Development of operation and maintenance technology for HTGRs by using HTTR (High Temperature engineering Test Reactor)

Abstract

To establish the technical basis of HTGR (High Temperature Gas cooled Reactor), the long term high temperature operation using HTTR was carried out in the high temperature test operation mode during 50-day since January till March, 2010. It is necessary to establish the technical basis of operation and maintenance by demonstrating the stability of plant during long-term operation and the reliability of components and facilities special to HTGRs, in order to attain the stable supply of the high temperature heat to the planned heat utilization system of HTTR. Test data obtained in the operation were evaluated for the technical issues which were extracted before the operation. As the results, it was confirmed that the temperatures and flow rate of primary and secondary coolant were well controlled within sufficiently small deviation against the disturbance by the atmospheric temperature variation in daily. Stability and reliability of the components and facility special to HTGRs was demonstrated through the long term high temperature operation by evaluating the heat transfer performance of high temperature components, the stability performance of pressure control to compensate helium gas leak, the reliability of the dynamic components such as helium gas circulators, the performance of heat-up protection of radiation shielding. Through the long term high temperature operation of HTTR, the technical basis for the operation and maintenance technology of HTGRs was established.