China Advanced Research Reactor Reached the First Criticality

At 4:58 p.m. on the 13^th May 2010, China Advanced Research Reactor (CARR) of the world's advanced level independently developed, designed and built by the China Institute of Atomic Energy (CIAE) under CNNC reached the first criticality. It is expected to provide an important platform for scientific experiments for the country's nuclear research and nuclear technology development and application, and is a key demonstration of China's nuclear research capacity.

CARR is a completely Chinese-developed, designed and builtresult with independent intellectual property rights and a number of independently innovative technological achievements. From the selection of reactor type to the reactor design, commission and construction, CIAE has undertaken all the work. In the design of the major reactor components, CIAE worked with other manufacturers to jointly crack the technological nuts. The project boasts an equipment localization rate of 90%. Amongst other things, the fuel elements, reactor core structure, reactor vessel, control rod drive mechanisms, digital control and protection systems, enclosed reactor operation hall, refueling machine and other applications are all developed and applied for the first time in China. The implementation of the project has not only raised the R&D level of nuclear reactors in China, but also enhanced the corporation s capabilities for equipment localization and construction.

CARR, developed to meet the needs of technological development in the 21^st century, is a high-performance, multi-purpose, safe and reliable nuclear reactor with ancillary experimental terminals. After being completed, the reactor will be used for research in fields such as nuclear physics and chemistry, neutron scattering experiments, testing of reactor materials and nuclear fuels, neutron activation analysis, and for the production of radioactive isotopes and neutron-doped silicon.