IAEA-TECDOC-436 GAS-COOLED REACTORS AND THEIR APPLICATIONS PROCEEDINGS OF A TECHNICAL COMMITTEE MEETING GAS-COOLEN O D REACTOR THEID SAN R APPLICATIONS ORGANIZED BY THE INTERNATIONAL ATOMIC ENERGY AGENCY AND HELD IN JÜLICH, 20-23 OCTOBER 1986 A TECHNICAL DOCUMENT ISSUED BY THE INTERNATIONAL ATOMIC ENERGY AGENCY, VIENNA, 1987 GAS-COOLED REACTOR THEID SAN R APPLICATIONS IAEA, VIENNA, 1987 IAEA-TECDOC-436 Printe IAEe th Austri An i y d b a October 1987 FOREWORD Technological development r gas-coolefo s d reactor present a e ar st bein C(>2-cooler gfo larga carrieK n U o e e t scaldth ou d Advancen i e d Gas-Cooled Reactors Higr (AGRsfo h d Temperatur)an e Gas-Cooled Reactors (HTGRs) in the Federal Republic of Germany, United States of America, Japan and USSR. l programmeAl directee sar d towards constructio plantsf o n e Th . mose th t r advancefa y b s i d programmK efforU e th t n witi e h several commercial Hagnox Reactor and Advanced Gas-Cooled Reactor units in operatio d furthean n re constructio th AGR n i s r commissionino n g phase. HTGRs are in operation in the USA and in the Federal Republic of Germany. Othe R specifirHT c wor beins ki g carrieAustrian i t ou d , China and Switzerland. At the IAEA the International Working Group on Gas-Cooled Reactors (IWGGCR bees )ha n establishe 197n i d 8 in order to promote an exchange of information on gas-cooled reactor developmen stimulato t d tan e international cooperation framewore th n I . k f thio s working group, other countrie e followinar s developmene th g f to GCR technology in order to investigate its possible benefits for national energy supply e IWGGCTh .recommendes Rha Agence th conveno o t yt d e this Technical Committe Gas-Coolen eo d Reactor theid an s r Applications, which s attendewa mory b d e tha0 participant20 n s fro countrie5 2 m d an s International Organizations. Agence Th gratefus i yGovernmene th Federao e lt th f to l Republif o c Germany and to the Nuclear Research Centre Jiilich for their hospitable and efficient arrangements. This volume contain paperl al s s presente meetinge th t a d . EDITORIAL NOTE preparingIn this materialpress,the International the for staff of Atomic Energy Agency have mounted paginatedand originalthe manuscripts submittedas authorsthe givenby and some attention presentation.the to The views expressed papers,the statementsin the general the made and style adoptedare the responsibility of the named authors. The views do not necessarily reflect those of the govern- ments of the Member States or organizations under whose auspices the manuscripts were produced. The use in this book of particular designations of countries or territories does not imply any judgement publisher,the legalby the IAEA, to the status as suchof countries territories,or of their authorities and institutions or of the delimitation of their boundaries. The mention specificof companies theirof or products brandor names does implynot any endorsement or recommendation on the part of the IAEA. Authors are themselves responsible for obtaining the necessary permission to reproduce copyright material from other sources. Please be aware that all the Missing Pages thin i s document were originally blank pages CONTENTS Introductio Summard nan y ..................................................................................7 . OVERVIE STATUE TH GAS-COOLEF F WSO O D REACTORD SAN THEIR PROSPECTS (Session A) Magnox reactor advanced an s d gas-cooled reactors ...................................................1 1 . A.F. Pexton High temperature gas-cooled reactors ..................................................................... 29 SchultenR. EXPERIENCE WITH GAS-COOLED REACTORS (Sessio) nB Development of a high output AGR ....................................................................... 43 B.A. Keen Technical evolution and operation of French CO2 cooled reactors (UNGG) ...................... 53 Y. Berthion Fort St. Vrain performance ................................................................................. 61 H.L. Brey AYR experience ............................................................................................... 71 E. Ziermann THTR operation — The first year ......................................................................... 99 D. Schwarz DESCRIPTION OF CURRENT GCR PLANT DESIGNS (Session C) Restoratio CEGa f no B Magnox reacto fulo t r l power ...............................................l Il . R.J. Paynter, B.J. Roberts, P. T. Sawbridge The modular high-temperature gas-cooled reactor (MHTGR) ........................................ 123 A.J. Neylan Status of gas-cooled reactor development in the USSR ................................................ 135 V.N. Grebennik The nuclear electricity and heat generation using the VG-400 reactor ............................. 141 V.V. Bulygin, V.E. Vorontsov, V.N. Grebennik, E.M. lonov, A.N. Protsenko, A.Ya. Stolyarevskij, S.V. Shishkin, Yu.K. Panov Current status of research and development of HTGR in Japan ..................................... ' 51 T. Hayashi Plant desig higa f nho temperature engineering test reacto JAERn i r I ............................5 16 . O. Baba Status of the HTR-Module plant design .................................................................. 179 I.A. Weisbrodt, W. Steinwarz, W. Klein Small nuclear powe gas-cooleR r plantGH M0 1 W s d: heating reactor ...........................9 19 . H. Schmitt HTR 100 industrial nuclear power plant for generation of heat and electricity ................... 213 Brandes,S. KohlW. HTR 500 — The basic design for commercial HTR power stations ................................ 235 E. Baust, J. Schöning SAFETY ASPECTS (Session D) Safety characteristic f curren o s.................................................................... R HT t 3 25 . W. Kroger The safety concept of the modular HTR ................................................................. 267 G.H. Lohnen MHTGR licensing approach and plant response to off normal events .............................. 283 A.J. Neylan, F.A. Silady Compariso f regulatorno y aspect differenn si t countries ..............................................5 29 . HofinannK. GAS-COOLED REACTOR APPLICATIONS (Sessio) nE HTGR applications, prospectives and future development ............................................ 313 H. Barnert Perspective f HTGRo s chemican i s irod steed an nlan l industrie f Japao s n ......................9 32 . K. Tsuruoka, T. Katamine, T. Miyasugi, R, Araki Israeli perspectiv HTGRn eo s ..............................................................................3 34 . Barak,A. Beck,A. Greenspan,E. Szabo,J. Blumenau,L. Branover,H. A. El-Boher, E. Spero, S. Sukoriansky GAS-COOLED REACTOR TECHNOLOGY (Session F) Overvie MHTGS U f wo R base technology development program .................................1 37 . J.E. Jones, Jr., P.R. Kasten Status and development of the German materials programme for the HTGR ..................... 387 H. Nickel, F. Schubert, H. Schuster KV hige statud th K han f o stemperatur e component development .................................7 40 . W. Jansing, H. Breitling, R. Candeli, H. Teubner HTR fuel development and qualification — Treatment of spent fuel ............................... 429 G. Kaiser, HacksteinK. Characteristics of HTGR spherical fuel elements ....................................................... 445 A.S. Chernikov, L.N. Permyakov, L.I. Mikhajlichenko, S.D. Kurbakov Self-sustaining thorium cycle in a high temperature graphite reactor ............................... 461 K. Balakrishnan USER'S PERSPECTIVES ON GAS-COOLED REACTORS (Session G) Future applications of the high temperature reactor .................................................... 473 Klusmann,A. StelzerM. Financing models for HTR plants — Co-finaning, counter trade, joint ventures ................. 483 Bogen,J. StölzlD. Perspective HTGe th n Rso fro .................................................A m US utilitie e th n si 9 49 . H.L. Brey, L.D. Mears Market prospect f HTRso i newlsh y industrialize developind dan g countries ....................1 51 . Garriba,S. VivanteC. Chairme Secretariad nan t ...................................................................................1 52 . List of Participants ............................................................................................ 523 INTRODUCTION AND SUMMARY e invitatioth Governmene n O th Federae f o nth f to l Republif co German e Internationayth l Atomic Energy Agency convene Jiilichn i d , 20-23 October 1986 Technicae ,th l Committe Gas-Coolen eo d Reactord san their Applications. The meeting was hosted by the Nuclear Research Centre Jiilich and cosponsered by the Commission of the European Communities. The purpose of the meeting was to review and discuss the current status and recent progress made in the technology and design of gas-cooled reactor theid an s r applicatio electricitr nfo y generation, process steam and process heat production. The meeting was attended by more tha0 participantn20 s fro countrie5 m2 Internationad an s l Organizations presenting 34 papers. The technical part of the meeting was subdivided into 7 sessions: . A Overvie Statue th Gas-Coolef f wso o d Reactor d theian s r Prospects B. Experience with Gas-Cooled Reactors C. Description of Current GCR Plant Designs D. Safety Aspects E. Gas-Cooled Reactor Applications F. Gas-Cooled Reactor Technology G. User's Perspectives on Gas-Cooled Reactors meetine th f o rouna g d en d e tablth t eA discussio s organizenwa