Nuclear Reactors in India: A Photo Essay

Sunil S

“No Power is costlier than No Power”

-Homi Jehangir Bhabha[[i]]

One of the stellar achievements of the Department of Atomic Energy in India has been the establishment of a robust nuclear reactor program. The reactor program began as a small research type activity aimed at producing nuclear power to meet India’s needs [[ii]].

This article will attempt to take readers through a pictorial history of the reactor program [[iii]].

	APSARA was the first research reactor at BARC it was also the first nuclear reactor in Asia [[iv]]. APSARA attained criticality on August 4th 1956.
	CIRUS is a 40MW uranium assembly that attained criticality on 10th July 1960 [[v]].
	Tarapur Atomic Power Station (TAPS) was India’s first nuclear power station. A boiling water reactor, it was connected to the grid in 1969 and was rated at 160 MW [[vi]].
	Unit-1 at Rawatbhata was India’s second commercial nuclear reactor built with Canadian help. The reactor went commercial in 1972 and today Rajasthan Atomic Power Station (RAPS), houses four reactors [[vii]].
	Madras Atomic Power Station (MAPS), India’s first indigenously designed reactor became operational on January 27th 1984. More units were added as the years passed [[viii]].
	Fast Breeder Test Reactor (FBTR) at the Indira Gandhi Center for Advanced Research attained criticality in October of 1986[[ix]]. This reactor serves to establish the foundation for India’s research efforts into a closed nuclear fuel cycle.
	DHRUVA was a 100 MW research reactor that attained criticality on August 8th 1985. This reactor remains in use to produce radio-isotopes [[x]].
	Narora Atomic Power Station (NAPS) attained criticality in 1989[[xi]].
	Kakrapar Atomic Power Station (KAPS) attained criticality in September 1992. This unit has performed very well since then [[xii]].
	Purnima III was a research reactor built to investigate the possibility of using U-233 as a reactor fuel. This reactor went critical in April 1992 [[xiii]]. This was actually a small scale mockup of the KAMINI reactor.
	Kalpakkam Mini Reactor (KAMINI) attained criticality at IGCAR in September 1996. This reactor uses U-233 as fuel. KAMINI marks India’s first success at pursuing a Thorium based fuel cycle [[xiv]].
	Unit-1 Kaiga Atomic Power Station became critical in September 2000. This reactor was connected to the grid some fifteen days after it attained criticality [[xv]].
	1000 MW VVER at Kudankulam is in an advanced stage of construction [[xvi]]. The image shows the core of the reactor.
	Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor design under development at IGCAR [[xvii]]. This unit forms the core of the `closed fuel cycle’.
	Advanced Heavy Water Reactor (AWHR) design currently under development at BARC [[xviii]].
	Compact High Temperature Reactor also under development at BARC [[xix]]. This reactor is designed to work in closed spaces and remote locations.

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