Research and development program on HTTR hydrogen production system

Inagaki, Yoshiyuki; Nishihara, Tetsuo ; Takeda, Tetsuaki; Hayashi, Koji; Inaba, Yoshitomo ; Ohashi, Hirofumi 

JAERI has been promoting R&D on the HTTR Hydrogen Production System (HTTR-H2) with a view to establishing and demonstrating the technology to couple a hydrogen production system with a High Temperature Gas-cooled Reactor. The coupling technology consists of control and safety-related ones. The control technology aims at preventing thermal mismatch between reactor and hydrogen production systems. A simulation test with a mockup model of the HTTR-H2 has been carried out to develop this technology. The safety-related technology includes countermeasures against explosion of combustible gas and tritium permeation from helium gas to process gas, and assurance of pressure boundary between the primary and secondary helium gases and that between the secondary and process gases. As for this technology, design study and components tests are underway.