The first stage of fuel testing for Rosatom's high-temperature gas-cooled reactor under extreme conditions has been successfully completed.

Scientists from "Rosatom" have successfully completed the first stage of reactor tests on laboratory samples of fuel for the High-Temperature Gas-Cooled Reactor (HTGR) under conditions of extremely high temperatures. The specialists managed to confirm the functionality of the pre-irradiated reactor fuel at temperatures up to 1600 degrees.

The HTGR is a key component of future atomic energy technological stations, as well as technologies for producing low-carbon hydrogen and ammonia using heat from the system.

Tests of laboratory samples of reactor fuel at temperatures that the system can reach during operational disruptions have been conducted since last year in the SM-3 reactor at the site of the Research Institute of Atomic Reactors, which is part of the scientific division of "Rosatom".

The fuel samples, which were preliminarily tested in the SM-3 reactor, were irradiated for over 700 hours at a maximum temperature of 1600 degrees. It was found that the multilayer protective coating of the spherical fuel core of the HTGR effectively retains the gaseous products generated during the fission of nuclear fuel, even under prolonged irradiation conditions. This occurs at temperatures approximately 500 degrees higher than the normal operating parameters of the facility.

It is worth noting that in late 2023, successful tests of laboratory samples of HTGR fuel were completed at temperatures of 1000-1200 degrees, achieving burnup levels that correspond to the design values for reactor fuel operation. The results of last year's and this year's tests complement each other, confirming the viability of the new fuel design under conditions of operational disturbances.

Next year, scientists from "Rosatom" plan to implement the second phase of the reactor fuel testing program under extreme and emergency operational conditions. Fuel samples, which have been preliminarily irradiated to various burnup levels, will be tested over an extended period at temperatures up to 1800 degrees.