[en] An overview is given of the characteristics of the experimental facilities and experiments in the Russian Federation: the HTGR neutron-physical investigation facilities ASTRA and GROG; facilities for fuel, graphite and other elements irradiation; and thermal hydraulics experimental facilities. The overview is presented in the form of copies of overhead sheets

[en] An important factor of nuclear power engineering development nowadays is striving for spread of its use for production of process and district heat including high potential one. Great possibilities in this respect are opened by the use of HTGRs. It is evident that in further intense power development the safety and reliability aspects considered at a qualitatively level must be put into the foreground. This necessitates the development of a new generation enhanced safety nuclear reactor concept. One of the possible directions in this respect is the development of small power HTGRs which have a number of inherent safety properties. The pilot reactor plant of small power VGM with HTGR is designed to produce high temperature heat and steam of industrial parameters. The conditions of heat supply for technological plants require location of a heat source in the immediate vicinity of the heat consumer, because the transmission of heat to considerable distances increases considerably the cost of plant construction and operation. In this connection, this type of plant should possess with inherent safety properties and uses the safety systems of passive operation principle. In this paper the main principles of safety ensuring, within framework of which enhanced safety reactor plant should be developed safety limits for normal operation, design-basis and beyond-design basis accidents are formulated. On the examples of beyond-design basis accidents analysis the possibility of a required safety level ensuring in VGM-reactor is shown

[en] The features of fuel cycle with weapons plutonium at it use in HTGR of GT-MHR type beginning from the fresh fuel fabrication, it burning in reactor, developing with spent fuel and permanent disposition in a geologic repository are presented in this paper. The fresh fuel in the form of TRISO particles with ceramic coatings arranged into fuel compacts and then into graphite blocks is burnt in reactor to produce electricity. The high fuel burnup capability of the GT-MHR (up to 90 % of the initial Pu-239) and high content of Pu-240 in the spent fuel make it unpromising for fission products extraction to repeat commercial use. Whole-fuel elements conception of spent fuel without additional processing is the most preferred option for storage and transportation. The storage conditions are not needed to modify the existing requirements developed for LWR fuel. (author)