Accident-Tolerant Fuel R&D Program in Japan

Yamashita, Shinichiro   ; Mohamad, A. B. ; Ioka, Ikuo  ; Nemoto, Yoshiyuki  ; Kawanishi, Tomohiro; Kaji, Yoshiyuki  ; Osaka, Masahiko  ; Murakami, Nozomu*; Owaki, Masao*; Sasaki, Masana*; Sakamoto, Kan*; Matsunaga, Junji*; Yamaji, Akifumi*; Ota, Hirokazu*

Japan's Accident Tolerant Fuel (ATF) research and development (R&D) program has been conducted since 2015 in cooperation with power plant providers, fuel venders and universities for making the most use of the experiences in R&D, practical design, and evaluations of fuels and cores of commercial Light Water Reactors (LWRs). An overview of the present R&D progress is given, in relation to the role of Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA) in the program. The ATF candidate materials currently under consideration are the following three claddings: the silicon carbide (SiC) composite which is potentially applicable for Pressurized Water Reactor (PWR) and Boiling Water Reactor (BWR), the FeCrAl steel strengthened by dispersion of fine oxide particles (FeCrAl-ODS) for BWR, and Cr-coated zircalloy claddings for PWR. In addition to the cladding materials, R&D on the SiC-made BWR channel box and accident tolerant control rods are also underway.