The first large research reactor of India that uses U-233 as fuel is

ZERLINA

PURNIMA

DHRUVA

KAMINI

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UPSC CAPF – 2011

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KAMINI (Kalpakkam Mini Reactor) is a research reactor located at the Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research (IGCAR), Kalpakkam. It is the first reactor in the world that uses Uranium-233 (U-233) as fuel. While its power output is low (30 kWt), making the term “large” somewhat inaccurate compared to reactors like DHRUVA (100 MWt), it is an operational research reactor specifically designed to study U-233 fuel, which is key to India’s thorium fuel cycle program. ZERLINA and PURNIMA-II also used U-233 but were zero or very low power experimental assemblies used for specific lattice studies rather than continuous research operation. DHRUVA is India’s largest research reactor but uses natural uranium.

KAMINI is the only operational reactor in India listed that uses U-233 fuel. It is specifically designed for research purposes related to the thorium fuel cycle.

India has pursued a three-stage nuclear power program aimed at utilizing its vast thorium reserves. The thorium cycle involves breeding U-233 from thorium. KAMINI plays a role in studying the characteristics of U-233 fuel. It achieved criticality in 1996.

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