In a demonstration of operational excellence and robustness of the Indian nuclear power reactors, the fifth unit at Rawatbhatta of the Rajasthan Atomic Power Station (RAPS) recorded a continuous run of 765 days on Saturday at its full capacity of 220 MWe. This is the second highest operating record after a unit (500 MWe) of the Pickering Nuclear Generating Station in Canada achieved a continuous run of 894 days which ended in 1994.
R.K. Sinha, Chairman, Atomic Energy Commission (AEC), who unveiled a plaque at the RAPS to celebrate the RAPS-5’s feat, said the event sent a powerful signal to the world about the robustness of the indigenous nuclear power programme. “We were not running after a record in achieving this. Our only aim was to demonstrate that we could generate nuclear power in a safe and reliable manner. The RAPS reactors are indigenous units, built with our research and development, and strenuous efforts,” Mr. Sinha said.
While the first unit at Kudankulam, Tamil Nadu, reaching criticality was an emotional moment for the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE), RAPS-5’s record was a different kind of proud achievement, he said.
K.C. Purohit, Chairman and Managing Director, NPCIL, said the NPCIL, which built RAPS- 3 to 6, never attempted this record although “our focus was on safe and reliable generation of power” all through the continuous run. “Safety is in our blood,” Mr. Purohit asserted and said the record was a demonstration of the dedicated work culture of the NPCIL employees.
Vinod Kumar, Station Director, RAPS-5 and 6, told The Hindu in the Control Room of the unit 5, that the factors behind the record were micro and meticulous planning done by the reactor engineers during its bi-annual shutdown, improvement in the ventilation systems, dust control and assessing the health of the critical equipment.
In the assessment of N. Nagaich, Executive Director (Corporate Planning and Corporate Communications), NPCIL, said the record run demonstrated the maturity of the indigenous technology of the Pressurised Heavy Water Reactors (PHWRS), which use natural uranium as fuel, and heavy water as both coolant and moderator. RAPS-5 would be shut down on Saturday night to assess the health of its critical equipment, to perform in-service inspection and leak tests in the reactor building.
S.K. Sharma, Site Director, Rawatbhatta Rajasthan Site, NPCI said Rawatbhatta was India’s first and largest nuclear park with six PHWRS already built there, and two more PHWRs of 700 MWe under construction there.
