Fugen Nuclear Power Plant
Fugen ふげん (Fugen?) is a prototype Japanese nuclear test reactor that is currently shut down and awaiting decommission. It is located in Myōjin-chō, in the city of Tsuruga, Fukui. The design is an Advanced Thermal Reactor, which is a product of Japan. The name "Fugen" is derived from Fugen Bosatsu (Samantabhadra), 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 reactor. The electrical output was 165 MW and the thermal output was 557 MW. On March 3, 2005, the reactor stopped operations.
- 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 m2 (66 acres); buildings occupy 7,762 m2 (1.9 acres), and it has 46,488 m2 of floor space. It employed 256 workers.
Read more about Fugen Nuclear Power Plant: Accidents
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