OECD Halden Reactor Project

Dr. Margaret A. McGrath Project Manager, OECD Halden Reactor Project

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OECD Halden Reactor Project

• International collaborative research for the safe and reliable

operation of Nuclear Power Plants

• Affiliated to the OECD NEA in Paris

• Performed and managed by the Institute for

Energy Technology (IFE) in Norway

• Governed by the Halden Agreement

• First signed in 1958 (renewed every 3 years)

• 3-year joint research program

• MTO and nuclear Fuels and Materials projects

• Jointly funded by the membership

• 19 countries including Norway

• >100 organizations (utilities, vendors, TSOs, R&D centres, licensing authorities)

• Budget for 2015-2017 is 413.8 MNOK (~45 MEUR)

• Norway contributes 36% of HRP budget

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AGREEMENT

ON THE OECD HALDEN

REACTOR PROJECT

COVERING THE PERIOD

1st JANUARY 2015 TO

31st DECEMBER 2017

NEA Workshop NI2025, 7-8 July, 2015

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HSE Brit S. Farstad

Administration Jørgen Lundberg

President Eva Sandanger Dugstad

Dep. President

Atle Valseth

IFE BOARD Auke Lont (Chairman)

Petroleum Technology Tore Bjerkelund Gimse

Man Technology

Organisation (MTO) Jon Kvalem

Isotope Laboratories Bente Tange Harbø

Nuclear Technology,

Physics and Safety (NFS) Atle Valseth

Energy and Environmental

Technology Arve Holt

IFE is an independent research foundation with 600 employees, located in Halden and Kjeller (Oslo)

IFE’s mission is to carry out experiment-based R&D within the energy sector

Halden Reactor

Project Manager Margaret McGrath

NEA Workshop NI2025, 7-8 July, 2015

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v IFE’s Facilities for Nuclear Fuels and

Materials Safety Research

Halden Boiling Water Reactor Design Office, Workshops, Hotlabs,

(and JEEP II reactor) Fuel fabrication labs (U, Pu, Th) oxide

4 NEA Workshop NI2025, 7-8 July, 2015

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• 20 MW heavy water reactor (34 bar,

235oC) fuelled with 6 wt% “BWR fuel”

• 11 loop systems enable testing under LWR

and PHWR conditions

• 80-100 positions in the core for fuel

assemblies – up to 35 simultaneous tests

• Instrumentation provides data on

performance of nuclear fuels and

materials under normal, transient and

accident conditions (dry-out & LOCA)

• HRP budget covers ~40% of total cost of

operations (incl. all auxiliary infrastructure)

The Halden Reactor (HBWR)

5 NEA Workshop NI2025, 7-8 July, 2015

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1% FGR release onset

HRP Fuels Tests – operational margins

• Fuel performance

• Fission gas release

• Thermo-mechanical behaviour

• Comparing different fuel types

• Cladding performance

• Clad strain (PCMI) and failure (PCI-SCC)

• Clad creep, growth, corrosion, hydriding

• Comparing different cladding types

• Safety criteria

• Fuel rod behaviour under LOCA conditions

• Code validation and development

6 NEA Workshop NI2025, 7-8 July, 2015

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HRP Materials Tests – plant ageing

• IASCC crack initiation and growth rate

• Environment

• Stress

• Microstructure

H2 addition

• Stress relaxation

• Temperature, flux, fluence

• Alloy types

• (Accelerated concrete ageing in JEEP II)

NEA Workshop NI2025, 7-8 July, 2015

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Members Organizations in 19 countries

Owner IFE Norway Execution Operation Liabilities

Halden Board of Management (HBM)

Halden Program Group (HPG)

OECD NEA

MTO Research Program

Jon Kvalem

Halden Project Management Margaret McGrath – Project Manager Jon Kvalem – Deputy Project Manager

Fuels and Materials Research Program

Margaret McGrath

Reactor, Labs & Workshops

MTO labs

Halden Board meetings, Halden Program Group meetings, Country visits, Secondees Enlarged Halden Program Group Meeting, Summer schools, Seminars, Workshops

Organization of the Halden Reactor Project

8 NEA Workshop NI2025, 7-8 July, 2015

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v Halden Reactor Project Membership

• Norway: IFE Inst. for Energy Technology • Belgium: SCK/CEN Nuclear Research Centre • Czech Rep: UJV Rez Nuclear Research Inst. • Denmark: DTU Technical University • EU JRC: ITU Transuranium Inst. • Finland: TYÖ Ministry of Employment & Economy • France:

• EDF Electricity of France • IRSN Inst. for Radiological Protection

• CEA Atomic and Alternative Energy Commission • Germany: GRS Global Research for Safety • Hungary: MTA EK Centre for Energy Research • Japan

• NRA Nuclear Regulation Authority

• JAEA Atomic Energy Agency

• CRIEPI Central Research Inst. of Electric Power Industry

• MNF Mitsubishi Nuclear Fuel

• Kazakhstan: Atomic Company KAZATOMPROM • Korea: KAERI Atomic Energy Research Inst. • Russia: JSC TVEL Fuel Company of ROSATOM • Slovakia: VUJE Nuclear Power Plant Research

Inst. • Spain: CIEMAT Centre for Energy Environment

and Technology • Sweden: SSM Radiation Safety Authority • Switzerland: ENSI Nuclear Safety Inspectorate • United Arab Emirates: FANR Authority for

Nuclear Regulation • UK: NNL National Nuclear Laboratory • USA:

• NRC Nuclear Regulatory Commission

• GNF Global Nuclear Fuel

• Westinghouse Electric Power Company

• EPRI Electric Power Research Inst.

• DOE Department of Energy

Most countries have a consortium of organizations represented by a main Signatory to Halden Agreement

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v OECD Halden Reactor Project

International co-operation for increased nuclear power

reactor safety and improved economics

10 NEA Workshop NI2025, 7-8 July, 2015