Heavy Water Board

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Heavy Water Board (HWB) is a constituent unit under the

pressurized heavy water reactors producing most of India's nuclear power supply
.

History

The research in heavy water production was initiated by the Chemical Engineering Division of

National Fertilisers Limited (NFL) in 1962.[3] The plant had to be dismantled owing to national security considerations arising out of the disinvestment of NFL. The plant used to be operated by NFL and the DAE ensured the quality of the product.[4]

Plants

HWB currently operating seven plants around the country.[5]

HWP Baroda

Heavy Water Plant at

Baroda is the first plant set up in India for the production of heavy water by employing Monothermal Ammonia-Hydrogen exchange process. The plant is located 8 km north from Baroda railway station along the national highway No. 8, adjacent to the Gujarat State Fertilizers & Chemicals Ltd. (GSFC).The plant was integrated with GSFC until 1999 when GSFC upgraded their Ammonia plant to an incompatible low pressure system resulting in temporary suspension in the operations of the Heavy Water Plant.[6]

HWP Baroda also has a potassium metal plant for supply of

catalyst solution for all monothermal ammonia-hydrogen exchange plants. The plant was expanded in 1987 to enhance the production capacity to 52 MT/year and has a capability to meet the demands of external customers also. This plant is based on Thermal reduction of Potassium Fluoride with Calcium Carbide initially developed by Hoechst A.G., Werk Griesheim, West Germany. An independent front end was added to produce Ammonia at this time. This plant was commissioned in 1975 with an initial rated capacity of 30 MT/year. The plant was awarded ISO-9001:2000 on 06.08.2002.[6]
with calcium carbide initially

HWP Hazira

HWP (Hazira) is the second heavy water plant in the country based on the ammonia-hydrogen exchange process which has been set up without foreign collaboration. It employs the ammonia-hydrogen exchange monothermal process. The plant is located at a distance of about 16 km from Surat city. Work on this plant commenced in August 1986 and the plant was commissioned in February 1991.[7]

HWP Kota

The Heavy Water Plant at Kota is indigenously built and is based on the bithermal H2O-H2S exchange process. The plant is located in Rawatbhata at a distance of 65 km from Kota Railway Station, adjacent to Rajasthan Atomic Power Station (RAPS). The Heavy Water Plant is integrated with RAPS for its supply of power and steam. An oil fired steam generation plant is also added to ensure uninterrupted supply of steam during the shut down periods of RAPS. Water from the nearby Rana Pratap Sagar reservoir, on the Chambal River, purified of suspended and dissolved impurities forms the process feed with the D20.[8]

HWP Manuguru

The Heavy Water Plant at

Godavari river which provide respectively large quantities of coal and water required by the plant. It was commissioned in December 1991.[9]
It is the flagship plant of Heavy Water Board.

It also has a captive power plant having 3 × 30 MWe generating capacity along with providing process steam to Heavy Water Plant production.

HWP Talcher

Heavy Water Plant at

Fertilizer Corporation of India Limited, Talcher.[11]

Subsequent to closure of the Heavy Water Plant in Talcher, the plant operation was resumed later and an R&D pilot plant has been commissioned for the production of

dual use
. Presently HWP Talcher houses three chemical plants:

  1. Di-2-ethyl hexyl phosphoric acid (D2EHPA)
  2. Tributyl phosphate (TBP)
  3. B-10 Enrichment Facility

HWP Thal

Heavy Water Plant Thal is the first of second generation plants in India and is made completely with indigenous efforts. It is located at Thal-Vaishet village in Raigad district of Maharashtra and is about 100 km south of Mumbai on National Highway No.66. The site is also accessible from Gateway of India, Mumbai by speedboats and Catamaran services. Work on HWP Thal was started in February 1982 and plant was commissioned in 1985.[12]

HWP Tuticorin

HWP Tuticorin is located in the port town of

Tuticorin in Southern India. The plant employs an ammonia-hydrogen exchange process (mono-thermal). The plant was commissioned in July 1978. Along with heavy water, the site is also engaged for production of different types of solvents, which will be used in Indian Nuclear Industry, and other activities.[13]

See also

References

  1. ^ "A unit under Department of Atomic Energy, Govt. of India". Heavy Water Board. Archived from the original on 25 February 2012. Retrieved 14 January 2012.
  2. ^ ":: Heavy Water Board - A unit under Department of Atomic Energy, Govt. of India". Hwb.gov.in. Archived from the original on 3 March 2015. Retrieved 14 January 2012.
  3. ^ "A unit under Department of Atomic Energy, Govt. of India". Heavy Water Board. Archived from the original on 12 October 2007. Retrieved 14 January 2012.
  4. ^ "The Tribune, Chandigarh, India - Main News". Tribuneindia.com. 4 July 2002. Retrieved 14 January 2012.
  5. ^ "A unit under Department of Atomic Energy, Govt. of India". Heavy Water Board. Archived from the original on 3 September 2006. Retrieved 14 January 2012.
  6. ^ a b [1] Archived 22 October 2009 at the Wayback Machine
  7. ^ "Heavy Water Board, Government of India | A unit under Department of Atomic Energy, Govt. Of India".
  8. ^ "Heavy Water Board - Plant at Kota - Page 1". Dae.gov.in. Archived from the original on 24 February 2012. Retrieved 14 January 2012.
  9. ^ "A unit under Department of Atomic Energy, Govt. of India". Heavy Water Board. The one of the largest HWP in India. Archived from the original on 25 February 2012. Retrieved 14 January 2012.
  10. ^ "Heavy Water Board - Plant at Talcher - Page 1". Dae.gov.in. Archived from the original on 24 February 2012. Retrieved 14 January 2012.
  11. ^ John Pike. "Talcher - India Special Weapons Facilities". Globalsecurity.org. Retrieved 14 January 2012.
  12. ^ John Pike. "Thal - India Special Weapons Facilities". Globalsecurity.org. Retrieved 14 January 2012.
  13. ^ "Heavy Water Board - Tuticorin". Department of Atomic Energy, Heavy Water Board.
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