Physical sciences form the basis of the development of nuclear technology. Progress in deployment of new energy sources24 such as ADS and fusion is dependant on the developments in physical sciences. The basic research in physical sciences to be taken up in the coming years falls in three broad categories: nuclear physics, high-energy physics, astrophysics; atomic, molecular & cluster physics, plasma physics; condensed matter physics and are summarized as such.

Excellent work on string theories, quantum gravity and standard model is going on in the Department. There is also a very fruitful international collaboration on high-energy experiments with CERN, KEK, Fermilab and others. All this needs strengthening. New computational initiatives on lattice QCD and grid computing need full support. In low energy nuclear physics, excellent work is being done and planned on existing and upcoming facilities like Pelletron accelerator with linac booster and positive ion injector in Mumbai, VEC and superconducting cyclotron in Kolkata. However, for an investigation of nuclei far from stability, an exciting new area of research, it is necessary to have a dedicated radioactive ion beam facility with E ~ 5-10 MeV/A.

The nuclear landscape (including region of super heavy elements) which can be explored with proposed radioactive ion beam facility

In the high-energy nuclear physics experiments, there is an excellent ongoing international collaboration for the study of signatures of quark gluon plasmas (QGP) at RHIC, LHC, which should be strengthened. With the discovery of neutrino mass and neutrino oscillations, neutrino research is taking off again and the Department should undertake the task of setting up the Indian Neutrino Observatory (INO) for the study of atmospheric neutrinos; this facility may also be used for long baseline physics studies with neutrinos produced in accelerators from Japan, CERN and USA.

Among the ongoing programmes in astrophysics, the study of gamma rays in the 20-100 GeV range using the MACE telescope and the cosmic ray studies looking for signatures of antimatter using satellite based detectors are worthy of full support. A proposal dedicated to a search for WIMPS (weakly interacting massive particles as a possible explanation of the missing mass of the universe) using underground cryogenic detectors is novel.

Intense magnetic field pulse created by a short pulse laser with intensity of 1016 W cm-2 at TIFR. This experiment has led to the first estimate of the anomalous slowing down of fast electrons produced by the laser, by collective plasma processes, a topic of interest in fast ignition fusion (Phys. Rev. Lett. 89, 225002-1-4(2002)).

In the area of atomic, molecular and plasma physics, the emphasis of the new proposals was on the study of matter under extreme conditions. A major area proposed was the study of matter subjected to intense short laser pulses with intensities in the range of 1021 watts/cm2. Excellent work with nano-second and sub pico-second lasers at lower powers is already going on at TIFR, CAT, BARC and other institutions. The new proposal requires the acquisition and utilization of peta-watt lasers (e.g. 20 joules, 20 femto-second, tens of hertz facility) for intense laser matter interaction studies25 . In this regime of parameter space, one may study relativistic hydrodynamics of the electron fluid, production of super-intense magnetic fields in the 100 mega-gauss range, production of intense gamma ray fluxes by bremsstrahlung radiation from MeV electrons, generation of intense ion currents which may be used to produce thermonuclear fusion neutrons etc., with applications to fast ignition fusion, photo-transmutation of nuclear waste and plasma based particle accelerators.

Synchrotron radiation source, Indus-I set up at CAT, Indore

The generation of ultra-high magnetic fields (up to 30 mega-gauss in significant volumes) using magnetic flux compression by pulsed power techniques was a second area proposed in this group. This may be used for systematic EOS and other condensed matter studies of important materials.

A third area that was proposed was the production of ultra-cold atoms for a study of Bose-Einstein Condensate (BEC) state in the laboratory. Aside from a fundamental study of matter waves, vortices and atomic fountains, these atoms have many potential applications in precision instruments like atomic gyroscopes and inertial sensors, frequency standards and clocks and quantum computers.

Yet another major area proposed in this category was the study of complexity and turbulence of nonlinear systems26 using modern simulation techniques. There were also interesting proposals on cryptography for guarding strategic and commercial information using concepts based on classical chaos and quantum cryptographic methods.

Condensed matter research today extends beyond a study of perfect crystalline solids and includes the study of amorphous and polymeric systems, complex fluids, super-molecular aggregates and artificially structured materials. The study of correlated electron systems exhibiting high temperature superconductivity and materials exhibiting colossal magneto-resistance like manganites is of great interest. Manganites, in which electron spin couples sensitively to external perturbations like magnetic fields and electromagnetic radiation open up the technological possibility of “spintronics” i.e. electronics with spin polarized electrons, and should be actively investigated. Study of novel materials under extreme conditions like intense magnetic fields, high pressures and low temperatures is crucial and appropriate facilities to carry out such work need to be set up.

Another major area of condensed matter proposals is that on the study of electronic properties, structure, dynamics and magnetism using synchrotrons, neutrons and accelerators. There are proposals for setting up new specialized beam-lines on INDUS 1 and 2 facilities (e.g. generation of femto-second X-ray pulses for ultra-short dynamical studies), a spallation neutron source and an accessory solid state lab to a low energy RIB source for material science studies. Low-dimensional materials (materials confined in one or two dimensions) are being actively studied in DAE because optical, magnetic, thermal and electrical properties of these materials change drastically from that of the bulk; better material growth and characterization facilities are required to keep us in the forefront.

Studies on soft condensed matter like membranes, ferro-fluids and surfactant based self organized assemblies is one of the active areas of research at the present time. Many proposals dealing with these topics at the fundamental and applied levels have been made. A case in point is the study of synthesis and characterization of 3D photonic band gap materials. Soft condensed matter studies have also led to the study of biological systems27 using physical methods. The study of structure and dynamics of biological macromolecules (DNA, proteins) using well known techniques like AFM, STM, neutrons, SNOM, Raman is yielding a wealth of information, and DAE should take up this new interdisciplinary field in a big way.

Chemical Sciences

Today, the frontier of chemistry is highly interdisciplinary in nature and is expected to grow symbiotically with technological innovations. The challenges are to develop capabilities for fundamental understanding and process control at molecular level at a time scale ranging from 10-18 second to few hundreds of seconds essentially capturing events of electronic motion to enzyme reactions in living organism. Development of the-state-of-the-art experimental facilities and various first principles based computational techniques are essential requirements. It is a dream for chemists to control chemical processes and modify the events following bond/mode or isotope selective chemistry in gas phase. This understanding is useful in the area of photochemical laser isotope separation. A vibrational photon echo set up will enhance our capability to study the real time (10-15 second) dynamics of hydrogen bonding that provides information on structure and dynamics of DNA. Single molecule spectroscopy facility will be developed to work at the ultimate sensitivity level of a single molecule. The dynamics of the local and global changes of a protein molecule will be captured and this will also be applied to understand the mechanism of a molecular machine. The mechanism of water splitting by visible photon is still a puzzle. It is envisaged to design molecules through molecular modelling that mimic basic aspects of photosynthesis in an artificial system that follows nature’s way and with greater efficiency.

Several such molecules will be allowed to assemble in a specific fashion so that the efficiency to capture solar energy becomes very large. It is also proposed to look for the possibility of these artificial systems for water splitting and produce hydrogen, a fuel for the future. For solar energy harvesting, it is also envisaged to use dye sensitized quantum dots to arrest back electron transfer process and to increase the overall efficiency of the device. Chemistry in a liquid drop (<100 nm) is a fascinating area. It is envisaged to make a dielectric barrier discharge set up and study the degradation of several atmospherically relevant organic toxic systems in the droplet form. It is also planned to look for the possibility of developing herbal drugs for radio and photo dynamic therapy. To study the early events of the interaction of radiation with matter, it is proposed to develop a laser based sub-pico second electron accelerator.

Understanding at molecular level will lead to design of new materials with technological importance. Despite great progress having been made in the past decades, there is considerable scope for development of new materials with tailored properties as well as exploration of new and environment friendly synthetic routes. This necessitates learning from nature’s processes such as self assembly of molecules and exploiting the knowledge of coordination chemistry to engineer materials at molecular level. Nano-structured materials display modified material properties.

The molecules will be assembled in a dendrimer fashion. The yellow balls refer to individual model molecule.

Special emphasis will be given for synthesis of nano-ceramics, with an eye on nano-ionics and solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs)28 , to obtain tailored powder properties such as dispersity and sinterability. Molecular engineering of materials or control of structure at molecular level provides scope for fascinating chemistry. The challenges are in devising strategies such as self-assembly of amphiphilic molecules that offers scope for producing, amongst others, biocompatible materials, super-lattice of nano-materials and drug delivery systems. Development of theoretical tools for tailoring material properties is another thrust area for the future. The challenge is to develop expertise in meso-scopic and continuum domain to predict the properties of real materials. With materials reaching nano-scopic domain and device sizes shrinking, there is search for new characterization tools. Positron annihilation spectroscopy with mono-energetic slow positron pulsed beam provides unique advantages to carry out electronic-structural characterization of bulk materials as well as ultra thin films. It is envisaged to develop an intense slow positron pulsed beam using an electron linac (100 MeV). It would facilitate study of unexplored areas in positron chemistry. New positron spectroscopies analogous to electron spectroscopies can be developed, offering added advantages. In addition, it will be a challenge to make the positron-NDT a reality. In functional materials, nonlinear optical materials with tailored properties can be prepared through coordination chemistry by modifying the ligands as well as the metal ions and their oxidation states. Catalysts play an important role in a variety of chemical processes. The challenges envisaged are synthesis of oxides, bi-metallics, nano-structured catalysts in micro and meso-porous hosts. In addition, understanding the processes at atomic and molecular level would help design better catalysts.

In the area of materials analysis, the future outlook is miniaturization, automation and search for problem-specific and inexpensive solutions instead of general-purpose machines. It is envisaged to develop facilities and accreditation services, calibration and supply of primary standards, which will have an impact on trade metrology and measurement standards in India. The chemical sensors for detecting trace level elements stand out as a good alternative, which offers inexpensive and problem-specific solutions. These sensors are envisaged to have the selective reagents along with the optical signal generating phosphor materials. Mass spectrometers are an important component of analytical sciences. It is envisaged to couple diode lasers to RIMS that will offer cheaper and element-specific solutions. RIMS has a sensitivity to detect elements as low as femto-gram level and it is envisaged to utilize this potential to generate spectroscopic data even for radioactive materials which will be useful for laser isotope separation. Value addition to the existing capabilities for compositional characterization in terms of methods such as neutron induced prompt gamma measurement & other hyphenated techniques, and, materials will be a logical step to improve upon the present capabilities. Although it remains a dream to produce super heavy elements, it is envisaged to produce and study the chemical properties of trans-Fermiums using the existing and upcoming (RIB) accelerators in India.

In-pile section of the proposed CLIPS loop

The chemistry, related to nuclear reactor operations, offers challenges to minimize out of core radiation and waste generation as well as to control localized corrosion in steam generator circuits. This necessitates search for unique composition of oxides, understanding mechanistic aspects of activity transport, in-pile studies and development of Lomi based formulations and decontamination procedures for decommissioning. The chemistry specifications for PHWRs are optimized for magnetite on carbon steel surfaces and not for other oxides or nickel ferrites, which are also present in the system. It is envisaged to find a composition of an oxide for which the solubility is low and invariant for at least one pH unit and the temperature coefficient of solubility is small. Understanding the kinetic and mechanistic aspects of activity transport is essential for reactor operation and efforts are required to generate the relevant data in India. Similarly, for better understanding of the material- environment interactions in the core region and to develop in-pile monitoring tools, need for a corrosion loop for in-pile studies (CLIPS) is envisaged. In order to avoid difficulties with in situ preparation in large quantities, it is envisaged to develop a technology to prepare solid state Lomi. Decontamination procedures based on gel and foam-based methodologies and electro- decontamination techniques for decommissioning are future thrust areas. A systematic study to understand the crevice chemistry based on hide-out return data, molar ratio control methods and development of monitoring probes (pH and redox), crevice sampling system and a crevice concentration computer code are some of the thrust areas and essential requirements. Lead-Bismuth-eutectic is an attractive coolant for reactor systems29 and needs to be studied. Metal imprinted polymers have potential to impart specificity and selectivity to the radioactive metal ions. This has wide applications in decommissioning and decontamination, and, can be used for extraction of uranium as well as sensors. Imprinted inorganic ion exchangers or filters in the form of nano-particles with/without electrochemically-assisted mode of operation are believed to have selective and improved efficiency. These areas are envisaged to be future thrust areas in radioactive waste reprocessing. It is envisaged to develop a thin film differential scanning calorimeter for heat capacity measurements above 2000oC to understand the fuel behaviour under reactor transient conditions.

Biological Sciences

Biological science is poised to dominate basic research in the 21st century on account of the tremendous promise of genome research for the improvement of human and animal health, agricultural production and conservation of biological diversity and environment. Dramatic developments in genomics, proteomics and metabolomics have helped in obtaining a holistic picture of life processes. The information thus obtained could be used appropriately to manipulate these processes. The knowledge of organization of large protein complexes into supra-molecular structures has led to the concept of ‘systems biology’ wherein the biological organism is looked upon as an ensemble of molecular machines associated in a modular manner. At the same timeiversified responses. Radiation exposure is an abiotic stress and diseases like cancer, malaria etc. cause b the living beings are constantly facing various biotic and abiotic stresses in response to which they have evolved diotic stress.

Nude mouse models for gene therapy of oral cancer (squamous cell carcinoma of Pyriform Fosa and HSV/tk-GCV strategy)

DAE institutions have programmes to understand mechanisms underlying such responses in a variety of systems.

One major programme is on the study of cancer types among Indian population which are different from their counterparts elsewhere. A high throughput analytical facility is proposed to be set up to reveal the genes whose altered expression would lead to tumorigenesis. This information will be used to generate conditional knockout and transgenic mouse models for unique Indian cancers. Further, the knowledge of inter-connected pathways driven by genetic and environmental factors will help in arriving at newer methods for treatment of cancers. The studies will also include the use of molecular imaging. It is recommended that the animal house facility at ACTREC and BARC be upgraded for development and maintenance of conditional knockouts and transgenic mouse models. Models developed will help to understand the mechanism of cancer induction and in screening as well as pharmacological analysis of anticancer drugs. These facilities could be used by other DAE institutions.

Transgenic mice generated by injecting pK14-EF into single cell embryos to study squamous cell carcinoma

Two specific areas in radiation biology are to be investigated to understand their mechanisms and implications to assessment of radiation risk at low doses. These are 1) bystander effects wherein non-hit target cells are affected as a consequence of as yet unknown signals from ‘hit’ cells or targets, and 2) genomic instability wherein genetic damage is manifested several generations of cells later. Studies on the populations living in high-level natural background radiation areas (HLNBRA) are to be continued using new sensitive techniques such as MFISH for assessment of cluster damages, inter-phase cyto-genetics and investigations on mutations in certain genes involved in congenital malformations. Another area of interest is the reconstitution of the immune system impaired by radiotherapy or chemotherapy using either stem cells from peripheral blood or bone marrow (including those genetically engineered to produce chemokines) or syngenic or allogenic peripheral blood lymphocytes with attendant studies on their homeostatic proliferation. The search for modulators of radiation injury-radioprotectors from medicinal plants would continue.

Studies aimed at understanding the basis of tolerance to osmotic, salt and radiation stresses in prokaryotic organisms such as Cyanobacteria and Deinococcus radiodurans would be carried out to identify and characterize two component systems consisting of a sensor protein kinase and a response regulator protein and to recognize the downstream genes that are regulated using high throughput gene array or proteomic analytical systems. Efforts will be made to reveal mechanisms for radiation resistance in Deinococcus radiodurans. Novel metabolites involved in oxidative stress tolerance would be searched by a metabolomic approach. Protein-protein and protein-DNA interactions will be studied using techniques like CRYO-TEM, FRET and DLS.

The X-ray crystallographic analysis of proteins would be used for drug designing and identification of target molecules. The investigations will include HIV proteases, proteins controlling life cycle in malaria parasite and certain toxins eg. ribosome inactivating protein for cancer treatment. The recent success in localizing the peptide substrate of the HIV protease in its active site is one important step in this direction.

Given the strength of DAE institutions in physics (optics), computers and biological sciences, there is a proposal to set up bio-photonics laboratories at TIFR and CAT with a large core activity in developing new techniques in microscopy and laser micro-manipulation. An auxiliary set of commercial instruments whose capabilities would be significantly augmented by technical innovation in the proposed laboratory would also be required. TIFR has developed a multi-photon microscope and combined it with single molecule fluorescence tools. CAT has expertise in optical tweezing. Using such techniques, several basic questions will be addressed. Some of these are related to neurobiology like a) direct on-line assay for nature and level of differentiation of neuronal stem cells, b) transport of cargo by motor proteins in the neurons, c) interaction of neurons with small toxic aggregates etc. while others like supra-molecular organization of multi-enzyme complexes of photosynthetic CO2 fixation will provide evidence for the modular organization in biological systems in support of the leading edge concept of system biology.

Mathematical and Computer Sciences

A new paradigm for understanding natural phenomena in terms of discrete approaches is now emerging. Investigations into the fundamental nature of computation have raised intriguing questions about understanding randomness, about what could be the right notion of computability by physical devices, about information dynamics, about biological computation etc. While continuum descriptions of nature based on differential equations have been dominant over the past three centuries, the impact of computation has opened up new computational ways of modelling and analyzing nature. In statistical mechanics, computational biology, robotics, and several engineering disciplines such models are offering new insights. The promotion of research into this emerging area by the DAE, with its emphasis on technology leadership based on basic sciences, was proposed.

The problem of computation in the presence of partial information or uncertainty was emphasized. Design of algorithms for agents, which can compete or cooperate with each other remains a major challenge in the theory of computation. Such situations are typically game theoretic, and the interplay of game theory and computing science will be beneficial in both directions: distributed computing has to offer many foundational insights for the study of games of imperfect information, and at the same time, reasoning about strategies offers new computational models to algorithm theory. Such a combination would also open up novel avenues for computational modelling and analysis of social interactions, an area where mathematics has met with little success so far.

The importance of research into complex systems, whose properties cannot be explained simply in terms of their constituent parts, was emphasized, both as a challenging theoretical problem and as being vital for national development. The advantage of complex systems research is that it allows scientists from different subjects, but working on the same (or similar) phenomenon to come together, as often, the same principles are at work in apparently different systems. For example, network dynamics offers insights to the design principles for robust networks, which apply to systems as diverse as the internet, biochemical networks and ecological food webs. Developing expertise in such systems-level thinking is essential as the focus of scientific research is shifting towards understanding the complexity generated through interaction among simpler elements (e.g., the complexity of the human body generated by interaction of only ~ 30,000 genes).

Execution sequence of job in grid environment at VECC

New directions of research in theoretical computer science to be undertaken in the DAE institutes were outlined. Some of these are motivated by the advent of the world wide web and mobile communication, which make the nature of computation increasingly distributed and mobile. The proposed research directions envisage a synergy of areas like game theory, information theory with the theory of computation. Another area of research for the future is the application of discrete models in the sciences: these models are offering new insights in computational biology, statistical mechanics, and robotics among other areas.

There is a lot of ongoing activity at Saha Institute of Nuclear Physics, Kolkata, exploring problems from unconventional areas such as economics using techniques of physics under the title of econo-physics and other cross-disciplinary areas. Phenomena being investigated include, e.g., how the observed income distribution in society can be explained in terms of interactions between individual agents. Using tools from statistical mechanics and nonlinear dynamics, there is a sustained attempt to answer such questions of obvious importance that have so far resisted quantitative treatment. In view of this, a centre for multidisciplinary research at SINP was proposed, with special focus on research in econo-physics and complex networks.

Engineering Sciences including Material Science and Surface Engineering

Research in engineering sciences has to be pursued with the objective of achieving improved performance (both economic and safety) of nuclear facilities, development of advanced materials and technologies for the new energy systems and fuel cycle facilities. This calls for synergistic developments in various core areas such as process engineering, thermal sciences, material science and structural engineering. The effort should be towards development of better and efficient processes for chemical reactions and heat and mass transfer, advanced materials for better performance and safety, novel procedures, modelling techniques and devices for structural safety.

Novel heat transfer devices

Development of safe and economic processes for handling of radioactive and hazardous chemicals, high temperature catalytic reactions in both the front and the back end of the nuclear fuel cycle is an important requirement. This can be achieved through development of micro-structured chemical reactors, selective adsorbents and solvents though molecular modelling techniques, size and parameter control in a fluidized bed, improved liquid-liquid separation process using electric and acoustic field assisted coalescence, membrane filtration of dispersions methods etc. Development of energy efficient processes for 3He separation is another major challenge. It is proposed to use laser based isotope separation, chromatography etc. to realize the separation at a higher temperature.

There is a need to enhance the efficiency in heat and mass transfer processes using novel devices such as micro-channels, boiling enhanced surfaces, pulsating devices etc. This will lead to significant developments in the clad design of PHWRs, and new efficient and miniaturized heat transfer equipments. Quantifying and controlling the thermo-hydraulics instabilities in natural circulation flows is very important and modeling techniques need to be developed for this purpose. COP of heat pumps and compressors can be improved by substituting compressors with electric field assisted fluid flow.

The development of seismic-safe structures is realizable through the use of novel energy absorbing and isolating devices, active and passive vibration control mechanisms, use of lead and carbon fibers, corrosion resistant reinforcement in concrete etc. Development of advanced concrete having more than 100 years of service life is an important task. Structural vulnerability to earthquake should be quantified through the use of past database, use of advanced site-specific hazard spectra and risk-based information system. Health monitoring technologies need to be deployed to ensure structural safety.

Advanced material development-goals

The response and safety of structures under hydrogen assisted blast, aircraft and missile impact and other extreme loading scenarios need to be predicted through the use of advanced modelling. Towards this end, the development of computer based codes considering large strain, high strain rate etc. is extremely important. Different modules for predicting the damage and performance of materials and structures under irradiation creep, fatigue and other loading conditions, for modelling of fracture and fragmentation of structures through the use of smooth particle hydrodynamics (SPH), for optimizing metal forming using finite volume method (FVM), for predicting argon bubble entrainment in sodium, thermal striping, thermo-mechanical fatigue etc. will be developed. The material properties at high strain rates need to be determined through experiments, such as drop tower, gas gun, and gelatin blast in confined geometries.

Advanced materials and technologies are needed for future energy systems and spent fuel reprocessing and waste management plants. We need to focus in the future on the following key materials and technologies: core and structural materials with refined and new alloy compositions for optimum performance in thermal, fast and advanced reactors; functionally graded coatings and structures; multi-layer coatings; damage tolerant materials; super-hard materials and their coatings; hydrogen storage materials (carbon nano-tubes, metal hydrides etc.); framework solids; high performance materials for solid oxide fuel cells (SOFC); universal nuclide traps etc. Functional materials for electronic, thermal, magnetic and optical applications with improved performance need to be developed for reactor, reprocessing, laser and accelerator applications. Thorium based inter-metallics and alloys in place of ThO2 will be developed for fuel design, and thorium production will be attempted through self-propagating heat synthesis (SHS) method and fused salt electrolysis route.

Proposed centralized material testing facility

Mechanical alloying with hot iso-static press (HIP) and hot extrusion, self-propagating high temperature synthesis, nano-structuring, laser technology and plasma processing microwave techniques are some of the emerging techniques for developing advanced materials. Back-end structural materials with high corrosion resistance (nitric acid grade stainless steels, high nitrogen steels, nickel based and titanium based alloys), in situ technologies, electrode materials, multiple corrosion sensors, titanium-based nitric acid loop are some of the key areas where developments are essential.

Joining techniques for advanced materials, establishing modelling techniques and ensuring structural integrity and programmes aimed at life prediction should be pursued vigorously. Welding of D9I, Ni-base and other alloys, and establishing ceramic-metal, carbon composite joining, repair welding & structural integrity assessment for life extension of welded reactor components and establishing new welding processes will be pursued. Computational intelligence based expert welding system for in situ repair, and welding of irradiated materials will be developed based on the knowledge-base and expertise available.

Key coatings and technologies to be pursued for excellence in properties include: super hard coatings of DLC, c-BN, b-C3N4, multi-layer TiN/MN, and their nano-composite, Al2O3-SiO2, Cr2O3, inter-metallic coating over refractory materials for application in eutectic Pb-Bi medium for ADS and CHTR, in situ and remote repair (‘electro-sleeve’) of steam generator (SG) tubes with nano-crystalline nickel deposition, and “super-cell” models to predict interface adhesion/structure/bonding for coatings. A surface engineering centre, residual stress determination facility and a computation based intelligent welding system are the major infrastructure/equipment to be established in near future.

It is proposed to establish experimental facilities to generate data on our own fuel and clad materials under postulated accident conditions of loss of coolant accident (LOCA) and reactivity initiated accidents (RIA). These facilities will include experimental set ups for (a) clad oxidation, (b) thermal shock resistance, (c) clad ballooning and bursting, (d) high temperature creep testing, (e) fuel-clad chemical interaction and (f) fission product release at high temperatures during accident conditions. The focus will be on testing irradiated fuel and clad material and these facilities will be housed inside hot cells. It is planned to shift post irradiation examination (PIE) to the reactors and spent fuel storage pools. Using research and operating reactors for irradiation would expand the data on irradiated materials. Separate materials testing reactor facilities (MTRF) for thermal and fast reactors would boost to our efforts to generate data on irradiated structural and fuel materials and qualify newer materials for use in reactors.

To ensure industrial safety, it is necessary to study buoyancy driven systems and there is a need to set up a National Fire Test Facility. This could be done at an institute outside DAE under funding from BRNS. As the use of hydrogen as an energy carrier spreads, it would become necessary to study all aspects of hydrogen combustion & detonation.

To improve performance of materials in the primary heat transport (PHT) system of reactors, it is proposed to develop zirconium based alloys which will be more resistant to irradiation, corrosion and hydrogen damage. Alloys chemistry, microstructure and texture for fuel clad and pressure tube applications will be optimized. Making stainless steels more resistant to irradiation damage would allow longer life of stainless steel components in the core of light water reactors. This will be attempted by controlling the nature of grain boundaries and alloying with elements with larger atomic size. Re-circulation systems will be established to test stress corrosion under simulated PHT conditions. This facility will be used to qualify indigenous structural materials as well as newer materials and fabrication techniques for use in reactors. The general corrosion of materials in PHT is proposed to be controlled by developing insulative oxides, spinel oxides by laser ablation deposition process and use of nano-grained materials. The multi-scale materials modelling will allow modelling at different length and time scales and provide important materials behaviour properties. While we will move from atomic to meso-scale in modelling, the emphasis will shift from macro to micro to atomic level in experimental techniques. Corrosion testing will be developed on a micro scale.

Carbon aerogel providing large surface area per unit weight of material has been produced at lab scale in CAT. This has several potential applications30 including for desalination and demineralization and for use as an ion exchange medium. Aerogel can also be used as a support base for catalysts like metallic platinum for hydrogen-water isotope exchange.

Hydrogen-water isotope exchange process has the potential of producing heavy water at almost half the present cost. In case of additional requirement of heavy water, this technology including development of catalyst need to be pursued. Stable isotopes like 13C, 18O, 28Si have use in life sciences as well as industry and appropriate production facility need to be set up to meet the demand.