#350: Criticality - Next stage of Indian Nuclear Program
explained in easier words
PM Modi announced India attained criticality in commercial Fast Breeder Reactor
This is a BIG step in Indian Nuclear program!
How/why/what? Let me explain it to you like you’re 15 years old:
India has now attained criticality in a commercial, 500MW power producing, fast breeder nuclear reactor.
(We had experimental one before, but this is a big commercial one that can produce power.)
Criticality means reactor is running by itself without needing to keep re-igniting it. Breeder means it makes more fissile fuel than it uses.
Nobody wanted to give India such tech. Because these reactors can create nuclear fissile material. So India created the tech itself in spite of sanctions.
Only Russia has this tech (true commerical fast breeder reactor) running. US, UK, France say they have given up on this. China has one prototype based on Russian tech but it is not yet commercial.
India has refused to put its Fast Breeder Reactor program under international scrutiny. It is a big, big, no HUGE thing for India's energy independence.
But, as usual, most Indians won't know how big as we don't play up our achievements. I was recently amused seeing some posts by Gen-Z advising Indian govt to go for Thorium cycle etc in some condescending tone.
Because India has been on it quietly for sometime. And this reactor going critical now and commercial soon means it can sustain itself for infinity. This cuts India's imports of Uranium. And paves the way for Thorium based reactors as well. (Stage 3 of India's nuclear program, we just passed Stage 2 with PM's post).
Also, what PM didn't say is, this reactor can help generate some 100+kg of weapons grade Plutonium -with which India can make many warheads and expand nuclear stockpile if it wishes so.
But India will never do that, you know, as India is a very peaceful nation promoting world wide nuclear disarmament ;)
«this blog is an adoption of Aravind’s tweet, due credits to him»