China Civilian Nuclear Industry, Technology, Exports and Supply Chain: News & Discussions

[JSCh]

CNNC launches R&D centre for fuels and materials
03 December 2018

China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC) held a ceremony on 27 November to mark the establishment of a new centre for nuclear fuels and materials research and development in Beijing.

The launch of the new R&D centre (Image: CNNC)​

CNNC said the new Research Centre for Nuclear Fuels and Materials represents "an important milestone in the development and production of high-performance nuclear fuels and materials, as well as high-performance nuclear reactor cores to realise the effective and efficient development of nuclear energy".

Speaking at the ceremony, CNNC Chairman Yu Jianfeng said the founding of the new facility is a significant measure to implement the national innovation-driven development strategy and build an advanced nuclear science industrial system.

"Nuclear fuels and materials are fundamental to developing the nuclear industry," said Yu. "Only when a company takes the high ground in the area can it be as qualified as an advanced nuclear science industrial system and world-class nuclear firm able to compete at a global level."

He added, "The aim of CNNC's founding of the Research Centre for Nuclear Fuels and Materials is to build a platform to organise the overall planning for scientific innovations in the area of nuclear fuels and materials, so as to better push forward the transformation of scientific achievements and provide support for progressing the corporation's industrial technology."

China has stated it intends to become self-sufficient not just in nuclear power plant capacity, but also in the production of fuel for those plants. However, the country still relies to some extent on foreign suppliers for all stages of the fuel cycle, from uranium mining through fabrication and reprocessing, but mostly for uranium supply. As China rapidly increases the number of new reactors, it has also initiated a number of domestic projects, often in cooperation with foreign suppliers, to meet its nuclear fuel needs.

CNNC is responsible for fuel fabrication in China, utilising some technology transferred from Areva, Westinghouse and TVEL. Fuel fabrication plants are inland, in Sichuan and Inner Mongolia.

Two industrial parks for nuclear fuel are planned – a northern one in Hebei near Beijing, and one in the south, probably Guangdong province. They will each include uranium conversion, enrichment, and fabrication facilities to support China's goal to become the centre of Asian nuclear fuel preparation and manufacturing. Also, sales of Hualong reactors are envisaged as being with a supply of fuel. About CNY80 billion (USD12 billion) is being invested in the two parks.

Researched and written by World Nuclear News


http://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/CNNC-launches-R-D-centre-for-fuels-and-materials

 

[JSCh]

Reactor vessel in place at Hongyanhe 6
04 December 2018

The reactor pressure vessel of unit 6 at the Hongyanhe nuclear power plant in China's Liaoning province was installed on 1 December, Liaoning Hongyanhe Nuclear Power Company (LHNP) announced today.

The vessel after its installation at Hongyanhe 6 (Image: LHNP)
​

Installation of the vessel - measuring 10 metres in height, 4.6 metres in diameter and weighing 261 tonnes - "means that the nuclear island main equipment of unit 6 [has now] entered the installation period", the company said.

Construction of Phase I of the plant, comprising four CPR-1000 pressurised water reactors, began in August 2009. Units 1 and 2 have been in commercial operation since June 2013 and May 2014, respectively, while unit 3 entered commercial operation in August 2015 and unit 4 in September 2016.

Units 5 and 6 are two 1080 MWe China General Nuclear (CGN) designed ACPR-1000 reactors that form Phase II of the Hongyanhe plant.

Construction of unit 5 began in March 2015 and that of unit 6 started in July the same year. Unit 5 is scheduled to begin operating in late 2019, with unit 6 following in 2021.

The Hongyanhe plant is owned and operated by LHNP, a joint venture between CGN and State Power Investment Corporation, each holding a 45% stake, with the Dalian Municipal Construction Investment Co holding the remaining 10%.

Researched and written by World Nuclear News


http://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/Reactor-vessel-in-place-at-Hongyanhe-6

 

[JSCh]

China General Nuclear ready to ramp up UK ambitions
06 December 2018

Following the withdrawal of NuGeneration, China General Nuclear is ready to ramp-up its plans for a new plant at Bradwell based on its HPR1000 (Hualong One) design in order to keep the UK's nuclear power programme on track, Robert Davies, chief operating officer of CGN UK said today.

A rendering of the UK HPR1000 (Image: CGN)​

Speaking at the Nuclear Industry Association's Nuclear 2018 conference in London, Davies said there is a gap in the UK's nuclear programme following Toshiba's decision last month to withdraw from its nuclear new-build project in the UK and to wind up NuGen.

"The expected sequence of reactors coming online has been interrupted," Davies said. "We will bring forward significantly the date at which we expect the first UK HPR1000 to enter commercial operation. We are confident we can close that gap by bringing Bradwell into operation much sooner. Rescheduling the project, bringing forward COD [commercial operation date], bringing forward FID [final investment decision] and focusing on a target COD of circa 2030."

Under a strategic investment agreement signed in October 2016, CGN agreed to take a 33.5% stake in EDF Energy's Hinkley Point C project in Somerset, as well as jointly develop new nuclear power plants at Sizewell in Suffolk and Bradwell in Essex. The Hinkley Point C and Sizewell C plants will be based on France's EPR reactor technology, while the new plant at Bradwell in Essex will feature the Hualong One design.

As part of that agreement, CGN formed a joint venture company with EDF Energy to seek regulatory approval for a UK version of the Hualong One design.

Last month the UK's Office for Nuclear Regulation and the Environment Agency completed "initial high-level scrutiny" of the UK HPR1000 reactor design. The design now moves onto the third of four stages in the Generic Design Assessment process.

Davies said CGN's confidence in ramping up its plans stems from its experience in delivering new nuclear projects. Earlier this year CGN brought the world's first EPR - Taishan 1 - into commercial operation.

"Taishan is bringing confidence and certainty to Hinkley Point C, with CGN bringing to HPC not just money, but also engineering and project expertise," he said.

CGN has also gained confidence from the construction of two demonstration HPR1000 reactors at the Fangchenggang site in China's Guangxi Autonomous Region.

"We achieved dome lifting earlier in the year and we expect to reach COD within two-and-a-half years."

He also noted that CGN is now the third largest nuclear enterprise in the world, with 21 units in operation and a further seven under construction.

"Our experience in China demonstrates the impact of the fleet effect. That's why we need to commit to a long-term programme, a coherent programme, underpinned by government. In our case, Hinkley Point C paved the way for Sizewell C, paving the way for Bradwell B.

"If we as a nation do not commit, then we will see none of the benefits of scale, prices will remain high and UK energy policy will fail to deliver the reliable, secure and clean energy that we will need more and more for the world's electric vehicles, artificial intelligence and cloud computing.

"We must go low-carbon now - we cannot wait. Our children, let alone our grandchildren, will not forgive us the dithering while the world warms. We are to make and keep to decisions today that will deliver what we need tomorrow or the UK will never catch up with what it needs. We collectively - and that includes our policymakers - must be bold and confident."

CGN's model is its 30-year partnership with France's EDF, he said. This partnership has built nuclear power plants in China and is now developing and delivering projects in the UK through its four joint ventures.

"We have built and are building reactors on a scale and at a rate the UK can only imagine," he said, noting that China has plans for a further 100 GWe of nuclear capacity in operation by 2030.

"In the last two years, we have invested GBP2.4 billion (USD3.1 billion) in the UK, mostly in HPC," Davies said. "Our commitment to the UK is GBP10 billion in energy - most of that in nuclear, but this does not include any of the plant construction costs at Bradwell or other sites.

"Today we bring expertise, capability and money, as we've evidence from HPC. In simple terms, we have ramped up. We are bringing forward."

Researched and written by World Nuclear News

http://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/CGN-ready-to-ramp-up-UK-ambitions

 

[JSCh]

CNNC unveils key safety technology
By Zheng Xin | China Daily | Updated: 2018-12-07 10:08

The stand of CNNC at an industry expo in Beijing. [Photo by A Jing/For China Daily]​

China National Nuclear Corp, the State-owned nuclear power company, released its domestically-developed high-safety nuclear power plant distributed control system platform on Thursday.

Known as the central nervous system of nuclear power plants, the nuclear advanced safety instrument and control platform, also called the Longlin system, plays an important role in ensuring nuclear projects' safety and stability and enables China to have a DCS with complete independent intellectual property rights, said the company.

Some of the key standards are in accordance with the international level, it said, while it will also help boost China's nuclear technology exports, it said.

Only a handful of developed countries have mastered the technology of the nuclear-grade DCS platform, which is critical for the safe shutdown and accident mitigation for reactors.

Analysts believe as the core technology of the systems is one of the key components of a nuclear power station, China must conduct original innovation.

It is believed the country will step up nuclear development with the implementation of the Longlin system, said Ye Qizhen, a member of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and also an expert on nuclear reactors and nuclear-power engineering.

According to CNNC, all of the design, verification and testing of the program is in accordance with the most advanced and strictest standards worldwide, while the system also uses advanced information security technology.

The Longlin system is a result of the company's more than 60 years of experience in integrating nuclear power engineering design, the research and development of the digital instrument control equipment and equipment manufacturing and supply.

The system could be applied in nuclear power plants, research reactors and small reactors, it said.

Yu Jianfeng, CNNC's chairman, said earlier that development of the nuclear industry over the past 60 years has proved that nuclear science and technology is strategically important. China must insist on independent innovation.

The company said it would pay a great deal of attention to the working conditions of scientists, an important factor in improving the company's core competitiveness.

"We will enable scientists undertaking major military projects and scientific and technological innovations to receive high salaries, and stimulate the creativity of talent to the greatest extent," he said.

 

[JSCh]

This morning, the second Hualong One reactor unit at Fuqing no. 6 get its dome. From CNNC weibo.

Fuqing 6 reactor pressure vessel in place
11 December 2018

The reactor pressure vessel has been installed at Fuqing unit 6, China's second demonstration Hualong One unit, China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC) announced today.

The lifting operation under way at Fuqing 6 (Image: CNNC)​

The lifting operation, which took place on 10 December, involved turning over the pressure vessel and placing it on a lifting ring for the first part of its movement. The lifting ring was then removed and the vessel finally positioned on its support ring.

Design changes for this version of the Hualong One reactor to improve the safety and increase the design life of the reactor also meant higher requirements for pressure vessel design, material development, welding and machining, CNNC said. The increase in size and weight also increases the difficulty of manufacturing, the company noted.

Fuqing 6's pressure vessel was independently designed by China Nuclear Power Research and Design Institute, and was manufactured by China First Heavy Machinery Co Ltd.

Two demonstration units of CNNC's Hualong One design are currently under construction at the site in Fujian province. Construction of Fuqing 5 began in May 2015, and of unit 6 in December the same year. The units are scheduled to be completed in 2019 and 2020, respectively. Construction of two Hualong One units is also under way at China General Nuclear's (CGN's) Fangchenggang plant in Guangxi province. Those units - based on CGN's version of the design, the HPR1000 - are also expected to start up in 2019 and 2020, respectively. CGN proposes to use a UK version of its design - the HPR1000 - at a prospective new nuclear power plant at Bradwell, England. Two HPR1000 units are also under construction at Pakistan's Karachi nuclear power plant.


Researched and written by World Nuclear News


http://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/Fuqing-6-reactor-pressure-vessel-in-place

 

[JSCh]

Taishan world's 1st successfully connected EPR nuclear reactor
By Zheng Xin | chinadaily.com.cn | Updated: 2018-06-29 22:00

Photo taken on July 15, 2017 is the logo of CGN. [Photo/VCG]

The Taishan unit one reactor was connected to the grid on Friday at 17:59 Beijing time, the first EPR reactor in the world to be successfully connected to the grid, said China General Nuclear Power Group.

Taishan, the largest cooperative energy project between China and France, is operated by a joint venture established between China General Nuclear Power Group with a 51 percent stake, French energy company EDF with 30 percent and the provincial Chinese electricity company Yuedian with 19 percent.

The construction of Taishan unit one started in 2009, while that of Taishan unit two began in 2010. These two units were respectively the third and fourth reactors being built worldwide with EPR technology, or third-generation pressurized water reactor design.

The reactor will go through a period of gradual power-up tests after the unit's first connection to the grid. It will be tested in steady-state conditions at full power after the reactor has passed all the tests.

The Taishan project has the highest safety and quality standards, said CGN.

China-France JV's nuclear power unit ready for commercial use
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-14 13:49:17|Editor: Yang Yi



SHENZHEN, Dec. 14 (Xinhua) -- A third-generation nuclear power unit of a China-France joint venture in south China's Guangdong Province has completed all the testing operations and is ready for commercial use, according to a statement from China Guangdong Nuclear Power Company (CGNPC) late Thursday.

The largest Sino-French project in the energy field, the Taishan nuclear power plant uses the European Pressurized Reactor (EPR) for its No.1 and No. 2 power units.

As the world's first third-generation EPR nuclear power unit, the No. 1 unit can be put into commercial operation after the plant gets the necessary electric power business licenses. The power plant is run by a joint venture set up by CGNPC, French energy supplier Electricite de France (EDF), and Guangdong Yudean Group. The power plant began construction of the reactor for the No.1 power unit in 2009 and another reactor for the No.2 power unit in 2010.

The No. 1 power unit was linked to the grid on June 29. The EPR technology used in the Taishan reactors is third-generation nuclear power technology jointly developed by EDF and Framatome.

 

[JSCh]

China to Start Large Scale R&D on Fusion Demo Test Facilities
Dec 14, 2018

China broke ground on a key facility to support fusion research with a special ceremony on Dec. 14 in Hefei, Anhui Province.

The new R&D facility will support the China Fusion Engineering Test Reactor (or CFETR) by providing extreme test conditions that allow for research on the key components of fusion reactors. This information will be relevant both to the construction and operation of CFETR.

CFETR is a key bridge between the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (or ITER) and a fusion power plant. However, CFETR will involve tremendous technical difficulties.

The "mega-science" support facility – officially called the Comprehensive Research Facilities in Support of CFETR – is the first project in the Hefei Comprehensive National Science Center and is part of the country’s 13th Five-year S&T Development Plan. It will encompass two main research systems: the magnet and tokamak/divertor systems.

The reactor-scalable superconducting magnet technology research system will comprise test facilities for superconducting materials, conductors and large-scale, reactor-related magnets for use in CFETR as well as for technology that could be applied in non-fusion areas.

The tokamak and divertor research system will provide reactor-related heating systems, remote handling and diagnostics for a divertor capable of a maximum plasma particle flux of 1024/m2s and 20MW/m2 heat load.

With the conceptual design and engineering design for CFETR having been completed and started in 2015 and 2017, respectively, groundbreaking for the support facility marks a key step in CFETR development. The support facility is led by Institute of Plasma Physics, Hefei Institutes of Physical Science and is scheduled for completion in five years.


China to Start Large Scale R&D on Fusion Demo Test Facilities---Chinese Academy of Sciences

 

[JSCh]

↑↑↑↑
Construction of key fusion reactor facilities begins in Anhui
By Zhu Lixin | chinadaily.com.cn | Updated: 2018-12-14 17:31

The photo shows the Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST) in Hefei, East China's Anhui province, which is dubbed as "artificial sun", Aug 16, 2018. [Photo/IC]

China aims at leading the world's research and development on fusion science, as major facilities for the China Fusion Engineering Test Reactor (CFETR) broke ground for construction in Hefei city, capital of East China's Anhui province, on Friday morning.

The project, called the Comprehensive Research Facilities in Support of CFETR, will assist CFETR by providing extreme test conditions that allow research on the key components of fusion reactors, according to a press release by the Hefei Institute of Physical Science under the Chinese Academy of Sciences, which leads the project.

The project, scheduled to finish in five years, is one of the country's major megascience facilities and has been listed in the country's 13th Five-year Plan for science and technology development.

It will provide strong support for cutting-edge, cross-disciplinary fields including energy, information, health and environment, and will become a user platform open to the world's fusion community, said Kuang Guangli, president of the Hefei institute, at the groundbreaking ceremony on Friday.

"This project is a critical step in the Chinese vision of that future, providing the technological basis for the construction of CFETR, which will bridge the gap between the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) and a fusion power plant," said Tony Taylor, director of General Atomics, a nuclear physics institute based in San Diego, California, in the United States.

"I'm very excited about what is going to happen on this 0.4-square-kilometer plot of land in the upcoming five years. These facilities to be built here will provide the development of new technologies for CFETR and will enable a pathway for fusion energy worldwide," said Taylor.

In November 2017, more than 40 of the world's top scientists for fusion research gathered in Beijing and signed the Beijing Declaration to further promote international collaboration in the field.

On Thursday, more than 30 of the scientists gathered again in Hefei and founded the International Fusion Energy Cooperation Center, with Taylor being named the director.

The ultimate goal of CFETR is to build an "artificial sun" using fusion technology to help tackle the world's energy crisis.

Last month, the scientists in Hefei declared that the Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST) facility, a key one for fusion research, had for the first time achieved a plasma central electron temperature of 100 million degrees Celsius, marking a major breakthrough for the artificial sun.

The temperature is considered one of the most important conditions for nuclear fusion reactions.

The EAST has been designed and constructed by Chinese scientists, making China the first country in the world to build such equipment on its own.

Engineering design for CFETR began in December 2017, when a conference to mark the start of designing work was held in the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC), based in Hefei and affiliated to the CAS.

CFETR consists of three steps. The reactor will see the start of construction before 2021. Construction will be finished and large-scale experiments will begin before 2035. Success in experiments will be achieved while construction of a commercial-use reactor will start before 2050, according to previous press release by USTC.

 

[JSCh]

China-France JV's nuclear power unit ready for commercial use
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-14 13:49:17|Editor: Yang Yi



SHENZHEN, Dec. 14 (Xinhua) -- A third-generation nuclear power unit of a China-France joint venture in south China's Guangdong Province has completed all the testing operations and is ready for commercial use, according to a statement from China Guangdong Nuclear Power Company (CGNPC) late Thursday.

The largest Sino-French project in the energy field, the Taishan nuclear power plant uses the European Pressurized Reactor (EPR) for its No.1 and No. 2 power units.

As the world's first third-generation EPR nuclear power unit, the No. 1 unit can be put into commercial operation after the plant gets the necessary electric power business licenses. The power plant is run by a joint venture set up by CGNPC, French energy supplier Electricite de France (EDF), and Guangdong Yudean Group. The power plant began construction of the reactor for the No.1 power unit in 2009 and another reactor for the No.2 power unit in 2010.

The No. 1 power unit was linked to the grid on June 29. The EPR technology used in the Taishan reactors is third-generation nuclear power technology jointly developed by EDF and Framatome.

 

[JSCh]

China National Nuclear Power
At 06:53 on October 27, the No. 4 unit of Tianwan Nuclear Power Plant, which was controlled by China Nuclear Power Investment, was successfully connected to the grid for the first time. All technical indicators met the design requirements and realized another important milestone in the construction of the project. A solid foundation has been laid for the implementation of power platform test and the goal of achieving commercial operation on schedule.

China's nuclear power plant Tianwan-4 ready for the market
By Pan Zhaoyi
2018-12-23 11:40 GMT+8

The fourth unit of the Tianwan nuclear power plant in east China's Jiangsu Province is ready for commercial operation after being checked for glitches, according to the China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC).

Tianwan-4, part of the Tianwan Phase II Project, has adopted the VVER nuclear power technology supplied by Russia, which is a version similar but superior to Tianwan-3.

"When Unit 4 gets commissioned, Tianwan Phase II Project with units 3 and 4 combined will increase the electricity generation to 16-18 billion kWh per year," said Shen Yanfeng, general manager of CNNC.

Based on the Phase I technology, the units 3 and 4 in the second stage improved their performance by applying more domestically developed equipment.

"Like the steam turbine, it is made in China. With 98 percent of self-developed units, the power plant can still work very smoothly," said Zhang Yi, operating director of CNNC.

The reason that China chose to bring in Russia's technology at first was because of its higher safety standard when compared with the technology used in the U.S. or France.

One of the examples is the steam generator applied in the nuclear power plant.

"The steam generator to the nuclear power plant is like the boiler to the power plant. A horizontal steam generator applied in Russia's technology has larger water storage than the vertical one in France or the U.S. You know, the larger the storage, the safer the equipment," said Zhang.

The Tianwan nuclear power plant is currently the largest Russian-Chinese power project. Supported by Chinese government under the initiative of developing domestic clean energy, the project has generated electricity over 160 billion kWh in total, which can be used by 100 million Chinese families for one year.

 

[JSCh]

Fourth Chinese AP1000 enters commercial operation
09 January 2019

Unit 2 of the Haiyang nuclear power plant in China's Shandong province has completed 168 hours of full-power continuous operation and is now deemed to be in commercial operation. It becomes the fourth AP1000 unit in China to reach the milestone.

Haiyang 1 and 2 (Image: SPIC)​

Haiyang 2 completed the full-power demonstration test run at 4:00pm today, State Power Investment Corporation (SPIC) has announced. The reactor has now met "commercial operation conditions", it said. Although China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC) must still obtain necessary permits and documentation, the unit is now considered to be in commercial operation.

In September 2007, Westinghouse and its partner the Shaw Group received authorisation to construct four AP1000 units in China: two at Sanmen in Zhejiang province and two more at Haiyang. Construction of Sanmen 1 began in April 2009, while first concrete for Sanmen 2 was poured in December 2009. Construction of Haiyang 1 and 2 began in September 2009 and June 2010, respectively.

Sanmen 1 was the world's first AP1000 to start up, achieving first criticality - a sustained chain reaction - on 22 June last year and grid connection on 2 July. It reached full power operation for the first time on 14 August and entered commercial operation on 21 September.

Unit 1 of the Haiyang plant attained first criticality on 8 August and was grid connected on 17 August. That unit began commercial operation on 22 October.

Sanmen unit 2 attained first criticality on 17 August and was connected to the grid on 24 August. The reactor entered commercial operation on 5 November.

Haiyang 2 achieved first criticality on 29 September and was connected to the grid on 13 October.

Together, Haiyang units 1 and 2 will provide some 20 TWh of electricity to the grid annually, sufficient to meet one-third of household demand in Shandong province, SPIC noted.

With the start of commercial operation of Haiyang 2, mainland China now has 46 power reactors in operation with a combined installed capacity of more than 45 GWe.

Four AP1000 reactors were also being built in the USA - two each at Vogtle and Summer. However, construction of the two Summer units was suspended in August 2017. Vogtle 3 and 4 are scheduled to start operating in November 2021 and November 2022, respectively.

Researched and written by World Nuclear News


http://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/Fourth-Chinese-AP1000-enters-commercial-operation

 

[JSCh]

How China hopes to play a leading role in developing next-generation nuclear reactors | South China Morning Post

• Researchers have ambitious plans that could pave the way for cleaner, safer and more efficient reactors that could cut reliance on fossil fuels
• China hopes to take prominent role in international collaboration designed to develop fourth-generation technology

PUBLISHED : Thursday, 10 January, 2019, 6:03am
UPDATED : Thursday, 10 January, 2019, 12:19pm

The core equipment of a Chinese molten-salt reactor nuclear reactor. Photo: The Institute of Advanced Nuclear Energy Innovation, Chinese Academy of Sciences

Alice Shen
alice.shen@scmp.com

China is pushing ahead with ambitious plans for its nuclear industry, including developing cleaner and safer next-generation technology.

A particular focus is a plan to develop the world’s first large-scale thorium-powered molten-salt reactors – which could generate less radioactive waste and help reduce the reliance on fossil fuels to reduce the world’s energy needs – by 2020.

The head of one of the country’s research programmes said recently that Chinese researchers had mastered the technology in laboratories and now aimed to be the first in the world to make it commercially viable.

Laurence Leung, a scientist with the Canadian Nuclear Laboratories, said China “is also leading the development of a few other models” and “is putting a lot of resources” into developing fourth-generation nuclear power.

At present the country relies on nuclear technology from the US and France, but hopes the heavy investment will allow it to play a leading role in the multinational Generation-IV International Forum.

The forum, a 14-member intergovernmental R&D collaboration, aims to pool resources – allowing scientists to develop safer and cheaper next-generation systems.

Other members include the US, France, Russia and Canada, while Britain, Brazil and Argentina hope to play a more active role in future.

After whittling down nearly 100 proffered concepts, the forum is now focusing on developing six reactor models.

“China wants to test all the fourth-generation concepts before moving forward,” said Leung, who is also an adjunct professor at the McMaster University in Canada and Xian Jiaotong University in China.

“It’s still very cost-effective at the developing phase. Once you move to the commercial use, there is no turning back.”

A major focus is developing thorium-based molten salt-reactors – which scientists hope can be developed to help meet the world’s growing need for energy without contributing to global warming.

These reactors are powered by controlled fission reactions in the same way as conventional uranium reactors.

However, the technology could prove to be cheaper and cleaner, while the use of thorium – which is less radioactive than uranium – should generate less waste.

Replacing water as a coolant with liquid molten salt could tap more of the energy available in radioactive materials and reduce the risk of a meltdown by slowing the nuclear reactions automatically if they get too hot.

Xu Hongjie, director of China’s molten-salt programme, told an academic conference in Shanghai last month that China has mastered the technology in laboratories and plans to put it into commercial use by 2030 – before anyone else does so.

The programme is led by the Shanghai Institute of Applied Physics, part of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

China, the world’s largest electricity consumer, has already built 45 uranium-powered reactors, but these only generate 3.6 per cent of its total output.

The figure is about 10 per cent for Canada, the US and France.

One advantage of developing molten-salt reactors is that China can build them in remote desert regions, away from its densely populated east coast. because they do not need so much water.

Work on two molten-salt reactors located in the Gobi desert in Gansu province began in 2011. The 12-megawatt reactors were designed to demonstrate the viability of the technology and it is hoped they will be up and running by next year.

“We have been conducting research in Shanghai, starting from nearly nothing,” Xu said. “And we now mastered the technology to produce key devices for such reactors, owning 202 patents.”

China has invested about 2 billion yuan (US$300 million) over the past few years in molten-salt research and development, but building the plants will require tens of billions more.

The basic technology was developed in America’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory, which invented the reactors in the 1970s but the US stopped developing them as it decided to concentrate on uranium-based reactors because of their military applications.

“The US chose to focus on the uranium-based reactors,” said Luk Binglam, a nuclear engineering professor with City University of Hong Kong.

“The reasons are not all technical. You need to consider the political climate at that time.”

Xu told the MIT Technology Review in 2016 that Oak Ridge had posted most of the technical documents the Chinese team needed to develop the technology online for free.

There are a number of practical hurdles to overcome if the researchers are to develop a commercially viable model, but if they succeed it could make China a leader in the industry.

The development of cleaner and safer models could increase global demand for nuclear power, which has prompted widespread public concern in the wake of disasters such as Chernobyl and Fukushima.

Some countries have banned its use and other places, including Germany and Taiwan, have moved to phase out their existing reactors.

Leung said that another advantage of China developing the technology was that while it had to import uranium to power its current reactors, it had large reserves of thorium and would not need to rely on others for such crucial raw materials.

 

[JSCh]

TVEL to supply fuel for China's fast-neutron reactor
10 January 2019

TVEL and CNLY have signed a contract for the supply of nuclear fuel for the CFR-600 sodium-cooled pool-type fast-neutron nuclear reactor under construction in Xiapu County, in China's Fujian province. TVEL is the nuclear fuel manufacturer subsidiary of Russian state nuclear corporation Rosatom, while CNLY is part of China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC).

A cutaway of the CFR-600 design (Image: CNNC)​

The contract, which was announced today in Beijing, covers the initial loading of nuclear fuel, as well as supplies for refuelling during the first seven years of the reactor’s operation. To serve the contract, a new manufacturing line for the CFR-600 fuel assemblies is planned at the Elektrostal Machine-Building Plant, a TVEL facility located in the Moscow region.

TVEL President Natalia Nikipelova said the Russian company is committed to "all-encompassing cooperation with Chinese partners" in fast-neutron reactors and closing of nuclear fuel cycle. She noted that, in addition to Rosatom’s experience with uranium-based fuel manufacturing for commercial fast-neutron reactors, it had last year launched batch production of uranium-and-plutonium mixed-oxide (MOX) fuel for Russia's BN-800 fast reactor. Its Chinese portfolio also includes a contract for the supply of uranium-based fuel for the China Experimental Fast Reactor, CEFR, with fuel deliveries already taking place, she added.

Evgeny Pakermanov, president of Rusatom Overseas, which coordinated negotiation of the contract, noted that as this is a demonstration project, Russian engineers will create a new kind of nuclear fuel based on the Chinese design.

"[O]ur team had to draw up the whole contract from the scratch taking into account all the peculiarities of the project," he said, adding that talks with the Chinese side had started last June. "Thanks to the high professionalism of Rosatom’s united team and the positive approach of the Chinese partners, the contract has been agreed upon in a record-breaking time," he said.

The CFR-600 fuel supply contract was signed as a part of the an intergovernmental agreement between Russia and China on the joint construction and operation of a demonstration fast reactor in China. It is a part of a large-scale programme of bilateral cooperation in nuclear industry "for the decades ahead", TVEL said.

The agreement covers construction of nuclear reactors of Russian design, with VVER-1200 reactors at two sites in China - Tianwan and Xudabao. The package of intergovernmental documents and framework contracts for these projects was signed on 8 June 2018, during the visit of Russian President Vladimir Putin to Beijing and his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Fast neutron reactors (FNRs) are seen as the main reactor technology for China, and CNNC expects the FNR to become predominant by mid-century. The country's research and development on fast neutron reactors started in 1964.

A 65 MWt fast neutron reactor - the Chinese Experimental Fast Reactor (CEFR) - near Beijing achieved criticality in July 2010, and was grid-connected a year later.

Based on this, a 600 MWe design - the CFR-600 - was developed by the China Institute of Atomic Energy. The Xiapu reactor - construction of which started in December 2017 - will be a demonstration of that sodium-cooled pool-type fast reactor design. This will have an output of 1500 MW thermal power and 600 MW electric power. The reactor will use mixed-oxide (MOX) fuel with 100 GWd/t burnup, and will feature two coolant loops producing steam at 480°C. Later fuel will be metal with burnup of 100-120 GWd/t. The reactor will have active and passive shutdown systems and passive decay heat removal.

A commercial-scale unit - the CFR1000 - will have a capacity of 1000-1200 MWe. Subject to a 2020 decision to proceed, construction could start in December 2028, with operation from about 2034. That design will use metal fuel and 120-150 GWd/t burnup.

Researched and written by World Nuclear News


http://www.world-nuclear-news.org/A...-fuel-for-Chinas-fast-neutron-react?feed=feed

 

[JSCh]

Chinese-developed ATF undergoing irradiation tests
24 January 2019

China General Nuclear (CGN) has begun irradiation testing of a prototype accident-tolerant fuel rod in a research reactor, marking the first time that Chinese-developed ATF has been irradiated.

The loading of the ATF rod into the research reactor (Image: CGN)​

The term accident-tolerant fuel (ATF) describes new technologies that enhance the safety and performance of nuclear fuel. Such fuels may incorporate the use of new materials and designs for cladding and fuel pellets.

CGN said a '2SF PI-A' ATF fuel rod was loaded into a research reactor on 20 January under the supervision of the Chinese Institute of Nuclear Physics & Chemistry, the China Academy of Engineering Physics and the China Guangdong Nuclear Research Institute.

"By studying the reactor irradiation test, the researchers will obtain valuable data on the irradiation of ATF fuel in the reactor," CGN said. "The test will also provide strong support for post-computation modelling and pilot rod loading, which is of great value."

China launched an ATF research and development programme in 2015, when CGN was assigned to lead the project and assembled a group of research institutes and universities - including the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the China Academy of Engineering Physics, Tsinghua University and Xi'an Jiaotong University - to form a national team committed to ATF technological R&D and creation of a nuclear fuel industrial alliance.

CGN said it took the team three years to complete the conceptual design of the ATF and make a preliminary evaluation of the safety benefits of ATF under accident conditions.

Several types of cladding and fuel pellets with enhanced accident tolerance have been developed by the team for use in light water reactors, including coated zirconium alloy, iron-chromium-aluminium alloys, coated molybdenum alloy, silicon carbide claddings, as well as high thermal conductivity uranium-oxide pellets.

CGN began neutron irradiation tests for candidate materials for ATF in December 2017. These tests were conducted in the China Mianyang Research Reactor on the Nuclear Physics campus of Institute of Nuclear Physics & Chemistry in Mianyang city, Sichuan Province.

Since then, CGN has focused on the development of fuel models and their application in projects. The company said it will "strive to meet the requirements for commercial reactor applications of ATF components within five years".

According to CGN, "The new-generation super safe fuel will resist serious accidents and prolong the non-intervention time in case of reactor accidents, greatly reducing the risk of hydrogen explosions and relieving or eliminating the consequences arising from loss of coolant." It added, "It will be used to replace fuel in the nuclear power plants now in operation and help design the fourth generation or even more advanced nuclear power system. In addition, the new fuel will maintain and improve the performance of nuclear power plants."

ATF fuel designs are also being developed in the Europe, Japan and the USA.

Rosatom's fuel company, TVEL, plans to offer ATF to its customers by the early 2020s. TVEL is developing ATF for use in Rosatom's VVER reactors and in Western PWRs. Prototype assemblies are being tested at the MIR-M1 research reactor at the Research Institute of Atomic Reactors at Dimitrovgrad.

Framatome, Global Nuclear Fuel and Westinghouse are working with the US Department of Energy (DOE) to commercialise their ATF concepts by 2025. The DOE's ATF programme was launched following the 2011 Fukushima Daiichi accident and aims to demonstrate performance by inserting ATF technology into a commercial reactor by 2022, and bring advanced fuel concepts to market by 2025.

In July 2017, it was announced that four test lead assemblies of Framatome fuel featuring chromia-doped fuel pellets and chromium-coated fuel cladding will be loaded into unit 2 of the Vogtle plant in Georgia early this year.

Researched and written by World Nuclear News


http://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/Chinese-developed-ATF-undergoing-irradiation-tests

 

[JSCh]

China Approves Four Hualong One Nuclear Reactors
LIAO SHUMIN
DATE : JAN 31 2019/SOURCE : YICAI

China Approves Four Hualong One Nuclear Reactors​

(Yicai Global) Jan. 31 -- China yesterday gave the go-ahead to the No. 1 and No. 2 reactors at the Phase I of China National Nuclear's Zhangzhou nuclear power project, as well as another two at the Phase I of China General Nuclear Power Group's Huizhou Taiping Ling nuclear power project.

A senior executive at Beijing-based Hualong International Nuclear Power Technology, a joint venture between China National Nuclear and China Nuclear Engineering & Construction, both also headquartered in Beijing, confirmed the news to state-backed Jiemian News.

Barring one project approved in 2012, the Chinese government has imposed a freeze on new general nuclear power projects since the accident at the tsunami-struck nuclear plant in Fukushima, Japan in 2011.

Infrastructure for the two projects, including power and water supply facilities, is already in place, and further construction awaited only the government nod, the senior executive said, but added the projects still need to pass safety checks before the first concrete pours.

Lying in Zhangzhou in southeastern Fujian province, the plan is for construction of six reactors applying US-developed AP1000 technology, with installed capacity of about 7.5 million kilowatts. Situated in Huizhou, Guangdong province, the Huizhou Taiping Ling nuclear power project will comprise six million-kilowatt reactors.

Many ongoing nuclear power projects in China started fueling last year, with seven commercial application-ready reactors put into operation, but new nuclear power projects are still not yet up and running.

The government is expected to later give the green light to the No. 1 and No. 2 reactors for the nuclear power plants in Zhangzhou's Shidao Bay later, as well as the No. 3 and No. 4 units of the facilities located in Sanmen County and Haiyang, based on the national nuclear blueprint.

China adopted third-generation nuclear power technologies in many nuclear reactors last year, with the US technology used at the nuclear power plants in Sanmen County and Haiyang and EPR technology from France at the stations in Taishan.

The country has decided to shift to the Hualong One technology in the Zhangzhou nuclear power project as its self-developed Hualong One technology progresses.

The the technical choices for reactors at the Xudabao and Lufeng nuclear power plants are yet to be determined.