Development plan for coupling technology between high temperature gas-cooled reactor HTTR and Hydrogen Production Facility, 2; Development plan for coupling equipment between HTTR and Hydrogen Production Facility

Mizuta, Naoki ; Morita, Keisuke; Aoki, Takeshi  ; Okita, Shoichiro  ; Ishii, Katsunori  ; Kurahayashi, Kaoru; Yasuda, Takanori; Tanaka, Masato; Isaka, Kazuyoshi; Noguchi, Hiroki  ; Shimizu, Atsushi ; Nomoto, Yasunobu ; Iigaki, Kazuhiko ; Sato, Hiroyuki  ; Sakaba, Nariaki 

High temperature gas-cooled reactor (HTGR) is expected to extend the use of nuclear heat to a wider spectrum of industrial applications such as hydrogen production, high efficiency power generation, etc., due largely to high temperature heat supply capability as well as inherent safe characteristics. Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA) have been contracted by the Agency for Natural Resources and Energy, part of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) of Japan, to conduct its Hydrogen Production Demonstration Project Utilizing Very High Temperature. The primary objective of this project is to establish "coupling technology" between HTGR and hydrogen production facility in accordance with "Green Growth Strategy Through Achieving Carbon Neutrality in 2050". From this fiscal year, JAEA initiated a program to produce hydrogen using an HTTR (High Temperature Engineering Test Reactor) to develop coupling technologies between HTGR and hydrogen production facility required for a massive, cost-effective and carbon-free hydrogen production technology. This paper describes the development plan for coupling equipment which is required for an HTTR heat application test as coupling technologies between an HTTR and a hydrogen production facility. The coupling equipment is composed of a high temperature isolation valve to prevent the ingress of the flammable gas and/or the leakage of radioactive materials for nuclear facility, a secondary helium gas circulator to feed a high temperature helium gas, and a high temperature insulation pipe to transport of a high temperature helium gas from an Internal Heat Exchanger (IHX) to a hydrogen production facility. The development plan of coupling equipment contains each target and draft schedule.