Operation, test, research and development of the High Temperature Engineering Test Reactor (HTTR) (FY2020)

Department of HTTR

The High Temperature Engineering Test Reactor (HTTR) is the first High Temperature Gas-cooled Reactor (HTGR) constructed in Japan at the Oarai Research and Development Institute of the Japan Atomic Energy Agency with 30MW in thermal power and 950C of maximum outlet coolant temperature. The purpose of the HTTR is establishment of basic HTGR technologies, demonstration of HTGR safety characteristics and so on. The HTTR has had a lot of experience of HTGRs' operation and maintenance throughout rated power operations, safety demonstration tests, long-term high temperature operations and demonstration tests relevant to HTGRs' R&Ds. In the fiscal year 2020, we continued to make effort to restart of the HTTR that stopped since the 2011 off the Pacific coast of Tohoku Earthquake. On 3rd June 2020, we obtained permission to the New Regulatory Requirements which make great progress toward the restart of the HTTR. This report summarizes the activities carried out in the fiscal year 2020, which were the situation of the New Regulatory Requirements screening of the HTTR, the operation and maintenance of the HTTR, R&Ds relevant to commercial-scale HTGRs, the international cooperation on HTGRs and so on.