MOX fuel utilization in ATR

ATRにおけるMOX燃料の利用

下村 和生*; 川太 徳夫*

not registered; not registered

(目的)ATRにおけるMOX燃料利用実績を海外の原子力開発関係者に対して紹介する際のベース資料とする。(結果の概要)既に公表されている文献のなかから,ATRのMOX燃料利用特性及び原型炉「ふげん」におけるMOX燃料利用実績についてとりまとめた。ATRの役割及びMOX利用特性については,参考文献(動燃職員作成)をベースとして62年6月22日に原子力委員会から出された「原子力開発利用長期計画」の位置付けを加えた。また,「ふげん」のMOX燃料利用実績については,最近の実績データを加えてとりまとめた。(評価)今後,増加すると予想される海外の原子力開発関係者との打合時におけるATRのMOX燃料利用に係る紹介,討議に使用できる。

ATR, a heavy-water moderated boiling-light-water cooled reactor developed in Japan, is a unique reactor with out-standing flexibility regarding nuclear fuel utilization, because it has superior properties concerning the utilization of plutonium, recovered uranium and depleted uranium. The development of this type of reactor is expected to contribute both to the stable supply of energy and to the establishment of plutonium utilization in Japan. Much effort has been and will be made on the development of Plutonium utilization technology in ATR. which is supported by the experience of MOX fuel utilization in the Fugen and by following R&D. (1)Clarifying characteristics of MOX fueled core on reactor physics and thermohydraulics, especially on reactor physics. (2)Clarifying MOX fuel performance. (3)Development of design, fabrication and inspection of MOX fuel. Fugen, which is the prototype reactor of 165 MWe output using plutonium uranium mixed-oxide(MOX) fuel, has been in commercial operation since March 1979, achieving about 60% of average load factor in more than eight years. The potential of MOX fuel has been demonstrated successfully by the operation of the Fugen. A total of 334 MOX and 342 UO fuel assemblies were loaded into the core during ten refuelling times. The maximum burn-up of fuel has reached 18,500 MWd/t and no fuel has failed.