About Project Sanlayan-
Clean, sustainable, low in waste, with no carbon emissions,
and plentiful fuel across the earth, nuclear fusion could be
the holy grail of energy that the world desperately needs
today. A first-of-its-kind in India, Project Sanlayan is a
private initiative that aims to deliver a compact volume
neutron source capable of producing medical isotopes,
breeding fission fuel, and burning radioactive waste; in
addition to providing energy from nuclear fusion for
generations to come.
Perils of the modern world
Increasing carbon footprint, rapid climate change, and
increasing consumption of renewable energy
- 2/3rd of CO2 emissions, one of the primary reasons for climate change comes from electricity generation.
- 63.3% Fossil fuel-based sources of electricity, another leading cause of climate change.
- An aging fission reactor fleet and the pandemic travel restrictions have caused a drastic shortage of medical radioisotopes in several parts of the world.
The need of the hour
A cleaner, sustainable source of energy that promises
- No carbon emissions
- Low radiotoxicity
- Worldwide abundant distribution
- Safe operation and low public hazard
How does fusion happen?
100,000,000°C
Density
Containment for a long time without touch
TOKAMAK- One of the leading approaches for plasma confinement
SANT FFH- A Fusion-Fission Hybrid
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SANT-FFH is envisaged to be a subcritical nuclear tokamak
device harnessing energy and fusion neutrons for several
critical applications.
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The fusion-fission hybrid may lead to a more sustainable
nuclear fuel cycle, with fissile resource extension (breeding)
and a significant reduction in radioactive waste volume and
radiotoxicity (burning).
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Fusion neutrons can also be used for imaging, testing, and
producing medical radioisotopes and more fusion fuel.
A critical moment of change for the world- Challenges we can solve
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Localized production of medical isotopes: Medical isotopes are
used by healthcare providers for the diagnosis and treatment
of conditions like cancer and cardiovascular diseases. It is a
several billion-dollar industry and millions of medical
procedures using medical isotopes are performed annually.
There is a sizable untapped latent demand in the market.
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A self-sufficient plant that generates its own Tritium: Excess
Tritium produced, if any, has a variety of uses and can be
used to supply other fusion devices.
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Integrated fusion-fission hybrid facilities will become a
possibility which would combine the advantages of both forms
of energy which eventually can lead to the development of more
advanced nuclear fuel cycles.
Leading the change
Prof. Prabhat Ranjan
Prof Prabhat Ranjan, Vice-Chancellor, D Y Patil International University (DYPIU), Akurdi, Pune, is the Chief Mentor of Project Sanlayan. He is among the first from India to do Ph.D. in nuclear fusion and has worked in this for nearly two decades in India and US National Labs. He was the project leader of ADITYA Tokamak(a type of nuclear fusion reactor) and SST-1 Tokamak Operation and Control Group and made major contributions to this field. Before joining DYPIU in 2018, he was heading TIFAC, New Delhi – India’s technology think tank under DST, GoI. Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam had served as the Chairman of TIFAC from 1993 to 2001.