| ID | 085062 |
| Title Proper | Compromising safety |
| Other Title Information | design choices and severe accident possibilities in India's prototype fast breeder reactor |
| Language | ENG |
| Author | Kumar, Ashwin ; Ramana, M V |
| Publication | 2008. |
| Summary / Abstract (Note) | This article explores the safety capabilities of the 500 MWe Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor that is under construction in India, and which is to be the first of several similar reactors that are proposed to be built over the next few decades, to withstand severe accidents. Such accidents could potentially breach the reactor containment and disperse radioactivity to the environment. The potential for such accidents results from the reactor core not being in its most reactive configuration; further, when there is a loss of the coolant, the reactivity increases rather then decreasing as in the case of water-cooled reactors. The analysis demonstrates that the official safety assessments are based on assumptions about the course of accidents that are not justifiable empirically and the safety features incorporated in the current design are not adequate to deal with the range of accidents that are possible. |
| `In' analytical Note | Science and Global Security Vol. 16, No. 3; Sep 2008: p87-114 |
| Journal Source | Science and Global Security Vol. 16, No. 3; Sep 2008: p87-114 |
| Key Words | Fast Breeder Reactor - India ; Energy Conversion - India ; India - Energy Conversion |