RAIGIRI NARAYANA JAYARAJ

Mr Jayaraj, the Chief Executive Officer of Nuclear Fuel Complex (NFC), has vast experience in the field of enriched and natural uranium nuclear fabrication, as used in Boiling Water Reactors (BWRs) at Tarapur (TAPS 1 and 2) and in all the Pressurised Heavy Water Reactors (PHWRs) in India.

After obtaining a bachelors degree in mechanical engineering in 1973 from Osmania University, Mr Jayaraj joined the 17th class of the Training School of the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC), Mumbai, for a one-year re-orientation course in nuclear engineering. He then joined the Atomic Fuels Division of BARC where he contributed to the production of metallic uranium fuel assemblies for the CIRUS reactor and the development of production processes for the manufacture of fuel assemblies for the DHRUVA reactor.

After his transfer to Nuclear Fuel Complex, Hyderabad in 1978, he played a key role in establishing the assembly plant for the production of core sub-assemblies required for the Fast Breeder Test Reactor (FBTR). He was instrumental in fabricating and supplying all the core sub-assemblies for the FBTR for the first time in India. In the mid-1980s, he was given responsibility for the production of all the natural uranium dioxide fuel bundles required for India’s PHWRs, meeting the fuel requirements of Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited. As part of this work Mr Jayaraj contributed to the indigenous development of various equipment for critical processes involving welding, machining centres and assembly stations.

He also instigated several process improvements in the uranium dioxide pellet production and fuel bundle fabrication resulting in substantial increases in production recoveries.

Mr Jayaraj played a pioneering role in manufacturing fuel for the recently commissioned 540 MWe reactor at Tarapur, the first of its kind in the country.