Daily Quiz: UPSC Prelims Marathon (Science & Technology) – May 7, 2020

Nuclear Fuel Complex.

Statement 1 is correct: Nuclear Fuel Complex, Hyderabad is an industrial unit of the Department of Atomic Energy, Government of India. NFC is the only organization in India which caters to the fuel requirements of nuclear power reactors.

Statement 2 is correct: Nuclear Fuel Complex, Hyderabad was conceived in late 60’s as a pivotal industrial arm of the Department of Atomic Energy with the mandate to fuel the nuclear power program of Govt. of India. An ISO certified organization, NFC is the only organization in the world today to have a comprehensive manufacturing cycle from ore to core, involving processing of both Uranium & Zirconium streams under the same roof.

Vitrification Technology.

Statement 1 is correct: The immobilisation of HLW requires the formation of an insoluble, solid waste form that will remain stable for many thousands of years. In general borosilicate glass has been chosen as the medium for dealing with separated HLW. The stability of ancient glass for thousands of years highlights the suitability of borosilicate glass as a matrix material. This type of process, referred to as vitrification.Most HLW, other than spent fuel itself, arises in a liquid form from the reprocessing of spent fuel. This HLW comprises highly radioactive fission products and some transuranic elements with long-lived radioactivity. To allow incorporation into the glass matrix the waste is initially calcined (dried) to a granular powder. The product is then incorporated into molten glass, poured into a robust stainless-steel canister about 1.3 metres high, and allowed to cool, forming a solid matrix. The containers are then welded closed and are ready for storage and final disposal.

Statement 2 is incorrect: India is one of the few countries to have mastered the technology of vitrification. Over the years BARC has developed the technology for vitrification of HLW. India has a unique distinction of having operating vitrification plant at Tarapur and Trombay.  In our existing plant at Trombay vitrification process is essentially batch operation consisting of heating and fusing of pre-concentrated waste and glass forming additives and is carried out in melters based on induction heating.

CODIS is the acronym for the Combined DNA Index System and is the generic term used to describe the FBI’s program of support for criminal justice DNA databases as well as the software used to run these databases. The National DNA Index System or NDIS is considered one part of CODIS, the national level, containing the DNA profiles contributed by federal, state, and local participating forensic laboratories.

JUICE, also known as the JUpiterICy moons Explorer, is a European Space Agency mission intended to explore Jupiter and three of its icy moons: Europa, Callisto and Ganymede. A single orbital spacecraft, with no lander, will be the first to orbit Ganymede, and one of a handful of space-craft to visit the Jupiter system since the 1970s. JUICE is targeted to launch in June 2022 aboard an Ariane 5 spacecraft. It will take more than 7.5 years to get to Jupiter, using gravity assists from Venus and Earth to speed the spacecraft up and get it into the outer solar system. The spacecraft is expected to be inserted in Jupiter’s orbit in January 2030, starting a 2.5-year observation session of Jupiter’s moons, as well as the planet’s atmosphere and magnetosphere.

Prithvi Missile.

Statement 1 is correct: The Prithvi was India’s first indigenously developed ballistic missile produced by the Integrated Guided Missile Development Program (IGMDP).

Statement 2 is correct: Prithvi is a road-mobile, surface to surface short range ballistic missile (SRBM) powered by a single-stage, two engines, and liquid-fuel. Development of the Prithvi began in 1983, and it was first tested fired on February 25, 1988.