2007 International RERTR Meeting

Abstracts and Available Papers Presented at the Meeting

Status of Reduced Enrichment Program for Research Reactors in Japan

Hironobu Unesaki
Research Reactor Institute, Kyoto University
Asashiro-nishi 2-1010, Kumatori-cho, Sennan-gun, Osaka 590-0494, Japan

and

Kazunori Ohta, and Takeshi Inoue
Japan Atomic Energy Agency
Shirakata Shirane 2-4, Tokai-mura, Naka-gun, Ibaraki-ken 319-1195, Japan

ABSTRACT

The status of reduced enrichment program for research reactors in Japan will be reviewed. The reduced enrichment programs for the JRR-3M, JRR-4 and JMTR of Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA, former name is Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute (JAERI)) has been completed by 1999, and the reactors are being satisfactory operated using LEU fuels. The KUR of Kyoto University Research Reactor Institute (KURRI) has been partially completed and is still in progress under the Joint Study Program with Argonne National Laboratory (ANL). The JRR-3M using LEU silicide fuel elements have done a functional test by the Japanese Government in 2000, and the property of the reactor core was satisfied. JAEA has established a "U-Mo fuel ad hoc committee" and has been studying the U-Mo fuel installation plan by carefully observing the development situation of the U-Mo fuel. In KURRI, the KUR has terminated its operation using HEU fuel on February 2006. The HEU KUR spent fuel elements will be sent to the U.S. by March 2008. Licensing for the full core conversion of KUR to LEU fuel is under progress and the core conversion to LEU is expected to be completed in 2008.

 

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