New JMTR irradiation test plan on fuels and materials

Nakamura, Takehiko ; Nishiyama, Yutaka ; Chimi, Yasuhiro; Sasajima, Hideo ; Ogiyanagi, Jin ; Nakamura, Jinichi ; Suzuki, Masahide; Kawamura, Hiroshi

In order to maintain and enhance safety of light water reactors in long-term and up-graded operations, proper understanding of irradiation behavior of fuels and materials is essentially important. Japanese government and the Japan Atomic Energy Agency have decided to refurbish the JMTR and to install new tests rigs, in order to play an active role for solving irradiation related issues on plant aging and high-duty uses of the current LWRs and on development of next-generation reactors. New tests on fuel integrity under simulated abnormal transients and high-duty irradiation conditions are planned in the JMTR. Power ramp tests of new design fuel rods will also be performed in the first stage of the program, which is expected to start in year 2011 after refurbishment of the JMTR. Combination of the JMTR tests with simulated reactivity initiated accident tests in the NSRR and loss of coolant accident tests in hot laboratories would serve as the integrated fuel safety research on the high performance fuels at extended burnups, covering from the normal to the accident conditions, including abnormal transients. For the materials irradiation, fracture toughness of reactor vessel steels and stress corrosion cracking behavior of stainless steels are being studied in addition to basic irradiation behavior of nuclear materials such as hafnium. The irradiation studies would contribute not only to solve the current problems but also to identify possible seeds of troubles and to make proactive responses.