FBR-600


The Fast Breeder Reactor-600 or Commercial Fast Breeder Reactor is a 600 MWe fast breeder nuclear reactor presently being constructed. The Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research is responsible for the design of this reactor as a successor for Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor. The 1st twin unit would come up at Kalpakkam, close to the PFBR site itself.
Designed to "burn" a mixture of Uranium Oxide and Plutonium Oxide to generate 600 MWe of power each, current plans involve building 6 Units, co-locating 2 at any given place. This arrangement would facilitate cost-rationalisation, using common auxiliaries to serve both Reactors.

Design features

According to the research conducted at IGCAR, the improved design concepts indicated significant economic advantages by reducing material inventory by 25%, simplifying fuel handling scheme and by reducing manufacture time with enhanced safety parameters.
ParametersPFBRCFBR-600
Power, MWe500600
FuelMOXMOX
Core layoutHomogenousHeterogenous
No of enrichment zone21
Fissile enrichment20.7/27.729.5
Fissile inventory, kg19803310
Breeding Ratio1.051.13
Load factor7585

Safety features

CFBR designs mentions a new and improved decay heat removal system, reactor shutdown system from its predecessor PFBR. Passive safety features include new Hydraulically Suspended Absorber Rods which fall into the core under the influence of gravity if coolant flow is lost, and the inclusion of an Ultimate Shutdown System which would use pressurized gas to forcefully inject neutron poisons directly into the core to halt re-criticality incidents.