Heavy Water Board

Heavy Water Board (HWB) is a constituent unit under the Department of Atomic Energy in the Government of India. The organisation is primarily responsible for production of Heavy Water (D2O) which is used as a 'moderator' and 'Coolant' in nuclear power as well as research reactors.[1] India is one of the largest manufacturers of heavy water in the world.[2]

History

The research in Heavy Water production was initiated by the Chemical Engineering division of Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) in the 60s and was continued by the Heavy Water Division of BARC where a Pilot Plant was operated for studying the H2S-H20 exchange process. While these studies were in progress, the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) commissioned the first Heavy Water Plant in India at Nangal, Punjab, India in the premises 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 7 heavy water 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]

Potassium Metal Plant

This facility also has a Potassium metal plant for supply of Potassium metal for preparing 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]

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

Heavy Water Plant at Kota is indigenously built and is based on the Bithermal H20-H2S exchange process. The plant is located at a distance of 65 km from Kota Railway Station, adjacent to India atomic power plant (RAPP). The Heavy Water Plant is integrated with RAPP 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 RAPP.Water from the nearby Rana Pratap Sagar lake, purified of suspended and dissolved impurities forms the process feed with the D20.[8]

HWP Manuguru

The Heavy Water Plant at Manuguru, Telangana is based on the Bithermal Hydrogen Sulphide-Water (H2S-H2O) Exchange Process. This plant with a capacity of 185 Metric Tonne per Year is the second plant based on this process, the earlier one being at Kota, Rajasthan for which the complete technology has been developed indigenously by BARC and HWB. The Manuguru site was chosen because of its proximity to Singareni coal fields and Godavari river which provide respectively large quantities of coal and water required by the plant. It was commissioned in Dec. 1991.[9]

HWP Talcher

Heavy Water Plant at Talcher employs the ammonia-hydrogen exchange process (Bithermal). The plant is located at a distance of 150 km from Bhubaneshwar. The work on this plant in October 1972 and it was commissioned in March 1985.[10] Operation of the plant was suspended in August 1994 due to unsatisfactory operation of the fertilizer plant of the Fertilizer Corporation of India Limited., Talcher.[11] The plant operation was resumed later and an R&D pilot plant has been commissioned for the production of Di-2-ethyl hexyl phosphoric acid (D2EHPA), an effective metal extractant, used for hydro-metallurgical recovery and the separation of various metals. The solvent is useful for concentrating and purifying the valuable metal solutions of low-grade complex ores and is already being used by India's nuclear industry at various commercial operations for the separation and recovery of Zinc, Cobalt, Nickel and Rare Earths.

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.17. 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.[13]

References

  1. ↑ "A unit under Department of Atomic Energy, Govt. of India". Heavy Water Board. Retrieved 2012-01-14.
  2. ↑ ":: Heavy Water Board - A unit under Department of Atomic Energy, Govt. of India". Hwb.gov.in. Retrieved 2012-01-14.
  3. ↑ "A unit under Department of Atomic Energy, Govt. of India". Heavy Water Board. Retrieved 2012-01-14.
  4. ↑ "The Tribune, Chandigarh, India - Main News". Tribuneindia.com. 2002-07-04. Retrieved 2012-01-14.
  5. ↑ "A unit under Department of Atomic Energy, Govt. of India". Heavy Water Board. Retrieved 2012-01-14.
  6. 1 2 Archived October 22, 2009, at the Wayback Machine.
  7. ↑ Archived June 8, 2009, at the Wayback Machine.
  8. ↑ "Heavy Water Board - Plant at Kota - Page 1". Dae.gov.in. Retrieved 2012-01-14.
  9. ↑ "A unit under Department of Atomic Energy, Govt. of India". Heavy Water Board. Retrieved 2012-01-14.
  10. ↑ "Heavy Water Board - Plant at TALCHER - Page 1". Dae.gov.in. Retrieved 2012-01-14.
  11. ↑ John Pike. "Talcher - India Special Weapons Facilities". Globalsecurity.org. Retrieved 2012-01-14.
  12. ↑ John Pike. "Thal - India Special Weapons Facilities". Globalsecurity.org. Retrieved 2012-01-14.
  13. ↑ Archived March 2, 2011, at the Wayback Machine.
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