Nuclear Technology and Energy
Nuclear technology for UPSC — fission and fusion, reactor parts, India's three-stage programme, PFBR, SMRs, liability law, safeguards, radiation uses.
SyllabusGS III · Infrastructure: energy; science and technology — developments and their applications in everyday life
Nuclear energy connects physics, energy security, climate policy and diplomacy. Prelims asks about the basics — what a moderator or control rod does, which isotopes are fissile and which are fertile, how a fast breeder differs from a PHWR, where ITER is — and about India’s institutions and agreements. Mains GS III asks whether nuclear power can support India’s net-zero goal, why the three-stage programme depends on thorium, and what the nuclear liability law means for investment.
Key sub-topics in this chapter
| Sub-topic | What to know |
|---|---|
| Physics | Fission, chain reaction, fissile vs fertile isotopes, enrichment |
| Reactors | Moderator, control rods, coolant; PHWR, LWR, fast breeder; small modular reactors |
| Three-stage programme | Natural uranium → plutonium → thorium/U-233; PFBR at Kalpakkam |
| Governance | AEC, DAE, NPCIL, AERB; Atomic Energy Act 1962; CLNDA 2010 |
| International | 2008 NSG waiver, IAEA safeguards, India–US agreement; NPT and CTBT positions |
| Fusion and radiation uses | ITER, tokamaks; medicine, agriculture and food irradiation |
Start with the topic note, then revise and practise.