Study of Sodium-cooled Fast Reactors, Reflecting the Achievements of the ASTRID Collaboration between Japan and France
Under the “Implementing Arrangement on the Advanced Sodium Technological Reactor for Industrial Demonstration (ASTRID) Program and Sodium Fast Reactor Collaboration” (2014 to 2019), the Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA), the French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission (CEA), and other organizations made significant achievements in the joint development of key technologies for fast reactors, and the arrangement period expired in December 2019.
The findings obtained through this joint development found that pool-type Sodium-cooled Fast Reactors (SFRs), which are different from the existing loop-type reactors in Japan, are likely to satisfy earthquake resistance, safety, economic efficiency, and other requirements.
To continue promoting research and development efficiency, the JAEA, CEA, and other organizations signed the “Implementing Arrangement on the SFR Development Program Collaboration” on December 3, 2019. In the future, based on this arrangement, R&D collaboration will continue to focus on severe accidents, analysis code development, and other tasks to improve the safety and economic efficiency of SFRs that will use superior technologies in Japan and France.
