In the early seventies, India was accused by the West of 'stealing' heavy water from Canada. Those were the years when the USA and its allies applied sanctions on India after the 1974 test of a nuclear device at Pokhran. When India was scurrying round the world for meagre quantities of heavy water, the West was in denial mode, and Canada violated terms of collaboration for setting up a heavy water plant in India.

In contrast, today India has emerged as the largest producer of high quality heavy water in the world, and heavy water from India is sought by the many advanced countries because of its quality and price - South Korea, China, even United States research bodies, such as Spectra Gas and Cambridge Isotope Laboratories. The later are astounded over Indian achievements in the sanctified area of nuclear grade heavy water production, and want to dissect the Indian product.

To put the phenomenon in the words of the chairman and CEO of the Heavy Water Board, A.L.N. Rao: “India has emerged as the largest producer of high quality heavy water in the world, operating six heavy water plants, mastering the two leading technologies - bi-thermal hydrogen sulphide-water exchange and mono-thermal ammonia-hydrogen exchange. (In the process) we have also developed the water-ammonia exchange based front-end process for ammonia based heavy water plants, making them independent of fertilizer plants.”

And he adds: “Dr Bhabha's dream of producing cheapest heavy water to not only meet our requirement but also export has been effectively realized by the Heavy Water Board. Consequently, we have successfully met the primary mandate given to HWB with respect to the first phase of the Indian nuclear programme.”

From production of the first drop of heavy water at Nangal in 1962, to the first export of heavy water in 1998 has been an arduous journey - revolution of a sort. How has this been achieved?

Not attempting to overburden the scientific and technological aspects of this great undertaking, some glimpses of this three decades journey may nevertheless be worthwhile. The beginnings of India's heavy water endeavour were modest; it is dedication, and mission mode application by a highly trained manpower with the goal of making India self-sufficient in nuclear grade heavy water production that has brought about the big results.

Technology attainment has come the hard way, in which two distinct phases can be spelt out. With the start-up project for heavy water production with collaboration from Canada left in the dumps after the 1974 Pokhran test, the first generation heavy water plants, had to rest on indigenous capability plus whatever was gained from the short-lived collaboration with Canada. Some first generation plants were based on bi-thermal hydrogen sulphide-water exchange technology. After initial experience, almost in parallel, plants began to be built with foreign assistance based on mono thermal NH2-H2 exchange process

The technical competence generated from design, construction and commissioning of these plants resulted in a sizeable quantum of industrial operation skills and the urge for excellence paved the way for consolidation. In what might be described as a higher phase, the second generation plants were built with larger capacities, and construction was taken up using indigenous design and engineering capabilities.

The core of these experiences is summed up in a report of the HWB, 'Odyssey of Excellence': “Development of heavy water technology in India has gone through a complex process of selection of materials, safety system design, process synthesis, operability studies, analytical science development, and overcoming early limitation of fabrication and infrastructure.”

At present, heavy water production capacity in India is over 500 tons, production being undertaken at six plants. These are situated at Baroda (Gujarat), Kota (Rajasthan), Manuguru (Andhra Pradesh), Hazira (Gujarat), Thal (Maharashtra) and Talcher (Orissa). In addition, a seventh plant at Tuticorin (Tamil Nadu), is being utilized for R&D work and diversification activities.

Dr A.L. N. Rao says: “On moving from concept to commissioning and then to consolidation, we have increased the production of heavy water more than the rated capacities. No less significant, we have reduced specific energy consumption considerably. (Thus), we have scaled new peaks in the areas of productivity, capacity utilization, energy conservation, safety and environmental protection.”

Significantly, HWB is advancing further to activities of diversification to meet the emerging needs of the second phase of the Indian nuclear programme. Among the latest achievements is commissioning of Boron enrichment plants at Talcher and Manuguru, and Elemental Boron Plant at Manuguru.

A bright vista has opened up pushing HWB's creative work to a new high. “With the confidence gained in the solvent extraction process of rare metal recovery from wet phosphoric acid at bench scale, a Technology Demonstration Plant is being set up. This will also give additional confidence to the fertilizer industry that there will not be any change in the characteristics of phosphatic fertilizer, after the rare metal is recovered from phosphoric acid,” says Dr Rao. HWB has capped these achievements by entering into MoU with external agencies for transfer of Flue Gas Conditioning Technology patented by the HWB. (IPA Service)