VZCZCXRO7084
PP RUEHFK RUEHKSO RUEHNAG RUEHNH
DE RUEHKO #3299/01 3380755
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 030755Z DEC 08
FM AMEMBASSY TOKYO
TO RUEHFK/AMCONSUL FUKUOKA PRIORITY 1228
RUEHNAG/AMCONSUL NAGOYA PRIORITY 9233
RUEHNH/AMCONSUL NAHA PRIORITY 3589
RUEHOK/AMCONSUL OSAKA KOBE PRIORITY 5019
RUEHKSO/AMCONSUL SAPPORO PRIORITY 1799
RHMCSUU/DEPT OF ENERGY WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 9168
INFO RUCPDOC/DEPT OF COMMERCE WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 TOKYO 003299 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR EAP/J, ISN/NESS JAN FLADEBOE, DOE FOR NE-6 
CRAIG WELLING, NE-5 CARTER SAVAGE 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PARM ENRG TRGY NRR MNUC PUNE JA
SUBJECT: FURTHER DELAY AT JNFL'S ROKKASHO REPROCESSING PLANT 
 
¶1.  (SBU) Summary:  Japan Nuclear Fuel Limited (JNFL) is 
still experiencing technical difficulties related to its high 
level waste vitrification melter at Rokkasho and announced on 
November 25 that it will delay the end of its active testing 
phase from November to February.  Officials at JNFL are still 
optimistic testing can be completed by February and expect 
regulatory commissioning to take an additional 1 to 2 months 
after the end of testing.  End summary. 
 
JNFL delays end of testing at Rokkasho 
---------------------------------------- 
 
¶2.  (SBU)  Econoffs and DOE attaches met with representatives 
of Japan Nuclear Fuel Limited (JNFL) to discuss the status of 
the Rokkasho Reprocessing Plant (RRP) November 21.  Yuchiro 
Matsuo, Managing Director and Executive General Manager of 
JNFL's Corporate Planning Office, gave a presentation 
detailing recent technical difficulties with active testing 
at RRP and the company's outlook for the future. 
 
¶3.  (SBU)  Matsuo noted JNFL was originally scheduled to 
finish active testing and begin obtaining regulatory approval 
for commissioning in November, but would have to announce a 
delay to the schedule due to unresolved technical 
difficulties.  The President of JNFL announced November 25 
that the company is postponing the end of testing from 
November 2008 to February 2009.  According to Matsuo, 
assuming the testing can be completed by February, the 
company will begin work finalizing regulatory approvals and 
concluding safety agreements with local governments.  Matsuo 
noted that the company foresees that next step of the process 
taking between 1-2 months. 
 
Operational history and technical challenges 
-------------------------------------------- 
 
¶4.  (SBU)  Matsuo provided a run-down of the recent history 
of RRP's operation of the high level waste vitrification 
melter.  In November 2007, the company started producing 
vitrified waste.  After some canisters had been produced, it 
encountered technical difficulties related to the 
accumulation of platinum products on the electrodes inside 
the melter. JNFL stopped production, cleaned the system, and 
developed operational procedures to avoid the problem in the 
future. 
 
¶5.  (SBU)  In July 2008, JNFL started the process again, and 
found another problem in the lower portion of the system, 
related to accumulation of the vitrified waste on the heating 
coils that surround the flow down nozzle that serves at the 
output of the melter.  The JNFL stopped production again, 
cleaned the system, and determined how to prevent the problem 
by adjusting the existing operating parameters such as 
temperature. 
 
¶6.  (SBU)  The JNFL resumed active testing in October, and 
produced 15 batches of product.  At this point, JNFL changed 
its input material and began including zircalloy fines (small 
debris) that result from cutting up the depleted fuel 
assemblies.  After this change, the system began experiencing 
a problem related to the uneven distribution of these fines 
within the vitrification chamber.  Specifically, JNFL is 
observing a reduction in resistance around one set of 
electrodes in a region where it believes platinum group 
elements are preferentially accumulating.  Since the melter 
uses resistance heating across the melt, this change in 
resistance also reduces the temperature in that region of the 
melter.  The JNFL has since added a stirring rod that it can 
use in emergencies to prevent any material buildup around the 
electrodes, but JNFL hopes to be able to solve the problem 
using adjustments to the process' operating parameters (heat, 
ratio of inputs, etc).  JNFL's melter involves complex 
controls using interdependent process parameters.  Such 
startup issues are not unusual for complex systems. 
 
Comparison to the Tokai process 
------------------------------- 
 
¶7.  (SBU)  When questioned about why this problem is 
occurring at Rokkasho and not the Tokai Reprocessing Plant, 
where the JNFL reprocessing technology was demonstrated, 
Matsuo noted several differences in the waste systems at the 
 
TOKYO 00003299  002 OF 002 
 
 
two plants are affecting JNFL's results.  First, the Rokkasho 
system is much larger and thus operates somewhat differently. 
 Second, the operator at Tokai has not tried to introduce the 
zircalloy chips in the vitrification, and simply stores them 
on site.  Finally, the two processes use a different type of 
glass.  The Tokai system uses porous cubes that absorb waste 
material quickly, while the Rokkasho process uses smaller 
glass beads.  All of these factors, Matsuo said, result in 
new challenges for JNFL compared to the experience at Tokai. 
SCHIEFFER