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A January study successful the diary Current Science authored by scientists astatine the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) has turned radioactive with 1 of India’s starring atomic scientists characterising the conclusions of the study arsenic “misleading.”
The survey compared the comparative merits of antithetic mixes of nuclear-power-grade uranium and concluded that a premix of concentrated uranium-235 and thorium, called HALEU-Th, was “unsuitable” for India’s existent fleet of reactors and “undesirable” for however India’s three-stage atomic programme is envisioned.
The appraisal drew an incensed absorption from the Chicago-based institution Clean Core Thorium Energy (CCTE). Led by Indian-origin entrepreneur Mehul Shah, the institution has prepared a HaALEU-Th premix called ‘ANEEL’, abbreviated for “Advanced Nuclear Energy for Enriched Life”.
Testing fuels
In August 2025, CCTE reported a important burn-up – a marker of the vigor output of atomic substance – astatine the Advanced Test Reactor astatine the U.S. Department of Energy’s Idaho National Laboratory. The trial was timed with the transition of the SHANTI Act 2025 successful India’s Parliament, which opened the country’s atomic powerfulness sector to overseas and backstage assemblage participation. CCTE past entered an statement with India’s NTPC to “explore” the usage of ANEEL successful reactors successful India. (NTPC and the Nuclear Power Corporation of India person a anterior statement to jointly run atomic powerfulness plants.)
Mr. Shah told The Hindu that contempt an authorisation from the U.S. Department of Energy to transportation ANEEL substance exertion to India and an statement following” assurances” provided by India’s atomic authorities, the “next steps” haven’t taken off. This means investigating it successful India.
The survey successful Current Science progressive modelling the substance halfway of the pressurised dense h2o reactor (PHWR) with 3 substance combinations:
(i) Natural uranium: 7 kg of uranium-235 and 993 kg U-238);
(ii) HALEU-Th: 32 kg of U-235, 129 kg of U-239, and 839 kg of thorium; and
(iii) Slightly enriched uranium: 11 kg of U-235 and 989 kg of U-238.
Thorium, U-235, and U-238 tin each acquisition fission but lone U-235 tin prolong a concatenation reaction.
Nuclear reactors astir the satellite usage uranium enriched, i.e. processed to incorporate a higher attraction of U-235, to a maximum of 4%. Anything higher (5%-20%) is called HALEU, abbreviated for “high assay debased enriched uranium”. For the intent of producing energy, nary state tin enrich uranium beyond 20% arsenic that volition render the substance weapons-grade, which is restricted by non-proliferation agreements.
While India has constricted reserves of U-238 and imports astir each its requirements, it has since the 1950s planned its atomic programme connected being capable to yet harness its immense reserves of thorium.
‘Far from a drop-in’
In their simulation, the BARC scientists recovered the HALEU-Th operation yielded the highest burn-up of 50 gigawatt-days per tonne (GWd/t) portion generating the slightest magnitude of spent fuel, a.k.a. radioactive waste: lone 14% of what existent reactors produce.
While the U.S. considers spent substance to beryllium radioactive discarded and cautiously stows it away, India reprocesses its spent substance to extract plutonium and uranium to hole mixed oxide fuels.
The survey besides said, however, that utilizing HALEU-Th could necessitate importantly changing the plan of India’s reactors due to the fact that it besides rendered the shutdown rods — a strategy utilized to rapidly halt atomic reactions during an exigency — astir 26% little effective. So, it concluded, “HALEU-Th substance is acold from a ‘drop-in’ enactment for the contiguous procreation of PHWRs.”
To Anil Kakodkar, erstwhile president of the Department of Atomic Energy and subordinate of the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC), specified a decision doesn’t travel from the results.
“The HALEU-Th really gives you an advantage. Spent substance volition travel down, meaning less retention needs and reduced recycling costs,” helium told The Hindu. He holds the presumption that India’s existent PHWRs, of 700 MWe capacity, necessitate “no modification” and the 220-MWe reactors necessitate “negligible” modification. “They [the survey authors] are not knowing this,” helium added.
‘Out of context’
His absorption was milder than a missive from Prof. Koroush Shirvan, of the Department of Nuclear Science and Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), to Current Science S.K. Satheesh asking that the diary “withdraw” the survey owed to “serious and galore method flaws contiguous successful the article.”
The nub of his statement was that the insubstantial lacked “even a methods section” connected however the authors analysed the reactor core. He besides said the numbers that the authors presented didn’t lucifer the values obtained by the authors, were not disposable anyplace online, and were not based connected core-level analysis.
“I person been supporting Clean Core since 2016 arsenic the caput of their substance plan done my consulting privileges astatine MIT,” Prof. Shirvan wrote successful an email to The Hindu. After Mr. Shah asked for his sentiment connected the paper, helium said helium recovered the nonfiction to beryllium a spot retired of context, since HALEU-thorium substance is not meant for reprocessing, truthful to comparison it to much reprocessing affable substance forms is rather misleading.”
Mr. Satheesh, the editor, told The Hindu that the diary had considered Prof. Shirvan’s comments, had co-consulted with a “senior expert” connected the topic, and decided to not people his comments nor retreat the paper. Dr Singh, the pb writer of the study, besides said Prof. Shirvan’s comments had “no relevance to the main result of our study” and that helium and his co-authors “stood firm” connected the technological findings.
‘What is the harm?’
Dr. Kakodkar nevertheless said that fixed the show of the HALEU-Th premix successful U.S. labs and India’s ambition to person 100 GW of atomic vigor by 2047, the state should determination to “test” the fuel: “Now that we person the SHANTI agreement, wherefore can’t we usage it for a bilateral collaboration?”
“A clip volition travel erstwhile Indian request for uranium volition go a important fraction of planetary uranium demand. The CCTE radical has … reached a people burnup of 60GWd/t MW,” helium added. “It took lone 20 months. There is nary irradiation installation present successful India. Our burnup tests are small. … In the U.S. they person utilized a reactor which is designed successful that mode for higher power. This improvement needs collaboration. … What is the harm successful trying it out?”
Mr. Shah said helium considered Dr. Kakodkar “a mentor”; the sanction ‘ANEEL’ is an homage. Dr. Kakodkar besides said helium had nary ‘stake’ successful CCTE: “I’m retired but I see it my ngo that India should usage thorium soon.”
‘Seems similar a distraction’
However, AEC subordinate and erstwhile BARC idiosyncratic Ravi Grover supported the study’s conclusions, saying the machine simulations it utilized were modular signifier and that the radical comprised experts successful computing assorted optimal scenarios regarding the usage of thorium.
“We already usage thorium successful our experimental reactors. These simulations are faithful to existent satellite situations, truthful if the results accidental 1 thing, wherefore should we astatine this signifier behaviour these (thorium) tests?” Dr. Grover told The Hindu. “India has a good thought-out program that involves utilizing thorium erstwhile capable fissile plutonium had been produced from its accelerated breeder reactors.”
R. Srikanth, an expert of India’s atomic programme astatine the National Institute of Advanced Studies, Bengaluru, said HALEU-Th has emerged conscionable arsenic India is acceptable to committee its archetypal 500-MWe sodium-cooled accelerated breeder reactor, successful Kalpakkam, marking the commencement of the 2nd signifier of its atomic powerfulness programme. The plutonium generated successful specified reactors volition yet unfastened the doorway to the 3rd stage, wherever precocious dense h2o reactors volition usage plutonium alongside thorium, frankincense freeing India from utilizing imported uranium.
“This has been the program each along. HALEU is commercially constricted and expensive. Why should India regenerate its existent import dependence connected uranium with different dependence (HALEU)?,” Dr. Srikanth added, “Everything should beryllium tested but we are astatine a delicate signifier contiguous and indispensable let our programme to unfold successful its earthy course. To advocator for the usage of thorium successful our existent PHWR, seems similar a distraction.”
jacob.koshy@thehindu.co.in
