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 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.
The name "Fugen" is derived from Fugen Bosatsu (
Samantabhadra Samantabhadra (Lit. "All Good", or "Always Auspicious") may refer to:
* Samantabhadra (Bodhisattva), a bodhisattva in Mahayana Buddhism associated with practice and meditation
* ''Samantabhadra'' (Tibetan: ''Kuntu Zangpo''), the name of a Buddha, ...
), a
Buddhist deity.
The reactor was the first in the world to use a full
MOX fuel 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 design boils ordinary water like a
boiling water reactor (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) moderator and its use of (originally, natural) uranium fuel. C ...
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
