India's Nuclear Fuel Cycle: Unraveling the Impact of the U.S.-India Nuclear Accord (Synthesis Lectures on Nuclear Technology and Society)

An analysis of the current (February 2009) status and future potential of India's nuclear fuel cycle is presented in this book. Such a fuel cycle assessment is important, but relatively opaque because India regards various aspects of its nuclear fuel cycle as strategically sensitive. Any study therefore necessarily depends upon reverse calculations based on the information that is available, expert assessments, engineering judgment and anecdotal information. In this work every effort is made to provide transparency to these foundations, so that changes can be made in light of alternative expectations or subsequent information. This book should be of interest to policy experts, governmental specialists, technologists, nuclear technologists, and others seeking to understand and explain the associated facts and potential consequences of the recent U.S.-India civil nuclear accord. Table of Contents: Introduction / A Brief History of the Indian Nuclear Program / Indian Nuclear Facilities / Fuel Cycle Analysis: From Beginning to Present Day / Fuel Cycle Analysis: Future Projections / Alternate Reactor Systems / Conclusions / Acknowledgements Executive Summary......Page 11 Objectives of the Study......Page 13 The Inception Phase of the Program: 1944-1960......Page 15 Early Weapons Development Efforts: 1960-1966......Page 20 Negotiations and Aftermath of the Non-Proliferation Treaty: 1966 -- 1974......Page 21 India's Isolation Following Operation Smiling Buddha: 1975--1998......Page 22 Following the Pokhran II Tests: 1999 - 2006......Page 23 Current State of the Indian Nuclear Program......Page 24 Power Reactors......Page 27 Research and Plutonium Production Reactors......Page 28 Uranium Enrichment Facilities......Page 32 Fuel Fabrication Facilities......Page 33 Uranium Mining, Milling, and Conversion Facilities......Page 34 Assessment of Natural Uranium Production......Page 41 Assessment of Power Production and Uranium Consumed......Page 45 Assessment of Enriched Uranium Production......Page 48 Theory of Enrichment Calculations......Page 50 Assessment of Plutonium Production and Use: 1947--1974......Page 51 Assessment of Plutonium Production and Use: 1947--1998......Page 55 Assessment of Plutonium Production and Use: 1947--2006......Page 58 Presuming NO Agreeable U.S.--India Nuclear Cooperation......Page 61 Future of Existing Nuclear Power Program......Page 62 Future of Fast Breeder Program......Page 65 Projections under Adopted U.S.--India Nuclear Accord......Page 67 Future of Nuclear Power Program......Page 68 Future of Fast Breeder Program......Page 71 Future of Weapons Program......Page 72 Thermal Breeder Reactor Design Concept......Page 75 The Theory of Breeder Reactors......Page 76 Simulation Details and Design Iterations......Page 79 Results from Simulations......Page 82 Optimized Design......Page 89 6.4Implementation of Alternate Reactor System in India's Nuclear Fuel Cycle......Page 92 Description of Alternate Future Fuel Cycle......Page 93 Comparisons to Existing Indian Fuel Cycle......Page 94 Conclusions......Page 99 Acknowledgements......Page 101 Biography......Page 103 1. Introduction Motivation for this study Objectives of the study 2. A brief history of the Indian nuclear program The inception phase of the program, 1944-1960 Early weapons development efforts, 1960-1966 Negotiations and aftermath of the non-proliferation treaty, 1966-1974 India's isolation following Operation Smiling Buddha, 1975-1998 Pokhran-II tests in 1998 Following the Pokhran II tests, 1999-2006 Current state of the Indian nuclear program 3. Indian nuclear facilities Power reactors Research and plutonium production reactors Uranium enrichment facilities Heavy water production facilities Fuel fabrication facilities Reprocessing facilities Uranium mining, milling, and conversion facilities 4. Fuel cycle analysis: from beginning to present day Assessment of natural uranium production Assessment of power production and uranium consumed Assessment of enriched uranium production Theory of enrichment calculations The nuclear submarine program Assessment of plutonium production and use, 1947-1974 Assessment of plutonium production and use, 1947-1998 Assessment of plutonium production and use, 1947-2006. 5. Fuel cycle analysis: future projections 5.1. Presuming NO agreeable U.S.-India nuclear cooperation Future of existing nuclear power program Future of fast breeder program Effect on weapons program 5.2. Projections under adopted U.S.-India nuclear accord Future of nuclear power program Future of fast breeder program Future of weapons program 6. Alternate reactor systems for the proposed nuclear fuel cycle Thermal breeder reactor design concept The theory of breeder reactors Reactor physics simulations The SCALE code system Simulation details and design iterations Results from simulations Optimized design Implementation of alternate reactor system in India's nuclear fuel cycle Description of alternate future fuel cycle Metrics of interest Comparisons to existing Indian fuel cycle 7. Conclusions 8. Acknowledgements Biography. Taraknath V.k. Woddi, William S. Charlton, Paul Nelson. This Volume Is A Printed Version Of A Work That Appears In The Synthesis Digital Library Of Engineering And Computer Science--p. [4] Of Cover. Includes Bibliographical References.