The Rajasthan Atomic Power Station (RAPS; also ''Rajasthan Atomic Power Project'' - RAPP) is located at Rawatbhata in the state of

Rajasthan Rajasthan (; lit. 'Land of Kings') is a state in northern India. It covers or 10.4 per cent of India's total geographical area. It is the largest Indian state by area and the seventh largest by population. It is on India's northwestern si ...

, India.

History

The construction of the

Douglas Point Nuclear Generating Station The Douglas Point Nuclear Generating Station was Canada’s first full-scale nuclear power plant and the second CANDU (CANada Deuterium Uranium) pressurised heavy water reactor. Its success was a major milestone and marked Canada's entry into the g ...

Canada began in 1961 with a

CANDU The CANDU (Canada Deuterium Uranium) is a Canadian pressurized heavy-water reactor design used to generate electric power. The acronym refers to its deuterium oxide ( heavy water) moderator and its use of (originally, natural) uranium fuel. C ...

(Canada Deuterium Uranium) pressurised heavy water reactor (PHWR) capable of producing 220 MW of electricity. Two years after the construction of the Rajasthan Power Project (RAPP) commenced, two similar reactors were built in the state of Rajasthan. Ten years later, in 1973 RAPS-1 was put into service. In 1974 after India conducted Smiling Buddha, its first nuclear weapons test Canada stopped its support of the project, delaying the commissioning of RAPS-2 until 1981. In the context of the Indian atomic program, two more PHWR with an output of 220 MW each were built. They cost around 570 million dollars. RAPS-3 became critical on 24 December 1999, RAPS-4 became critical on 3 November 2000. Commercial operations began on 1 June 2000 for unit 3, and on 23 December 2000 for unit 4. Two more reactors (RAPS-5 and RAPS-6) with 220 MWe have also been built, with unit 5 beginning commercial operation on 4 February 2010, and unit 6 on 31 March 2010. Two of the new Indian-designed 700 MWe series of the reactor (RAPP-7 and RAPP-8) are under construction in Rajasthan. In November 2012, the

International Atomic Energy Agency The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is an intergovernmental organization that seeks to promote the peaceful use of nuclear energy and to inhibit its use for any military purpose, including nuclear weapons. It was established in 1957 ...

(IAEA) intensively audited over several weeks two reactors at the Rajasthan Atomic Power Station for safety. It has been concluded that the reactors are among the best in the world, the indigenously made 220 MW atomic plants can withstand a Fukushima type of accident, even suggesting that the "safety culture is strong in India" and that India emerged a winner with a high global safety rank. First concrete for unit 7 was poured on 18 July 2011, with commercial operation expected by 2016. The two reactors will cost an estimated Rs 123.2 billion (US$2.6 billion).

Incidents

By 2003 RAPS-1 had experienced numerous problems due to leaks, cracks in the end-shield and turbine blade failures, had undergone repairs and appeared to be generating 100 MW of electricity, with RAPS-2 reportedly generating 200 MW. On 29 August 2006, a 90%

iron meteorite Iron meteorites, also known as siderites, or ferrous meteorites, are a type of meteorite that consist overwhelmingly of an iron–nickel alloy known as meteoric iron that usually consists of two mineral phases: kamacite and taenite. Most iron met ...

weighing fell in Kanvarpura village, near the power station. The Deputy Director-General (western region) of the Geological Survey of India, R.S. Goyal, said that devastation on an "unimaginable scale" would have ensued had the object struck the station. However, the

kinetic energy In physics, the kinetic energy of an object is the energy that it possesses due to its motion. It is defined as the work needed to accelerate a body of a given mass from rest to its stated velocity. Having gained this energy during its accele ...

of a meteorite of this size is smaller than that of jet aircraft frequently used as a basis for impact resistance of containment structures. In June 2012, 38 workers were exposed to tritium when a welding operation went wrong inside the protected environment of the reactor.

Units

References

External links

''Juggernaut''
a 1968 Canadian documentary on the delivery of the plant's calandria. {{Authority control Nuclear power stations in Rajasthan Nuclear power stations using CANDU reactors Nuclear power stations with reactors under construction Buildings and structures in Chittorgarh district Buildings and structures in Kota, Rajasthan Canada–India relations 1973 establishments in Rajasthan

History

Incidents

Units

See also

References

External links