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The High Temperature Engineering Test Reactor (HTTR), which is the first high temperature gas-cooled reactor (HTGR) in Japan, attained its first criticality in November 1998. The fabrication of the first-loading fuel started June 1995 and in December 1997, 150 fuel assemblies were completely formed. A total of 66,780 fuel compacts, corresponding to 4,770 fuel rods, were successfully produced through the fuel kernel, coated fuel particle and fuel compact processes. Fabrication technology for the fuel was established through a lot of research and development activities and fabrication experiences of irradiation samples. As-fabricated fuel compacts contained almost no through-coatings failed particles and few SiC-defective particles. Average through-coatings and SiC defective fractions were as low as 2 x 10-6 and 8 x 10-5 , respectively. This paper describes (1) characteristics of as-fabricated fuel, (2) the experiences obtained from the first mass-production and (3) prediction of irradiation performance of the fuel in the HTTR.

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