Current status of JMTR

Ishihara, Masahiro; Kimura, Nobuaki; Takemoto, Noriyuki; Ooka, Makoto; Kaminaga, Masanori; Kusunoki, Tsuyoshi; Komori, Yoshihiro; Suzuki, Masahide

Proceedings of 5th International Symposium on Material Testing Reactors (ISMTR-5) (Internet), 7 Pages, 2012/10

http://www.murr.missouri.edu/ismtr/papercall/Papers/JAEA/Ishihara_M=1_PAPER_JMTR%20Status.pdf

The JMTR has been utilized for fuel/material irradiation examinations of LWRs, HTGR, fusion reactor as well as for RI productions. The refurbishment of the JMTR was started from the beginning of JFY 2007, and finished in March 2011 as planned schedule. Unfortunately, at the end of the JFY 2010 on March 11, the Great-Eastern-Japan-Earthquake occurred, and functional tests before the JMTR restart were delayed by the earthquake. Moreover, a detail inspection found some damages such as small cracks in the concrete structure, ground sinking around the reactor building. Consequently, the restart will delay from June 2011. Now, the safety evaluation of the facility after the earthquake disaster is being carried out aiming at the restart of the JMTR. The renewed JMTR will be started from JFY 2012 and operated for a period of about 20 years until around JFY 2030. The usability improvement of the JMTR is also discussed with users as the preparations for re-operation.

50-day long-term high-temperature operation was attained by the HTTR of Japan Atomic Energy Agency

Takada, Shoji; Nishihara, Tetsuo; Iyoku, Tatsuo; Nakazawa, Toshio; Komori, Yoshihiro

Nihon Genshiryoku Gakkai-Shi ATOMO, 52(7), P. 387, 2010/07

The 50-day long-term high-temperature operation was successfully attained by the High Temperature Engineering Test Reactor (HTTR) of the Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA), the rated thermal output of 30 MW and the maximum reactor outlet temperature of 950 C, first in the world. The operation was started on January 22 and accomplished on March 13 this year. Many data on the characteristics of reactor core physics and thermal hydraulics, the impurity control in coolant helium gas, the performance of high temperature components and the core internal structure integrity was acquired to establish the HTGR technology basis. The HTGR is expected as a green-house gas emission free heat source of innovative thermo-chemical hydrogen production system. It was demonstrated first in the world that high temperature gas can be stably supplied for long term period. In the next stage, the tests will be carried out to confirm the applicability and the extreme safety performance of HTGR by the HTTR.

JAERI's hot stuff

Sakaba, Nariaki; Tachibana, Yukio; Onuki, Kaoru; Komori, Yoshihiro; Ogawa, Masuro

Nuclear Engineering International, 50(612), p.20 - 22, 2005/07

The HTTR (High Temperature Engineering Test Reactor) at Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute's Oarai Research Establishment attained its maximum reactor-outlet coolant temperature of 950C in April 2004 and ready to connect nuclear heat for industrial applications. The hydrogen production system by thermochemical water-splitting Iodine Sulphur cycle is also developing and succeeded to produce 30 normal L/h hydrogen in a closed cycle in June 2004.

Irradiation experiences and the future plan in the HTTR project

Hayashi, Hideyuki; Sawa, Kazuhiro; Komori, Yoshihiro

Proceedings of International Symposium on Research Reactor and Neutron Science; In Commemoration of the 10th Anniversary of HANARO (HANARO 2005), p.215 - 220, 2005/04

Irradiation experiments for the HTTR fuel development were performed mostly by using Oarai Gas Loop-1 (OGL-1) and capsules in Japan Material Test Reactor (JMTR) of JAERI. Various kinds of researches have been carried out to confirm the integrity of the HTTR fuel. Present status and future plan of the HTTR project were also outlined.

Thermohydraulic design of saturated temperature capsule for IASCC irradiation test

Ide, Hiroshi; Matsui, Yoshinori; Itabashi, Yukio; Komori, Yoshihiro; Nagao, Yoshiharu; Komukai, Bunsaku; Tsuji, Hirokazu; Akimoto, Hajime; Onuki, Akira; Araya, Fumimasa

JAERI-Tech 2002-079, 58 Pages, 2002/10

JAERI-Tech-2002-079.pdf:5.92MB

no abstracts in English

Overview of recent development on irradiation technique for the JMTR

Komori, Yoshihiro; Matsui, Yoshinori; Itabashi, Yukio; Yamaura, Takayuki; Nagao, Yoshiharu

KAERI/GP-195/2002, p.59 - 69, 2002/00

JAERI has been developing irradiation technique and facilities for irradiation tests in the JMTR to improve irradiation capability keeping up with progress of nuclear fuels and materials research. This paper summarizes recent development on irradiation technique for the JMTR. Design study and installation of the IASCC (Irradiation Assisted Stress Corrosion Cracking) irradiation test facility was main and the most urgent task of the field in the last five years since two large projects for IASCC were planned in Japan to start irradiation tests in 2002. Almost four years were devoted to preliminary design study, detail design and installation of the facility, then IASCC irradiation test started in March, 2002. Instrumentation technique and capsules development for other research purposes also have been steadily progressing during the term, and new type of off-line temperature monitor, dual re-instrumentation device and the uniform irradiation capsule became available for the irradiation tests.

New in-pile water loop facility for IASCC studies at JMTR

Tsukada, Takashi; Komori, Yoshihiro; Tsuji, Hirokazu; Nakajima, Hajime; Ito, Haruhiko

Proceedings of International Conference on Water Chemistry in Nuclear Reactor Systems 2002 (CD-ROM), 5 Pages, 2002/00

Irradiation assisted stress corrosion cracking (IASCC) is caused by the synergistic effects of neutron and gamma radiation, residual and applied stresses and high temperature water environment on the structural materials of vessel internals. IASCC has been studied since the beginning of the 1980s and the phenomenological knowledge on IASCC is accrued extensively. However, mainly due to the experimental difficulties, data for the mechanistic understanding and prediction of failures of the specific in-vessel components are still insufficient and further well-controlled experiments are needed [1]. In recent years, efforts to perform the in-pile materials test for IASCC study have been made at some research reactors [2-4]. At JAERI, a high temperature water loop facility was designed to install at the Japan Materials Testing Reactor (JMTR) to carry out the in-core IASCC testing. This report describes an overview of design and specification of the loop facility.

Advanced irradiation experiments technique for nuclear fuels in the JMTR

Komori, Yoshihiro

Saishin Kaku Nenryo Kogaku; Kodoka No Genjo To Tembo, p.241 - 250, 2001/06

no abstracts in English

Overview of refurbishment project of JMTR

Izumo, Hironobu; Hori, Naohiko; Kaminaga, Masanori; Kusunoki, Tsuyoshi; Ishihara, Masahiro; Komori, Yoshihiro; Suzuki, Masahide; Kawamura, Hiroshi

no journal, , 

The refurbishment project of the JMTR was promoted with two subjects, the one was the replacement of reactor components, and the other was the construction of new irradiation facilities. On the replacement of reactor components, an investigation on aged components was carried out, for concrete structures, tanks, tubes in order to identify their integrity. After the investigation, some components were decided to replace from viewpoints of future maintenance and improvement of reliability. On the construction of new irradiation facilities, corresponding to the user's irradiation request, new irradiation facilities, such as for LWRs materials or fuels, were installed. Furthermore, new project was selected in order to install new irradiation facilities, such as for Mo production and PIE equipments. The new JMTR will contribute the promotion on research and development of the nuclear energy from basic to applied fields as an internationally utilized facility.

Current status toward the reoperation of JMTR

Kaminaga, Masanori; Tanimoto, Masataka; Ooka, Makoto; Ishihara, Masahiro; Kusunoki, Tsuyoshi; Komori, Yoshihiro; Suzuki, Masahide

no journal, , 

The Japan Materials Testing Reactor (JMTR) in Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA) is a light water cooled tank type reactor with 50 MW thermal power. From its first criticality in March 1968, the JMTR has been utilized for fuel/material irradiation examinations of LWRs, HTGR, fusion reactor as well as for RI productions. In August 2006, the JMTR operation was once stopped in order to have a check & review for the reoperation which was discussed by internal as well as external committees. As a result of the national discussion, the JMTR was determined, finally, to restart after necessary refurbishment works. The refurbishment was started from the beginning of JFY 2007, and replaced were motors of primary and secondary cooling pumps, nuclear instrumentation system, process control system, safety protection system and so on. The refurbishment was finished in March 2011 taking four years as planned schedule. Unfortunately, at the end of the JFY 2010 on March 11, the Great-Eastern-Japan-Earthquake occurred, and functional tests before the JMTR restart, such as cooling system, reactor control system and so on, were delayed by the earthquake. Moreover, a detail inspection found some damages such as small cracks in the concrete structure. Consequently, the restart of the JMTR will delay from June 2011 to this year. Now, the safety evaluation after the earthquake disaster is being carried out aiming at the restart of the JMTR. The renewed JMTR will be started from JFY 2012 and operated for a period of about 20 years until around JFY 2030. Expected utilization fields after reoperation will be a safety research of LWRs for materials/fuels, basic research for nuclear engineering such as HTGR fuels/materials, fusion reactor materials, industrial use such as production of Mo-99 for medical use, and education & training of nuclear scientists and engineers.