Abstracts and Available Papers Presented at the
1996 International RERTR Meeting

STATUS OF REDUCED ENRICHMENT PROGRAM
FOR RESEARCH REACTORS IN JAPAN

Keiji Kanda and Yoshihiro Nakagome

Research Reactor Institute, Kyoto University
Kumatori-cho, Sennan-gun, Osaka 590-04, Japan

and

Masahiko Isshiki, Osamu Baba and Harumichi Tsuruta

Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute
Uchisaiwai-cho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 100, Japan

ABSTRACT

The reduced enrichment programs for the JRR-3, JRR-4 and JMTR of Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute (JAERI), and the KUR of Kyoto University Research Reactor Institute (KURRI) have been partially completed and are still in progress under the Joint Study Program with Argonne National Laboratory (ANL).

The operation of the upgraded JRR-3 (JRR-3M) started in March 1990 with LEU aluminide fuels.

Since May 1992, the two LEU silicide fuel elements have been inserted in the KUR. The safety review application for the full core conversion to use LEU silicide fuels in the JMTR was approved in February of 1992 , and the conversion has been done in January 1994. The safety review of the JRR-4 was just completed aiming at the full core conversion to LEU silicide fuel at the end of FY1997. The Japanese Government approved a cancellation of the KUHFR Project in February 1991, and April 1994 the U.S. Government gave an approval to utilize HEU fuel in the KUR instead of the KUHFR. Therefore, the KUR will be operated with the HEU fuel until 2002.

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