Karachi Nuclear Power Plant
| Karachi Nuclear Power Plant | |
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| Country | Pakistan |
| Location | Paradise Point, Karachi, Pakistan |
| Coordinates | 24°50′41″N 66°47′20″E / 24.84472°N 66.78889°ECoordinates: 24°50′41″N 66°47′20″E / 24.84472°N 66.78889°E |
| Status | Operational |
| Commission date | Unit 1: November 28, 1972 Unit 2: January 27, 2011 Unit 3: January 27, 2015 Unit 4: April 20, 2016 |
| Licence expiration | KANUPP-I Will be decommissioned on 2012 |
| Owner(s) | Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC) |
| Reactor information | |
| Reactors operational | 1 reactor |
| Reactors under construction | 3 reactors |
| Reactors planned | 3 reactors |
| Reactor type(s) | Deutrium Uranium PHWR-4 |
| Reactor supplier(s) | General Electric |
| Power generation information | |
| Installed capacity | Unit 1: 125 MWe Unit 2: 10,000 MW[citation needed] |
| Annual generation | Unit 1: 137 MWe[1] Unit 2: 11,897 MW[citation needed] |
| Website Karachi Nuclear Power Plant |
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The Karachi Nuclear Power Plant, widely known as KANUPP-I, is a commercial nuclear power plant, located at Karachi, Sindh Province of Pakistan. In terms of Nuclear industry, the KANUPP-I is Pakistan's first nuclear power plant and is the first nuclear power plant in the Muslim world to be constructed. With the establishment and inauguration of this reactor, Pakistan became first nuclear power in the Muslim world. The KANUPP-I is a single unit CANDU-type PHWR reactor with a total gross capacity of 137MWe. The plant is situated at the Paradise Point on the arid Arabian Sea coast, about 15 miles to the west of Karachi.
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[edit] History
Since her independence from United Kingdom, Pakistan had repeatedly suffered energy crises, that contributed to country's economic slowdown. In 1960, President Field Marshal Ayub Khan had appointed Dr. Abdus Salam as his Science Advisor.[2] Soon Abdus Salam became the head of the Pakistan's IAEA delegation.[2] There, Abdus Salam had, now at the U.N. General Assembly, repeatedly and tirelessly advocated for the support of nuclear energy in his country.[2] And, due to Abdus Salam's significant influence on President Field Marshal Ayub Khan, Salam succeeded to obtain an approval from Ayub Khan, against the wishes of military government of Ayub Khan in 1965.[2] Due to Abdus Salam's influence on President Ayub Khan, Salam had the commercial nuclear plant near Karachi personally approved, in spite of the opposition against the project.[2] In 1965, Abdus Salam traveled to United States, where in a ceremony, Canada and Pakistan signed a nuclear energy pact with GE Canada establishing the country's first nuclear plant.[2] Per agreement, the PAEC's engineers and scientists led the construction of this mega-project.[3] While, GE Canada provided economical funds and HEU based nuclear fuel.[3] Parvez Butt, a nuclear engineer, was the chief designer of the plant who worked at the GE Canada's designing office.[3] In 1966, the construction was started, and it was completed in 1971, before the starting of Indo-Pak 1971 Winter War. On November 28 of 1972, as President, later Prime minister, Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, accompanied with Abdus Salam and newly appointed PAEC's Chairman Munir Ahmad Khan , inaugurated the first unit of the Karachi Nuclear Plant.[4]
The technology of the nuclear power plant is highly resembles to India's CIRUS and DHRUVA reactor, with another small reactor producing reactor-grade plutonium which was produced in large stocks.[3] Munir Ahmad Khan, now as chairman, ingeniously developed and established the nuclear fuel cycle programme.[3] In 1972, Pakistan under Bhutto, had refused to signed the NPT.[3] Because the reactor grade plutonium was extremely dangerous to be open in public, the PAEC transferred the reactor-grade plutonium to the New Laboratories (known as The New Labs), and produces the first batch of fresh weapon-grade plutonium.[3] In 1976, Canada had stopped the supply of fuel and spare parts for the plant[5] The high-radioactive material was also left openly in Karachi as Canadian technicians departed from Pakistan.[3] Pakistan media then speculated that in absence of Canadian officials, the city would suffer a major power blackout.[5] Canadian officials later issued the statement that the reactor will be shut down in a matter of six months.[6] However, the PAEC, under Munir Ahmad Khan, took up this challenge and using indigenous resources produced the feed for KANUPP.[6] In 1978, the PAEC developed its own nuclear fuel and and began loading the feedstock to KANUPP-I.[6] From its establishment and present, the KANUPP-I has nearly 10 billion KWhrs of electricity and has been fuelled by thousands and thousands of Pakistani made fuel bundles without any failure.[6] As of today, the KANUPP-I has been expanded and is currently apart of Karachi Nuclear Power Complex (KNPC) and is owned and operated by Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC).[6]
[edit] Feature of KANUPP
The KANUPP reactor site is on the Arabian Sea coast, about 11 miles (17.7 km) west of Karachi. The Karachi Nuclear Power Plant (KANUPP) has a heavy water moderated and cooled natural uranium fuelled, horizontal pressure tube reactor. Other distinguishing features are once-through, on-power bidirectional fuelling, reactor shutdown by moderator dump, and a reactor building designed for total containment of any pressure or activity resulting from a credible accident.
[edit] Engineering Facility and Power Capacity
The gross plant rating is 137 MWe and the corresponding net output is 125 MWe. The Nuclear Reactor Building contains the entire reactor system and auxiliaries, and consists of a pre-stressed concrete cylindrical wall, a hemispherical segmental dome of pre-stressed concrete, and a concrete base slab. The Turbine Building houses the turbine-generator and auxiliaries, some process water equipment, electrical distribution equipment, and the control room. The building is a reinforced concrete frame and block structure.
[edit] Nuclear Reactor Operations
The reactor consists of a tubed calandria vessel of austenitic stainless steel, which contains the heavy water moderator/reflector and 208 coolant tube assemblies. The moderator system consists of the calandria, coolers, pumps and purification system in the heavy water circuit, and control valves, dump valves and helium blowers in the helium circuit. The fuel is natural uranium in the form of sintered uranium dioxide pellets sheathed in thin zirconium alloy tubes to form solid fuel elements about 19.1 inches (48.53 cm) long by 0.6 inches (1.4 cm) diameter.
[edit] Future of KANUPP
KANUPP came into commercial operation in 1972 and after completing its 30 years of design life it was shut down on December 6, 2002. The plant began operational on 2006. At present the plant is undergoing several safety upgradations for operation beyond design life. On the request of KANUPP, PNRA allowed the plant to operate at 50 MW for the interim period. However, the PAEC has declined any media reports of shutting down the nuclear power plant. However, on June 30, 2009, a senior official of PAEC, has stated that the KANUPP will be decommissioned in 2012. The KANUPP-II, an indigenous nuclear power plant build by PAEC, will be taking the place of the KANUPP-I. However, the work on the KANUPP-II has been put on hold since July 2009.
[edit] Leakage in Nuclear Power Plant
On 18 Oct 2011 the KANUPP Karachi nuclear power plant imposed a seven-hour emergency after heavy water leaked from a feeder pipe to the reactor[1]. The leakage started around midnight on Tuesday during a routine maintenance shut down[1]. After the leakage was detected the emergency was imposed at the plant and the affected area was isolated. However the emergency was lifted seven hours later, after the leak was reportedly brought under control.[1]
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d Aziz, Faisal (Oct 20, 2011). "Leak at Pakistani nuclear plant, but no damage". reuters.com. http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/10/20/us-pakistan-nuclear-idUSTRE79J13720111020. Retrieved 22 October 2011.
- ^ a b c d e f Riazuddin, Professor (2005). "Contribution of Professor Abdus Salam as Technical Member of Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC)" (in English). The Nucleus (Islamabad, Islamabad Capital Territory: Professor Riazuddin, emeritus scientist at the National Center for Nuclear Physics, and a professor of theoretical physics at the Institute of Physics of the Quaid-i-Azam University.) 42 (1-2): 31–34. ISSN 0029-5698. http://www.thenucleuspak.org.pk/nucleus/pdf%20Special%20Issue%20Nucleus%2042%281-4%29/Contributions%20of%20Professor%20Abdus%20Salam%20%28ms603%29.pdf. Retrieved 2011.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Shabbir, Usman (Usman Shabbir). "The Multan Conference, Jan 20, 1972: The day the bomb was born: The Plutonium route to the bomb". Usman Shabbir of the Pakistan Military Consortim. Pakistan Military Consortium. http://www.pakdef.info/nuclear&missile/munirahmad1.html. Retrieved 2011.
- ^ Prime minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto with Abdus Salam and Munir Ahmad Khan (1971). Pakistan - PAEC Chairman & Z.A Bhutto inaguration of KANUPP nuclear plant (TV-Medium). Karachi, Sindh Province, Pakistan: Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission and Pakistan Military Consortium (PMC).. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4VCtXSQuFDg.
- ^ a b .Mubarakmand, Ph.D., Dr. Samar (2007-04-28). "Munir Ahmad Khan Memorial Reference: Dr. Samar Mubarakmand, Chairman NESCOM, NI, HI, SI.". Dr. Samar Mubarkmand, former Chairman of the National Science and Engineering Commission (NESCOM). http://www.pakdef.info/nuclear&missile/memorial_munirahmed.html.
- ^ a b c d e Khan, M.Sc. in Nuclear Engineering, Munir Ahmad Khan (March 20 of 1999). "Mr. Munir Ahmad Khan's Speech delivered on March 20, 1999, at PINSTECH Auditorium, Chaghi Medal Award Ceremony". Munir Ahmad Khan, former chairman of Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission and former director-general of the Electrical Engineering Division and Nuclear Engineering Division. http://www.pakdef.info/nuclear&missile/speech_munirahmed.html. Retrieved 2011.
[edit] External links
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