About JHR
What is the JHR?
JHR (Jules Horowitz Reactor) is an international project covering conceptual issues and construction of a new, highly powerful nuclear reactor for research in the field of materials and nuclear fuel with the capacity of 100 MW. Including the research institutions and large industrial organizations from France, Belgium, Finland, Spain, Sweden, Japan, India, and the Czech Republic the international consortium is in charge of the JHR construction. ÚJV Řež, a. s., is a guarantor and coordinator for the Czech part of the contract, with Centrum výzkumu Řež s.r.o. (CVR), the ÚJV’s daughter, being responsible for realization.
Where the JHR does find itself?
Cadarache, Francie
Where the JHR does find itself?
The Czech Republic (ČR) has had its share in the preparatory phase since its birth already, being now moreover involved in construction of JHR, too. As a ČR representative, Ústav jaderného výzkumu Řež, a.s. (ÚJV), undersigned the consortium-establishing contract in 2007. The JHR Project is a part of both, the ESFRI Roadmap and the ČR Travel Map, covering large infrastructures for research, experimental development, and innovations. Thanks to the above and owing to a good reputation of the researchers and designers of ÚJV and later of Centrum výzkumu Řež s.r.o. (CVŘ) the Czech Republic has got an opportunity to deliver a vital part for the JHR construction phase, in particular the so-called hot cells. In exchange for the hot cells to deliver like this, the ČR got access to the research measuring capacity equal to 3 % JHR.
What are the Hot Cells?
Samples to be exposed to radiation are being prepared in these hot cells and, once irradiated, further evaluated therein or sent for additional measurements. The irradiation probes are a whole will also be handled in the cell, which are therefore 10 m high. The hot cells are to be delivered in the so-called “in-kind”, i.e. with their parts built in the ČR, but assembled then in Cadarache within construction of the JHR itself.
JHR Benefit
Being currently in service throughout the European Union (EU) most research reactors will gradually be shut down after 2020, due to their ageing (the research reactors in Řež, for example, will be cut off around 2027). The JHR will take over the research projects being now in progress on those to be cut off. Such a transition is absolutely necessary for sustainable and safe running of the nuclear power plants. Safety and ample supply of electricity from the nuclear resources in the ČR and throughout the EU will also depend on gradual transition to the JHR, in particular with the use of all the existing, mutually complementary research reactors in Europe.
In other words, the JHR will become a unique piece of equipment throughout Europe only after 2030.
The JHR will allow material researches upon the conditions near those prevailing in the power plant reactors, enabling accelerated material degradation modelling under the operating conditions and assessment of the properties typical for the end of the life cycles of the assemblies and their individual components. Related to the material testing, the JHR equipment will allow increase in the fuel utilization safety, including the creation of the models for study of fuel and other material behaviour upon normal and emergency conditions. The JHR will moreover allow researches into the materials for the GEN IV. reactors and partly for the fusion reactors.
Social impact of the JHR research reactor is not only in irreplaceable research carried out therein in respect of servicing the power plant reactors and related safety, and thus also in providing an adequate power production in the ČR in particular and EU in general, but also in its contribution to research and development
