Design and manufacture of the fuel element for the 10 MW high temperature gas-cooled reactor Original Research Article

The Chinese 10 MW high temperature gas-cooled reactor (HTR-10) attained its first criticality on December 21, 2000. The fabrication of the first fuel for the HTR-10 started in February 2000 at the Institute of Nuclear Energy Technology (INET), Tsinghua University. Up to September 2000, a total of 11 721 spherical fuel elements were successfully produced. The average free uranium fraction of the first fuel-determined by the burn-leach method-was 5.0×10−5. So far, the release rate R/B of the fission gas, measured in the irradiation test, shows that not a single particle in three irradiated spherical fuel elements failed as the results of the irradiation test carried out in Russia. This paper describes the design parameter, the fabrication technology and the performance data of the HTR-10 first fuel, and the production and quality control experiences obtained from the manufacture of the first fuel for the HTR-10.