CA - S&T - 0424
Nuclear
Nuclear Fuel
Fission
• Fertile material - isotopes that are non-fissionable by neutrons, but can be converted into
fissile isotopes.
• Fissile material - fissionable isotopes that are capable of undergoing nuclear fission.
• NUCLEAR ENRICHMENT - increasing the concentration of one isotope relative to
another is called “enrichment.
• Transmutation: changing one element to other through nuclear reactions/decay;
Fusion
• Hydrogen
• Deuterium–Tritium:
3 Stage nuclear program of India
Nuclear Fusion
• combining of several small nuclei into one large nucleus - One atom of deuterium and one
atom of tritium combine to form a helium-4 atom and a neutron; Plasma - state of matter
where fusion reaction takes place;
• Advantages: Efficiency, Carbon, Safety, Radioactive waste, Proliferation;
Types
• Natural
• Artificial
o Magnetic confinement
o Inertial confinement
Experimental reactors
• ITER (INTERNATIONAL THERMONUCLEAR EXPERIMENTAL REACTOR)
o ITER is a fusion reactor. It is located in Saint-Paul-les-Durance in southern France. It
is joint collaboration of 35 countries.
• EAST - Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak( CHINA);
• NIF: Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, California:
• ITER-India is a special project under Institute for Plasma Research, Gandhinagar
Governance structure
Department Of Atomic Energy
• It is apex body under the direct charge of Prime Minister.
Atomic Energy Commission
• It is the governing body of the Department of Atomic Energy.
Forum Learning Centre: Delhi - 2nd Floor, IAPL House, 19 Pusa Road, Karol Bagh, New Delhi - 110005 | Patna - 2nd floor, AG Palace, E Boring Canal
Road, Patna, Bihar 800001 | Hyderabad - 1st & 2nd Floor, SM Plaza, RTC X Rd, Indira Park Road, Jawahar Nagar, Hyderabad, Telangana 500020
9821711605 | https://academy.forumias.com | [email protected] | [email protected]
1
Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB)
• Regulatory authority responsible for safe operations of nuclear reactors as well as regulation
at all other nuclear facilities in India.
Public Sector Institutions
• NPCIL: Nuclear Power Corporation of India (NPCIL), Mumbai, Maharashtra (PSE for
generation of electricity from nuclear power)
• BHAVINI: Bharatiya Nabhikiya Vidyut Nigam Limited (BHAVINI), Kalpakkam, Tamil Nadu
(Operating Stage II FBR at Kalpakkam)
International Atomic Energy Agency (Iaea)
• It is the international centre responsible for cooperation in the peaceful uses of nuclear
energy under Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty.
Miscellaneous topics
Xenotransplantation:
HLA factor, HLA genes;
• Autogenic: cells from same body
• Allogenic: Another body but same species
• Xenogenic: Cells from other species; Gene editing in pigs to reduce immune rejection
Synthetic biology
• Xenobots: synthetic lifeforms - combine different lifeforms;
• Gelbots: Gelatin, move without extra power source - gel swells or shrinks in response to
temperature,
Cosmic microwave background radiation:
Nanotechnology
• Property of matter depends on size at which they are grouped; 1 nm = 10 hydrogen atoms
together; 1 virus = 10 nm; Carbon nanotube;
• Applications - Biosensors, Optical tweezers, Textile - hydrophobic silicon nanofilaments,
silver nano particles, drug delivery, tissue engineering,
• Quantum dots - box to trap electrons - QLED TV;
Superconductors
• Conductivity between conductors and insulators; E.g. Silicon, germanium,
• Band gap theory - Valence band, conduction band; diamagnetism; copper pair; Meissner
effect;
• Doping - N type and P Type;
Immersive Technologies
• Virtual reality - simulator based, avatar image based, head mounted display,
• Augmented reality: Blend of real with virtual -
• Mixed reality - merging of real and virtual world;
• Metaverse: hypothetical iteration of the Internet as a single, universal, and immersive virtual
world; facilitated by virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR);
Forum Learning Centre: Delhi - 2nd Floor, IAPL House, 19 Pusa Road, Karol Bagh, New Delhi - 110005 | Patna - 2nd floor, AG Palace, E Boring Canal
Road, Patna, Bihar 800001 | Hyderabad - 1st & 2nd Floor, SM Plaza, RTC X Rd, Indira Park Road, Jawahar Nagar, Hyderabad, Telangana 500020
9821711605 | https://academy.forumias.com | [email protected] | [email protected]
2
