Akihabara News (Tokyo) — The Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA) has joined a team assembled by the UK government to create a cutting-edge nuclear reactor.
JAEA will work alongside the United Kingdom’s National Nuclear Laboratory and the nuclear company Jacobs to develop a high-temperature gas reactor (HTGR).
JAEA was selected in part due to its previous experience acquired through the construction and operation of the High Temperature Engineering Test Reactor (HTTR) in the town of Oarai, Ibaraki Prefecture.
Although the HTGR project is based in Britain, the project will include Japanese scientists, providing them practical experience.
There are various differences between the HTGR and conventional light-water reactors. The HTGR will operate utilizing helium as a reactor coolant to generate heat above 900 degrees Celsius (1,650 degrees Fahrenheit). This heat can then be used either to generate power or to produce hydrogen. Despite the extremely high temperatures, the core of the reactor is highly unlikely to melt, even in the case of an accident, as the nuclear fuel is coated with a heat-resistant ceramic material.
One major advantage of the HTGR is that there are fewer restrictions as to where it can be located. This is because, unlike earlier generations of nuclear reactors, it does not require a vast amount of water.
The project is part of Britain’s Advanced Nuclear Fund, which has been allocated £385 million (US$438 million) by the UK government to fund nuclear technology projects. Around £500,000 (US$570,000) of this sum will be used for the Japan-Britain project.
Now that the team has been assembled, the research and testing are set to be completed this year, with detailed designs to be drawn up next year and construction potentially starting in 2025.
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