The 7th Programme Review Group (PRG) and 8th Management Board (MB) meetings of the NEA Loss of Forced Cooling (LOFC) joint project were held from 25 to 27 March 2026 at the Japan Atomic Energy Agency in Oarai, Japan.
The meetings brought together representatives from participating organisations to review progress on the experimental and analytical activities of the LOFC joint project, which aims to enhance the understanding of loss-of-forced-cooling events in high‑temperature gas‑cooled reactors (HTGRs) using data from the High-Temperature Engineering Test Reactor (HTTR).
During the PRG meeting, participants reviewed the status of the LOFC experimental programme, including measurement results from the most recent test runs conducted at the HTTR. The discussions focused on the interpretation of the experimental data, progress in post‑test analyses, and ongoing analytical activities conducted by project members. Planned steps towards finalising the project technical report were also discussed.
The Management Board (MB) meeting addressed project governance and administrative matters, including the status of the project agreement, financial aspects, and the management and future availability of LOFC experimental data. Particular attention was given to data management policies and the preparation of data packages for long‑term preservation and use of safety‑significant experimental data.
As part of the meeting programme, participants also had the opportunity to visit the HTTR facility, gaining first‑hand insight into the experimental infrastructure supporting the LOFC project and the capabilities of the reactor for advanced safety research.
These meetings will be followed by the final PRG and MB meetings, planned for March 2027 in Paris, which will conclude the LOFC joint project.
The LOFC joint project supports the validation of analytical tools used for safety assessment and licensing of advanced reactor technologies. The outcomes of the project contribute to strengthening the technical basis for demonstrating the inherent and passive safety features of HTGR designs.
For more information on the LOFC joint project, visit the project page: Loss of Forced Cooling (LOFC) Joint Project.
AloJapan.com