Kalpakkam reactor achieves major milestone

In a major milestone, the main vessel of the Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor at Kalpakkam, near here, has been lowered inside the safety vessel and aligned.
 
The equipment which was lowered yesterday, forms the heart of the reactor and was manufactured "to great precision," a release said, quoting a top official of Bharatiya Nabhikiya Vidyut Nigam Limited (BHAVINI), Kalpakkam, which is involved in the project.
 
The 12.5 m tall vessel with an equal diameter, made of special stainless steel alloy, "forms the heart of the PFBR reactor," BHAVINI chairman and managing director SK Jain said today.
 
"This critical equipment was manufactured to great precision at the PFBR site itself," he said adding that with this, "PFBR has achieved a major milestone."
 
The PFBR, part of India's three-stage nuclear power programme, is located at Kalpakkam, about 60 km from here, and is expected to attain criticality by September 2010.
 
Commercial operation is expected to commence six months thereafter, officials said.