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Tianwan unit 6 enters commissioning phase
09 October 2020

Cold functional testing has been completed at unit 6 of the Tianwan nuclear power plant in China's Jiangsu province, China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC) has announced. The ACPR1000 reactor is scheduled to enter commercial operation by the end of 2021.

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A worker in the control room of Tianwan unit 6 (Image: CNNC)

Cold functional tests are carried out to confirm whether components and systems important to safety are properly installed and ready to operate in a cold condition. They are the first comprehensives tests to check the performance of the entire reactor. The main purpose of these tests is to verify the leak-tightness of the primary circuit and components - such as pressure vessels, pipelines and valves of both the nuclear and conventional islands - and to clean the main circulation pipes.

CNNC noted the completion of the tests on 4 October marks the transfer of Tianwan 6 from the equipment installation stage to the commissioning stage.

Units 5 and 6 at Tianwan - Tianwan Phase III - both feature ACPR1000 reactors. First safety-related concrete was poured for unit 5 on 27 December, 2015, with that for unit 6 poured on 7 September, 2016. Tianwan 5 entered commercial operation last month, with unit 6 expected to follow by the end of next year.

The first four units at the site - which began commercial operation between June 2007 and December 2018 - are Gidropress VVER units supplied by Russia, as will be the seventh and eighth, for which a general contract was signed in March.

When all eight units are in operation Tianwan would become the largest nuclear power plant in the world with eight units and a total generating capacity of about 8100 MWe.

The Tianwan plant is owned and operated by Jiangsu Nuclear Power Corporation, a joint venture between CNNC (50%), China Power Investment Corporation (30%) and Jiangsu Guoxin Group (20%).

Researched and written by World Nuclear News
 
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)

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【瞄准“人造太阳”终极梦想,#中国环流器二号M建成运行#
[鼓掌]
】12月4日,我国自主设计建造的新一代先进磁约束核聚变实验研究装置——中国环流器二号M(HL-2M)装置,在中核集团核工业西南物理研究院正式投入运行并实现首次等离子体放电。​
HL-2M采用了先进的结构和控制方式,是我国规模大、参数高的先进托卡马克装置,等离子体电流能力从国内现有装置的1兆安培提高到2.5兆安培以上。中国环流器二号M项目负责人刘永说,“HL-2M等离子体离子温度可达到1.5亿摄氏度,可实现高密度、高比压、高自举电流运行,将大力提升我国堆芯级等离子体物理研究及相关关键技术研发先进水平,为我国深度参与ITER计划及自主设计建造聚变堆提供重要技术支撑。”(李迪 科技日报记者 盛利)​

Science and Technology Daily
22 minutes ago from Weibo

[Aiming at the ultimate dream of the "artificial sun", China HL-2M completed and put into operation [Applause]]

December 4th, a new generation of advanced magnetic confinement nuclear fusion experimental device independently designed and constructed by China —— China Tokamak-2M (HL-2M), realized its first plasma discharge and officially put into operation at China National Nuclear Corporation's Southwest Institute of Physics.

HL-2M uses advanced structure and control method and is a large scale, advance parameters tokamak device in China. The plasma current capability has been increased from 1 megaampere of existing domestic devices to more than 2.5 megaamperes. Liu Yong, head of the China HL-2M project said, "HL-2M plasma ion temperature can reach 150 million degrees Celsius, it can achieve high-density, high-specific pressure, and high-bootstrap current operation, which will greatly enhance the level of China's core-level plasma physics research and related key technology research and development. It will provide important technical support for both China participation in ITER project and also China independent design and construction of fusion reactors. "
(Li Di Science and Technology Daily reporter Shengli)

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中核集团#示范快堆#工程2号机组开工建设(@中核集团 2020-12-27)O中核集团示范快堆工程2号机组开工建设 12月27日,中核集团示范快堆工程2号机组正式开工建设。在“十三五”收官之际,如期实现2号机组FCD目标,开创了示范快堆工程双机组同步建设新局面,为我国核能战略“十四五”高质量发展新格局注入了“快堆力量”。​

China Nuclear Energy
December 27th at 21:13 from Android

Construction of Unit 2 of China National Nuclear Corporation's demonstration fast reactor project started

On December 27, the construction of Unit 2 of China National Nuclear Corporation's demonstration fast reactor project officially started.

With the current end of the "13th Five-Year Plan" period, having the FCD (First Concrete Date) target of Unit 2 reached as scheduled, would achieve the simultaneous construction of dual units of the demonstration fast reactor project. Thereby injecting "fast speed" into the new pattern of high-quality development of our country's nuclear energy strategy during the "14th Five-Year Plan" period.

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China starts building second CFR-600 fast reactor
29 December 2020

Construction work has started on the second CFR-600 sodium-cooled pool-type fast-neutron nuclear reactor in Xiapu County, in China's Fujian province. Also known as the Xiapu fast reactor demonstration project, the CFR-600 is part of China's plan to achieve a closed nuclear fuel cycle.

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(Image: CNNC)

Construction of unit 1 started in late 2017. The fuel will be supplied by TVEL, a subsidiary of Russia's Rosatom, according to an agreement signed in 2019 with CNLY, which is part of China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC).

CNNC has announced that construction of unit 2 started on 27 December, adding that excavation work at the site had begun exactly a year before. Since then, "the scale of engineering work, tight schedule, construction difficulties and other adverse conditions" were all overcome to achieve the target as planned, it said.

"All the construction workers will continue to do a good job with the demonstration fast reactor project in order to achieve the historical mission of the [Communist] Party to achieve China's historic transformation into a nuclear industrial power making an ever greater contribution!"

China's research and development on fast neutron reactors started in 1964. A 65 MWt fast neutron reactor - the Chinese Experimental Fast Reactor (CEFR) - was designed by 2003 and built near Beijing by Russia's OKBM Afrikantov in collaboration with OKB Gidropress, NIKIET and the Kurchatov Institute. It achieved first criticality in July 2010, can generate 20 MWe and was grid connected in July 2011. Core height is 45 cm, and it has 150 kg Pu (98 kg Pu-239). Temperature reactivity and power reactivity are both negative.

The CFR-600 demonstration fast reactors (CDFR) are the next step in China Institute of Atomic Energy's (CIAE) programme. Xiapu 1 is expected to be grid connected in 2023. The reactors will be 1500 MWt, 600 MWe, with 41% thermal efficiency, using MOX fuel with 100 GWd/t burn-up, and with two sodium coolant loops producing steam at 480°C. Later fuel will be metal with burn-up 100-120 GWd/t. Breeding ratio is about 1.1, design operational lifetime 40 years. The design has active and passive shutdown systems and passive decay heat removal.

Researched and written by World Nuclear News
 
The Main Construction of Unit 1 of Zhejiang San'ao Nuclear Power Project Started
31 Dec 2020 by WorldEnergy

At 9:30 on December 31, 2020, Yuan Jiajun, secretary of the Zhejiang Provincial Committee of the Communist Party of China and director of the Standing Committee of the Provincial People’s Congress, issued a construction start order. The first tank of concrete was poured on the nuclear island of Unit 1 of the Zhejiang San'ao Nuclear Power Project, marking the Zhejiang San'ao Nuclear Power Project. The main project of Unit 1 officially started!

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Zhejiang San'ao Nuclear Power Project started site survey in 2007. In May 2015, the National Energy Administration approved the project to carry out site protection and related demonstration work. On September 2, 2020, the executive meeting of the State Council approved Units 1 and 2 of the first phase of the project. On December 30, 2020, the National Nuclear Safety Administration issued a construction permit for Units 1 and 2 of the Phase I Project of Zhejiang San'ao Nuclear Power Plant.

The Zhejiang San'ao Nuclear Power Project plans to build 6 units of my country's independent third-generation nuclear power "Hualong No. 1" units, which are planned once and implemented in phases.

"Hualong One" is a third-generation nuclear power technology with my country's independent intellectual property rights jointly developed by China General Nuclear Power and China National Nuclear Corporation.

This technology makes full use of our country’s accumulated technological and talent advantages in the design, construction, operation and R&D of nuclear power plants in the past 30 years, absorbs successful experience in the design, construction, and operation of PWR nuclear power plants at home and abroad, and innovatively adopts active and passive phases. The combined safety design concept, relying on China’s already formed nuclear power equipment manufacturing system and capabilities, fully embodies the balance of safety and economy, the unity of advancement and maturity, and the combination of active and passive. It is sustainable development Independent third-generation nuclear power technology.

With the official start of construction of Unit 1 of the Zhejiang San'ao Nuclear Power Project, CGN has 7 nuclear power units under construction, with an installed capacity of 8.21 million kilowatts. There are 24 nuclear power units in operation, with an installed capacity of 27.14 million kilowatts.
 
【石岛湾核电首堆冷试一次成功】中国能源网讯,10月19日17时42分,华能石岛湾核电高温气冷堆示范工程首台反应堆冷态功能试验一次成功,标志着我国具有完全自主知识产权的国家科技重大专项高温气冷堆核电站示范工程通过了针对反应堆性能的首次全面考验,取得了全面进入调试阶段以来重大节点的首战胜利。据悉,华能石岛湾高温气冷堆核电站是全球首座将四代核电技术成功商业化的示范项目,也是中国“十二五”获批的第一个核电项目,更是全球首座球床模块式高温气冷堆示范项目。项目位于威海市荣成石岛湾,预计2021年并网发电。O网页链接

Southern Energy Watch
Today at 15:00 from Weibo


[The first cold function test of the Shidaowan nuclear power reactor was successful]

At 17:42 on October 19, the first cold functional test of the first reactor of the Huaneng Shidaowan Nuclear Power High Temperature Gas-cooled Reactor Demonstration Project was successful, marking China full IP's "National Science and Technology major projects - The high-temperature gas-cooled reactor nuclear power plant demonstration project" passed the first comprehensive test for reactor performance and achieved the first milestone since the full commissioning stage.

It is reported that the Huaneng Shidaowan High Temperature Gas-cooled Reactor Nuclear Power Plant will be the world’s first demonstration project that successfully commercialize fourth-generation nuclear power technology.

It is the first nuclear power project approved in China’s “Twelfth Five-Year Plan” period, and also the world’s first pebble bed module high temperature gas-cooled reactor demonstration project. The project is located in Shidaowan , Rongcheng, Weihai City and is expected to be connected to the grid for power generation in 2021. O网页链接
【高温气冷堆核电站示范工程双堆开始热态功能试验】12月30日,石岛湾公司高温气冷堆核电站示范工程两台反应堆完成加热除湿,反应堆回路温度均稳定在250℃,压力均稳定在7MPa,标志着示范工程继双堆冷试之后,全面开展双堆热态功能试验,热态试验(简称热试)进入最后阶段。@中国华能 O网页链接

Polaris Power Network
Today at 11:41 from Weibo

[The dual reactors of the high-temperature gas-cooled nuclear power plant demonstration project started the hot functional tests]

On December 30, the two reactors of the Shidaowan company's high-temperature gas-cooled nuclear power plant demonstration project completed heating and dehumidification. The reactor loop temperature is stable at 250℃, pressure stable at 7MPa, this marks the demonstration project has fully carried out the dual-reactor hot functional tests after the dual-reactor cold test, and the thermal test (referred to as the hot test) has entered the final stage. @中国华能 O web link
 
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Hot Functional Testing of HTR-PM Reactors Starts - World-Energy
05 Jan 2021 by World Nuclear News

Tests that simulate the temperatures and pressures which the reactor systems will be subjected to during normal operation have started at the demonstration high-temperature gas-cooled reactor plant (HTR-PM) at Shidaowan, in China's Shandong province. The twin-unit HTR-PM is scheduled to start operations later this year.

The control room of the HTR-PM at Shidaowan (Image: China Huaneng)

The control room of the HTR-PM at Shidaowan (Image: China Huaneng)

Cold functional tests - which aim to verify the reactor's primary loop system and equipment as well as the strength and tightness of its auxiliary pipelines under pressure higher than the design pressure - were completed at the two reactors on 19 October and 3 November, respectively. Cold functional tests at other types of reactors use water, while those at the HTR-PM reactor used compressed air and a small amount of helium as the test medium.

Hot functional tests involve increasing the temperature of the reactor coolant system and carrying out comprehensive tests to ensure that coolant circuits and safety systems are operating as they should. Carried out before the loading of nuclear fuel, such testing simulates the thermal working conditions of the power plant and verifies that nuclear island and conventional equipment and systems meet design requirements.

Hot tests at the HTR-PM are expected to take about two months to complete and are divided into three stages: vacuum dehumidification; heating and dehumidification; and hot functional testing. The main items of the hot functional test include the thermal performance testing of: the main helium fan; the fuel handling system; the control rod and its driving mechanism; the helium purification system; and, the absorption ball system. The main purpose is to dehumidify the ceramic components and pre-installed graphite balls in the reactor under helium atmosphere. At the same time, in accordance with the actual operating parameters of the plant, the consistency of the various functions and performance indicators of the system with the design regulations was verified.

The vacuum dehumidification stage of the hot tests was started at the two HTR-PM reactors on 25 November and 14 December, respectively. The heating and dehumidification stage of the tests was completed at both reactors on 30 December. The reactor loop temperature was stabilised at 250°C and the pressure was maintained at 7MPa in both reactors. The final stage of the hot tests - the hot functional test - of both reactors together, rather than individually, will now be carried out.

China National Nuclear Corp (CNNC) said the hot tests have "laid a solid foundation for fully verifying the system's function, reliability, subsequent fuel loading, grid-connected power generation and other engineering goals."

Construction of the demonstration HTR-PM plant - which features two small reactors that will drive a single 210 MWe turbine - began in December 2012. Helium gas will be used as the primary circuit coolant. China Huaneng is the lead organisation in the consortium to build the demonstration units (with a 47.5% stake), together with CNNC subsidiary China Nuclear Engineering Corporation (CNEC) (32.5%) and Tsinghua University's Institute of Nuclear and New Energy Technology (20%), which is the research and development leader. Chinergy, a joint venture of Tsinghua and CNEC, is the main contractor for the nuclear island.

A further 18 such HTR-PM units are proposed for the Shidaowan site. Beyond HTR-PM, China proposes a scaled-up version called HTR-PM600, which sees one large turbine rated at 650 MWe driven by some six HTR-PM reactor units. Feasibility studies on HTR-PM600 deployment are under way for Sanmen, Zhejiang province; Ruijin, Jiangxi province; Xiapu and Wan'an, in Fujian province; and Bai'an, Guangdong province.
 
Global Times @globaltimesnews
China state-affiliated media

Research for China's homegrown Guohe One (CAP1400) third-generation nuclear technology has been completed, state broadcaster CCTV reported, citing State Power Investment Corp.

9:55 AM · Sep 28, 2020

Global Times @globaltimesnews
China state-affiliated media

A Chinese firm has completed production of in-core instrumentation systems for the #nuclear power station under the #Guohe One project. All the relevant equipment has passed tests required by China's management regulations on nuclear safety systems.

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4:25 PM · Jan 9, 2021
 
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Hot Functional Testing of HTR-PM Reactors Starts - World-Energy
05 Jan 2021 by World Nuclear News

Tests that simulate the temperatures and pressures which the reactor systems will be subjected to during normal operation have started at the demonstration high-temperature gas-cooled reactor plant (HTR-PM) at Shidaowan, in China's Shandong province. The twin-unit HTR-PM is scheduled to start operations later this year.

The control room of the HTR-PM at Shidaowan (Image: China Huaneng)

The control room of the HTR-PM at Shidaowan (Image: China Huaneng)

Cold functional tests - which aim to verify the reactor's primary loop system and equipment as well as the strength and tightness of its auxiliary pipelines under pressure higher than the design pressure - were completed at the two reactors on 19 October and 3 November, respectively. Cold functional tests at other types of reactors use water, while those at the HTR-PM reactor used compressed air and a small amount of helium as the test medium.

Hot functional tests involve increasing the temperature of the reactor coolant system and carrying out comprehensive tests to ensure that coolant circuits and safety systems are operating as they should. Carried out before the loading of nuclear fuel, such testing simulates the thermal working conditions of the power plant and verifies that nuclear island and conventional equipment and systems meet design requirements.

Hot tests at the HTR-PM are expected to take about two months to complete and are divided into three stages: vacuum dehumidification; heating and dehumidification; and hot functional testing. The main items of the hot functional test include the thermal performance testing of: the main helium fan; the fuel handling system; the control rod and its driving mechanism; the helium purification system; and, the absorption ball system. The main purpose is to dehumidify the ceramic components and pre-installed graphite balls in the reactor under helium atmosphere. At the same time, in accordance with the actual operating parameters of the plant, the consistency of the various functions and performance indicators of the system with the design regulations was verified.

The vacuum dehumidification stage of the hot tests was started at the two HTR-PM reactors on 25 November and 14 December, respectively. The heating and dehumidification stage of the tests was completed at both reactors on 30 December. The reactor loop temperature was stabilised at 250°C and the pressure was maintained at 7MPa in both reactors. The final stage of the hot tests - the hot functional test - of both reactors together, rather than individually, will now be carried out.

China National Nuclear Corp (CNNC) said the hot tests have "laid a solid foundation for fully verifying the system's function, reliability, subsequent fuel loading, grid-connected power generation and other engineering goals."

Construction of the demonstration HTR-PM plant - which features two small reactors that will drive a single 210 MWe turbine - began in December 2012. Helium gas will be used as the primary circuit coolant. China Huaneng is the lead organisation in the consortium to build the demonstration units (with a 47.5% stake), together with CNNC subsidiary China Nuclear Engineering Corporation (CNEC) (32.5%) and Tsinghua University's Institute of Nuclear and New Energy Technology (20%), which is the research and development leader. Chinergy, a joint venture of Tsinghua and CNEC, is the main contractor for the nuclear island.

A further 18 such HTR-PM units are proposed for the Shidaowan site. Beyond HTR-PM, China proposes a scaled-up version called HTR-PM600, which sees one large turbine rated at 650 MWe driven by some six HTR-PM reactor units. Feasibility studies on HTR-PM600 deployment are under way for Sanmen, Zhejiang province; Ruijin, Jiangxi province; Xiapu and Wan'an, in Fujian province; and Bai'an, Guangdong province.
Global Times @globaltimesnews
China state-affiliated media

World's first high-temperature air-cooled pebble-bed #nuclear reactor parts produced by CNNC in China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region were dispatched to Weihai, Shandong on Sat, and will be used to provide fuel for Shidao Bay nuclear power plant, per CNR.

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3:01 PM · Jan 10, 2021
 
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The World's First Batch of HTGR Nuclear Fuel Elements is Shipped
11 Jan 2021 by WorldEnergy

At 9 am on January 9th, the world’s first batch of high-temperature gas-cooled reactor spherical nuclear fuel elements was shipped from China Nuclear North Nuclear Fuel Element Co., Ltd. and shipped to the world’s first Shandong Rongcheng Shidaowan nuclear power plant demonstration project with independent intellectual property rights. To provide fuel power for its subsequent grid-connected power generation, providing strong support for China to move from a “nuclear power” to a “nuclear power”.

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Due to its inherent safety and versatility of high-temperature thermal energy, high-temperature gas-cooled reactors are regarded internationally as the priority research and development object of the fourth-generation nuclear energy system. Spherical fuel elements are an important basis for the inherent safety of high-temperature gas-cooled reactors, and their manufacturing technology is one of the main technical challenges for the development of high-temperature gas-cooled reactors.

The supporting construction project of the national major scientific and technological project "Large-scale advanced pressurized water reactor and high-temperature gas-cooled reactor demonstration project"-China Nuclear North High-temperature gas-cooled reactor nuclear power fuel element production line is the world's first and only industrial-scale spherical fuel element production line , China has completely independent intellectual property rights. The production line is designed to produce 300,000 spherical fuel elements per year.

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The number of spherical fuel elements sent to the demonstration power station is 78,480, which will be officially put into the reactor in April.

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

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Hefei now home to major science and technology facilities
By Zhang Rui
December 24, 2020

The city of Hefei in eastern China's Anhui province is now home to several national big science facilities, including a new grand research facility for fusion technology that is currently under construction.

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A concept image of the buildings and park of the Comprehensive Research Facility for Fusion Technology (CRAFT) located in Hefei, Anhui province. [Photo courtesy of the HFIPS]

China has made significant progress in magnetic confinement fusion over the past decade. With the successful operation of its nuclear fusion machine, the Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST) since 2006 and headway in the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) project, the country is achieving significant gains toward advanced steady-state operations and next steps in nuclear energy production.

The China Fusion Engineering Testing Reactor (CFETR), complementing the ITER facility, initially aims to achieve fusion energy production of up to 200 MW and eventually reach DEMO relevant power level which is over 1 GW. DEMO, short for the DEMOnstration power plant, will be the ITER's successor and bring fusion energy research to the threshold of prototype fusion reactor capabilities; the first step before the human race can build a true commercial nuclear fusion power plant.

Subsequently, the engineering design of CFETR, including the magnet system, vacuum system, tritium breeding blanket, diverter, remote handling, and maintenance system has been carried out within the CFETR national design team. Significant progress has been made but tremendous challenges remain, as outlined by a guide and staff member of the Hefei Institutes of Physical Science (HFIPS) during a tour by China.org.cn of the research facility's construction site.

The Comprehensive Research Facility for Fusion Technology (CRAF) is one of the country's biggest science facilities and a large scale R&D project for CFETR. Its objectives are to explore and master fusion DEMO-level key technologies; establish standard methodologies for manufacturing key material, components, and systems for CFETR; build key prototype systems and RAMI (Reliability, Availability, Maintainability, and Inspectability) for CFETR; test and validate the methods, technology, and systems for successful construction of CFETR; and train the next generation of fusion scientists, engineers, and managers.

CRAFT, led by the HFIPS under the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), consists of 20 different facilities that address most of the key technologies and systems of CFETR. The construction of CRAFT started on Sep. 20, 2019, and will last for approximately five years and eight months with joint funds from the central and local governments. In addition, the construction of CRAFT's ancillary park began in early December 2018 and will be completed in August 2021.

The project is one of the country's major mega-science facilities and was listed in the country's 13th Five-Year Plan for science and technology development.

"We told people that we are building a 'man-made sun,' but that is just a vivid metaphor for the general public to understand what we are doing — scientists don't call it that. What we are actually creating is something that can forever resolve human's energy problem," the guide explained. However, he added, the construction of CFETR is a huge project, and still far from completion. In order to realize it, they disassembled the 19 key system problems in CFETR to study them separately. This research facility is now what is known as CRAFT.

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This photo shows the construction site of the ancillary park of the Comprehensive Research Facility for Fusion Technology (CRAFT) in Hefei, Anhui province, Dec. 18, 2020. [Photo/China.org.cn]

Currently, there are more than 300 scientists and engineers working together on the CRAFT project. CRAFT will not only use the technologies from ITER but also those which will need to be developed in future and likely pose significant challenges and efforts. Once completed, it will become a comprehensive research platform in the field of fusion with DEMO-relevant technologies. It will also provide a useful facility for related fusion technology to be used industry-wide.

Together with CFETR engineering design and EAST experiments, CRAFT will provide a solid technical base for the successful construction of CFETR in the future. Upon completion of the facility, it will provide a technical foundation for the development and construction of the core components for fusion reactors. It will therefore be of great significance for ensuring the advancement, safety, and reliability of China's fusion reactors and will greatly accelerate the actual application of fusion energy in the country. It will also provide research platforms for cutting-edge, cross-disciplinary fields like energy, information, health, and the environment for China and the world.

The HFIPS, located on a peninsula near Shushan Lake in the western suburbs of Hefei, capital of Anhui province, was founded in 2001 and is a large-scale integrative research base within the CAS. It has 10 scientific research units, including the Anhui Institute of Optics and Fine Mechanics, the Institute of Plasma Physics, the Institute of Solid State Physics, and the Hefei Institute of Intelligent Machines. Research spans scientific fields such as energy, environment, biology, material, and information development, with a focus on research of and technology needed for magnetic confinement fusion, advanced nuclear energy and nuclear safety, atmospheric environmental monitoring and detecting technology, the science and technology of magnetic fields, the effects of extreme environments on advanced materials, robotic and intelligent devices, modern agricultural technology, medical physics, and high technology.

The HFIPS currently has over 2,700 employees, of which more than 2,000 are scientific researchers and technicians, including over 300 high-level talents. A further 2,000 are master's or doctoral students.

Hefei is now home to more than 20 well-equipped national, provincial, and CAS key laboratories or research centers as well as over 10 technical physics experimental platforms. These include other major science facilities, namely, the EAST tokamak device and auxiliary heating systems and the Steady High Magnet Field Facility. Through years of hard work, the HFIPS has become a China-based world leader in nuclear fusion research.

Hosting major science and technology facilities is part of the city's rise. In recent years, Hefei has excelled in scientific and technological innovation and talent attraction. In the latest Nature Index 2020 Science Cities ranking published in September, Hefei ranked 20th among global cities. Since 2017, Hefei has also ranked in the top six "Amazing China: Most Attractive Chinese Cities for Foreigners" — a survey conducted by the Information and Research Center of the Foreign Talents of the State Administration of Foreign Experts Affairs — for three consecutive years. The city is also home to numerous high-tech companies, including iFlytek and BOE Technology Group as well as China Speech Valley, the first national industrial park to focus on artificial intelligence and intelligent speech.

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1月12日,在合肥庐阳区三十岗乡大科学装置建设工地,合肥聚变堆项目正在如火如荼建设中。该项目规划总用地面积约2140亩,共分为三期。目前,一期主体建筑已完工,二期桩基施工已近尾声。  (记者 温沁 摄)
On January 12, the Hefei Fusion Reactor Project was in full swing at the construction site of the large-scale scientific installation in Sanshigang Township, Luyang District, Hefei. The total planned land area of the project is about 2,140 mu, divided into three phases. At present, the main building of the first phase has been completed and the construction of the second phase pile foundation is nearing completion.    (photographed by reporter Wen Qin)
 
Second Fuqing Hualong One Nuclear Reactor Completes Cold Tests
11 January 2021


Cold functional testing has been completed at unit 6 of the Fuqing nuclear power plant in China's Fujian province, the second of two demonstration Hualong One reactors at the site. The tests mark the first time the reactor systems are operated together with the auxiliary systems.

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Workers in the control room of Fuqing 6 during cold testing of the reactor (Image: CNNC)

Cold functional tests are carried out to confirm whether components and systems important to safety are properly installed and ready to operate in a cold condition. The main purpose of these tests is to verify the leak-tightness of the primary circuit and components - such as pressure vessels, pipelines and valves of both the nuclear and conventional islands - and to clean the main circulation pipes.

China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC) has announced such tests at Fuqing 6 were successfully completed today.

The pouring of first concrete for Fuqing 5 began in May 2015, marking the official start of construction of the unit. Construction of unit 6 began in December the same year. Unit 5 was connected to the grid on 27 November last year, having achieved first criticality on 21 October. Unit 6 is scheduled to begin operation by the end of this year.

Construction of two demonstration Hualong One (HPR1000) units is also under way at China General Nuclear's Fangchenggang plant in the Guangxi Autonomous Region. Those units are expected to start up in 2022. CNNC has also started construction of two Hualong units at the Zhangzhou plant in Fujian province, plus the first of two units at Taipingling in Guangdong.

Two HPR1000 units are under construction at Pakistan's Karachi nuclear power plant. Construction began on Karachi unit 2 in 2015 and unit 3 in 2016; the units are planned to enter commercial operation in 2021 and 2022.

https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/Second-Fuqing-Hualong-One-reactor-completes-cold-t
 
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