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

[JSCh]

China to build lab for radioactive waste disposal
By Hou Liqiang | chinadaily.com.cn | Updated: 2019-09-04 21:59

[Photo/IC]

Work will soon begin on a potential site for a lab to accommodate China's radioactive waste.

Experiments are to be conducted to determine if it is the right choice of site, according to the country's top nuclear safety watchdog.

China uses concentrated disposal to deal with high-level radioactive waste.

The disposal site should be located at least 400 meters underground and boast stable geological conditions that can keep this waste isolated from the humans for more than 10,000 years, said Liu Hua, head of the National Nuclear Safety Administration, on Wednesday.

"We have found a very good site," he told a news conference organized by the State Council Information Office.

He said the lab will be built in accordance with requirements for deep geologic repositories, but construction will depend on data collected from experiments at the site.

Jiang Guang, deputy head of the administration, said the construction of the lab in Gansu province will be launched as soon as possible and that experiments on the site will help identify disposal approaches that will be applied at other suitable sites.

As of June, there are 47 nuclear power facilities in operation on the Chinese mainland and the country is also building 11 new facilities, according to a comprehensive white paper on nuclear safety published by the State Council Information Office on Tuesday.

 

[JSCh]

First ITER Poloidal Field Coil Gets Ready to be Shipped to ITER Site---Chinese Academy of Sciences
Sep 20, 2019

The No.6 poloidal field superconducting coil (or PF6 coil), the first large superconducting magnet coil of ITER (short for International Thermonuclear Fusion Experimental Reactor) project, has been completed and will be shipped to ITER site in France at the delivery ceremony held on 20 September in Hefei, Anhui, China.

PF6, the key component of ITER, will be installed at the bottom of the ITER cryostat. It consists of nine twin-shaped wilding pancakes and a series of supporting accessories, weighing up to 400 tons, even heavier than two Boeing 747 airplanes.

In order to meet the strict requirements for the magnetic field configuration of the ITER device, the profile accuracy of the PF6 coil within ±1.5mm after winding must be strictly controlled. For a superconducting coil with an external diameter of about 11.2 meters and to be wound in a “two-in-hand” configuration, the challenge is incredibly unprecedented. The NbTi superconductor used for winding the coil stretches up to 13.5 kilometers.

Due to its technical complexity, it took six years of the manufacturing team with Institute of Plasma Physics, Hefei Institutes of Physical Science to complete the task.

Facing the huge challenges, the whole team was highly motivated which enabled them to overcome difficulties in “two-in-hand” coil winding by unbelievable less than one year. And particularly worth being highlighted, all the winding equipment was 100% made in China.

In December 2016, the team was pleased to see all the full-size joint sample for the PF6 coil joint qualification had passed the test by ITER organization with fantastic performance, winning it the full praise from Mr Sborchia Carlo, project supervisor for ITER and Fusion for Energy (or F4E) by pointing it as “the best sample both in manufacturing accuracy and appearance” he had ever seen. In fact, It was the ever first joint one in ITER PF coil projects that met ITER’s highly strict technical requirements.

To the June this year, the impregnated winding pack that is 1.6 meters in cross section and 1.2 meters in height had been completed from 9 double pancakes with a total of 468 conductor turns, leading the PF6 coil to a perfect ending of vacuum insulation impregnation manufacturing. The specialization of insulation in both design and manufacturing enables the PF6 coil to work for ITER in ultra-low temperatures of minus 269 degrees Celsius and strong radiation of 10 kgy Gamma, as well as to possess tensile strength close to that of stainless steel.

Since ITER is the most ambitious international scientific project, its component PF6 project also sets a good example of collaboration between China and Europe for building a new mode of international fusion collaboration.

The PF6 coil (Image by WANG Tianhao)

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[JSCh]

From China National Nuclear Corporation(CNNC), on 10 May, mass produced CF3 nuclear fuel element successfully passed factory acceptance.

Commercial production of Hualong One fuel begins
26 September 2019

China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC) has started mass production of China Fuel 3 (CF3) fuel assemblies for the domestically-designed HPR1000 (Hualong One) pressurised water reactor design.

CF3 fuel assemblies undergoing irradiation at the Qinshan plant (Image: CNNC)​

Long-term irradiation testing of the CF3 fuel was completed in March

Four sets of CF3 fuel assemblies were loaded into Qinshan II unit 2 - a Chinese-designed CNP-600 PWR - in July 2014. The assemblies underwent poolside inspections during each fuelling cycle, CNNC said. Inspection results showed that the performance of the design met internationally accepted standards. In May this year, the company said it was ready to start commercial production of the fuel.

CNNC has now announced that further testing of four assemblies at Qinshan was completed on 20 September. It noted that eight CF3 fuel assemblies had previously been irradiated in the Fangjiashan plant and that another eight assemblies are expected to be used at the Qinshan plant at the end of this year.

"The multiple power plant irradiation model allows CF3 fuel assemblies to be widely used, which is necessary for saving money on product research," CNNC said. "CF3 fuel assemblies can be used for long-cycle refueling and are suitable for the Hualong One nuclear project and the Yanlong low-temperature heating reactor."

CNNC completed the preliminary design of the Yanlong swimming pool-type low-temperature reactor for district heating in September 2018. The company says the reactor - which an output of 400 MWt - can be operated under low temperatures and normal pressures. It can be constructed near urban areas due to the zero risk of a meltdown and lack of emissions.

CNNC said it now has all the necessary technology to develop high-performance nuclear fuel, and that its "independent fuel system and sufficient product supply capacity give it competitiveness in the international market".

The CF3 fuel assembly is composed of 264 fuel rods arranged within a 17 x 17 supporting structure. The fuel rods contain pellets of either uranium dioxide or a mixture of gadolinium oxide and uranium dioxide. The rods feature a zircalloy cladding material. A total of 177 CF3 fuel assemblies will be loaded into the core of the Hualong One reactor.

Hualong One reactors are currently under construction at Fuqing and Fangchenggang. Fuqing 5 and 6 are expected to start up in 2019 and 2020, as are Fangchenggang 3 and 4. The Hualong One promoted on the international market is called the HPR1000, two of which are under construction at Karachi in Pakistan.

On 11 September, CNNC announced that nuclear fuel components for first Hualong One demonstration unit had passed factory acceptance and have been shipped to the Fuqing plant.

According to World Nuclear Association information, CF3 fuel assemblies are being manufactured at CNNC's main PWR fuel fabrication plant at Yibin in Sichuan province, using fuel pellets from Kazakhstan's Ulba Metallurgical Plant.

Researched and written by World Nuclear News


Commercial production of Hualong One fuel begins - World Nuclear News

 

[JSCh]

China Nuclear Power-Led Group Wins Core Deal in ITER, World's Biggest Fusion Reactor
XU WEI
DATE : JUL 19 2019/SOURCE : YICAI

China Nuclear Power-Led Group Wins Core Deal in ITER, World's Biggest Fusion Reactor​

(Yicai Global) July 19 -- France's International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor, the world's largest fusion experiment participated by various countries including the US and India, has chosen an international consortium led by China Nuclear Power Engineering to install the core equipment close to the reactor, which will become the first large international nuclear project for China.

China National Nuclear, the parent of CNPE, received a notice about winning the engineering, procurement and construction bid regarding the Tokamak Assembly Contract No. 01, TAC1, Science and Technology Daily reported yesterday.

ITER, located in southern France, may be the world's most complex science project as the reactor has more than 10 million parts. The European Union, Russia and South Korea are some of the nations that have joined hands to build the massive nuclear plant over a decade.

TAC1 is ITER's largest contract to date, and it has uttermost importance in terms of testing the tokamak, a magnetic fusion device, Wen Jingwu, CNPE's senior engineer and head of TAC1 work told the same newspaper. The consortium will install a cryostat and connecting systems, designed to cool down the reactor.

The deal marks the first for a Chinese company in terms of big nuclear EPC contracts abroad, said the Beijing-based firm's vice general manager Li Qiang.

The consortium consists of France's Framatome, CNNC's Southwestern Institute of Physics, China Nuclear Industry 23 Construction, Institute of Plasma Physics under the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

Chinese consortium signs ITER contract
08 October 2019

A contract for Tokamak machine assembly for the ITER International Fusion Energy Organisation signed by a consortium led by China Nuclear Power Engineering Corporation (CNPE) is the biggest nuclear energy project contract that Chinese companies have ever bid for in the European market.

The TAC1 contract was signed on 30 October (Image: ITER)​

Tokamak Assembly Contract 1 (TAC1) was signed in Beijing on 30 September by the consortium of CNPE; China Nuclear Industry 23 Construction Company Ltd; Southwestern Institute of Physics; Institute of Plasma Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences ASIPP; and Framatome. The TAC2 contract has been awarded to the Dynamic SNC consortium of Ansaldo Nucleare; Endel Engie; Orys Group ORTEC; SIMIC; Ansaldo Energia; and Leading Metal Mechanic Solutions SL.

The ITER Organisation decided earlier this year to divide the current stage of the ITER project - machine and plant assembly up to first plasma - into a total of nine major assembly and installation contracts to permit better schedule and cost control throughout the projects, and to aid risk management. The decision to award two TAC contracts to different contractors was made to preserve peer competition at the same time as protecting the organisation in the case of contract default. Each contract covers well-defined and distinct machine assembly scope, and purposefully minimises the interfaces between providers, it said.

The TAC1 assembly contract covers the cryostat and cryostat thermal shield; magnet feeders; the central solenoid, poloidal field and correction coil magnets; and cooling structures and instrumentation. The TAC2 contract covers the main vessel and ports, sector sub-assembly with toroidal field coils and vacuum vessel thermal shielding, and welding.

"These are major contracts for the ITER Organisation," said ITER Director General Bernard Bigot. "We have carefully prepared more than 1200 engineering work packages for the mechanical installation of the ITER machine components and planned the assembly sequences; we are pleased we have found highly qualified and motivated partners for the execution of the work. We look forward to collaborating with world-renowned industry specialists for the on-time and to-specification assembly of one of the world's most challenging, promising and important scientific instruments."

An initial preparatory period dedicated to ensuring a common and thorough understanding of the technical and management requirements and constraints, the roles of different project actors, and the physical workspaces, is now underway. Both consortia are developing their on-site organisation and teams, and creating detailed implementation processes and procedures, the ITER Organisation said.

Yu Jianfeng, chairman of CNPE parent China National Nuclear Corporation, said the contract was the largest nuclear energy project financial contract that Chinese companies had bid for in the European market and was also the first time that Chinese nuclear energy enterprise had successfully participated in international science projects in the form of general contracting.

Researched and written by World Nuclear News


http://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/Chinese-consortium-signs-ITER-contract

 

[JSCh]

China confident of 'new era' for nuclear, says CNNC president
09 October 2019

Nuclear power is "irreplaceable" and international cooperation in the technology "indispensible" in reducing global CO2 emissions, China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC) President Jun Gu told delegates at the International Atomic Energy Agency's International Conference on Climate Change and the Role of Nuclear Power yesterday in Vienna. Climate change may in fact be an "opportunity to create a new era for nuclear energy", he said, and CNNC is "willing to work with all countries" to bring about a clean energy transition and mitigate climate change.

Construction of the first of two Chinese-supplied Hualong One units at the Karachi plant in Pakistan (Image: CNNP)​

Of the 449 reactor units in operation in 30 countries today, 47 are in China, he noted. At nearly 50 GWe, they place the country in third ranking in terms of installed nuclear generating capacity. China also has 11 units under construction with an installed capacity of about 12 GWe, ranking the country first in the world in that respect, he said. In 2018, nuclear power generated 287 TWh of electricity in China, accounting for 4.2% of national power generation, and Gu is "fully confident" that China will add a further 6-8 units each year over the next 10 years.

"With technological progress, the world is entering an age of clean energy with less dependence on fossil fuel," Gu said. "The shares of natural gas, nuclear energy, solar power, wind power and hydropower in energy production and in consumption are increasing markedly. In some countries, clean energy takes about 60% of the energy mix. However, we think that hydropower is highly restricted by regional resources, and wind and solar power also have natural constraints. They can hardly be the main power producers without a breakthrough in energy storage technology. Also, nuclear power has been demonstrated as an important option in replacing coal-fired power plants on a large scale. Nuclear power is an important baseload option to avoid price fluctuation and the grid risk from renewable energy."

China is committed to cutting its CO2 emissions per unit of GDP by 60-65% from the 2005 level by 2030, he said, and plans to increase the share of non-fossil fuel energy in its primary energy mix to 15% by 2020 and to 20% by 2030.

Since Chinese President Xi Jinping launched the country's new energy policy in 2014, "tremendous changes" have been made, Gu said. "The past three years have witnessed the fastest growth of renewable energy in China, which now ranks first in installed capacity of hydro, wind and solar power, as well as in nuclear power construction."

The country's international cooperation in nuclear power is clear, he said, since it has reactor designs that include French PWRs, Canadian Candus, Russian VVERs and US AP1000s. It is also working on its own design, the HPR-1000, and is developing indigenous equipment supply.

"We have developed the capacity to manufacture equipment for eight to 10 units every year," he said. "At present, more than 85% of the key equipment and materials of our own HPR-1000 can be produced in China."

The HPR-1000, also known as Hualong One, is a Chinese pressurised water reactor design developed by CNNC and the China General Nuclear Power Group. The first HPR-1000 units to be constructed will be Fuqing units 5 and 6, followed by Fangjiashan units 3 and 4, and Fangchenggang units 3 and 4. There are five Hualong One reactors planned for Pakistan - four at Karachi and one at Chashma, of which two are under construction at Karachi. Construction of another HPR-1000 is planned to start next year in Argentina.

The HPR-1000 project is "progressing smoothly", Gu said, adding that Fuqing 5 had entered the commissioning stage and would achieve power operation by the first-half of next year.

CNNC is working on new nuclear technologies, he said, including small modular reactors, nuclear waste transmutation and treatment, accident-tolerant fuel, high-temperature reactors, fast breeder reactors, nuclear fusion technology, and used fuel disposal.

In July, CNNC announced the launch of a project to construct an ACP100 small modular reactor at Changjiang in Hainan province. Construction of the demonstration unit - also referred to as the Linglong One design - is scheduled to begin by the end of this year.

Its HTR-PM, a 200-megawatt high-temperature gas-cooled reactor, can supply industrial heat of above 750 degrees Celsius, he said, and is expected to have "broader prospects" in hydrogen production. The unit will be in operation by the end of next year, "laying a solid foundation for further commercial application", he added. In addition, CNNC has developed the Yanlong DHR-400 pool-type low-temperature reactor in northern China to replace the fossil fuel-fired district heating system. The company is also working with 'Belt-and-Road countries' in nuclear power, uranium resources, nuclear fuel, and the non-power applications of nuclear technology. And it is engaged in the ITER fusion project in the south of France.

International cooperation, he said, can "build consensus and strengthen confidence" in nuclear power.

"The global nuclear industry is moving out of the shadow of Fukushima accident. However some countries have abandoned nuclear power and sharply dropped its proportion in their generation mix," he said. "Developed countries have witnessed sluggish growth of nuclear power - except for six units in Finland, France, the US and the UK, no other nuclear power plant had been built in North America and the EU area for about 30 years. Over the same period however about 100 units were built in developing and emerging economies."

Researched and written by World Nuclear News


http://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/China-confident-of-new-era-for-nuclear-says-CNNC

 

[JSCh]

国资小新 今天 14:05 来自 微博 weibo.com 已编辑
【#我国首座铅铋零功率反应堆首次实现临界# 移动式小型核电源实用化指日可待

】10月9日上午11时05分，我国首座铅铋合金零功率反应堆——启明星Ⅲ号实现首次临界，并正式启动我国铅铋堆芯核特性物理实验，标志着我国在铅铋快堆领域的研发跨出实质性一步，进入工程化阶段，同时也意味着我国在铅铋快堆研发领域已跻身国际前列。

铅铋合金熔点低、沸点高。铅铋合金反应堆相比传统反应堆而言，具有更高的固有安全性和抵御严重事故的能力，更高的能量密度和更长的运行寿期。

在应用方面，铅铋合金反应堆既可以设计为百万千万级的大型电厂，也可设计为兆瓦级小型模块化核电源。甚至可作为移动式小型核电源，装载于普通尺寸的车辆。

接下来，研究团队将以2025年完成小型铅铋堆示范堆建设为阶段目标，尽快实现小型铅铋堆工程技术突破，并形成批量化生产应用能力。 @中核集团

国资小新
Today 14:05 from Weibo

At 11:05 on October 9th, China's first lead-bismuth alloy zero-power reactor - Venus III achieved its first criticality, and officially launched the physical experiment of lead-based reactor core in China. It marks that China's R&D in the field of lead-bismuth fast reactor has taken a substantial step and entered the engineering stage. It also means that China has become one of the international leaders in the research and development of lead-bismuth fast reactor.

 

[JSCh]

Permits issued for construction of new Chinese plant
15 October 2019

Construction licences have been issued for units 1 and 2 of the Zhangzhou nuclear power plant in China's Fujian province. The units were originally planned to be based on Westinghouse's AP1000 design, but will now feature domestically-designed Hualong One reactors.

A rendering of a plant based on the Hualong One reactor design (Image: CGN)​

China's Ministry of Ecology and Environment issued the construction licences on 9 October to CNNC-Guodian Zhangzhou Energy Company, the owner of Zhangzhou nuclear power project which was created by China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC) (51%) and China Guodian Corporation (49%) in 2011. The licences are valid for 10 years.

The ministry said the submitted application documents complied with relevant national laws and nuclear safety regulations. It said the design principles and nuclear safety related activities at the Zhangzhou plant "meet the basic requirements of China's nuclear safety regulations, and the construction conditions are already in place".

The ministry has organised and supervised inspections of the on-site preparation of the nuclear island of Zhangzhou unit 1. It said the pouring of first concrete can take place once proposed "rectification requirements" have been completed and approved by the regulator.

"At present, your company is implementing rectification as required," the ministry said. "At the same time, the first tank of concrete of unit 2's nuclear island foundation is set as the control point." Once on-site preparation work for that unit's foundation has been inspected and approved, first concrete pouring can proceed, it said.

In May 2014, the local government gave approval for Phase I of the Zhangzhou plant, comprising two AP1000 units. The National Nuclear Safety Administration gave approval in December 2015 for the AP1000 units and confirmed site selection in October 2016. Construction of Phase I had originally been expected to start in May 2017. However, CNNC subsequently decided to use the Hualong One design instead. Two more Hualong One are planned for Phase II of the plant and a further two proposed for Phase III.

In late-2016, Germany's KSB Group was awarded a contract for six reactor coolant pumps for Zhangzhou 1 and 2, to be delivered in 2020 and 2021. In mid-2017, China Nuclear Industry No24 Construction Company won the contract for the nuclear island civil engineering. In February 2019, CNNC subsidiary China National Nuclear Power released its environmental impact assessment for public comment.

Hualong One reactors are currently under construction at Fuqing and Fangchenggang. Fuqing 5 and 6 are expected to start up in 2019 and 2020, as are Fangchenggang 3 and 4. The Hualong One promoted on the international market is called the HPR1000, two of which are under construction at Karachi in Pakistan.

Researched and written by World Nuclear News


http://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/Permits-issued-for-construction-of-new-Chinese-pla

 

[JSCh]

国资小新
Today 14:05 from Weibo

At 11:05 on October 9th, China's first lead-bismuth alloy zero-power reactor - Venus III achieved its first criticality, and officially launched the physical experiment of lead-based reactor core in China. It marks that China's R&D in the field of lead-bismuth fast reactor has taken a substantial step and entered the engineering stage. It also means that China has become one of the international leaders in the research and development of lead-bismuth fast reactor.

Chinese lead-bismuth test reactor starts up
16 October 2019

China's first lead-bismuth alloy zero-power reactor - Qixing (Venus) III - achieved first criticality on 9 October, the China Institute of Atomic Energy (CIAE) has announced. The milestone marks the start of China's core physics experiments into liquid metal cooled fast reactors.

Technicians bring the Venus III reactor to first criticality (Image: CIAE)​

The institute will now carry out a series of tests to obtain data on the core parameters that can be used in the development of lead-bismuth fast reactor designs.

"The reactor is aimed at the key and difficult problems in the engineering of a lead-bismuth fast reactor," CIAE said. "The interaction mode of nuclear fuel and lead-bismuth alloy coolant material is accurately constructed in large-size lead-bismuth alloy coolant material, and the core physical properties of a lead-bismuth reactor are more accurately simulated."

The CIAE said that China's research and development of the lead-bismuth fast reactor has now "entered the engineering stage from the physical basic research stage."

The institute said that lead-bismuth fast reactors can be designed as large-scale power plants, with a capacity of about 1000 MWe, or as small modular power sources with a capacity of just a few megawatts. The small units could find applications in offshore oil exploration platforms, the development of islands, providing power to remote areas or for providing power to large data centres.

CIAE said it is the only research and development centre in China working on the development of liquid metal cooled fast reactors. In July 2005, China's first fast thermal-coupled accelerator-driven system (ADS) sub-critical reactor - Venus I - was built at CIAE. In December 2016, China's first lead-based double-core zero-power device - Venus II - achieved first criticality at CIAE. Venus III took almost two years to complete.

The zero-power ADS transmutation system - developed by the CIAE and the Chinese Academy of Sciences' Institute of Modern Physics - will be used for research into transforming long-lived radioactive waste into short-lived waste.

Researched and written by World Nuclear News


http://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/Chinese-lead-bismuth-test-reactor-starts-up?feed=feed

 

[JSCh]

China sets up innovation alliance for seawater uranium extraction
Source: Xinhua| 2019-11-12 14:57:27|Editor: ZD

BEIJING, Nov. 12 (Xinhua) -- China has formed an innovation alliance to foster the research and application of extracting uranium from seawater, according to China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC).

Initiated by CNNC, the alliance gathers around 20 research institutions and universities.

The alliance will focus on setting up standards for the technology and products used in the extraction process. It will help accelerate the development of core technologies and new products, as well as create research platforms and a test base for uranium extraction from seawater to overcome hurdles in practical application.

It is estimated that about 4.5 billion tonnes of uranium is reserved in seawater, about 1,000 times of the land proven reserves, but the concentration of uranium in seawater is extremely low, making it a huge challenge to develop cost-effective seawater uranium extraction technology.

China has made some progress in the development of absorption materials and equipment for uranium extraction from seawater, but it still has a long way to go before commercial development, according to CNNC.

 

[JSCh]

China launches first nuclear heating project
Source:Global Times Published: 2019/11/16 13:03:23

Photo: VCG​

Haiyang in East China's Shandong Province has become the country's first city that is heated by a nuclear power plant, an environmentally friendly way.

After a few days of trial operation, the nuclear plant with two reactors began heating 700,000 square meters of homes this winter and is expected to cater to the entire Haiyang city by 2021, State Power Investment Corporation announced on Friday.

With more reactors in the pipeline, the power plant would be able to heat as much as 200 million square meters of homes in an area encompassing a diameter of 200 kilometers, saving 6.6 million tons of coal each year.

The project in its current scale can save 23,200 tons of coal each year, reducing smoke and dust emission by 222 tons, besides cutting 382 tons of sulfur dioxide, 362 tons of nitrogen oxides, and 60,000 tons of carbon dioxides. The amount equals emission of six 10-ton boilers, Shanghai-based news outlet The Paper reported.

The heating system, which is isolated from the nuclear circuit but can make use of wasted energy, is safe and environmentally friendly, analysts said.

The heating system uses non-radioactive vapor from the nuclear plant system to warm water in the city's centralized heating systems. Through this, the reactor and households are separated and only the heat is conveyed to residences , The Paper quoted the company as saying.

The vapor comes from two reactors of a nuclear power plant in the city, which went into full commercial operations in 2018 and January 2019, respectively.

The world's first nuclear heating system went into operation in the 1960s in Sweden. Russia, Switzerland, and Romania have also developed such systems.

The centralized heating system in northern China depended largely on coal and natural gas, which caused the problem of smog. Nuclear heating came up as the choice to address this problem and optimize the country's energy structure, which was nailed down in 2017 by 10 departments including the Ministry of Ecology and Environment (previously Ministry of Environment Protection).

North China's Hebei Province and Northeast China's Jilin Province are also considering a similar nuclear heating system.

 

[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

Shares in Zhefu Holding Climb on New Nuclear Energy Tech
TANG SHIHUA
DATE : NOV 26 2019/SOURCE : YICAI

Shares in Zhefu Holding Climb on New Nuclear Energy Tech​

(Yicai Global) Nov. 26 -- Shares in Zhefu Holding Group, a Chinese conglomerate focused on the energy sector, leaped today after the firm revealed a subsidiary had successfully produced a prototype of pump for commercial fast-neutron reactors.

Zhefu Holding's stock [SHE:002266] closed 2.4 percent higher at CNY4.28 (61 US cents) after peaking at CNY4.40 in the morning session. The Shenzhen benchmark ended just 0.29 percent up.

The prototype, a primary circulating pump for liquid metal coolants in FNRs, will be used in China's first 600-megawatt, fourth-generation fast-neutron reactor, Zhefu said in a statement yesterday. It did not disclose further details about the project.

FNRs are the world's top choice for fourth-generation nuclear energy systems. They reduce the radiotoxicity of nuclear waste by re-using it as fuel, utilizing around 60 percent of the uranium fissioned for energy, according to public data.

The main downside is the cost of running an FNR over a typical thermal-neutron reactor, so the technology is still in a developmental stage.

 

[JSCh]

Science and technology daily
Today 10:18 from the professional version of Weibo

[China's new generation of "artificial sun" device installation start]
On the 5th, with the delivery of the main coil system, China HL-2M start installation at the Southwest Institute of Physics of CNNC. As a new generation of "artificial sun" device in China, the HL-2M plasma ion current can reach 3 mega amperes and the plasma temperature can exceed 200 million degrees Celsius. In the future, it will be used to carry out research on key physics and engineering technologies related to fusion reactors, and provide research support for the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER).

China HL-2M device is China's large conventional magnet tokamak fusion research device, which is intended to bring almost unlimited clean energy to humans through the development of controlled thermonuclear fusion, so it is also called "artificial sun". The newly delivered main coil system is one of the core components of the HL-2M device. Its overall weight is about 90 tons, and the operating life requirement under high impact load conditions is no less than 100,000 times.

With the delivery of the main coil system, the China HL-2M device officially entered the overall installation phase. After the installation of the device, it will provide important support for realizing the leapfrogging of China's fusion frontier technology from following to running and leading. According to the plan, the device will be completed by the end of this year. (Tao Yuxiang Science and Technology Daily reporter Sheng Li)

China's "artificial sun" device set to be commissioned in 2020
Source: Xinhua| 2019-11-26 18:13:54|Editor: Yurou

CHENGDU, Nov. 26 (Xinhua) -- The HL-2M Tokamak, China's next-generation "artificial sun," is expected to be operational in 2020 as installation work has gone smoothly since the delivery of the coil system in June.

Designed to replicate the natural reactions that occur in the sun using hydrogen and deuterium gases as fuels, the device aims at providing clean energy through controlled nuclear fusion.

The new apparatus, with a more advanced structure and control mode, is expected to generate plasmas hotter than 200 million degrees Celsius, said Duan Xuru, head of the Southwestern Institute of Physics under the China National Nuclear Corporation.

Duan was quoted at the ongoing 2019 China Fusion Energy Conference held in Leshan, southwest China's Sichuan Province.

The artificial sun will provide key technical support for China's participation in the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor project, as well as the self-designing and building of fusion reactors, he noted.

 

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Contract for recycled fuel for Chinese Candus
08 August 2018

Canada's SNC-Lavalin is to supply its 37M Natural Uranium Equivalent (NUE) fuel to units 1 and 2 of the Qinshan Phase III nuclear power plant in China's Zhejiang province. The engineering service contract and a licensing agreement mark the first commercial use of the fuel - a mixture of depleted and recycled uranium - outside Canada.

The two Candu 6 reactors that make up Qinshan Phase III (Image: SNC-Lavalin)​

SNC-Lavalin said its work under the contract - signed with China National Nuclear Corporation subsidiary Third Qinshan Nuclear Power Company (TQNPC) - includes design definition, design verification, update of reactor nuclear design and safety case, regulatory support and licensing.

Candu pressurised heavy water reactors (PHWRs) are usually fuelled with natural uranium. Since 2008, Canada and China have proven, through an in-core irradiation demonstration in the Qinshan Phase III Candu 6 reactors, that NUE fuel can be used successfully as a natural uranium substitute. The first commercial demonstration of the use of fuel containing recovered uranium from used pressurised water reactor (PWR) fuel was in Qinshan Phase III unit 1. In March 2010, 12 NUE fuel bundles were inserted into the reactor, followed by a further 24 such fuel bundles. The trial use of the fuel ran for one year.

In August 2012, SNC-Lavalin subsidiary Candu Energy, the TQNPC, China North Nuclear Fuel Corporation and the Nuclear Power Institute of China agreed to expand their joint project to demonstrate the use of NUE fuel at the Qinshan plant.

SNC-Lavalin says that only a few changes are required to current operating Candu reactor designs, safety parameters and licensing case to use NUE as a substitute for natural uranium.

Sandy Taylor, the company's president for nuclear, said: "The landmark agreement between SNC-Lavalin and TQNPC will see the 37M fuel technology put into commercial use outside of Canada for the first time and takes advantage of the ample supply of depleted and recycled uranium in China."

He added, "A step closer to closing the fuel cycle, 37M technology enables better use of alternative fuels in existing Candu reactors. The two Qinshan Candu reactors are already two of the best performing reactors in China and adding 37M NUE fuel further improves their ability to continue to deliver that high performance."

Researched and written by World Nuclear News


http://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/Contract-for-recycled-fuel-for-Chinese-Candus

SNC-Lavalin to conduct pre-project work for Chinese AHWR plant
03 December 2019

Candu Energy Inc - a subsidiary of Canada's SNC-Lavalin - has been awarded a contract by China National Nuclear Power Co Ltd (CNNP) for pre-project work for a proposed two-unit Advanced Heavy Water Reactor (AHWR) plant in China. The work relates to planning and licensing in preparation for the project, construction of which is expected to start in or around 2021.

The signing of the contract (Image: SNC-Lavalin)​

The AHWR is described as a 700 MWe reactor that builds on the Canadian Candu pressurised heavy water reactor (PHWR) design. A number of evolutionary adaptations ensure its compliance with the latest international safety standards and Generation III requirements. This includes new and enhanced active and passive safety systems and standardised design for reduced maintenance and capital costs.

Under the contract, SNC-Lavalin will provide the top-level licensing basis documents to outline the licensing process along with the regulatory and safety requirements applicable to the design, analysis, construction, commissioning and operation of the AHWR. SNC-Lavalin - the exclusive licensee of Candu technology from Atomic Energy of Canada Limited (AECL) - will prepare safety design guides (SDGs) and a description and assessment of the agreed-to safety-related design changes. It will also review SDGs prepared by partner agencies involved.

Shanghai Nuclear Engineering Research & Design Institute serves as general design institute of the project, as well as technical manager for this contract to review and accept SNC-Lavalin's deliverables on behalf of CNNP. China Nuclear Energy Industry Corporation has been designated by CNNP as its foreign trade agent for this contract.

"SNC-Lavalin is proud to continue its long Candu legacy in China and looks forward to working with China National Nuclear Power and all its partners towards its AHWR goal," said Sandy Taylor, president of SNC-Lavalin's nuclear business group. "Our longstanding prosperous partnership and shared value for high-level safety design standards and protocols will contribute to the overall project success and support for nuclear power's beneficial clean, low-carbon electricity."

In September 2016, an agreement in principle to form a new joint venture to develop, market and construct the Advanced Fuel Candu Reactor (AFCR) was signed by SNC-Lavalin, China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC) and Shanghai Electric. The joint venture company was expected to be registered in mid-2017. The AFCR was described as "a 700 MW Class Generation III reactor based on the highly successful Candu 6 and Enhanced Candu 6 (EC6) reactors". It features a heavy-water moderator and heavy-water coolant in a pressure tube design and can use both recycled uranium and thorium as fuel.

Units 1 and 2 of the Qinshan Phase III nuclear power plant in China - majority owned by CNNP - use the Candu 6 PHWR technology, with AECL being the main contractor of the project on a turnkey basis. Construction began in 1997 and unit 1 started up in September 2002 and unit 2 in April 2003.

Researched and written by World Nuclear News

SNC-Lavalin to conduct pre-project work for Chinese AHWR plant - World Nuclear News

 

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Cold tests completed at Karachi 2
05 December 2019

China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC) has announced the completion of cold functional tests at Karachi unit 2 in Pakistan. The two units under construction at the site are the first exports of the Hualong One reactor design.

Marking the completion of cold testing at Karachi 2 (Image: CNNC)​

The tests involved checking more than 7200 welds and 800 mechanical connection points within the test boundary for leaks on seven pressure platforms, CNNC said. All indicators met the acceptance criteria. Installation quality and performance meet design requirements, it added. Completion of the cold test on 2 December was overseen by the Pakistan Nuclear Regulatory Authority and the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission, CNNC said.

The successful completion of the cold testing means that the main work of the nuclear island installation project of the unit has been completed and the unit has entered the system commissioning stage, CNNC said. Cold testing will be followed by thermal testing, then first fuel loading and finally grid-connected power generation.

Construction of Karachi unit 2 began in 2015 and unit 3 in 2016. The units are scheduled for commercial operation in 2021 and 2022, respectively. In addition to the two units under construction at Karachi, four Hualong One units are being built in China - two units at Fuqing in Fujian province, and two at Fangchenggang in Guangxi. All four units are expected to enter commercial operation in 2019-2020.

Researched and written by World Nuclear News

Cold tests completed at Karachi 2 - World Nuclear News

 

[JSCh]

China drills deep in search for uranium
30 December 2019

A ceremony was held on 15 December at the Xiangshan uranium deposit near Fuzhou city in China's Jiangxi province to mark the start of the country's deepest drilling project related to the exploration of uranium resources. China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC) said a 3000-metre-deep bore hole will be drilled.

The start of the deep drilling project at the Xiangshan deposit (Image: CNNC)​

The Xiangshan deposit is China's largest volcanic-type uranium ore field. So far, exploration at the deposit has been limited within the surface structure, CNNC said while research into the deep metallogenic environment and conditions has been less focused on. The deposit has known uranium resources at depths of between 700 and 1000 metres, with identified resources of 30,000 tonnes. The Fuzhou underground uranium mine and mill, with a nominal capacity of 350 tonnes per year, began operating in 1966.

The project team will carry out three-dimensional exploration of the deep ore-forming environment of the Xiangshan mine field to reveal the uranium polymetallic resource ore-forming conditions and develop a 3000-metre-deep metallogenic information identification profile.

The company said the new drilling project will help scientists obtain more in-depth information about geological structures and uranium polymetallic mineralisation. "The technology can promote theoretical research in areas including the metallurgy of large hydrothermal uranium polymetallic ore, the limited depth of uranium mineralisation, the deep structures and the identification of geological bodies and important ore-forming elements in deep uranium mineralisation," according to CNNC. In addition, the project is expected to accelerate research into deep uranium mineralisation tracers, deep ore prospecting models and comprehensive prediction models.

CNNC also expects a series of technologies to be improved through the project. These include drilling technology, high-precision deep exploration technology and geophysical logging technology in wells under high-temperature and high-pressure environments.

Researched and written by World Nuclear News


http://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/China-drills-deep-in-search-for-uranium