Three stages of India’s nuclear power generation -
1. STAGE 1 – Pressurised Heavy Water Reactor using Natural UO2 as fuel matrix Heavy water as moderator and Uranium is used.
2. STAGE 2 » Fast Breeder Reactor. India’s second stage of nuclear power generation envisages the use of Pu-239 obtained from the first stage reactor operation, as the fuel core in fast breeder reactors (FBR). Plutonium is used.
3. STAGE 3 » Breeder Reactor The third phase of India’s Nuclear Power Generation programme is, breeder reactors using U-233 fuel. India’s vast thorium deposits permit design and operation of U-233 fuelled breeder reactors.
4. Product of every stage is used as fuel in the next stage. When we burn Uranium in Stage 1, we get Plutonium which can be used in Stage 2. And when we burn Pu-239 in Stage 2 we get U-233 as product that can be used in Stage 3 as fuel.
5. Russia has built the 1st floating power plant named "Akademik Lomonosov".
i. Memorial for Dr Homi Bhabha built by Indian Government in Nid d’Aigle, Eagle’s nest in Mount Mont Blanc, where he Died in Air India plane crash 1966.
ii. Uranium is of two types 'U235' and 'U238', We have to convert U238 to U235 (enrichment
process) because U235 can be used as fuel in Nuclear Reactors.
iii. When Neutron is bombarded on Uranium-235, it breaks into Barium, Krypton and Neutrons, this is a kind of chain reaction and it releases a very large amount of energy. This is a Nuclear Bomb.
iv. This reaction can be controlled with the use of heavy water (D2O).
v. Nuclear Energy is considered a clean energy.