The China Advanced Research Reactor (CARR) project operated continuously at high-power for a fortnight from July 25 to Aug 7, without any safety issues and with a stable running power of 30 megawatts. The world-leading project accomplished the first batch of irradiation tasks and created a new record for high-power continuous operation since the reactor was built. 

CARR is an independently developed nuclear reactor, built by China Institute of Atomic Energy (CIAE) of China National Nuclear Corporation, with independent intellectual property rights. The project has achieved a number of technology firsts during its lifetime. 

The project is being undertaken by CIAE and the corporation has been responsible for selecting the reactor type, the reactor’s design, and commissioning and building the project. 

The major equipment of CARR project was completed thanks to the joint efforts of CIAE and Chinese manufacturers, and 90 percent of parts used in the project were manufactured in China.

Among them, fuel components, the reactor body and core container, control rod drive mechanism, digital control and protection system, reactor sealing handling hall, loading and unloading machine, and other technologies have all been developed and applied for the first time in China.

By operating at high power for a fortnight, it has been possible to verify the equipment and operational reliability of CARR under the testing conditions of high temperatures and high humidity.