BARC stands for Bhabha Atomic Research Centre. BARC is a nuclear facility in India. Its headquarters is in Mumbai, Maharashtra. BARC is a unit of the Department of Atomic Energy and follows the protocol of R&D( Research and development ) that works towards the betterment of the society by improving technology in agriculture and healthcare care industries.
The main purpose of BARC is to apply nuclear science in power generation.
History:
Dr. Homi Jehangir Bhabha is the man who brought the nuclear program into existence in India in the year 1945 by starting Tata Institute of Fundamental Research( TIFR ) that carried out nuclear science research. Later in the year 1954 AEET( Atomic Energy Establishment, Trombay ) came into existence that worked towards the welfare of the country by expanding the use of Nuclear energy in various fields. After the demise of Dr. Bhabha, the AEET was named as BARC( Bhabha Atomic Research Centre ). Basically, BARC is the head of all the R&D departments that carry out research in Nuclear technologies and industrial development.
Role of Atomic Energy in India:
The main role of BARC is to reduce the use of carbon in the power sector of India. The usage of renewable sources of energy is good for the environment but the supply is not continuous. Hence they cannot be considered as the first option for the power source. However, Nuclear Energy is a continuous source of power with negligible trace of carbon and hence proving to be an essential component for India to meet up the International environmental standards.
Three-Stage Nuclear Power Program of India:
India has an abundance of Thorium but less Uranium supply. To bring this Thorium into use this Three Stage Nuclear Power Program was introduced.
Stage-1 PHWR( Pressurized Heavy Water Reactor ): in this programme, natural uranium is used as a fuel for PHWR for the production of electricity. Meanwhile, it generates Plutonium-239 as a product. PHWR technology became the first option to use uranium since it matched the Indian Infrastructure during the 1960s.
Stage-2 FBR( Fast Breeder Reactor ): Mixed Oxide( MOX )fuel is produced from Plutonium-239 and this MOX fuel is used in FBRs. FBR is typically designed to produce more fuel than it consumes.
Stage-3 TBR( Thorium Based Reactors ): The main purpose of this stage is to attain a better Nuclear Fuel Cycle.
NPT:
NPT( Non-Proliferation Treaty ) is an international treaty whose main purpose is to prevent the use of Nuclear energy in a way that can spoil the relations of the countries with each other by restricting the use of Nuclear weapons and minimizing the spread of the weapon technology. However, India is not a part of this treaty based on discriminatory grounds.
Other Researches:
BARC also conducts other research that include Biotechnology and is successful in developing various high yielding crop varieties and also disease resistant crop varieties.
Homi Bhabha National Institute was started in the year 2005 that encouraged other researchers in basic science as well.
FAQs on BARC Full Form
1. What is the BARC Exam for?
Ans: BARC exam is one of the opportunities for engineering and science graduates. This is a highly reputed research centre that enables the candidates a bright career in the field of nuclear science and technology.
2. Why was NPT Created?
Ans: The Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons treaty was created in March 1970 with the aim of minimizing the spread and use of Nuclear weapons.
3. Which is Better ISRO or BARC?
Ans: ISRO( Indian Space Research Organization ) works in production mode mainly and works towards revenue generation whereas BARC works for the technology development and hence BARC offers more scope in research than ISRO.