Performance test results of mock-up test facility of HTTR hydrogen production system

Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute has been developing a hydrogen production system by means of a steam reforming of methane coupled with High Temperature Engineering Test Reactor (HTTR) to demonstrate effectiveness of high-temperature nuclear heat utilization. Prior to construction of HTTR hydrogen production system, a mock-up test facility was constructed to investigate transient behavior of the hydrogen production system and establish system controllability. This test facility is an approximately 1/30 scale model of the HTTR hydrogen production system and an electric heater is used as a heat source instead of a reactor. In order to investigate the performance of the test facility required from the planning mock-up test such as hydrogen reduction ability, controllability and so on, the performance test of the test facility was carried out, in the same pressure and temperature conditions as those of the HTTR hydrogen production system. It was confirmed that thermal disturbance of helium gas during the start-up could be mitigated by using a steam generator installed at the downstream of a steam reformer and that hydrogen was stably produced with a hot helium gas about 120 Nm3/h. This report describes the performance test program and results of the mock-up facility. (author)