~ This milestone strengthens India’s three-stage nuclear
programme and advances energy self-reliance through indigenous engineering~
Mumbai: India has
taken a significant step forward in its civil nuclear programme with the Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor (PFBR)
at Kalpakkam achieving criticality, marking progress into the next stage of its
three-stage nuclear energy roadmap focused on long-term energy security and
efficient fuel utilisation. The Precision
Engineering business of Godrej Enterprises Group has contributed to this milestone
by manufacturing and supplying the Large
Rotating Plug (LRP), Small Rotating Plug (SRP), and the Sodium Pump Shaft.
These components combine
large-scale fabrication with high-precision engineering. The rotating plugs,
measuring up to 8 metres in diameter
with a combined weight of nearly 120 tonnes, are designed to rotate 360
degrees and align with exact precision to enable fuel insertion into the
reactor core. The 10-metre-long sodium pump shaft operates at over 500 RPM in a
liquid sodium environment, requiring stringent control over balance, material
integrity, and operational reliability. These components were designed and
manufactured in India without any prior domestic reference, making this a first-time-right achievement for a
first-of-its-kind application.
The execution of these systems
involved overcoming multiple engineering challenges, including the development
of specialised bearing systems, surface
treatment processes for friction control, and gear systems designed to operate under stringent conditions,
including seismic requirements. These solutions were developed and manufactured indigenously, reflecting strong in-house
engineering and manufacturing capabilities. The components are supplied to The
Bharatiya Nabhikiya Vidyut Nigam Limited (BHAVINI) a wholly owned Enterprise of
Government of India.
The PFBR achieving criticality
marks the culmination of a 22-year
effort and a key step in India’s
three-stage nuclear programme. Fast breeder reactors enable a closed fuel
cycle by using plutonium from PHWRs and producing more fissile material, while
also unlocking thorium utilisation. Typically, four PHWRs can fuel one fast
breeder reactor. India currently
operates 19 PHWRs, with 10 more 700 MWe units sanctioned. With ~846,000 tonnes of thorium reserves,
this stage is critical to scaling domestic, low-carbon, and self-sustaining
energy.
Godrej Enterprises Group
continues to support India’s strategic and industrial capabilities through
advanced engineering, delivering high-precision solutions across sectors that
are critical to national development.