Fugen was a prototype Japanese nuclear test reactor.
Fugen was a domestic Japanese design for a demonstration
Advanced Thermal Reactor. It was a
heavy water
Heavy water (deuterium oxide, , ) is a form of water (molecule), water in which hydrogen atoms are all deuterium ( or D, also known as ''heavy hydrogen'') rather than the common hydrogen-1 isotope (, also called ''protium'') that makes up most o ...
moderated, boiling light water cooled reactor.
The reactor was started in 1979 and shut down in 2003. As of 2018, it is undergoing
decommissioning.
It is located in Myōjin-chō, in the city of
Tsuruga, Fukui
is a Cities of Japan, city located in Fukui Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 66,123 in 28,604 households and the population density of 260 persons per km2. The total area of the city was .
Geography
Tsuruga is l ...
.
The name "Fugen" is derived from Fugen Bosatsu (
Samantabhadra), a
Buddhist
Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and List of philosophies, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or ...
deity.
The reactor was the first in the world to use a full
MOX fuel
Mixed oxide fuel (MOX fuel) is nuclear fuel that contains more than one oxide of fissile material, usually consisting of plutonium blended with natural uranium, reprocessed uranium, or depleted uranium. MOX fuel is an alternative to the low-enr ...
core.
It had 772 assemblies, the most in the world. It has received the title of a
historic landmark from the
American Nuclear Society
The American Nuclear Society (ANS) is an international, not-for-profit organization of scientists, engineers, and industry professionals that promote the field of nuclear engineering and related disciplines.
ANS is composed of three communities: ...
.
The design boils ordinary water like a
boiling water reactor
A boiling water reactor (BWR) is a type of nuclear reactor used for the generation of electrical power. It is the second most common type of electricity-generating nuclear reactor after the pressurized water reactor (PWR).
BWR are thermal neutro ...
(BWR) but uses heavy water as a moderator as in a
CANDU
The CANDU (CANada Deuterium Uranium) is a Canadian pressurized heavy-water reactor design used to generate electric power. The acronym refers to its deuterium oxide (heavy water) neutron moderator, moderator and its use of (originally, natural ...
reactor.
The electrical output was 165 MW and the thermal output was 557 MW.
*Core temperature: 300 °C
*Pellet centerline temperature: 2200 °C
*Fuel conversion time: 6 months
The plant is located on a site that covers 267,694 m
2 (66 acres); buildings occupy 7,762 m
2 (1.9 acres), and it has 46,488 m
2 of floor space. It employed 256 workers.
[JAEA (Japanese)]
Facilities Quick View
.
Accidents
* 14–16 April 1997: A tritium leakage was announced to the responsible authorities 30 hours after the event. During the following investigation it was shown that it already had 11 similar incidents. Five managers of the operator at that time (at the time
Power Reactor and Nuclear Fuel Development Corporation) resigned.
* 8 April 2002: About 200 cubic meters of steam escaped from a defective pipe. The reactor was switched off.
During dismantling operations it was found that walls with controls did not have the necessary strength at 25 of 34 points.
References
External links
*
Fugen Decommissioning Engineering CenterNHK video
{{Japan Nuclear Plants
Heavy-water reactors
Nuclear power stations in Japan
Buildings and structures in Fukui Prefecture
1970s establishments in Japan