India has been invited by Russia to join in developing a multipurpose fast-neutron reactor named MBIR currently being built at the Russian city of Dimitrovgrad in the Ulyanovsk region.
The invitation was extended by Alexander Zagornov, Rosatom project manager, who visited India for the opening of the company's South Asia regional center in Mumbai. A state-owned corporation, Rosatom runs all nuclear assets of the Russian Federation, both civil and weapons, and is Russia's nuclear regulator.
Zagronov said the purpose of MBIR is the creation of a new technological platform for nuclear energy that will be based on the closed fuel cycle with fast neutron reactors.
"With fast-neutron reactors, it is possible to solve the major ecological problem of reprocessing and deactivation of the accumulated radioactive waste, at the same time providing society with much needed energy," said Zagornov.
MBIR's closed fuel cycle involves recycling nuclear waste as new fuel. It will be the most powerful among all existing and planned research reactors in the world. The heat capacity of the new reactor will be about 150 megawatts.
Unlike today's reactors that slow down neutrons, MBIR will allow them to run fast, producing much less waste and potentially breeding new fuel in the process.
A fast neutron reactor, or a fast reactor, sustains a nuclear fission chain reaction by fast neutrons. These reactors need no neutron moderator like normal water, which is used in thermal reactors. MBIR will primarily use sodium as a coolant.
Rosatom said its unique characteristics allow MBIR to solve a wide range of research tasks that support the development of new, competitive and safe nuclear power plants, including fast neutron reactors that close the nuclear fuel cycle.
MBIR will be used to produce radioisotopes for various purposes, and to carry out research for medical purposes.
The MBIR reactor complex is located at the site of the Research Institute of Atomic Reactors (RIAR) in Dimitrovgrad. MBIR is scheduled for commissioning in 2020.