing heat at 1000MW is about 10²⁰ – 10²¹ Bq, with most of it produced from fission products. The thermal neutron flux is about 10¹⁰ – 10¹⁵ n/cm²/s in isotope production and testing, and for research reactors, while 10¹³ – 10¹⁶ n/cm²/s in power reactor.

        The biggest capacity enriching plants operate in USA, Russia, Britain and France. Gas diffusion method in reactors is widely used. Theoretically more efficient centrifuging method for enrich of Uranium but technical problems exist. Power reactors use ceramic heating materials UO₃ and UC, with their high melting points, with low thermal expansion, and which also resist corrosion.

Deuterium-tritium reaction, known also as thermonuclear synthesis or thermonuclear reaction, giving out alpha and neutron with the excess energy of 17.6MeV regarded as the short term prospects for nuclear power has comparatively low coulomb barrier and fairly large cross-section. The reaction 

p + ₅B¹¹₆ à ⁵₂3α + 8.7MeV 

is an exothermal reaction is an example of thermonuclear fission. No neutron production reactions are 

d + ₂He³ à α + p + 18.3MeV, 

and p + ₃Li⁷à2α + 17.3MeV. 

for this reason power plants based on these reactions do not yield radioactive waste. But temperatures required are so high and no attempts made possibly, to realize them. Beta-M and Beta-C in Russia uses cerium ₅₈Ce¹⁴⁴ isotope of half-life just 290 days and in USA a 25 Watt power reactor works on ₉₄Pu²³⁸ with half-life of 86.4 years.

UNITS OF ENRGY

        The main task of Nuclear Power reactor is the utilization of Nuclear Energy i.e. production of electric power. Air-kerma suggested characterizing the field of radiation, with Kerma an acronym for kinetic release to matter. Its unit is called gray, with 1 gray equal to 1J/kg. Rad gives energy deposition of 100erg/s or 6.25E+15eV/g. SI unit is gray (Gy) introduced in 1975.

        Absorbed dose rate in SI units is Gy/s or J/kg/s. We have one kg Gy as equivalent to one joule. Watt-hour used for large doses since 1Wh= 3600 Kg Gy. G-value is number of radio - nuclide decomposed or formed due to absorption of 100eV and SI unit is mol/Gy/Kg which is 0.96484E-07 molecules/100eV. Ionization density produced in water by α, β, γ radiations having same initial energy extends over 0.007 mm for α, 0.4 cm for β, and about 20cm by γ-radiations.

NEW TREND IN COMMERCIAL USE

        The nuclear non-proliferation program that concluded on December 31, 2013 enabled the  million. The warheads contain valuable material that can be processed to use support of uranium from twenty thousand warheads fueled the US nuclear power reactors to provide 10% of electricity produced in USA, over last twenty years. The August 28, 1992 the US and Russian negotiators enabled Russia to down blend 500 tons of enriched Uranium into 15259 tons of reactor grade uranium over a period of 20 years. US paid to Russia to the charges to down-blend or dilute the highly enriched uranium. Typical nuclear warhead yields fuel worth $2 million commercial nuclear reactors. Supply is more than the demand.

        Natural uranium contains 0.71% of U²³⁵, and the majority of nuclear reactors use about 3% to 5%of U²³⁵. Enrichment to 20% used in research reactors and military applications. Commercial reactors use low grade diluted or down-blended U²³⁵. Control of more than 24000 nuclear weapons in newer independent republics may be purchased to turn them safely for commercial use.

       

ANTI-MATTER ROLE ON EARTH

Yu. M. Shirkov & N. P. Yudin in the book on Nuclear Physics on page 140, line after 40, state “the anti-matter does not exist in nature, at least in the region of the universe nearest to us”. Annihilation power might therefore be remote in future, may be possible for production of ultra-long range spacecraft.

                   The publication made in a book-let form, recently on 2 Jan 2014 by Professor Dr. Kotcherlakota Lakshmi Narayana, on “ANTI PHOTON” (The Rangadhama Publishers, Visakhapatnam) seems to be a useful resource on such ventures.

The second book by the author by Professor Dr. Kotcherlakota Lakshmi Narayana, is entitled “PERAM MANIFOLD & RANGADHAMA EFFECT”, and published on 13 January 2014 (The Rangadhama Publishers, Visakhapatnam) comprising of several of his articles, in pages about 215, during the years 1960 to 1990 based on Molecular Force Fields etc.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

                 The author is deeply indebted to Late Dr. K. Venkata Rao, M. B. B. S,  D. C. H  at 4-60-11, Lawson’s Bay Colony, Visakhapatnam – 530017 (A.P). He is also grateful to his younger brother Shri Thaejas K, a Soft Engineer of computers in a private company in Singapore for his interest in my work.