Topic 1:  Fast Breeder Reactor

Why in news?

The commencement of “Core Loading” of India’s first indigenous Fast Breeder Reactor (500 MWe) at Kalpakkam, Tamil Nadu happened on 4rth March.

What is Fast breeder Reactor?

• A breeder reactor is a nuclear reactor that produces more fissile material than it consumes. In a ‘fast’ breeder reactor, the neutrons aren’t slowed, allowing them to trigger specific fission reactions.
• The PFBR (PROTOTYPE FAST BREEDER REACTOR) is designed to produce more Pu-239 than it consumes. It uses liquid sodium, a highly reactive substance, as coolant in two circuits.
• Coolant in the first circuit enters the reactor and leaves with (heat) energy and radioactivity. Via heat-exchangers, it transfers only the heat to the coolant in a secondary circuit. The latter transfers the heat to generators to produce electricity.

What happens in Nuclear Fission? And what’s the role of reactors?

• In nuclear fission, atoms are split apart, which releases energy. All nuclear power plants use nuclear fission, and most nuclear power plants use uranium atoms. During nuclear fission, a neutron collides with a uranium atom and splits it, releasing a large amount of energy in the form of heat and radiation.
• More neutrons are also released when a uranium atom splits. These neutrons continue to collide with other uranium atoms, and the process repeats itself over and over again. This process is called a nuclear chain reaction. This reaction is controlled in nuclear power plant reactors to produce the desired amount of heat.

What is nuclear fussion and is it used for commercial purpose?

• Nuclear energy can also be released in nuclear fusion, where atoms are combined or fused together to form a larger atom. Fusion is the source of energy in the sun and stars.
• Developing technology to harness nuclear fusion as a source of energy for heat and electricity generation is the subject of ongoing research, but whether it will be a commercially viable technology is not yet clear because of the difficulty in controlling a fusion reaction.

Topic 2: WHO  90-70-90 triple pillar intervention for cervical cancer

What is WHO 90-70-90 triple pillar intervention?

The World Health Organization’s strategy outlines a 90-70-90 triple pillar intervention to be implemented by 2030 with an additional focus on high-quality health care and equitable health care services.

The intervention targets are:

• 90% of girls must be fully vaccinated with the HPV vaccine by the age of 15.
• 70% of women must be screened using a high-performance screening test by the age of 35 and again by 45.
• 90% of women detected with cervical pre-cancer and cancer lesions must receive treatment and care.

What is status of HPV vaccination in India?

• The HPV vaccine was introduced in India in 2008. Following extensive country-level studies and successful State-level roll-outs, it was proposed for inclusion in the Universal Immunization Programme in 2023.
• The Health Ministry made an initial announcement to this effect early in 2023, and more recently, the finance minister mentioned it in her Interim Budget speech. The vaccine is now awaiting a national launch.