Nuclear Fuel Complex (NFC) Hyderabad

Dr. Homi Jehangir Bhabha conceived the Nuclear Program in India. Dr. Bhabha established the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR) for carrying out nuclear science research in 1945 and the Atomic Energy Commission was constituted in 1948. To intensify the effort to exploit nuclear energy for the benefit of the nation, Dr. Bhabha established the Atomic Energy Establishment, (AEET), Trombay, Mumbai in January 1954. AEET was subsequently renamed as Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC). Initial lab-scale experiments to make nuclear fuel were conducted at BARC.

As the nuclear power program for the country was being formulated, it was clearly envisaged to have self-reliance in a complete nuclear fuel cycle. Hence it was planned to set up the required facilities with regard to fuel, heavy water, and fuel reprocessing within the country. The fuel requirement for the power program required an industrial scale of operation and the area in Trombay was not sufficient. So it was decided to go outside Trombay. A team of senior scientists was constituted to visit Bangalore, Madras, and Hyderabad to search for a suitable site. The senior committee, after detailed scrutiny, recommended to Dr. Bhabha the choice of Hyderabad for the location of the Nuclear Fuel Complex. The Andhra Pradesh Government allotted land to the Department of Atomic in the year 1968. In 1968, the NFC Board was created under the Chairmanship of Dr. Vikram Sarabhai for setting up of few production plants, common facilities, and any other facility required at Hyderabad. Also, the objective of setting up of NFC was to create an organization to meet the future requirements of fuel for the nuclear power program.

Though NFC is one of the bright examples of successful transfer of technology from laboratory scale to large scale production, owing to the transfer of the very personnel conducting the R&D at BARC, it is also a testimony that upscaling the large scale without any modeling is not without problems. All facilities connected with nuclear fuel starting from uranium concentrate and zircon were kept together in one place and under one organization so that there are no interfaces posing difficult co-ordination problems. Almost every plant of NFC has undergone changes from its original concept. It is by dint of innovative ideas the plant capacities were progressively increased and NFC is seen at its present stage. NFC is proud to be a tall example of self-reliance and Make In India.

Overview

Nuclear Fuel Complex, Hyderabad is an industrial unit of the Department of Atomic Energy, Government of India. NFC is the only organization in India that caters to the fuel requirements of nuclear power reactors.

Nuclear Fuel Complex, Hyderabad was conceived in the late 60s as a pivotal industrial arm of the Department of Atomic Energy with the mandate to fuel the nuclear power program of Govt. of India. An ISO-certified organization, NFC is the only organization in the world today to have a comprehensive manufacturing cycle from ore to core, involving the processing of both Uranium and zirconium streams under the same roof.

NFC’s specialty lies in the manufacturing of nuclear fuel bundles for Pressurized Heavy Water Reactors (PHWR), Boiling Water Reactors (BWR), and Fast breeder reactors; many reactor core components, various tubes, high-purity special materials; etc.

It has developed state-of-the-art facilities and process technologies with several innovations in the field of nuclear fuel production and fabrication. The organization is thus playing a catalyst’s role in nation-building. The complex also symbolizes the strong emphasis on self-reliance in the Indian Nuclear Power Program.

NFC has different types of production facilities which include Zirconium Oxide Plant for processing of Zircon to nuclear grade Zirconium oxide; Zirconium Sponge Plant for conversion of Zirconium oxide to nuclear grade sponge metal; Melt Shop Plant for production of zirconium alloys; Extrusion and Piercing Plant for hot extrusion and expansion of different alloys and special materials into various shapes and sizes; Zircaloy Fabrication Plant for producing various zirconium alloy tubes, sheet, rod and wire products; Uranium Oxide Plant for processing crude uranium concentrates to pure uranium di-oxide powder; Ceramic Fuel Fabrication Plant for producing Uranium oxide pellets and assembling of the fuel bundles for the PHWRs; BWR Fuel Fabrication Plant; Fast Reactor Facility Plant for fabrication of components and sub assemblies for Fast Breeder Reactors; Special Materials Plant for producing a number of high purity materials; Stainless Steel Tube plant for producing seamless tubes of stainless steel and other alloys.

An independent Quality Assurance department ensures the quality at many intermediate stages and at the final stage to ensure compliance with the requirements of the customer.

To support all the production activities many service sections like Toolroom, Civil Engineering Department, Utilities, Maintenance, General Service, Computer Division, Telephone section, Workshop, Administration & Accounts, Purchase, Stores, Marketing, HRD, etc. are established.

Safety and environmental protection are given special importance by having a special section for the purpose.

While the initial plant capacities were designed to match the requirements of the Indian Nuclear Power Programme as projected in the early ’70s, the capacities have undergone many changes and upgrades. The continual improvement and capacity expansion is the routine in NFC.

The production of the Zirconium sponge got a vital boost with the setting up of the Zirconium complex in year 2009, at Pazhayakayal, Tamilnadu.

To cater to the increasing demand, NFC is setting up a Fuel production facility at Kota, Rajasthan.

The welfare of the staff is well taken care of by providing various facilities and activities like canteen, crèche, housing colony, medical facilities, schools, sports and cultural competitions, etc.