IGCNewsletter

IN THIS ISSUE

Technical Articles•SuccessfulLocalizationOfTheFailedFuelPinFBTR

•StandradisationofTechniqueforCharacterisationofSodiumAerosol(metalvapor)fromCoverGasregionofSodiumCooledFastReactor.

Young Officer’s Forum•Microcantileverbasedmasssensors

Young Researcher’s Forum•Thermalconductivityandrheologystudiesinmagneticnanofluidsunderanexternalstimulus

ISSN0972-5741 Volume90 October2011

IGCNewsletter

ISSN0972-5741 Volume91January2012

IN THIS ISSUE

Technical Articles

•LessonsLearntfromManufacturingandErectionExperiencesofPrototypeFastBreederReactor

•AirTrappedNano-CavityInducedSuperhydrophobicityonGalliumNitrideMicrobelt

Young Officer’s Forum

•FunctionalisedCarbonNanotubesforRemovalofUraniumfromAqueoussolution

Young Researcher’s Forum

•NitrogenDonorExtractantsfortheSeparationofMinorActinidesfromLanthanidesinHighLevelWaste

Conference/Meeting Highlights

•SMiRTPostConferenceSeminarsonInnovativeFastReactorDesignandHighTemperatureDesign

•IAEATechnicalMeeting(TM-41429)onFastReactorPhysicsandTechnology

•ThemeMeetingonStructureandThermodynamicsofEmergingMaterials(STEM-2011)

•8thBiennialNationalConferenceonRecentAdvancesinInformationTechnology(READIT)

Visit of Dignitaries

Awards & Honours

H2SO4/HNO3 OH

OSOCl2

O

Cl

NH2

NH2

NHNH2

O

NHNH

O

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O

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IGC Newsletter

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Dear Reader From the EditorItismypleasuretowishyouaveryhappyandprosperousNewYear2012.

ItismyprivilegetoforwardacopyofthelatestIGCNewsletter(Volume91,January2012issue).

IntheDirector’sDesk,ShriS.C.Chetal,Director,IGCARhashighlightedtheInstrumentationandControlactivitiesbeingpursuedintheCentretowardsindigenousdevelopmentofsystemsanddeliverablesforPrototypeFastBreederReactorandforfutureFastReactors.Apartfromthisimportanttask,safetycriticalinstrumentationandcontrolsystems,sodiuminstrumentation,wirelesssensornetworks,developmentofnovelsensorsandinstrumentationforcommercialreactorsinthefuturearesomeoftheactivitiestakenupintheforefront.Directorhasgivenabriefdescriptionofeachofthesignificantactivities.

InthetechnicalarticlebyDr.P.Chellapandiandhiscolleagues,anattempthasbeenmadetointrospectthechallengesfacedduringthemanufacturinganderectionofcomponentsforPFBRanddevisestrategiesfordesignofcomponentsforfuturefastreactorsbasedontheexperiencesgainedinthepast.

ThesecondtechnicalarticlebyDr.S.K.Dharaandhiscolleagues,isonthesuperhydrophobicityinasinglemicrobeltofgalliumnitridewhichisotherwisehydrophilic innature.Studiesonthepropertiesofthehydrophobicsubstrateandapplicationsofsuchsurfacestowardsfabricationofsmartfluid-controllablesurfaceshavealsobeendiscussedinthearticle.

Intheyoungofficer’sforum,ShriAshishKumarSinghaDebhasgivenanaccountofstudiesonfunctionalizedmulti-walledcarbonnanotubesasapromisingagentfortheseparationofuraniumfromwastesolutions.Ms.P.Deepikasharesherexcitementinthedevelopmentofnitrogendonorextractantsfortheseparationofminoractinidesfromlanthanidesinhighlevelwastesolution.

ThisNewslettercarries reportson theSMiRTPostConferenceSeminarson InnovativeFastReactorDesignandHighTemperatureDesign,IAEATechnicalMeetingonFastReactorPhysicsandTechnology,ThemeMeetingontheStructureandThermodynamicsofEmergingMaterialsandthe8thBiennialNationalConferenceonRecentAdvancesinInformationTechnologyandonthevisitofShriP.Viswanathan,HonorableMemberofParliamentfromKancheepuramConstituency,Smt.Vijayadharani, Honourable Member of Legislative Assembly from Vilavancode Constituency and on the visit ofdelegationfromNuclearRegulatoryCommissionoftheUnitedStatesledbyDr.GregoryB.Jaczko.

Wearehappytosharewithyoutheawards,honoursanddistinctionsearnedbyourcolleagues.Welookforwardtoyourcomments,continuedguidanceandsupport.

Withmybestwishesandpersonalregards, Yourssincerely

(M.SaiBaba)Chairman,EditorialCommittee,IGCNewsletter&AssociateDirector,ResourcesManagementGroup

From the Editor

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Instrumentation and Control (I&C) systems ensure safe andefficient operationof anuclear reactor.Theyplayamajor roleinallthestatesofthereactorincludingoperationofthereactoratvariouspowerlevelstocontrolledsafeshutdown.That’swhyInstrumentation andControl systems are aptly called the eyesandearsoftheNuclearPowerPlant(NPP).TheInstrumentationand Control systems are designed with safety and availabilityof the reactor as the guiding requirements through redundantsystems and also keeping in mind the simplicity of designand maintainability. A judicious combination of hardwiredand computer based Instrumentation and Control systems,state-of-the art design, manufacturing processes and testingwere employed in the design of Instrumentation and Controlsystems. Instrumentation and Control systems for 500MWePrototypeFastBreederReactor(PFBR)havebeenindigenouslydesigned and developed and being manufactured at ECIL.In this article, Iwould like to highlight the activities relating toInstrumentation and Control being carried out at our Centre.

Safety Critical Instrumentation and Control Systems

In PFBR, the heat generated through fission reaction in thefuel sub-assemblies is removedbyprimary sodiumcirculatingthroughthereactorcore.Intermediateheatexchangersareusedfortransferringtheheatfromprimarysodiumtothesecondarysodiumsystem.Secondarysodiumcircuitisusedfortransferringtheheat fromsecondarysodium through thesteamgenerator.Thelargeneutronfluxrange,highpowerdensity,highoperatingtemperatures, sodium as coolant and fast response timerequirementsmakethesafetycriticalInstrumentationandControlsystemsofa fastbreederreactorquiteuniqueascomparedtothoseof thermal reactors.For thedesignbasisevents,diverseSCRAMparametersareusedtoimprovethesafety.The neutron flux monitoring systems are provided to monitorneutron flux over ten decades (startup to full power) in thepresenceofhighgammafield(106R/h)toprotectreactoragainstover power and reactivity incidents. High temperature fissionchamberswith0.2cps/nvsensitivityforapplicationinthehightemperature(567oC)offastreactorsaredevelopedindigenouslyand are under testing. For deploying under the safety vessel,fission chambers with 0.75 cps/nv sensitivity has beendevelopedindigenously.0.1cps/nvfissionchamberisdevelopedforapplicationinstart-upofreactorandboroncoatedcountersarealsodevelopedforapplicationinPFBR.

The developments in these detectors have been successfullycompletedbycombinedteamofIGCAR,BARCandECIL.Asthepowerdensity inPFBRisveryhigh(500kW/l), thecontinuous

monitoring of the heat removalfrom the reactor core shall beensured.Hardwiredsystemsareused to get fast response timefor monitoring the central sub-assembly outlet temperatureand reactor inlet temperatureas diverse methods to protectreactor against transient overpower, primary sodium pump trip and off-site power failureevents. The speed and flow of the primary sodium pump aremonitored to protect against pump seizure and pump piperupture.Tripleredundantcomputerbasedsystemsareemployedtomonitortheoutlettemperaturesofallthefuelsub-assemblies,toidentifyagainstriskofflowblockageandtakesuitablesafetyaction.

ThePFBRisequippedwithtwoindependent,hardwired,diverse,fast acting shutdown systems to protect the reactor againstneutronicandthermalincidents.Thefirstdrivemechanism,calledcontrolandsafetyroddrivemechanism(CSRDM),isconnectedtosafetylogicwithfineimpulsetest(SLFIT)system.Theseconddrivemechanism, called diverse safety rod drivemechanisms(DSRDM)isconnectedtopulsecodedsafetylogicsystem.Boththesafetylogicsperformtwooutofthreemajorityvotinglogic.Since solid-state logic circuits are employed, extensive self-checkingisemployedtoensurethehealthinessofthesecircuits.The pulse coded safety logic system is a unique and diversesafety logic system, which is inherently fail-safe with built-inself-checkingfeature.

Safety Related Systems

As part of safety related systems for PFBR, systems likeInstrumentation and Control for primary sodium and specialsupervision systems like reactor & fuel handling startup anddiscordancesupervisionforcontrolrods&SCRAMsignalsweredeveloped.Thesesystemsareconfiguredusingdualredundantrealtimecomputer(RTC)systemwithswitchoverlogicsystem.Thecontrolsystemsofcontrolandsafetyroddrivemechanism,diverse safety rod drive mechanisms, transfer arm, inclinedfuel transfer machine form the component handling systems.

Non Nuclear Safety Systems (NNS)

Instrumentation and Control systems for secondary sodium,argon & nitrogen circuits, event sequence recorder, processdisturbance analyzer are some of the non nuclear safetysystems developed using single VersaModule Europa (VME)

From the Director’s DeskInstrumentation and Control activities at IGCAR

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systemormicro-controllerbased remote terminalunits (RTU).

Distributed Digital Control System (DDCS)

A state of the art distributed digital control system has beendeveloped for PFBR to interconnect safety critical, safetyrelated and non-safety Instrumentation and Control systemsto theplantcomputersand in turn tooperatordisplaystationsmounted on control room panels and console, throughfiber optic LANs. The distributed digital control systemsoftware, for displaying plant information for monitoring andcontrol, running on plant computers & GUI operator stationshas been developed to run on Linux platform using opensource tools, ensuring complete verification & validation.

DesignandManufacturingMethodology

ForthecomputerbasedInstrumentationandControl systems,VMEbushasbeenselectedastheplatformforimplementingthevarioussystemsandtheentirehardware(CPUandI/Oboards)wasdesignedanddevelopedindigenously.Thisstandardisationled to huge reductionof spares and standardizationof powersupplies.

The hardwaremodules for the hardwired and computer basedsystems were designed using state-of-the-art industrial gradeprogrammable logic devices. After verification of the designsusingsimulation,prototypemodelswerebuilt.Theprintedcircuitboarddesignwascarriedoutasperinterconnectandpackagingcenter (IPC) standards. The bare printed circuit boards weremanufactured and qualified as per IPC-6012 standard. Stateof the art automatic assemblywas adopted for the boards asthe inspectionwas carried out as per IPC-610 standards. Themodules were then lacquered for protection against humidity.ThesoftwarewasdevelopedasperAtomicEnergyRegulatoryBoard’ssafetyguide.Nooperatingsystemwasusedandonlyapplication software developed as per MISRA-C guidelineswas used for the embedded system. The software modulesfor these systems were designed and developed using CASEtools - SCADE for safety critical systems& StP/SE for safetyrelated & non-safety systems. The software developedhave been put to independent verification and validation atvarious stages (requirements, design and implementation).

TestingandQualificationMethodology

Thesystemswerefunctionallytestedusingcomputerbasedfieldsignalsimulator.ThesystemsarequalifiedasperBISstandardonenvironmentalqualification,EMI/EMCqualificationtestsasperIECstandardandseismicqualificationtestasperIEEEstandard.

Sodium Instrumentation

Thehighly reactivenatureof sodiumusedascoolant inPFBRhasrestrictedtheuseofconventionalinstrumentsinfastreactor

system.Therequirementofenhancedsafetyandreliabilityhasnecessitateddevelopmentofnewtechniquesofinstrumentationforsafeand reliableoperationof reactors. PermanentmagnetflowmeterdesignedbasedonFaraday’slawisusedtomeasurethesodiumflowinsodiumcooledfastbreederreactorcircuits.Permanentmagnet flowmeter is a non- invasive device. Flowmetersofdifferentsizesrangingfrom10to200mmpipediameterarerequiredforthePFBR.Selectionofmagneticmaterial,designand development of magnetic circuits, stabilization of themagnet assembly, welding of thin mineral insulated stainlesssteelsheathedconductorcabletothepipeassignalelectrode,positioning of the duct with the pair of electrodes in the airgapof themagnetsatexactlyperpendicular to thedirectionofflow andmagnetic field, assessment of flowmeter sensitivityat different temperatures are the main challenges involved inthemanufacturing of flowmeter. The technology developed inour Centre was transferred to the Indian industries and flowmeters required for PFBR were successfully manufactured.

Mutualinductancebaseddetectorshavebeendevelopedforthemeasurementofdiscreteandcontinuousmeasurementoflevelinsodiumcapacities.Asimpletemperaturecompensationtechniquehasalsobeenimplementedincontinuoustypemutualinductancebased level probe. The manufacturing of level sensors andelectronicsarecarriedoutbyindustry,basedonthetechnologydeveloped at our Centre. The indigenouslymanufactured levelprobesarecalibratedinsodiumfacilitiesatourCentre.Wireandsparkplug type leakdetectorsareusedonpipelines, inbellowsealedvalvesand leakcollection trays fordetectionofsodiumleaks.Asaredundantmethodofleakdetection,leakdetectorsbasedonmutual inductancemethodhavealsobeendevelopedat our Centre. This type of leak detector is non-intrusive andeasily replaceable and hence it gains importance for usage inthe reactor systems.Sodiumaerosol detector workingon theprinciple of preferential ionization of sodium aerosol at thedetectorhasbeendevelopedfordetectionofsodiumleakingas.Thesedetectorscandetect1mgofsodiumperm3ofcarriergas.Under sodium viewing system has been successfullydeveloped as a novel instrumentation tool for visualizingreactor core components before fuel transfer operation.

Development of Instrumentation and Control Systems for Future Fast Breeder Reactors

Various development activities are being pursued towardsupgradationof InstrumentationandControlsystemsforfutureFBRs.Theseinclude,developmentofcorethermocoupleprobewith three thermocouples to simplify the core temperaturemonitoringsystemandmakeitinlinewiththesafetycriteria(independent and triplicate instrumentation for safety class-1),developmentofsignalprocessingelectronicssuitableforplacingintheroofslabtoptoreducetherequirementoflargevolumeof

From the Director's Desk

IGC Newsletter

5

signalroutingfromroofslabtotheperiphery.DevelopmenthasbeeninitiatedtoqualifythermocouplesmadebyIndianindustriesas per the requirements of fast breeder reactors. Indigenousdevelopmentactivitiesarealsoinitiatedtomanufactureleaktightpenetration assemblies for electrical and Instrumentation andControl cables. Levelmeasurement based on RADAR principleto simplify the level measurement in certain cases by mutualinductancetechnique,whichisavailableforotherfluidsaretestedfor sodium application and found promising. High temperaturefissionchamberswithasensitivityof1cps/nvwillbedevelopedin association with BARC for deployment in future reactorsin place of the present 0.2 cps/nv detectors being provided incontrolplugofPFBR.ThiswilleliminatetheundervesselfissionchambersbeingprovidedinPFBR.

Instrumentation and Control for Fast Reactor Fuel Reprocessing

TheInstrumentationandControlforfastreactorfuelreprocessingisbroadlycategorizedintoprocessinstrumentation,radiologicalinstrumentation and general instrumentation services.Process instrumentation is responsible for the measurementand control of various plant process parameters like liquidlevel, density, pressure, temperature and ensuring the safetyaspects in theprocessoperations.Variousoperation interlocksensure equipment protection and operator safety. The highradiation fields and alpha radioactivitymakematerial selectionand maintenance very challenging. The ventilation system ismonitoredandcontrolled,as it formsthedynamiccontainmentfor radioactive materials. Radiological instrumentation dealswith themonitoring of various radiations related parameters intheplantareastoensuresafetyofoperators.Radiometryformsan important part of process analysis.General instrumentationservices include plant communications, information systems,in-cellcamera,physicalprotection, firealarmsystemandUPS.For the fast reactor fuel reprocessing plants new technologicaldevelopmentslike‘smart’fieldinstruments,programmablelogiccontrollers, computer based systems etc are adopted in theInstrumentationandControl.Thedevelopmentalworksincludetheassaysystemforfissilematerialsinwastedrums,dualscintillatorbased radiation monitors and new criticality alarm systems.

Sensor Development for Instrumentation and Control Systems

PulsatingSensors

One of the important advancements in sensor developmentprogramatourCentreistheevolutionofanewclassofsensorsnamely pulsating sensors. Unlike conventional sensors thesesensors work purely in digital domain. The primary signalgenerated from the sensor is a train of rectangular pulseswhich carry the information of the parameter sensed. One ofthe important applications of pulsating sensors in the context

of PFBR is development of dash pot oil level sensors forcontrol and safety rod drive mechanism system of PFBR tomonitor the SCRAM action of control rods. Another importantapplication towards PFBR is development of differentialpressure sensors between safety vessel and main vessel.A rapid level monitoring technique using pulsatingconductancebased level sensorhasbeendeployed tocaptureonline the fluctuations of surface water level in hot pool ofSAMRAT - a¼ scalemodel of reactor assembly for PFBR.Rapid titration facility using pulsating sensors has beendevelopedforquickassayofuranium,plutoniumandhydrazineinreprocessinglaboratory.Thismethodenablesavoidinghandlingof large volumes of reagents besides generating minimumradioactive wastes. Another important area of application ofpulsating type conductivity meter is to detect the formationof third phase in PUREX campaign in reprocessing plant.

WirelessSensorNetworks

R&D is in progress to use wireless sensor networks in thefuture reactors as the off-the-shelf wireless sensor nodes arenotsuitable for reactorapplications.Wirelesssensornetworkshasbeenestablishedforthesodiumleakdetectioninthesodiumloops. The radiationmonitoringathotcellsandhotminicellswith 137Cs as source is also carried out at Radio ChemistryLaboratory. At present test network is in place at secondarysodium loop area of FBTR, for measuring parameters liketemperature and vibration. For securing thewireless data, theenhanced TinySec security protocol has been developed. Forimproving response and robustness of the routing protocol,the real time routing protocol development is in progress.

FiberOpticSensors

Optical fibers are used as sensors for measuring processparametersliketemperature,strain,vibration,etc.,bycorrelatingchangesinintensity,phase,wavelengthandpolarizationoflightlaunchedintothefiber,withassociatedchangesinparameters.ThesuitabilityofusingRamandistributedtemperaturesensorforhightemperaturemeasurementhasbeendemonstratedonsodiumloop.The indigenous design, testing and independent verification& validation process through the combined and dedicatedeffortsofIGCAR,BARC&ECILhasresultedinthedevelopmentof robust Instrumentation and Control for PFBR and fastreactor fuel reprocessing. R&D road map for Instrumentationand Control systems for future FBRs with emphasis onindigenous supply has beenwell laid and is progressing well.

From the Director's Desk

S.C.ChetalDirector,IGCAR

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The construction of 500MWe Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor(PFBR)willbecompletedthisyear.BeyondPFBR,DAEisplanningtobuildsix500MWeSodiumCooledFastReactorsadoptingtwinunitconcept.Thefirsttwinunit(2x500MWe)wouldbeconstructedatKalpakkamnearPFBR.Thecapitalcostofthesetwinunitsaswellasconstructiontimeshouldbereducedsignificantlyforthecommercialexploitation.Toachievethis,manyfeatureshavebeenidentifiedandarebeingstudiedatIGCAR.OneoftheessentialstepsisincorporationoflessonslearntduringmanufacturinganderectionofPFBRcomponents.RobuststrategywasadoptedforPFBR towards successfulmanufacture and erection of reactorassemblycomponents.TechnologydevelopmentpriortostartoftheconstructionandformationofstandingtaskforcesinvolvingIGCAR-BHAVINIformanufacturinganderectionofcomponents,whicharefunctioningeffectivelysinceSeptember2006,arethekeyfactorsforthesuccess.Regularmeetingswereheldonadaytodaybasis,toresolvetheissuesreferredbyvariousindustriesandtodeliberateonthemanufacturinganderectionsequences(about 310 meetings were held and about 900 issues wereresolved).

This article provides the lessons learnt from the significanteffortsputforthforthesuccessfulmanufacturinganderectionofreactorassemblycomponents.

Salient Features of Sodium Cooled Fast Reactors Components with Reference to Construction

Sodium Cooled Fast Reactors components, in general arecharacterized by large diameter thin walled shell and slenderstructures. Stringent manufacturing tolerances are specifiedto enhance their buckling strength aswell as to have possiblyminimum vessel dimensions. In the reactor assembly, mainvessel, thermal baffles, inner vessel, core support structureand grid plate are to be positioned sequentially maintainingthe coaxiality with the safety vessel, so that the core centrallinewill be in-linewith the central lines of the vessels: one ofthe requirements to facilitate smoothoperation of control rodsas well as for facilitating accurate monitoring of temperaturesof sodium emerging from the core sub-assemblies. Further,they have to be erected accurately to maintain the annulargaps for the uniform sodium flows and temperatures. Duringmanufacturingstage,singlesideweldsareunavoidableatsomedifficultlocationsparticularlyinthecaseofboxtypestructures.In-service inspection is difficult with the presence of sodiumandhence,stringentqualitycontrolisrequiredinthepre-servicelevelitself.Fromthedimensionalstabilitypointofview,residualstressesshouldbekeptminimumvaluebyadoptingrobustheattreatment processes andmockup trials. It is preferable to useminimumnumberofmaterialsfromtheconsiderationofeconomy

andmaterialdatagenerations.Thisalsoenhances reliabilityofperformanceofmaterials in theoperation.Austenitic stainlesssteels, themainstructuralmaterial inparticularcall forcarefulconsiderations for welding without significant weld repairsand distortions. Construction experience of international andPFBR indicates that reactor assembly components decide theprojecttimeschedule,eventhoughtheircostisrelativelysmallcompared to civil, sodium circuits and balance of plant. Onlylimitedexperienceonmanufacturinganderectionofcomponentsis available. These apart, the design andmanufacturing codesare still evolving. These are the major challenges in themanufacturing and erection of reactor assembly components.

Major Decisions taken during Manufacture

While, IGCAR designed the reactor assembly components, sixmajorindustriesinthecountrywereinvolvedinthemanufacture(Figure 1). It has been experienced that industries requestthe designers to consider accepting the minor deviationsin composition of materials for construction based on theavailability. Due considerations were given for such requestsbased on accumulated knowledge / expertise over the years.This has avoided procurement of freshmaterials. Thus, as faras possible, fresh raw material procurement including weldelectrode and filler wire (thickness of spherical header) was

Lessons Learnt from Manufacturing and Erection Experiences of Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor

Figure1:MajorindustriesinvolvedinmanufactureofreactorassemblycomponentsofPFBR.(SafetyVessels,MainVessel,PrimaryPipe,RoofSlab, Core Sub-assemblies by L & T, CSRDM & DSRDM, Grid Plate,ControlPlugbyMTAR,ThermalBafflesincludingcoolingpipe,InnerVesselbyBHEL,CoreCatcher,CoreSupportStructurebyWIL,andLRP&SRPbyGodrej)

Technical Article

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avoidedbysuitablealternatives.Thishasresultedinsignificantsavings in project schedule. Manufacturing deviations wereaccepted in thematerialpropertiesbasedcomponentdutyandenvironment; for e.g. molybdenum content in weld electrodefor low temperatureapplication,ductility requirement for tools.Certain manufacturing and welding procedure qualifications,e.g. relaxation of requirements for the non-load carrying andnon-sodium wetted boundaries of safety vessel and corecatcher,wereaccepted.Testingandinspectionproceduresweresimplified based on its importance duty and alternative bendtest procedurewas suggested for dissimilarweld at roof slab.Assembly procedures of parts were simplified to achieve thetightrequirementoferectiontolerances.However,forthemainvessel,carehasbeentakensothatpracticallythereisnorepairofweldsorlaminations.Withthoroughandcomprehensiveanalysisrespectinginterfacerequirementswithothercomponents,theasbuilt dimensionswere accepted. For certain non-critical cases(e.g.corecatcherandsafetyvessels),theconceptoffitnessforpurposeapproachwasadoptedjudiciously.

Lessons Learnt from Manufacture of Reactor Assembly Components

Inthecurrentdiscussion,threecomponents,viz.gridplate,roofslaband fuelhandlingsystems,are focused,whichhavebeenresponsible for theconsiderable delayof theproject schedule,in turnmotivatingus toopt foralternatedesignconcepts.Themanufacturing challenges of grid plate mainly originated from

largenumberofsleevesresultinginhigherselfweightandhardfacing of large diameter sleeves. Machining of large diameterplates and shell assembly to the required tight tolerances ondimensions, hard facing with nickel based cobalt free hardfacingmaterialoncontinuous,largediameter(6.7meter)annulartracks, heat treatment of large austenitic stainless steel partsat1050oCwithcontrolledratesofcoolingandheatingtogetherwithcontrolontemperaturegradientacrosstheparts,complexassembly of a large number of parts (~14900) meeting theimportantrequirementsonverticalityofsleeveassemblies(Ø0.1mm),delicatehandlingand transportationare trulychallengingactivitiesinthemanufacturingtechnology(Figure2).

Incaseofroofslab,complexmanufacturingprocess,especiallyweldingbetweentheshellandstiffenerscausedlamellartearingproblems and extensive testing time (Figure 3). Inclined fueltransfer machine, multiple repairs, heavy weight and testingstrategy resulted in long manufacturing and testing time.

Itisalsoworthtonotesomegenerallessonslearnt.Technologydevelopmentprior tostartofconstruction isessential for longdelivery components. The important outcome of technologydevelopment exercise undertaken for PFBR components arebrought out comprehensively in Figure 4. Judicious choice oftolerances,number& locationofweldsand inspectionshas tobemade.Robustcriterianeedtobeappliedfortheacceptanceofmanufacturingdeviationsandmaterialcompositions.Indigenousmaterials should be used after qualifications ofmanufacturing

Figure2:Manufacturingstagesofgridplate Figure3:Lamellartearingat‘T’&‘L’JointsinroofslabandSolutions

Technical Article

Figure4:Outcomeoftechnologydevelopmentexercise

ManufacturingTechnology

Development

ManufacturingMethodology for Large Sized Components with Specific Quality Levels

Reduce Time for Manufacture of

PFBR Components

Review of Design & ManufacturingRequirements

Welding & InspectionProcedures

EstablishingMachining Capabilities

Hard facing Techniques

Heat Treatment Methodologies

Development of Tooling

Manufacture of Large Size Dies

Sensitisation of Indian Industries Assembly

Procedures

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for the mismatch correction procedure and methodology andappropriate welding sequence to minimize distortion controls.

Lessons Learnt from Erection of Reactor Assembly Components

Erection sequences and handling systems should be finalizedafter detailed discussions with the use of advanced computersoftware techniques. Care should be taken so that there is norevisionoferectionsequences,handlingsystemsandschemes.Judiciouschoiceofconstructionsequencesofcivil,mechanicalandelectricalsystemsisessentialforthesuccess.Thereisaneedofoptimumnumberofsiteassemblyshops.Possibilityshouldbestudiedtomanufacturetheentirereactorassemblycomponentsasafactory-madesinglepackageitem.Onepossiblestrategyisschematicallyexplainedinthesketch(Figure7).Asperthis,thereactorassemblycomponentsandcivilconstructionof reactorvaultalongwithsafetyvesselareconstructedinparallelinmatchingtime schedule so that that reactor assembly can be erectedwithoutanytimedelay.Subsequentlyotherreactorinternalskeptreadyinsiteassemblyshopcanbeintroduced.Itispreferredtomanufacturethepermanentcomponentsofreactorassemblyinintegratedmannerasasinglepackageinvolvingonemajornodalindustry.Towardsachieving this, it is essential tomotivate theprospective industries to participate as consortium attractingthem with significant business opportunities in the long term.

From the rich experience gained through the manufactureand erection of reactor assembly components of PFBR,important guidelines and approaches were derived. These willbe very useful for the success of future SFRs, planned by thedepartment.Itisestimatedthatbyadoptingthese,itispossibleto complete the construction of one twin unit within 5 years.

Reported by P. Chellapandi and Colleagues Nuclear & Safety Engineering Group

process of direct relevance apart from routine standards.Manufacturingdrawingsshouldbefinalizedafterafewroundsofdiscussionswithprospectiveindustriesgivingdueconsiderationstoeconomy.Subsequently,therevisionofmanufacturingdrawingsshould beminimised in particularmaterials, tolerances. Singleindustry formanufacture of permanent components of reactorassemblywillcertainlyhelptominimisetheintegrationproblemsandalsoavoiddelaysintheproject.Incaseindustryneedstechnicalsupports,decisionsshouldbetakenquicklybasedonscientificinput giving due considerations to international experience.

Major Decisions Taken during Erection of Components

Computer simulations were extensively used based on 3-Dvirtualmodelsforestablishingerectionsequences.Theerectionsequenceestablishedforsequentialerectionofreactorassemblycomponents were developed. Based on these, a documenthas been made to give guidelines for industries and erectionagencies.Handlingschemestructuresweredesigned,developedand tested in novel ways to achieve minimum material, avoidweld attachments and minimum assembly time. Many usefulmockuptrialsidealfortrainingofcraneoperationswerecarriedout and confidence has been built-up before going for safetyvesselhandling.ItisworthtobringoutheretwotypicalfullscalemockupsbuiltandemployedatIGCARforthesuccessfulerectionofsafetyvesselandweldingofroofslabhangingshellandmainvessel(Figure5).Furtherafullscalemockuphasbeenbuiltforvisualizing the complicated layout of top shield components(Figure6).Thismockupwillfurtherhelptoensuretheavailabilityof space and access for adding and removing complementaryshieldblocksatanytimeandsmoothoperationoftrailingcableswithout any entanglement during rotation of plugs. Computersimulations and mockup trials helped to ensure good accessfor critical welds towards establishing techniques and tools

Figure7:AproposalformanufactureanderectionofreactorassemblyoffutureSodiumCooledFastReactors

Technical Article

Figure5:Mockuptrialsforthesuccessfulerectionofsafetyvessel

Figure6:Fullscaletopshieldlayoutmockup

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Air Trapped Nano-Cavity Induced Superhydrophobicity on Gallium Nitride Microbelt

Naturehaslearnttocontrolliquidinamyriadofwayswithregardto design of biosurface with special wetting characteristics.Thewettability, that ishowa liquidbehavesonasurface, isanimportant factorforawiderangeofnaturalsystemsaswellasinseveral technicalapplications. It isbelieved that theexcellentwaterrepellenceof the lotus leafcanbeattributedtoanuniquecombinationofmicro-andnano-hierarchicalsurfacemorphologyas one of the major characteristics and the ensuing orientedsurfacetexturecanbringaboutanisotropicwettingonriceleavesand waterfowl feathers. Moreover, surface protrusions createan energetically unfavorable situation for a liquid to be suckedor ‘imbibed’ into the surface texture of the superhydrophobic(contactangleofwaterdroplet>=150o)surfacesleadingtoanincreasedbeading-uptendency.Iftheseprotrusionsappearasa‘bedofnails’,wecanimaginethe liquidasskatingacrosstheirtops.When the nails are thin enough, the droplet formed itselfintoaperfectsphere.Effectivenessofthisprocessforanygiventexturedsurfacedependsonboth theroughnessamplitudeandthewettingpropertyof the liquid.On theotherhand, the liquidshouldpenetrateintothebedincaseofhydrophilic(contactangleofwaterdroplet<90o)surfaces,havinga tendency tospreadthe liquid. In this process the additional surface area from thesides of the nails causes a force that sucks the liquid into thetexture. Roughness in turn should amplify the hydrophilicity.However, some recent reportsdemonstrate that roughnesscanalsoleadtoformationofasuperhydrophobiccontactangleonahydrophilicsubstrate.Forexample, the leavesofLady’sMantleshow superhydrophobic properties owing to the elasticity ofthehydrophilichairsonthe leaves.Theself-affinetopologiesofsurface roughness can bring about a superhydrophobic statenomatterwhether the substrate is hydrophilic or hydrophobic.Somereporthadshownatransitionfromhydrophilicitydomainto superhydrophobicity region by decorating the substratewithorganic polymer surfaces. It is generally recognized that thesuperhydrophobicityoftexturedsurfacesnotonlyarisefromtheir

uniquefractalsurfacestructureshavingmicro-andnano-featuresembedded,butalsothesesurfacesconstantlyexploitvibrationfortransitionfromtheWenzel(wetted)statetoacompleteCassie(non-wetted)statetorestoresuperhydrophobicity.Inallthesecases,thesalientfeaturetopromoteafavorablenon-wettingthermodynamicstateistoformacompositestatehavingentrapmentofairwithinthetrenchesofroughsurface.Thephenomenonofentrapmentofair indicates that the geometrical parameters of a nanostructurehave influence on the wetting behavior and contribute to thereversibleswitchingbetweenhydrophilicitytosuperhydrophobicity.

TheMicronsize(breadth~100μm,width~10μmandalengthof~3–7mm)galliumnitridebelts(Figure1a)havingnano-protrudedsurface(Figure1b)withaverageconicaltipsize~20nmandheight~50 nm are designed in a typical chemical vapour depositiontechnique.Thenanosizedcavities(diameter~80nm)onthesurfacerepelwater(Figure2a),makingsuchasurfacepotentiallyusefulfornanofludicactivitiesanddevelopingbiocompatibledevices. Itcanbepreferentiallyintegratedtogeneratenano-electromechanicalsystems based nanobiosensors and other lab-on-chip purposewhereananoliteramountofwatercouldbehandledwithpropercare.

We report superhydrophobicity in a single microbelt of galliumnitride, which is otherwise hydrophilic in nature. The result isdemonstrated in a gallium nitride microbelt grown by chemicalvapour deposition technique at 900oC using Ga as precursormaterials and NH3 (10 standard cubic centi meter) as reactinggas with unique surface morphology. The changeover fromhydropilicity tosuperhydrophobicityongalliumnitridemicrobeltsareexaminedfromtheviewpointsofgeometryofthesurfaceandsurface energy. Presence of air trapped nanocavities of specificheight by diameter ratio, made within the nanoprotrutions,on hydrophillic gallium nitride surface are responsible forthe transition to superhydrophobicity (Figure 2b). This novelfinding may offer an efficient new way of direct production ofsuperhydrophobic material and further to design and fabricatesmart fluid-controllable surface. As a matter of fact we couldachieve nanoliter delivery in a single microbelt (Figure 2c).

Reported by Sandip Kumar Dhara and colleagues,

Materials Science Group

Figure1:a)Opticalimageofthemicronsizedgalliumnitrideandb)FESEMimageofasinglegalliumnitridebeltwithhighmagnificationimageofthenanoprotrusionsintheinset

Technical Article

Figure 2: a) Nanocavity created by the nano-protrusions, an imageprocesseddatausingImegJ,b)Airtrappednanocavityisschematicallyshown to dewet the surface and c) Nanoliter delivery in a singlemicrobelt

IGC Newsletter

10

Young Officer's Forum

Young Officer’s FORUM

Functionalised Carbon Nanotubes for Removal of Uranium from Aqueous solution

SincethediscoveryofcarbonnanotubesbySumioIijimain1991,this cylindrical allotrope of carbon has becomeone of themostresearchedmaterialsbecauseoftheiruniquephysicalandchemicalproperties. Carbon nanotubes include single-walled (SWCNTs)andmulti-walled (MWCNTs) depending on the number of layerscomprisingthem.Beingporousandhollowwithlargesurfacearea,low density, high mechanical, thermal and chemical stabilities,carbonnanotubeshavebeenutilizedasanadsorbentforremovingawidevarietyoforganiccompoundsandmetalionsfromaqueousororganicmedium.Ithasalsobeenusedforremovalofcontaminantsin drinking water. Recently carbon nanotubes have also beenapplied for recovery of radionuclide such as thorium, europium,americium, uranium and plutonium from aqueous solution.Generally, carbon nanotubes are used in pristine form. Foroptimum sorption selectivity and removal efficiency towardsspecific metal ions or organic molecules they need to bemodifiedwithoutmuch alteration of their physical and chemicalproperties. Modification can be accomplished through covalentfunctionalization and non-covalent functionalizations. Covalentfunctionalizationinvolvesintroductionoforganicfunctionalgroupsorligandsonthesurfacesorendsofcarbonnanotubes.Ligandsorextractantscapableofextractinguraniumfromorganicoraqueoussolution can be covalently bonded on the carbon nanotubes.Among these extractants diglycolamide derivatives such asN,N,N',N';-tetraoctyldiglycolamide(TODGA)andN,N,N',N'-tetrakis-2-ethylhexyldiglycolamide (TEHDGA) have been reported for theseparationofuraniuminaqueoussolution.Diglycolamides(DGA)isatridentateligandduetowhichitpossessesgreatertendencytobindwithmetalions.Inthisarticle,thecovalentfunctionalizationofmulti-walledcarbonnanotubeswithdiglycolamidegroupanduseof

thisfunctionalizedmulti-walledcarbonnanotubes(DGA-MWCNTs)fortheremovalofuraniumfromaqueoussolutionwillbediscussed.

Functionalization of MWCNTs

Sequentialfunctionalizationofmulti-walledcarbonnanotubeswasundertaken.Thefunctionalizationinvolvescarboxylation,acylation,amidation and diglycolamide functionalization of the procuredmulti-walled carbon nanotubes. The scheme for sequentialfunctionalizationofmulti-walledcarbonnanotubesisgivenintheflowsheet(Figure1).

Characterization of Functionalized Carbon Nanotubes

Characterization studies were carried out using Fouriertransform-infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), X-ray diffraction(XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The chemicalmodification on MWCNTs in each step was monitored byFT-IRspectroscopy. FT-IRspectrum revealed the introductionofdiglycolamide group onto multi-walled carbon nanotubes. XRDpatternofasreceivedanddiglycolamidefunctionalizedmulti-walledcarbon nanotubes indicates that even after the functionalizationthere is no change in the cylindrical wall structure of multi-walledcarbonnanotubes.Theretainmentofthetubularstructureof multi-walled carbon nanotubes has also been confirmed bySEM studies ofmulti-walled carbon nanotubes before and afterfunctionalization.

Uranium Adsorption Studies

Influenceofparametersinadsorption

Thevariationofdistributioncoefficient (Kd)ofDGA-MWCNTsasafunctionofnitricacidconcentrationforuraniumadsorptionwasstudied.ItisobservedthatKdvalueisincreasingwithanincreasein concentration of nitric acid (Figure 2a). At 4 M nitric acid,theKdvalue is4.75×10

4milli literg-1which isabout102 timesgreater than that of various DGA modified substrates such as

Shri Ashish Kumar Singha Deb obtainedhis post graduation in Chemistryfrom University of Calcutta, Kolkata in2007. After successful completion of51st batch of BARC Training School,Mumbai, he joined in IGCARasScientificOfficer C in September 2008 and isworking in Radiological Safety Division,Radiological Safety & Environmental

Group, ReactorEngineeringGroup.Hiscurrent researchactivity includesdevelopment of alternative material for treatment of low level effluents.

H2SO4/HNO3 OH

OSOCl2

O

Cl

NH2

NH2

NHNH2

O

NHNH

O

OO

OH

O

O

OO O

Figure1:Schemeoffunctionalization

IGC Newsletter

11

Freundlichmodel.ItshowshighvaluesoftheconstantsqoandKwhicharerelatedtouraniumadsorptioncapacityonDGA-MWCNTs.

AdsorptionThermodynamics

The thermodynamic parameters such as ΔHo and ΔSowere calculated from the slopes and intercepts of the linearregression of ln Kd Vs 1/T plot using the Van’t Hoff equationand the standard free energy (ΔGo) values were calculatedThe values of ΔHo, ΔSo and ΔGo are reported in Table 2.ThepositivevalueofΔHoconfirmsthatthisadsorptionofuraniumonDGA-MWCNTisendothermic.Thestandardfreeenergychange(ΔGo)valuesarenegativeatall temperaturesanddecreasewithincreasingtemperature.ThisindicatesthespontaneousnatureandfeasibilityofuraniumadsorptiononDGA-MWCNTswhichbecomesmorefavorablewithincreasingtemperature.Thepositivevaluesofentropy(ΔSo)showtheincreasedrandomnessatthesolid/solutioninterfaceduringtheadsorptionprocesswhichreflectstheaffinityoftheadsorbentforuranium.Thepositiveenthalpychangeopposestheuraniumadsorptionbutthelargerentropyallowstheadsorption.

Conclusion

From the present study, it is concluded that diglycolamidefunctionalized multi-walled carbon nanotubes are highlypromising agents for the separation of uranium from aqueoussolution with Kd value as high as 4 × 10

4 milli liter g-1 in4M HNO3 and at room temperature. Adsorption is favoured athigheradsorbentconcentrationand temperature.Theadsorptionprocess is endothermic and the percentage of adsorptionincreases with increasing temperature. Thus, carbon nanotubescan be modified with other pre-designed extractants foractinides and lanthanides and extractant functionalized carbonnanotubes can be employed for the separation of actinides andlanthanidesfromnuclearwastesolution.Theadsorbedmaterialscan be incinerated completely resulting in less solid waste.

Reported by Ashish Kumar Singha DebRadiological Safety Division, Reactor Engineering Group

chromosorb-W,impregnatedmagneticparticlesandAmberchromCG-71C.ThisenhancementinKdvaluecanbetheattributedtotheunique nanostructures on the multi-walled carbon nanotubes.TheeffectofmassofDGA-MWCNTs(0.001–0.010g,[U]fixedat 20 mg/L) on percentage of adsorption of uranium was alsostudied. As shown in Figure 2(b), the percentage of adsorptionincreased sharply with increasing amount of the DGA-MWCNTsadsorbentup to5mgbeyondwhichasaturationwasobserved.

The variation in the concentration of feedwas also investigated.It was found that the percentage of adsorption increased withincreasing uranium concentration and reached a maximum aturaniumconcentrationof10mg/L(5mgofDGA-MWCNTswereused)andthendecreasedwithincreasinguraniumconcentration.

Adsorptionisotherms

Theexperimentaldataofadsorptionofuraniumwasanalyzedwiththe Langmuir and Freundlich models. The adsorption isothermwasalsoplottedagainstexperimentaldataofuraniumadsorptionon DGA-MWCNTs. The equation of Langmuir and Freundlichadsorptionmodelsareexpressedrespectively inequation1&2.

whereCe(mgL-1) is theconcentrationofuraniumatequilibrium

andqe(mgg-1)istheamountofuraniumadsorbedatequilibrium.

Thevalueofq0&Kcanbecorrelatedtotheadsorptioncapacityofanadsorbentunderparticularexperimentalconditions.b,Kandnareisothermconstants.LinearLangmuir(Ce/qeVs.Ce)andLinearFreundlich(lnqeVs.lnCe)plotsareusedtoevaluatetheLangmuirand Freundlich constants tabulated in Table 1. As can be seen,theqearebettercorrelatedwiththeLangmuirmodelthanwiththe

Young Officer's Forum

0 2 4 6 8

2.5

1.5

3.0

2.0

K d (m

L g-1

) X 1

05

[HNO3] in Molarity

00.51.0

0 2 4 6 8 1076

80

84

88

92

96

%A

dsor

ptio

nAmount of DGA-MWNT (mg)

Langmuir constants Freundlich constantsq0 (mg g-1) b (L mg-1) R2 K (mg1-1/nL1/ng-1) 1/n R2

133.74 12.30 0.99 10.11 0.88 0.98

Table1:IsothermmodelparametersforuraniumadsorptionontoDGA-MWCNT

Table2:ThermodynamicparametersforuraniumadsorptiononDGA-MWCNT

bqqC

qC

oo

e

e

e 1+=

ee Cn

Kq ln1lnln +=

........... (1)

........... (2)

ΔHo (kJ mol-1) = 6.09 ΔSo (kJ mol -1K-1) = 0.106T (K) 298 313 323 343 353ΔGo (kJ mol-1) -25.51 -27.09 -28.16 -30.28 -31.34

Figure 2:Effectof (a)HNO3concentration and (b)DGA-MWCNTsdoseonadsorptionofuraniuminDGA-MWCNTs

IGC Newsletter

12

Young Researcher's Forum

The separation chemistry of actinides is crucial to nuclearwastemanagement since the long-livedminor actinides suchas 241Am, 243Am, (242, 244, 245)Cm are the major contributors tothe radiotoxicity of the high-levelwaste (HLW) obtained fromspent fuel reprocessing. Presently, the high-level waste isvitrified into glassmatrices and deposited in deep geologicalrepositories.Thelonghalf-livesandradio-toxicitycoupledwithhighaqueousmobilityoftheseminoractinidesnecessitatestheneedforcontinuouslong-termsurveillanceoftheserepositories.Removaloftheminoractinidesfromthehigh-levelwaste(i.e.,thepartitioningofminoractinides)followedbytheirtransmutationintoshort-livedisotopesbyneutronbombardmentinacceleratorsor fast breeder reactors, will greatly reduce the radio-toxicityof the waste. The partitioning of minor actinides from thehigh-levelwaste is a challenge to separation chemists due tothepresenceofahighconcentrationoftrivalentlanthanidesinthehigh-levelwaste,whichhavechemicalpropertiessimilartothoseoftheactinides.Separationofthelanthanidesisessentialfor the subsequent transmutation of these actinides, as thelanthanides have high neutron absorption cross sections andwillinterferewiththetransmutationefficiencyoftheactinides.

In this context, the seminal work of Musikas in themid-1980s,inwhichhereportedthatanextractantconsistingoftripyridyltriazineanddinonylnapthalenesulfonicacid (HDNNS)orbromocapricacidinasuitablediluentpreferentiallyextractedAm(III) from dilute nitric acid solution containing Am(III) andtrivalent lanthanides, triggered a cascade of studies on theabilityofnitrogencontainingextractantstoachieveseparationof trivalent actinides from trivalent lanthanides. Many of thenitrogen containing extractants that have been studied haveheterocyclic molecules containing nitrogen since these have“soft” donor electron capacity which show selectivity foractinides(III) over lanthanides(III). It is proposed that there isa modest enhancement of co-valency in the actinide-ligandbondingcomparedtothelanthanidesincaseofligandscontainingsoft-donoratomssuchasnitrogen,sulfurandchlorineresultingintheformationofstrongerbondswithactinidesrelativetothatoflanthanidesandthusachievingthetrivalentlanthanide-actinide

separation. This article briefly discusses the chronologicaldevelopment of the nitrogen donor extractant family, and theworkdonewiththenitrogenbasedtriazinegroupofextractantstoachievethedifficultseperationoflanthanidesfromactinidesatourCentre.

Figure1showsthedifferentnitrogendonorextractantsthathavebeen investigated for trivalent lanthanide-actinide separations.One of the earliest nitrogen-donor extractant studied for theseparation of actinides and lanthanides was 2,2 :́6 ,́2´́ -terpyridine(Terpy),aheterocyclic,aromatic,tridentatenitrogen-donor ligand thatwouldbecome thebasisofmanyextractingmoleculessuchasBTPsandBTBPsdevelopedrecently.TheTerpyligandformscomplexeswithmetalsinwhichoneortwoTerpymoleculescoordinatewitheachmetalionfollowinganion-pairextractionmechanismthatalsorequiresalipophilicanion(suchasα-bromodecanoicacid)toneutralizethechargeofthemetalion. This need for a hydrophobic, anionic synergist to enableextraction is one of the drawbacks related to Terpy; anotherdrawbackbeingthenarrowrangeofpHoverwhichtheTerpyligandoperateseffectively.ThisissosinceatpHabove3.5,anemulsionisformedowingtothedeprotonationofthecarboxylicacidandthe carboxylate anion acting as a surfactant, whereas at pHlowerthan1.3,thepyridinenitrogenswithintheTerpymoleculesprotonate,resultinginextractanttransfertotheaqueousphase.

Attempts were made to improve the extraction properties ofthemetalbindingTerpybyloweringitsaffinityforprotons,thusreducingthetransferoftheextractanttotheaqueousphasewhenthepHislow.Sinceitisknownthatasthenumberofnitrogenatoms presentwithin polyazabenzene increases, theπ orbitalsystemof thearomatic ringbecomesmoreelectronpoorandthepKaoftheprotonatedformofthepolyazabenzenedecreases,this was used as a strategy to design new and improvedmolecules over Terpy. Consequently, the inner ring of Terpywas replacedwith a symmetric triazine (1,3,5-triazabenzene),togettheligandtripyridyltriazine(TPTZ),whichbehavessimilartoTerpyinthatitactslikeasolvatingreagentforming1:1and1:2complexeswithtrivalentmetalions,andrequiresalipophilic

Nitrogen Donor Extractants for the Separation of Minor Actinides from Lanthanides in

High Level Waste

Young Researcher’s FORUM

Ms.P.DeepikacompletedherM.Sc.inChemistryfrom Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi andjoinedFuelChemistryDivision,ChemistryGroup,IGCARasaResearchScholarinFebruary2006.SheworkedforherPh.D.undertheguidanceofDr. T. G. Srinivasan, and has submitted herthesis titled “Synthesis and Evaluation of

Extractants for Actinide Partitioning”. She has six publicationsin peer-reviewed international journals to her credit. She hasthirteen papers in various national and international symposiaand has won two best paper prizes (oral presentation).

IGC Newsletter

13

anion likeα-bromodecanoicacid inorder toextractactinides.Asexpected,ithasalowerpKathanTerpy,thusmitigatingtheproblem associated with the protonation of Terpy at low pH.TPTZwasthefirstnitrogendonorextractantreportedtoextractAm(III)fromnitricacidwithaseparationfactor(Am(III)/Eu(III))of10orgreater,slightlyhigherthanthatoftheTerpysystem(~7).Alternatively,theouterpyridineringsofTerpywerereplacedwithheterocyclicbenzooxazol-2-ylgroups,resultingintheformationof2,6-bis-benzooxazolyl-4-dodecyloxylpyridine(BODO)molecule,in which both the aromatic rings withdraw electron densitythrough resonanceeffects fromboth theoxygenandnitrogenatomsandtheoxygenatomwithdrawselectrondensitythroughinductiveeffects fromthenitrogenatom, therebyenabling themoleculetoresistprotonation.LikeTerpyandTPTZ,twoBODOmoleculescoordinateineachactinidecomplexandtheextractionmechanism is similar to that of Terpy, requiring a synergistsuch as a carboxylic acid. BODO showed higher distributionratiosandseparationfactors(An/Ln)thanTerpy.

IncommonwithBODO, theouterpyridineringsofTerpywerealso replacedwith1,2,4-triazin-3-ylgroups resulting inanewgroupofmolecules called the2,6-bis(5,6-dialkyl-1,2,4-triazin-3-yl)pyridines(BTPs),withapoorabilitytobindprotons.ThesecompoundswerefirstpreparedbyCaseinthe1970s,butwereintroducedbyKolarikaspossibleextractingreagentsfornuclearreprocessinglateronlyin1999.TheBTPmoleculesareoneofthe most thoroughly studied groups of extractant moleculesdevelopedforseparationoftrivalentactinidesfromlanthanides.Extraction experiments with Am(III) and Eu(III) nitrates intoa TPH based diluent showed both distribution ratios andseparationfactorsmuchhigherthanthosepreviouslyreportedfor nitrogen donor extractants. As opposed to Terpy, TPTZandBODO, theBTPscan formamericiumcomplexes that areextractableasnitratesaltsthusavoidingtheneedforadditionof

asynergist.Sincehighconcentrationsofnitrateionsarepresentin theprocesssolutioncoming from thePUREXprocess, thisis very advantageous.Another property that distinguished theBTPs from theearlierN-donor extractantswas that threeandnot two ligandmolecules can coordinate to each atomof thetrivalent actinides. The BTP molecule is tridentate, forming1:3 complexes with the trivalent metal ion, where the threeBTP ligandsareboundto theM(III) ion throughthreenitrogenatoms.Consequently,themetalcenterisnine-coordinate,eachBTPligandbeingattachedviathenitrogenatomofthepyridinefragmentandthenitrogenatomsatthe2-positionofthetriazinerings.Infact,thegreaterselectivityofBTPshavebeenattributedto the fact that theBTPs are able to formsingle hydrophobicspecies[Ln(BTP)3]

3+inwhichthreeBTPligandscompletelyfilltheprimarycoordinationsphereoftheM(III).Insuchaspecies,it isdifficult forwater andnitrate ligands tobe locatedwithinthe coordination sphere of the metal cation so that a singlehydrophobicentitymaybe involvedintheseparationprocess.

A serious drawback of the BTP based systems is the lack ofstabilityoftheBTPsbearingnormalalkylsidegroupstowardsbothradiolysisandchemicaldegradationduetothepresenceofnitrogenoxoacids.AttemptsweremadetoincreasetheresistancetowardsradiolysisandhydrolysisbyaddingannulatedringstoBTPmolecules,resultinginthesocalledBATPs(A=annulated).BATPswerefoundtoberesistanttohydrolysis,butthesensitivitytowardsradiolysiswasstillaproblem.AlsoitrequiredlongertimetoreachequilibriumduringtheAm(III)extractionexperiments,andhencerequiredtheadditionofaphasetransfercatalystsuchasdimethyldioctylhexylethoxymalonamide (DMDOHEMA) toexpedite the rateof the reaction.WhileBATPsgaveveryhighselectivity(~5000),thedistributionratiosforthelanthanidesandactinidesweretoohighthatitwasnotpossibletorecoverthemetalsfromtheorganicphasebystripping.Itissuspected

Young Researcher's Forum

Figure1:Nitrogendonorextractantsfortrivalentlanthanide-actinideseparation:(a)terpy(2,2':6,2"-terpyridine),(b)TPTZ(2,4,6-tripyridyl-1,3,5-triazine),(c)BODO(2,6-bis-(benzoxazolyl)-4-dodecyl-oxylpyridine),(d)2,6-bis(5,6-dialky-1,2,4-triazine-3-yl)pyridine(BTP),(e)Hemi-BTP(1,2,4-triazin-3-yl)bipyridine, (f) 2,6-bis(5,5,8,8-tetramethyl-5,6,7,8-tetrahydro-benz)-1,2,4-triazine-3-yl)pyridine,cyMe4-BTPand(g)6,6'-bis-(5,6-dialkyl-[1,2,3]-triazin-3-yl-2,2'-bipyridine)

NN

NN

N

NN

R

R

R

R

NN

NN

N

NNN

N

NN

N

R1

R2

N NN

N

N

N

N

N

N

R

R R

O

O

N

O

NN

(a)

(g)(f )

(c) (d)

(e)

(b)

NN

N

NN

N NN R

R

R

R

IGC Newsletter

14

disposalcostscomparedtothetraditionalliquid-liquidextractionmethods.Anattemptwasmadebyustoinvestigatetwonitrogen-based extractants: 2,6-bis(5,6-dipropyl-1,2,4-triazin-3-yl)pyridine, or n-Pr-BTP; and 2,6-bis-(5,5,8,8-tetramethyl-5,6,7,8-tetrahydro-benzo-1,2,4-triazine-3-yl)pyridine, or CyMe4-BTP(also referred to as BATP) via extraction chromatography forthe separation of minor actinides from lanthanides. Extractionchromatographicmethodwaschosenoversolventextractioninordertoovercometheproblemsassociatedwiththeuseoftheseextractantsinsolventextraction,e.g.,theneedtouseaphase-modifiersuchasoctanoltoenhancesolubilityofBTPinaliphaticdiluents, or the need to use a phase transfer reagent such asDMDOHEMA in case of BATP to improve the process kinetics.

Thetwoextractants,n-Pr-BTPandBATP,weresynthesizedbythereactionbetween2,6-pyridinedicarboxamidedihydrazoneandthediketones,octane-4,5-dione,and3,3,6,6-tetramethylcyclohexane-1,2-dione, respectively and thesewere then impregnatedon toXAD-7resin.XAD-7isamacroporouscrosslinkedesteracrylicpolymer ([-CH2-CH(COOR)-]n) with a hydrophobic surface ofmoderatepolarity.TheBTP/XAD-7andBATP/XAD-7resinswereevaluated for the uptake of Am(III) and some lanthanides, andotherfissionandactivationproductsfoundintheHLWinbatchstudies from nitric acidmedium. Figure 2 shows the variationofdistributionratios,DAm(III)andDEu(III),andtheseparationfactor(=DAm(III)/DEu(III)) against theweight% loadingofBATPon theXAD-7 resinat0.1MHNO3up to5% loadingof theextractant.It was observed that the Am(III)-Eu(III) separation factor wasmaximumat2% loadingofBATP/XAD-7 (approx.1000),and itdecreasedforhigherloadingofBATP,owingtoenhanceduptakeof Eu(III). In fact, the performance of BATP/XAD-7 resin wasobserved to be superior to that of BTP/XAD-7 resin in batchstudies.BATP/XAD-7displayedhigherDAm(III)valuesinnitricacid

thatstrongcomplexesareformedbetweentheBATPandactinideswhich are not labile and thus back-extraction is impossible.

Thehemi-BTPsweredesignedasmoleculeswhicharepartwaybetween the BTPs and Terpy because they contain one outerpyridine ring andone outer triazine ring. Itwas concluded thatthechemicalpropertiesofhemi-BTPareclosertothoseofTerpythanBTP, since the hemi-BTPsdo not form1:3 complexes, asobservedinthecaseofBTP,andsimilartoTerpy,thehemi-BTPsneedasynergist,e.g.bromodecanoicacidtoextractamericium.Inaddition,thehemi-BTPswerealsofoundtobepronetohydrolysis.

The problems with the strong complexation of the BATPs andtheassociateddifficultiesinstrippingleadtothedevelopmentofamoleculewithgoodseparationbut lessstrongcomplexation.The BTBPs (6,6 -́bis(5,6-dialkyl-[1,2,4]-triazin-3-yl)-2,2 -́bipyridines), which have an additional aromatic nitrogenheterocyclic ring and a lower crystal-field stabilization energythan the BTPs are intended to be more resistant towardshydrolysis and radiolysis and allow stripping. The BTBPmoleculesaretetradentate,planaranddonotrequireasynergisttoenhancetheextractionandextractmoreAm(III)asthenitricacid concentration increases. The kinetic behaviour varieswiththediluentsandinsomecasesDMDOHEMAhasbeenaddedasphasetransferreagenttodecreasethecontacttimerequiredforreaching equilibrium.Complexes between actinides and BTBPsexisteitheras1:1or1:2complexes.StrippingandrecyclingtheorganicphaseprovedtobepossibleforBTBPsusingglycolicacid.

All the above mentioned extractants until now have beeninvestigated by solvent extraction method for the extractionand separation of trivalent lanthanides and actinides. Thoughsolvent extraction basedmethods have been found promising,twomajor limitations of solvent extraction to be overcome arethe third phase formation and phase disengagement. Also,minimizing the solvent inventory is becoming an increasinglyimportant factor in technology development due to reasonssuch as cost and environmental burden of hazardous volatileorganiccarbons(VOCs).Inthiscontext,solidphaseextractionhas emerged as an excellent separation technique in recentyears in view of the immiscibility of resins with the aqueousphase, low rate of physical degradation, minimum release oftoxic organic solvents and recycling options. For solid phaseextraction, theextractantcanbeeithersorbed(as inextractionchromatography)oranchoredtoaninertpolymericsupportandithastheadvantagesofbothsolventextractionandionexchange.Separationmethods based on extraction chromatography havebecome increasingly popular in radiochemical analysis dueto their simplicity, rapidity, savings in the reagent and waste

Figure2:VariationofDAm(III),DEu(III)andSeparationFactorwithweight%loadingofBATPontotheXAD-7resin.(0.25gresin,3mL0.1MHNO3,1hrequilibration,303K)

Young Researcher's Forum

IGC Newsletter

15

Figure 3: Loading profile for Eu(III) and Am(III) loaded togetheron to the extraction chromatography column (Flow Rate =0.3 mL/min, 298 K) for BATP/XAD-7: Loading Solution =0.1 M HNO3; Bed Volume = 7 mL; For BTP/XAD-7: LoadingSolution = 2 M NH4NO3 - 0.1 M HNO3; Bed Volume = 5 mL

aqueousphase thanBTP/XAD-7which required theadditionofexcessNO3

- salts to theaqueousnitricacidphase.Theweight%loadingofBATPontoXAD-7requiredforhighDAm(III)waslesswhencompared ton-Pr-BTP.WhileamaximumDAm(III) valueof4000 was obtained for 10% loading of n-Pr-BTP/XAD-7 resinfromasolutionof0.1MHNO3-2MNH4NO3, only5% loadingofBATPontoXAD-7wassufficienttoobtainamaximumDAm(III)of65000from0.1MHNO3.ForBATP/XAD-7,turbidityobservedin the aqueous phase post equilibration above 5% loading ofextractant restricted the higher loading of the BATP extractanton to the XAD-7 resin for the uptake studies and 1.5% loadedBATP/XAD-7wasfoundoptimumforextractionchromatographystudies.Suchaturbidbehaviourwasnotobservedforn-Pr-BTP/XAD-7upto40%loading,andtoensureahighthroughputduring

thecolumnstudies,ahighweight%loadingof40%wasusedforextractionchromatographicstudiesusingn-Pr-BTP/XAD-7.TheAm(III)-Eu(III) separation factor obtained for 2% loaded BATP/XAD-7 was observed to be 17 times higher than 40% loadedn-Pr-BTP/XAD-7.ThekineticsofAm(III)uptakewasobservedtobefasterincaseofBATPascomparedton-Pr-BTP.BATP/XAD-7alsodisplayedhighselectivity forAm(III)compared to trivalentlanthanides and other elements found in the high-level waste.Table1showstheDvaluesfortheuptakeoflanthanidesandotherelementsbyBATP/XAD-7resin,andtheseareobservedtobeverylowcomparedtothecorrespondingDAm(III)valuesatallacidities.

Basedon the resultsof thebatchstudies,columnexperimentswereperformed for theseparationofAm(III) fromEu(III)usingboth the resins. A 50 ml solution containing both 241Am and(152+154)Eu (1:40 ppm) was passed through 2 g of the resinspackedinaglasscolumnof10mminnerdiameter.AcompleteseparationofEu(III)wasachievedfromAm(III),asEu(III)wasnotretainedby thecolumn forboth the resins, andwas recoveredquantitatively in the loadingandcolumnwashstages. Figure3shows the separation profile for the separation of Eu(III) fromAm(III) for both the resins. In case of BTP/XAD-7, the loadedAm(III)waselutedwith0.3MDTPA(pH=4).However,incaseof BATP/XAD-7 resin, it was observed that the loaded Am(III)was held very strongly in the column and could not be elutedevenwith strong eluting agents such as ammoniumcarbonateand DTPA. It can be concluded that the use of bistriazinylpyridinegroupofextractantsviaextractionchromatographybyimpregnationonXAD-7resinshowspromiseforthepartitioningof minor actinides from the HLW and further studies arerequired to optimize the experimental conditions for the same.

Reported by P. Deepika, Fuel Chemistry Division, Chemistry Group

Young Researcher's Forum

Table1:VariationofDvalueofAm(III),lanthanidesandfissionproductsasafunctionofHNO3concentrationforBATP/XAD-7(1.5%BATP/XAD-7,0.25gresin,3mLHNO3,1hrequilibration,303K)

[HNO3]MBa(II) Fe(III) Mo(VI) Ru(III) Sr(II) Zr(IV) Cs(I) Ce(III) Gd(III) La(III) Nd(III) Eu(III) Am(III)

0.01 0.5 4 1 3 2 0 0 0 0 0.7 0.5 3 40

0.05 0.5 3 2 4 2 0 2 0.5 2 0 0.5 4 1256

0.1 0 3 2 4 1 0.2 2 0.3 1 0.2 0.3 6 2459

0.5 0 2 0.9 6 0.5 0 0.4 0 1 0.5 0.3 6 2841

1 0 1 0.2 7 0.5 0 0.6 0.5 1 0.2 0 2 1452

2 0 0.9 0.5 1 0.5 0 0.2 0 1 0 0 2 270

3 0 0.4 0.7 9 0.2 0.5 0.2 0 0 0 0 2 112

IGC Newsletter

16

SMiRT Post Conference Seminars on Innovative Fast Reactor Design and High Temperature Design

November 14-15, 2011

DelegatesoftheSMiRTPostConferenceonInnovativeFastReactorDesign

StructuralMechanics inReactorTechnology(SMiRT) isaninternationalconferencebeingorganisedonceineverytwoyears.TwoofthePostConferenceSeminars(PCS)on“InnovativeFastReactorDesign”and“HighTemperatureDesign”wereheld concurrently at IGCAR, Kalpakkam during November14-15,2011.Theobjectiveofboththeseminarswastoprovideaglobalplatformforin-depthdiscussionsanddeliberationsontheroadmap,R&Dbeingcarriedout,resultsobtainedsofarwithinthevariousfastreactordevelopmentprogrammesandhightemperaturedesignissues.

TheseminaronInnovativeFastReactorDesignfocusedonthe themes such as technological concepts covering fuel,operating experience, numerical and experimental studiesonPFBRsystemsandsodiumtechnology.ThethemeswerechosentoavoidanyoverlapwiththephysicsandadvancedreactorconceptsthemesoftheIAEAtechnicalmeetingwhichwereheldconcurrently.Therewere42participantsincluding6 from Japan, Netherlands, Ukraine and Belgium. Expertsfrom academic institutes also presented their researchresults.Therewerea totalof35 technicalpresentations inseven technical sessions in the topics ofReactor PhysicsandFuel,AdvancedReactorConcepts,AdvancedMaterials,Experience inManufactureandReactorOperation,ReactorSystemsOptimization,SodiumTechnologyandTesting.Themajorfeedbackfromtheseminarare(i)co-operationamongfast reactor countries should be on a larger framework(ii)academicinstitutesshouldgetinvolvedonamuchlarger

scale(iii)moreexperimentalprogrammesneedtobeundertaken.

Theseminaronhightemperaturedesignwastocoverallthetechnical and professional practice issues in the concernedarea of nuclear power plant components, to discuss aboutthe high temperature failure modes like creep, fatigue andtheir interactions, the codes and standards, materials andpipinganalyticalmethodologyathightemperature.Thereweretwenty nine IAEA participants including seven from France,Japan and Russia. There were a total of twenty technicalpresentationsinfivetechnicalsessionsinthetopicslikehightemperature codes and standards, materials, piping, etc.Themajor feedback emerged from the seminar is that thereshouldbemanysuchinternationalseminarsarrangedinfutureon this topicwhich iscrucial for the fast reactor technology.TherewerealsoparticipantsfromBARC,NFCandIPR,GandhiNagar. An important highlight was that an ‘Young EngineerSession’ in each Post Conference Seminar was conductedin which many young engineers presented their technicalstudy results, which waswell appreciated. Young engineerspresented their work on advanced high temperature designandinnovativedesignconceptsfortheadvancedfastreactorsystems.Thiseventwouldhelpinestablishingcollaborationswith participating countries apart from strengtheningthe existing technical collaborations towards developingscience & technology of Sodium Cooled Fast Reactors.

Reported by P. Chellapandi, NSEG

Conference/Meeting Highlights

Conference/Meeting Highlights

IGC Newsletter

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IAEA Technical Meeting (TM-41429) on Fast Reactor Physics and TechnologyNovember 14-18, 2011

ShriS.C.Chetal,Director,IGCARaddressingthegatheringduringtheinauguralsession.SeatedinthedaisareDr.AndrejZeman,ScientificSecretaryof themeeting,Dr.P.Chellapandi,Director,NSEG, IGCARandDr.StefanoMonti,Head,TWGFR,IAEA

AfivedayTechnicalMeetingon“FastReactorPhysicsandTechnology”washeldatIGCARundertheauspicesofIAEAduringNovember14-18,2011.Theobjectiveofthemeetingwas to bring together the experts to discuss the state ofthe art reactor designs and in particular, recent innovativereactor concepts, novel core structural materials and toevolvedesignswithimprovedreliability&costeffectivenessfor future FBRs. Seventy delegates including twenty-nineinternationalparticipantsfromfifteencountriesandfortyonenationalparticipantsfromBARC,BHAVINI,SRI,NPCILandIGCAR attended themeeting. Dr. P. ChellapandiwelcomedthedelegatesandhighlightedthesignificanceoforganizingthemeetinginthecurrentIndiancontext.ShriS.C.Chetal,Director, IGCAR gave an inspiring inaugural address andbroughtoutthemulti-disciplinarycapabilityofIGCARtowardsscientific research, advanced engineering of fast reactorsand its associated fuel cycle. He gave a comprehensiveview of various activities of IGCAR and the current statusof fast reactors worldwide. Dr. Andrej Zeman presentedanoverviewof the activities of IAEA including the variousco-ordinated research projects and training programmes.Thiswasfollowedbyanoverviewof fast reactoractivitiesbeing carried out under TWGFR by Dr. Stefano Monti.Forty six presentations were made in seven technicalsessionsincludingseventeenbyinternationaldelegates.Themainfocusofthemeetingdeliberationswasonthecurrentstatusoffastreactoractivitiesinfifteencountries,innovativefastreactordesignstoimprovesafety,economy,strategy&

keyresultsofR&DcarriedoutinvariouscountriesincludingIndia. Themeetingbrought out the current international re-lookonvariousloadcombinationsincludingdesignextensionconditionsandthecomprehensiveapproachtoaddressthesafety issues post Fukushima accident. Alternative coolanttechnologieslikeLeadandLead-Bismuthwerealsodiscussed.Concepts of development of core structural materials toimprove burn-up, advanced fast reactor thermal hydraulicsand safety were discussed in-depth. The presentation onPFBR construction experience, design approach for CFBR,various R&D and Technological activities at IGCAR werewell appreciated. Though many countries do not have anactivefastreactorprogramme,theyshowedakeeninteresttoworkwithIndiaandcollaborateonvariousR&Dactivities.Thetechnicalsessionswereverylivelywithactiveparticipationfromthedelegates.Theyevokedgreatinterestandmotivationamong the younger colleagues currently involved in thedesign and development activities of future FBRs. Overall,the technical meeting evoked a positive response fromvariouscountriestointeractmoreeffectivelyandtoprovidea basic platform for more active joint co-operative effortsto sustain and improve the economy and safety of fastbreeder reactors. It alsogaveavaluableopportunity to theIndian delegates to interact with renowned experts and topresent their current work to the international community.

Reported by P. Chellapandi, NSEG

Conference/Meeting Highlights

IGC Newsletter

18

Conference/Meeting Highlights

Theme Meeting on Structure and Thermodynamics of Emerging Materials (STEM-2011)November 24-26, 2011

The BRNS sponsored theme meeting, ‘STEM-2011’ focusing on "Diffusion, Mass Transfer and itsConsequences in Materials" was organized jointly byIndira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research and TheIndian Institute of Metals – Kalpakkam Chapter duringNovember24-26,2011atConventionCentre,Anupuram.Dr.M.Vijayalakshmi,AssociateDirector,PMGwelcomedtheparticipantsandhighlightedthewidespreadapplicationofdiffusioninvariousfields.Sheemphasizedthenecessitytoexplorethepossibilityofextendingthediffusionbasedconceptstonewandadvancedmaterialsandprocesses.Dr.S.Saroja,Convener,STEM2011briefeduponthegenesisoftheSTEMannualmeetingsonafocusedthemetofosterprofessional knowledge. Professor Ajay Gupta, Director,UGC-DAE Consortium for Scientific Research, IndoreCentredeliveredtheplenarylectureon“NanoscaleAtomicDiffusioninThinFilmsandMultilayersStudiesusingX-rayTechniques”andprovidedanexcellentinsightintothebasicdifferencebetweendiffusioninbulk,thinfilmsandvariousexperimental techniques used to measure the diffusionparameters in multilayer thin films. The vote of thankswasproposedbySmt.C.Sudha,Secretary,STEM2011.

Onthefirstday,lecturesweredeliveredbyeminentscientistsfrom leading national R&D institutions and academiacovering aspects related to mass transport in materialsof importance to the power generation industry, diffusionbondingofdissimilarmaterials,diffusionstudieswithrespecttomaterialsusedinthebackendofthefuelcycleandtheKirkendalleffectinsolidstateinterdiffusion.Ontheseconddaytutoriallecturesandpracticaldemonstrationswereheldon theapplicationofMonteCarlo andmoleculardynamicsimulationtechniquestostudythediffusionofatoms.Onthe third day the participants were taken for field visit toMAPS and to the Laboratories in the PhysicalMetallurgyGroup.About120specialists,delegatesandstudentsfromvarious acadamic institutes such as IISc, IITs, NIT, IPR,AnnaUniversity, Bengal EngineeringCollege, Sandvik andDAE units of BARC, NFC and IGCAR, participated in thedeliberations. The technical programme wasappreciated by the participants and valuable inputsfor future theme meetings were provided during thefeedback session at the end of the theme meeting.

Reported by C. Sudha, Secretary, STEM 2011

Prof.AjayGupta,Director,UGC-DAEconsortiumforScientificResearch,IndoreCentredeliveringtheplenarylectureduringSTEM2011

ParticipantsofSTEM-2011

IGC Newsletter

19

8th Biennial National Conference on Recent Advances in Information Technology (READIT)December 28-29, 2011

Conference/Meeting Highlights

Shri E. Soundararajan, SIRD delivered the vote of thanks.Intensive technical discussions on various aspects ofSemantic Grids, Digital Library Infrastructure, KnowledgeManagement and implications for the Libraries werepresentedduringtheconference.TheconferenceconcludedintheeveningofDecember29,2011withapaneldiscussionon the topic “Emerging Trends inDigital Technologies andImplicationsforInformationAccess”.Thispaneldiscussionwas chaired by Dr. Sandhya Shekhar, Chief ExecutiveOfficer,IITMResearchPark,ChennaiandwasmoderatedbyDr.M.Sai Baba . The panelistwereShriUmeshChandra,Senior Executive Director, Safety and KnowledgeManagement, NPCIL, Mumbai, Prof. C. K. Ramaiah,Head, DLIS, Pondicherry University, Dr. S. Venkadesan,Director, Learning Resource Centre, ISB, Hyderabad,Dr. J. K. Suresh, Vice President, KnowledgeManagement,Infosys Technologies Ltd, Bengaluru, Shri Vikram Pothnis,Product Manager, Wipro Infotech Ltd, Bengaluru andShri Prashant Gangwal, Key Account Manager, Elsevier.Interesting and inspiring discussions were made by thedelegatesandstudentsduringthepaneldiscussion.Attheend,the summary of technical sessions was presentedbyDr.M.SaiBaba.

Reported by M. Sai Baba, Convener, READIT

The8thBiennialNationalConferenceonRecentAdvancesinInformationTechnology(READIT)wasorganizedbyScientificInformationResourceDivisionofIGCARinassociationwiththe Kalpakkam Chapter of Madras Library Association(MALA) during December 28-29, 2011. The theme of theConferencewas“KnowledgeSharingwithSemanticGrids”.More than 200 delegates including information technologyprofessionals, librarians, students and academiciansattendedtheconference.ThesubthemesoftheconferencewereAdvancedDigitalLibraryInfrastructure,GridComputingand Semantic Web Technologies, Content Organizing andKnowledge Management, Collaboration and ConnectingLibraries. The format of conference included invited talksby eminent experts, oral/poster presentations by researchscholars/participants.TheconferencewasprecededbyaonedayTutorialSessiononthetheme”PreservationTechniqueforArchivesandAccessManagement”onDecember27,2011.TheconferencewasinauguratedonDecember28,2011byProf.R.Balasubramanian,Director,InstituteofMathematicalSciences,Chennai.ThefunctionwaspresidedoverbyShriS.A.V.SatyaMurty,Director,EIG,IGCAR&ChairmanLibraryand Information Services Committee. Dr. M. Sai Baba,Convener, READIT, AD, RMG&Head, SIRDwelcomed thegathering. Prof.R. Balasubramanian released the Souvenirand Shri S.A.V. Satya Murty inaugurated the exhibition.

Dr.M.SaiBaba,Convener,READITaddressingduringthepaneldiscussionchairedbyDr.SandhyaShekhar,CEO,IITMresearchpark,Chennaiandothereminentpanelist

Dr.Balasubramanian,Director,IMSc,ShriS.A.V.SatyaMurty,Director,EIG,Dr.M.SaiBaba,Convener,READIT&AD,RMGandShriE.Soundararajan,SIRDduringthereleaseofsouvenirattheinauguralfunctionofREADIT

IGC Newsletter

20

Visit of Dignitaries

DelegationfromtheUnitedStatesNuclearRegulatoryCommissionledbyitsChairmanDr.GregoryB.Jaczko,visitedtheCentre

duringNovember16-18,2011.AftermeetingtheDirectorandseniorcolleaguesoftheCentre,thedelegationvisitedtheFastBreeder

TestReactor,HotCellsandNon-DestructiveEvaluationDivision,FacilitiesinFastReactorTechnologyGroup,SodiumFireFacilityin

NuclearandSafetyEngineeringGroup,StructuralMechanicsLaboratory,constructionsiteofPrototypeFastBreederReactorand

MadrasAtomicPowerStation.

DelegationsfromUnitedStatesNuclearRegulatoryCommissionledbyDr.GregoryB.Jaczko,withShriS.C.Chetal,Director,IGCARandseniorcolleaguesoftheCentre

Visit of Dignitaries

Shri P. Viswanathan, Honourable Member of

Parliament, representing the Kancheepuram

Constituency visited the Centre on December

10,2011.AfterameetingwithShriS.C.Chetal,

Director, IGCAR, Dr. Prabhat Kumar, Project

Director,BHAVINIandShriC.D.Rajput,Chief

Superintendent,MadrasAtomicPowerStationShri

P.ViswanathanvisitedtheFastBreederTestReactor,

MadrasAtomicPowerStationandtheconstruction

siteofPrototypeFastBreederReactor.Shri P. Viswanathan, Honourable Member of Parliament, representing theKancheepuramConstituencywithShriS.C.Chetal,Director,IGCAR,Dr.PrabhatKumar, Project Director, BHAVINI, Shri C. D. Rajput, Chief Superintendent,MadrasAtomicPowerStationandseniorcolleaguesoftheDepartment

Smt.Vijayadharani,HonourableMemberofLegislativeAssemblyofthe VilavancodeConstituency addressing thewomen employees ofIGCAR

Smt. Vijayadharani, Honourable Member of Legislative

Assembly,representingtheVilavancodeConstituencyvisited

theCentre onDecember 14, 2011.She visited theMadras

AtomicPowerStationandtheFastBreederTestReactor.She

addressedthewomenemployeesofIGCARanddiscussedthe

issuespertainingtoviolenceagainstwomenandgirls,during

thecommemorationof InternationalDayagainstElimination

ofViolenceagainstWomenandHumanRightsDay.

IGC Newsletter

21

DAE Awards

DepartmentofAtomicEnergyhasinstitutedannualawardsforexcellenceinScience,EngineeringandTechnologyinorderto

identifybestperformersintheareaofResearch,TechnologyDevelopmentandEngineeringintheconstituentunits(otherthan

PublicSectorUndertakingsandAidedInstitutions).TheYoungScientist,YoungEngineer,YoungTechnologist,HomiBhabha

ScienceandTechnologyAwardandScientificandTechnicalExcellenceAwardfallunderthiscategory.GroupAchievement

awardsforrecognitionofmajorachievementsbygroupshavealsobeeninstituted.LifetimeAchievementAwardisawarded

toonewhohasmadesignificantimpactontheDAE’sprogramme.Theyarethei-consforyoungscientistsandengineersto

emulate.Theawardsconsistofamemento,citationandcashprize.

TherecipientsoftheGroupAchievementAwardsfromIGCARfortheyear2011are:

GroupAchievementAward:

DesignandDevelopmentofroofslabforProtoypeFastBreederReactor

Dr.P.Chellapandi,NSEG,GroupLeader

ShriSriramachandraAithal,ShriS.Raghupathy,ShriP.PuthiyaVinayagam,ShriV.Balasubramaniyan,ShriV.RajanBabu,

ShriP.Selvaraj,Dr.K.Velusamy,ShriS.Jalaldeen,ShriR.Gajapathy,ShriA.Biswas,ShriT.Selvaraj,ShriK.Natesan,

ShriC.Raghavendran,ShriR.SureshKumar,ShriS.D.Sajish,ShriBhuvanChandraSati,ShriAbhishekMitra,ShriGaganGupta,

ShriArulBhaskar,ShriRamkumarMaity,ShriS.Saravanan,ShriG.Venkataiah,ShriS.K.Rajesh,ShriM.BabuRao,

ShriR.Manu,Ms.P.Swetha,andShriV.DevarajfromNSEG,Dr.ArunKumarBhaduri,ShriV.Ramasubbu,ShriM.Arul,

andDr.ShajuK.AlbertfromMMG,Dr.R.S.Keshavamurthy,Dr.B.Venkatraman,ShriR.J.PaulSurendranath,

ShriAbdulGaniH I, Shri V.Venkatachalapathy,C.SivathanuPillai andShriC.HariKumar fromCEG,Shri P.Ramesh,

ShriD.SunilKumar,ShriG.RadhakrishnanandShriR.MathiarasufromREG.

DesignandDevelopmentofDualPhosphorHandMonitor

ShriP.Vijayasekaran,RpG,GroupLeader

ShriA.DhanasekaranfromREG,ShriK.PDesheeb,ShriS.Manickam,ShriP.C.Sandeepand

ShriP.AnbazhaganfromREG.

In-SodiumMaterialsTestingFaciility

Dr.M.D.Mathew,MMG,GroupLeader

Dr. S. Venugopal, Dr. K. Laha,Dr. R. Sandhya, Shri S. Ravi, Shri R. Kannan, Shri K.Mariappan, Shri G. Sukumaran,

Shri V. Ganesan, Shri P. C.Gopi andShri S. Sakthy fromMMG, ShriM. Shanmugavel, ShriM. Shanmugasundaram,

ShriS.Vijayaraghavan,ShriP.Rajasundaram,Smt.SundariMadasamy,ShriT.Chandran,ShriJ.Vincent,ShriM.Mani,

ShriK.K.Rajan,ShriT.Ramalingam, ShriR.Kamaraj,ShriV.Tharmaraj,ShriR.SabariKumar,ShriS.Rangasamy,

ShriK.NarasimhaandShriV.SureshfromFRTG.

SteamGeneratorTestFacilityGroup

ShriI.B.Noushad,FRTG,GroupLeader

ShriV.A.SureshKumar,ShriB.K.Sreedhar,Smt.J.I.Sylvia,ShriG.Madhusoodhanan,ShriV.S.P.Babu,ShriV.Vinod,

IGC Newsletter

22

Shri N. Nagarajan, Shri K. Thanigairaj, Shri A. Ashokkumar, Shri S. Kishore, Shri L. S. Sivakumar, Shri Rakesh

KumarMourya, ShriM. Ravishankar, Shri K. Jayagopi, Shri S. P. Pathak, Shri Vishal D Paunikar, ShriM. Anandraj,

ShriT.V.Maran,ShriShivPrakashRuhela,ShriD.Laxman,ShriV.S.Krishnaraj,ShriGautamAnand,ShriY.Suresh,

Shri R. Kannan, Shri P. Sivasubramaniapillai, Shri Ramesh Kumar Sharma, Shri Chaitlal Thakur, Shri P. Anupkumar,

ShriP.Mohanraj,ShriV.Elumalai,ShriP.NarayanaRao,ShriK.Selvaraj,ShriK.V.S.S.N.Murthy,ShriV.Saravanan,

Shri Sukanta Kumar Roy, Shri K. G. Radhakrishnan Unni, Shri G. Anandan, Shri T. Solaiappan, Shri M. Sankaran,

Shri K. Radhakannan, Shri S. Shanmugham, Shri Vijay Tirkey, Shri A. Kolanjiappan, Shri R. Kuppuswamy,

ShriA.Kumaraswamy,ShriM.Muralidharan,ShriM.P.Sunny,ShriN.Premanand,ShriK.Sekar,ShriE.G.Prabhakaran,

Shri K. Sadiq Batcha, Shri C. Pavaderadjane, Shri A. Saravanan, Shri G. Rathnachalam, Shri P. Hrishikesh,

Shri J. Jaikanth, Shri S. Kannan, Shri J. Prem, Shri H. Rafiq Batcha, Shri M. Munikumar, Shri S. Saravanan,

ShriK.Arulselvam,ShriS.Ponthilagar,ShriL.Muthu,Smt.IndraGRamdossandShriA.ElumalaifromFRTG.

Design,ManufactureandTestingChallengesofPrototypeFastBreederReactorSecondarySodiumPump

ShriK.V.Sreedharan,REG,GroupLeader

ShriA.S.L.K.RaofromESG,ShriV.Balasubramaniyan,ShriS.Athmalingam,ShriBhagwanaRam,ShriS.Chandrasekar,

ShriS.SatheeshKumar,ShriK.Madhusoodhanan,ShriS.L.N.SwamyandShriM.SakthivelfromREG,ShriK.Velusamy,

ShriS.Jalaldeen,ShriK.Natesan,ShriBhuwanChandraSatiandShriP.JayarajfromNSEG,ShriB.K.Sreedharfrom

FRTG

Settingup,CommissioningandOperatingtheSAMRATModelTestFacilityforConductingExperimentsinWaterto

ValidatetheThermalHydraulicDesignofPrototypeFastBreederReactor

ShriG.Padmakumar,FRTG,GroupLeader

Shri N.Murali, Shri P. Parimalam and Shri A. Shanmugam from EIG, Shri V. Prakash and Shri G.Madhusoodanan,

ShriIndranil Banerjee, Shri D. Ramadasu, Shri N. S. Shivakumar, Shri Gautam Kumar Pandey, Shri S. Ajesh Kumar,

ShriViajunathMente,ShriPiyushKumarAggarwal, ShriM.Thirumalai,ShriM.Anandaraj,ShriP.AnupKumarand

ShriJ.Saravanan,ShriR.RajendraPrasad,ShriGautamAnand,ShriD.Laxman,ShriK.Jayagopi,ShriP.Adhithan,

ShriR.Raghuraman,ShriK.H.Anub,ShriK.SrinivasaRao,ShriN.Mariappan,ShriS.RajkamalSingh,ShriJ.Jaikanth,

ShriA.Kanakaraj,ShriK.TamilSelvan,ShriR.Iyyapan,ShriT.Soliappan,ShriV.Veeraraghavan,ShriR.Kuppuswamy,

ShriV.Gunasekaran,ShriM.Kathiravan,ShriR.Rajendran,ShriC.N.SridharandShriHadibanduSinghfromFRTG.

SettingupandEngineeringScaleFacilityforPyroprocessstudiesandDemonstrationofElectrofiningofUranium

Dr.K.Nagarajan,CG,GroupLeader

Shri G. Ravisankar, Dr. B. Prabhakara Reddy, Shri V. Sureshkumar, Shri P. Venkatesh, Shri T. Subramanian,

Shri G. Seenivasan, Shri Suddhasattwa Ghosh, Smt. S. Vandarkuzhali, Dr. Manish Chandra, Smt. Nibedita Gogoi,

ShriR.Sridhar,ShriA.Ananthakumar,ShriG.RajendraPrasad,Ms.B.Suhasini,ShriN.Ravi,ShriE.Mohanraj,ShriK.Satya

GovindaRaju,ShriM.Ganapathy,ShriS.VanniaPerumal,ShriS.Nedumaran,Ms.S.Suganthi,ShriM.KakkumPerumal,

Smt.K.Suriyakumari,ShriS.Mariyappan,ShriA.S.Ganapathi,Ms.S.RajaRajeswari,ShriV.Arunkumar,ShriV.Yuvaraj,

ShriN.Vinodkumar,ShriM.Saravanan,ShriP.Marimuthu,ShriP.Jagannathan,ShriK.Logannathan,ShriR.Rajaram,

ShriN. Eswaran,ShriE. Nagappan,Shri K. Dayalan,Shri N. Radhakrishnan,Shri N. Nagarajan,Shri G. Raman,

ShriK.Ganesan,ShriV.Balagopalan,ShriS.RajendranandShriD.KothandanfromCG,ShriS.P.RuhelafromFRTG,

Dr.U.KamachiMudali,ShriG.SenthilKumaran,ShriS.Sakthivel,ShriR.Ravikumar,ShriK.V.KasiViswanathanand

ShriD.JagadisanfromMMG,ShriVijayanVarier,ShriP.Jagannathan,andShriK.LogannathanfromREG.

DAE Awards

IGC Newsletter

23

DAEAwardsContinued......

HomiBhabhaScience&TechnologyAward : ShriA.Ravisankar,RpG

YoungAppliedScientist&TechnologistAward : ShriV.Rakesh,MMGand ShriAbhishekMitra,NSEG

Scientific&TechnicalExcellenceAward : ShriU.ParthaSarathy,REGand ShriS.Raghupathy,NSEG

MeritoriusAward : ShriA.Govindarajanand ShriT.Logaiyan,FRTG,

ShriB.SyedAliand ShriK.Ganesan,ROMG,

ShriT.G.Swaminathan,ESGand ShriK.Dasarathan,MSG

YoungEngineerAward: ShriG.V.PrasadReddy,MMGand

ShriE.HemanthRao,NSEG

Dr. A. K. Tyagi, MSG has been awarded “Award of Excellence” by Sathyabama University, Chennai in the area of

Nanoscience and Nanotechnology.

Shri Sumantra Mandal, MMG has been selected for the “IEI Young Engineers Award 2011-2012” in Metallurgical

and Materials Engineering discipline.

Dr. Vaidehi Ganesan, MMG has been awarded with Marie Curie Mahila Vijnana Puraskara during the fourth

National Women's Science Congress held at Bengaluru during November 7-9, 2011.

Best Paper / Poster Awards

Dr. B.P. C. Rao, Shri S. Thirunavukkarasu, Dr. T. Jayakumar, Dr. Baldev Raj, Shri Aravinda Pal, Shri T. K. Mitra and

Shri Pandurang Jadhav of MMG have been adjudged the winner of “Weldman Award-2011” for the best Technical

paper on “A new Methodology for Qualification of Welding Procedure for Circumferential Shell Welds of Steam

Generators of PFBR” presented during National Welding Seminar -2010.

Shri Girish Kumar Padhy, Research Scholar, MTD, MMG has been adjudged the winner of “ESAB India Award-

2011” for his paper on “Diffusible Hydrogen Measurement in Steel Welds using an Electrochemical Hydrogen

Sensor” for the best Technical paper across all categories.

Shri Ashish Jain, Shri S. Kandasamy and Dr. K. K. Satpathy recieved 2nd prize for poster presentation on

“Construction site monitoring through a systematic Safety observation methodology in IGCAR” during 28th DAE

Safety & Occupational Health Professionals Meet-2011.

Shri M. Santhanam, Shri V. Venkatachalapathy, Shri C. Sivathanupillai and Shri R. Gettu got “Corps of Engineers

Prize” from The Institution of Engineers (India) for their paper on “Mechanical properties of High Density Concrete

used in Fast Reactors for Structural and Shielding Purposes” published in the Journal of the Institution during

2010-2011.

Awards & Honours

Awards & Honours

Dr.M.SaiBaba,Chairman,EditorialCommittee,IGCNewsletter

EditorialCommitteeMembers:Dr.K.Ananthasivan,ShriM.S.Chandrasekar,Dr.N.V.ChandraShekar,Dr.C.Mallika,ShriK.S.Narayanan,ShriV.Rajendran,Dr.SarojaSaibabaandDr.VidyaSundararajan

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MangrovesinthebackwatersofKalpakkam