{"id":360227,"date":"2026-04-07T17:07:50","date_gmt":"2026-04-07T11:37:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/?p=360227"},"modified":"2026-04-07T17:07:50","modified_gmt":"2026-04-07T11:37:50","slug":"prototype-fast-breeder-reactor-pfbr","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/prototype-fast-breeder-reactor-pfbr\/","title":{"rendered":"Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor (PFBR)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>News<\/strong>: India achieved a major milestone in its civil nuclear programme as the 500 MWe Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor at Kalpakkam attained criticality, marking the start of a controlled nuclear chain reaction.<\/p>\n<h2>About Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor (PFBR)<\/h2>\n<figure id=\"attachment_360232\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-360232\" style=\"width: 376px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-360232\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Source-TNIE.jpg?resize=376%2C263&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor (PFBR)\" width=\"376\" height=\"263\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Source-TNIE.jpg?resize=300%2C210&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Source-TNIE.jpg?resize=1024%2C717&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Source-TNIE.jpg?resize=768%2C538&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Source-TNIE.jpg?w=1263&amp;ssl=1 1263w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 376px) 100vw, 376px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-360232\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Source &#8211; TNIE<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<ul>\n<li>The <strong>Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor<\/strong> is <strong>India\u2019s first<\/strong> fast breeder reactor, a <strong>nuclear reactor that produces more fissile material than it consumes<\/strong> using fast <strong>neutrons and plutonium-based fuel.<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Developed by:<\/strong> The reactor was <strong>indigenously developed by Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research.<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Built by<\/strong>: It was <strong>built and commissioned by Bharatiya Nabhikiya Vidyut Nigam Limited.<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Operated by:<\/strong> It is operated by the<strong> BHAVINI <\/strong>under the<strong> Department of Atomic Energy (DAE).<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Working Mechanism of PFBR:<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Fuel use<\/strong>: The reactor uses <strong>Uranium-Plutonium Mixed Oxide (MOX) fuel,<\/strong> where plutonium undergoes fission using fast neutrons.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Neutron process:<\/strong> Fast neutrons <strong>convert fertile Uranium-238 into fissile Plutonium-239<\/strong>, sustaining the chain reaction.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Breeding process:<\/strong> This conversion <strong>enables the reactor to produce more fuel than it consumes<\/strong>, which is the core principle of breeder reactors.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Coolant system: <\/strong>The reactor uses <strong>liquid sodium coolant<\/strong>, which efficiently removes heat and allows fast neutrons to persist.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Thorium pathway:<\/strong> The reactor is designed to use Thorium-232, which can be converted into Uranium-233 for the third stage.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Key Features:<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>High fuel efficiency:<\/strong> It can extract more energy from uranium, improving resource utilization.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Support to nuclear programme: <\/strong>It acts as a bridge between Stage I and Stage III of India\u2019s nuclear programme.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Closed fuel cycle:<\/strong> It enables recycling of nuclear materials, reducing waste.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Energy security role: <\/strong>It supports long-term clean and reliable base-load power generation.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>About Criticality in Nuclear Reactors<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>It is the stage where a <strong>nuclear chain reaction becomes self-sustaining and stable.<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Operational importance: <\/strong>It marks readiness of the reactor for power generation.<\/li>\n<li><strong>States of Criticality:<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Subcritical state:<\/strong> In this state, <strong>neutron losses are greater than production<\/strong>, so the chain reaction gradually dies out and the reactor shuts down.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Critical state:<\/strong> In this state, <strong>neutron production equals neutron loss<\/strong>, so the chain reaction becomes stable and self-sustaining, and power remains constant.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Supercritical state:<\/strong> In this state, <strong>neutron production exceeds losses<\/strong>, so the chain reaction increases rapidly, and reactor power rises.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Safety aspect:<\/strong> Controlled criticality is essential for safe reactor operation.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>About India\u2019s 3 Stage Nuclear Programme<\/h2>\n<figure id=\"attachment_360231\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-360231\" style=\"width: 426px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-360231\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Source-TH.jpg?resize=426%2C426&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"India\u2019s 3 Stage Nuclear Programme\" width=\"426\" height=\"426\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Source-TH.jpg?resize=300%2C300&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Source-TH.jpg?resize=150%2C150&amp;ssl=1 150w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Source-TH.jpg?w=717&amp;ssl=1 717w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 426px) 100vw, 426px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-360231\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Source &#8211; TH<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<ul>\n<li>It is a long-term strategy to achieve energy security using uranium and vast thorium reserves.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Formulated by: <\/strong>It was formulated <strong>by Homi Bhabha in the 1950s.<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Aim<\/strong>: It aims to ensure energy independence, efficient fuel use, and utilisation of abundant thorium reserves.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Three stages are:<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Stage 1:<\/strong> Pressurised Heavy Water Reactors using natural uranium.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Stage 2: <\/strong>Fast Breeder Reactors using plutonium-based fuel.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Stage 3: <\/strong>Advanced systems using thorium to produce Uranium-233.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>News: India achieved a major milestone in its civil nuclear programme as the 500 MWe Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor at Kalpakkam attained criticality, marking the start of a controlled nuclear chain reaction. About Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor (PFBR) The Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor is India\u2019s first fast breeder reactor, a nuclear reactor that produces more&hellip; <a class=\"more-link\" href=\"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/prototype-fast-breeder-reactor-pfbr\/\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor (PFBR)<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10401,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1566,1738,12039],"tags":[11872],"class_list":["post-360227","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-daily-factly-articles","category-science-and-technology-daily-factly-articles","category-knolls","tag-9pm-daily-factly","entry"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","views":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/360227","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10401"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=360227"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/360227\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=360227"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=360227"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=360227"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}