China Science & Technology Forum

[onebyone]

Canada and China have agreed to form a new joint venture to develop to market and construct the Advanced Fuel Candu Reactor (AFCR) in China. The deal was signed by Canada's SNC-Lavalin, China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC) and Shanghai Electric. The reactor reuses used fuel from light water reactors.

The joint venture company is expected to be registered in mid-2017. This would be followed by the formation of two design centres - one in Canada and the other in China - to complete the AFCR technology. SNC-Lavalin said this could lead to the construction of the world's first two ACFR units in China and "possible subsequent builds in China and around the world".

The AFCR is described as "a 700 MW Class Generation III reactor based on the highly successful Candu 6 and Enhanced Candu 6 (EC6) reactors with a number of adaptations to meet the latest Canadian and international standards." The reactor features a heavy-water moderator and heavy-water coolant in a pressure tube design and can use both recycled uranium and thorium as fuel. Candu reactors can be refueled online.
Units 1 and 2 of the Qinshan Phase III nuclear power plant in China use the Candu 6 pressurized heavy water reactor technology, with Atomic Energy of Canada Limited (AECL) being the main contractor of the project on a turnkey basis.

The Candu 6 reactors should be modified to become full AFCRs.

The AFCR efficiently uses RU (recycled Uranium) from the spent fuel of LWR (light water reactors)

Current CANDU reactors, as a result of favorable reactor core physics characteristics and on-power fuelling, use approximately 30% less natural uranium per each kilowatt-hour of electricity as compared to PWR designs.

The AFCR uses advanced fuels specifically direct use of recycled uranium (DRU) fuel or low enriched uranium/thorium (LEU/Th) fuel. DRU fuel represents a gradual transition from NU-based fuels that are used in current CANDU 6 reactors. DRU fuel is similar to the already proven natural uranium equivalent (NUE) fuel in that it is composed of RU, from reprocessed pressurized water reactor (PWR) spent fuel but has a slightly higher fissile content (contains about 0.95%wt. 235U) than the NUE fuel.

The AFCR, although specifically designed for DRU and LEU/Th fuels, retains the ability to easily adapt to various fuel cycle options, such as NU, NUE and Pu/Th.

The DRU fuel is recycled uranium (RU) based fuel, arranged in a 43-element CANFLEX fuel bundle. The nominal enrichment of the RU is 0.95 wt% 235U to achieve a target burnup of 10,000 MWd/tHE.

The low-enriched uranium (LEU) and thorium (Th) fuel is a heterogeneous combination of the constituent fuels arranged in a 43-element CANFLEX fuel bundle. The fuel is designed to achieve a target burnup of 20,000 MWd/tHE.

Adopting alternative fuel cycles such as NUE, DRU, and LEU/Th significantly improves the uranium utilization rates while meeting nuclear power generation requirements. In fact, an AFCR twin-unit plant using DRU fuel would save approximately 10,000 tonnes of natural uranium over its 60-year design life.

AFCR Generation III enhancements include:
•  Extended plant life of 60 years
•  Increased operating and safety margins
•  Advanced fuel design
•  Robust design against internal and external events
•  Inherent accident resistance
•  Enhanced safety features for extended station blackout
•  Enhanced core damage prevention features and severe accident response
•  Advanced fire protection system

Reactivity control in the AFCR is a triple layer of defence that ensures reactor shutdown at all times (no loss of shutdown event)











http://www.nextbigfuture.com/2016/09/advanced-candu-reactors-for-china-will.html

 

[Surya 1]

Now a days every thing in china is advance.

Good luck guys.

 

[Jlaw]

What's the comparison between this reactor and the current gen one?

 

[JSCh]

A Novel Battery Design of Making Dual-Ion Battery Efficient

Dual-ion batteries (DIBs) are a new type of battery developed in recent years, typically using graphite as both cathode and anode material. DIBs can operate at a wider voltage window with safer performance, and cheaper than conventional Lithium ion batteries.

Prof. TANG Yongbing and co-workers from Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, had previously developed a novel and low-cost aluminum-graphite DIB (AGDIB) using Al foil as both the anode and current collector. While the AGDIB exhibits high energy density, but it is far from practical applications due to the poor stability caused by the crack and pulverization problem of Al foil during cycling.

To solve this problem, Prof. TANG and his co-workers designed a 3D porous Al foil coated with a uniform carbon layer (pAl/C) both as the anode and the current collector for the DIB. The 3D porous structure of Al alleviates the mechanical stress caused by the volume change of Al during electrochemical cycling, and shortens the ion diffusion length as well. The carbon layer helps buffer the Al volume change, and alleviates undesirable surface reactions through SEI film formation. Therefore, owing to the synergistic effect of the porous and conductive structure of the pAl/C anode, the DIB exhibits excellent long-term cycling stability of over 1000 cycles with 89.4% retention of capacity at 2C current rate (charging/discharging within 30 minutes). It's worth noting that the energy density of this DIB is estimated to be 204 Wh kg-1 at a high power density of 3084 W kg-1 (charging/discharging within 4 minutes), which is two times larger than best commercial lithium ion batteries and the best performance of any reported DIBs.

Prof. TANG and co-workers believe that this novel DIB with merits of low-cost, high rate, high energy density and long-term cycling capabilities shows great potential for industrial applications in the energy field such as portable electronics and electric vehicles.

This research was supported by the Guangdong Innovation Team and the National Natural Science Foundation of China and has already online published in Advanced Materials.http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/adma.201603735/full.

Schematic structure of the DIB (Image by Professor TANG Yongbing) ​

Tang Yongbing
Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology
Email: tangyb@siat.ac.cn

A Novel Battery Design of Making Dual-Ion Battery Efficient----Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology

Journal Reference:

Xuefeng Tong, Fan Zhang, Bifa Ji, Maohua Sheng, Yongbing Tang,
Carbon-Coated Porous Aluminum Foil Anode for High-Rate, Long-Term Cycling Stability, and High Energy Density Dual-Ion Batteries, Adv. Mater. (2016), DOI: 10.1002/adma.201603735​

 

[cirr]

Cold atoms twisting spin and momentum

http://science.sciencemag.org/content/354/6308/35.full

http://science.sciencemag.org/content/354/6308/83.full.pdf+html

@Bussard Ramjet

我国科学家在超冷原子量子模拟领域取得重大突破

文章来源：中国科学技术大学 发布时间：2016-10-11 【字号： 小 中 大 】

　　中国科学技术大学和北京大学相关研究人员组成的联合团队日前在超冷原子量子模拟领域取得重大突破，在国际上首次理论提出并实验实现超冷原子二维自旋轨道耦合的人工合成，测定了由自旋轨道耦合导致的新奇拓扑量子物性。这一关键突破将对促进新奇拓扑量子物态的研究，进而推动人们对物质世界的深入理解带来重大影响。该合作成果以“研究长文”的形式发表在国际权威学术期刊《科学》上。由于该工作“对研究超越传统凝聚态物理的奇异现象具有重大潜力 ”，《科学》杂志在同期的“观点”栏目专门配发评论文章。

　　自旋轨道耦合是量子物理学中基本的物理效应，它在多种基本物理现象和新奇量子物态中扮演了核心角色。对这些现象的研究产生了自旋电子学、拓扑绝缘体、拓扑超导体等当前凝聚态物理中最重要的前沿研究领域。然而，由于普遍存在难以控制的复杂环境，很多重要的新奇物理难以在固体材料中进行精确研究，对相关科研工作带来很大挑战。

　　同时，随着超冷原子物理量子模拟领域的不断发展，在超冷原子中实现人工自旋轨道耦合并研究新奇量子物态已成为该领域最重大的前沿课题之一。冷原子有环境干净、高度可控等重要特性。过去5年里，一维人工自旋轨道耦合在实验上实现并取得一系列成果，但探索广泛深刻的新型拓扑量子物态须获得二维以上的自旋轨道耦合。如何实现高维自旋轨道耦合已成为超冷原子量子模拟最紧迫的核心课题。

　　在超冷原子中实现高维自旋轨道耦合在理论和实验上都是极具挑战性的问题，国际上多个团队均为此付出了大量努力。为解决这一根本困难，北京大学教授刘雄军带领的理论小组提出了“拉曼光晶格量子系统”，并发现基于该系统不仅可完好地实现二维人工自旋轨道耦合，而且能得到如量子反常霍尔效应和拓扑超流等深刻的基本物理效应。基于该理论方案，中国科大教授潘建伟、陈帅和邓友金等组成的实验小组在经过多年艰苦努力发展起来的超精密激光和磁场调控技术的基础上，成功构造了拉曼光晶格量子系统，合成了二维自旋轨道耦合的玻色-爱因斯坦凝聚体。进一步研究发现，合成的自旋轨道耦合和能带拓扑具有高度可调控性。

　　该工作将对冷原子和凝聚态物理研究产生重大影响，基于此突破可研究全新的拓扑物理，包括固体系统中难以观察到的玻色子拓扑效应等，从而为超冷原子量子模拟开辟出一条新的道路。该项突破也显示出我国在超冷原子量子模拟相关研究方向上已走在国际最前列。

　　潘建伟、刘雄军、陈帅依次为论文的通讯作者。该项目得到国家自然科学基金委员会、科学技术部、教育部、中国科学院和中科院-阿里巴巴量子计算联合实验室等的支持。

　　相关链接：

　　《科学》杂志论文

　　《科学》评论文章

　　二维自旋轨道耦合和拓扑能带实现示意图。在激光场作用下，原子在光晶格中发生自旋翻转的量子隧穿，导致自旋轨道耦合。

自旋轨道耦合诱导的不同自旋态的原子团分布

测量到的高对称点自旋态分布以及对应的能带陈省身拓扑数与理论计算相符

 

[Bussard Ramjet]

Cold atoms twisting spin and momentum

http://science.sciencemag.org/content/354/6308/35.full

http://science.sciencemag.org/content/354/6308/83.full.pdf+html

@Bussard Ramjet

我国科学家在超冷原子量子模拟领域取得重大突破

文章来源：中国科学技术大学 发布时间：2016-10-11 【字号： 小 中 大 】

　　中国科学技术大学和北京大学相关研究人员组成的联合团队日前在超冷原子量子模拟领域取得重大突破，在国际上首次理论提出并实验实现超冷原子二维自旋轨道耦合的人工合成，测定了由自旋轨道耦合导致的新奇拓扑量子物性。这一关键突破将对促进新奇拓扑量子物态的研究，进而推动人们对物质世界的深入理解带来重大影响。该合作成果以“研究长文”的形式发表在国际权威学术期刊《科学》上。由于该工作“对研究超越传统凝聚态物理的奇异现象具有重大潜力 ”，《科学》杂志在同期的“观点”栏目专门配发评论文章。

　　自旋轨道耦合是量子物理学中基本的物理效应，它在多种基本物理现象和新奇量子物态中扮演了核心角色。对这些现象的研究产生了自旋电子学、拓扑绝缘体、拓扑超导体等当前凝聚态物理中最重要的前沿研究领域。然而，由于普遍存在难以控制的复杂环境，很多重要的新奇物理难以在固体材料中进行精确研究，对相关科研工作带来很大挑战。

　　同时，随着超冷原子物理量子模拟领域的不断发展，在超冷原子中实现人工自旋轨道耦合并研究新奇量子物态已成为该领域最重大的前沿课题之一。冷原子有环境干净、高度可控等重要特性。过去5年里，一维人工自旋轨道耦合在实验上实现并取得一系列成果，但探索广泛深刻的新型拓扑量子物态须获得二维以上的自旋轨道耦合。如何实现高维自旋轨道耦合已成为超冷原子量子模拟最紧迫的核心课题。

　　在超冷原子中实现高维自旋轨道耦合在理论和实验上都是极具挑战性的问题，国际上多个团队均为此付出了大量努力。为解决这一根本困难，北京大学教授刘雄军带领的理论小组提出了“拉曼光晶格量子系统”，并发现基于该系统不仅可完好地实现二维人工自旋轨道耦合，而且能得到如量子反常霍尔效应和拓扑超流等深刻的基本物理效应。基于该理论方案，中国科大教授潘建伟、陈帅和邓友金等组成的实验小组在经过多年艰苦努力发展起来的超精密激光和磁场调控技术的基础上，成功构造了拉曼光晶格量子系统，合成了二维自旋轨道耦合的玻色-爱因斯坦凝聚体。进一步研究发现，合成的自旋轨道耦合和能带拓扑具有高度可调控性。

　　该工作将对冷原子和凝聚态物理研究产生重大影响，基于此突破可研究全新的拓扑物理，包括固体系统中难以观察到的玻色子拓扑效应等，从而为超冷原子量子模拟开辟出一条新的道路。该项突破也显示出我国在超冷原子量子模拟相关研究方向上已走在国际最前列。

　　潘建伟、刘雄军、陈帅依次为论文的通讯作者。该项目得到国家自然科学基金委员会、科学技术部、教育部、中国科学院和中科院-阿里巴巴量子计算联合实验室等的支持。

　　相关链接：

　　《科学》杂志论文

　　《科学》评论文章

　　二维自旋轨道耦合和拓扑能带实现示意图。在激光场作用下，原子在光晶格中发生自旋翻转的量子隧穿，导致自旋轨道耦合。

自旋轨道耦合诱导的不同自旋态的原子团分布

测量到的高对称点自旋态分布以及对应的能带陈省身拓扑数与理论计算相符

Give at least a one line explanation in English, about what this is.

 

[Beast]

Give at least a one line explanation in English, about what this is.

You already answer your own enquiry when you quote his post! Dont you realise that?

 

[JSCh]

Chinese scientists detect 'dark matter' in human genome
(People's Daily Online) 15:44, October 11, 2016

(file photo)​

A research team led by Professor Ye Kai from Xi'an Jiaotong University has detected the existence of "dark matter" in human genomes, including novel forms of complex variants that have never been observed before, Xi'an Daily reported on Oct. 10.

Professor Ye's team published a paper titled "A high-quality human reference panel reveals the complexity and distribution of genomic structural variants" in Nature Communications on Oct. 6.

Genetic material in the human genome may acquire variations over the course of development. No two people share exactly the same genetic sequencing. Some variations lead to differences in appearance and height, while others may be linked to diseases.

The study on individual genetic variations is useful for helping human beings to understand their own potential health risks. It is also the first step toward accurate and personalized medical treatment.

Professor Ye's team, together with 20 research institutions from the Netherlands, the U.S. and Germany, have analyzed the entire genome sequencing data of 769 healthy individuals from 250 families, and provided a haplotype-resolved map of 1.9 million genome variants, including novel forms of complex variants - the dark matter.

The result has been saved in an international database so that more scientists can study and better understand human diseases.

 

[JSCh]

Cicada wings inspire antireflective surfaces
October 11, 2016

American Institute of Physics (AIP)

A team of Shanghai Jiao Tong University researchers has used the shape of cicada wings as a template to create antireflective structures fabricated with one of the most intriguing semiconductor materials, titanium dioxide (TiO2). The antireflective structures they produced are capable of suppressing visible light -- 450 to 750 nanometers -- at different angles of incidence.



Cicada wings inspire antireflective surfaces -- ScienceDaily

Journal Reference:

Imran Zada, Wang Zhang, Yao Li, Peng Sun, Nianjin Cai, Jiajun Gu, Qinglei Liu, Huilan Su, Di Zhang. Angle dependent antireflection property of TiO2 inspired by cicada wings. Applied Physics Letters, 2016; 109 (15): 153701 DOI: 10.1063/1.4962903​

 

[JSCh]

Posted: Oct 11, 2016

Recharging on stable, amorphous silicon

(Nanowerk News) Next-generation anodes for lithium ion batteries will probably no longer be made of graphite. Silicon, which is a related material, can provide a much higher capacity than graphite, but its crystallinity poses problems. In the journal Angewandte Chemie ("Mesoporous Amorphous Silicon: A Simple Synthesis of a High-Rate and Long-Life Anode Material for Lithium-Ion Batteries"), Chinese scientists have introduced a porous silicon form that is amorphous, not crystalline, and has the potential to outstrip the other materials in rechargeable battery applications.


http://www.nanowerk.com/nanotechnology-news/newsid=44788.php

Journal Reference:

Mesoporous Amorphous Silicon: A Simple Synthesis of a High-Rate and Long-Life Anode Material for Lithium-Ion Batteries, Liangdong Lin, Xuena Xu, Chenxiao Chu, Muhammad K. Majeed, Jian Yang, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2016. DOI: 10.1002/anie.201608146​

 

[JSCh]

Silkworms fed carbon nanotubes or graphene produce stronger silk
October 11, 2016 by Bob Yirka report

(Phys.org)—A team of researchers at Tsinghua University in China has found that adding graphene or carbon nanotubes to the food eaten by silkworms causes them to produce silk that is stronger than normal. In their paper published in Nanoletters, the team describes the approach they took and what was revealed when they tested the new kind of silk.



http://phys.org/news/2016-10-silkworms-fed-carbon-nanotubes-graphene.html

Journal Reference:

Qi Wang et al. Feeding Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes or Graphene to Silkworms for Reinforced Silk Fibers, Nano Letters (2016).
DOI: 10.1021/acs.nanolett.6b03597​

 

[GS Zhou]

Oct. 12, 2016, Beijing, China ---- China today said its world's first quantum technology satellite, Micius, is near to complete all in-orbit tests. The quantum technology experiment carried out by Micius is scheduled to be started in mid-November.

Pan Jianwei, the chief scientist of the Micius mission, today said in a press conference in Beijing that, the satellite platform test and payload test have all be completed; the space-ground link systems (SGLS) test is still working in progress. Pan expects the SGLS test could be completed by mid-November. Once SGLS test done, Pan and his team will start the in-orbit quantum communication experiment, the first trial ever in the human history!

According to Pan, Micius has established the space-ground links with test stations in Beijing, Qinghai, Xinjiang and Tibet. In particular, Micius has established the teleportation link with the Tibet-based test station.

The Quantum Space Satellite Micius was launched from China's Jiuquan launch site in August 17, 2016.

http://www.guancha.cn/Science/2016_10_13_377007.shtml

Pan Jianwei in the conference
P.s (red light emitted from the ground station; green light emitted from the satellite)

Space-ground link between the Tibet station and the satellite

Team of the Micius mission
(looking at their young faces!!! )

 

[JSCh]

Asia's biggest sand-dredging boat unveiled in Guangzhou
2016-10-13 13:57:30 CRIENGLISH.com Web Editor: Zhang Shuai

The Juanyang 1 sand-dredging boat. [File photo: Xinhua]
​

The biggest sand-dredging boat in Asia and one of the world's most advanced, the Junyang 1, was completed and handed over to Guangzhou Harbor on October 10, the China News Agency reports.

Junyang 1 was constructed by the Guangzhou Dredging Company Limited (GDC), a subsidiary of the China Communications Construction Company, in the Netherlands, at a cost of 160 million euros (176 million US dollars).

The jumbo-sized boat can dredge approximately 20 thousand cubic meters of sand an hour with its rakes reaching as deep as 90 meters under the sea. Only three crew members are needed to operate the boat, as it is equipped with a self-control system.

One of Junyang 1's first projects, is the construction of Colombo Port City project, a "one belt, one road" cooperation project between China and Sri Lanka, Wang Bohuan, the chairman of GDC said.

​

 

[GS Zhou]

New improvement of the quantum communication in China!
- Beijing to Shanghai quantum communication network completed by Dec. 2016
- CBRC (China Banking Regulation Commission) Shandong Branch, Anhui Branch and Shanghai Branch will submit confidential data to CBRC Beijing HQ via the new Beijing-shanghai quantum network




【中国新闻网】专家：2030年星地一体的广域量子通信网络可投入应用
我要分享
文章来源：中国新闻网 程春雨 发布时间：2016-10-13 【字号： 小 中 大 】


2016年中国量子信息技术产业发展论坛现场。程春雨 摄

中国信息协会量子分会与中国量子通信产业联盟12日宣告成立。程春雨 摄

　　中科院院士、通信与量子技术专家尹浩10月12日在“2016年中国量子信息技术产业发展论坛”上表示，目前中国的量子通信发展到了组网应用阶段，2020年中国区域量子通信网络可成熟应用，2030年星地一体的广域量子通信网络可投入应用。

　　中国量子科学实验卫星“墨子号”今年8月16日在酒泉卫星发射中心成功发射。12日，中科院举行新闻发布会介绍，“墨子号”正在开展为期三个月的在轨测试，目前状态良好，预计11月中旬完成全部在轨测试工作，随后卫星将交付使用，正式开始科学实验。

　　量子卫星首席科学家、中科院院士潘建伟介绍，量子卫星在轨测试包括卫星平台测试、有效载荷测试、天地链路测试三部分，目前卫星平台测试和有效载荷测试已经完成，天地链路测试部分完成。

　　此外，记者从论坛现场获悉，量子通信“京沪干线”将于今年年底建成。

　　尹浩表示，“京沪干线”大尺度光纤量子通信骨干网工程，连接北京、上海，贯穿济南、合肥等地，将成为大尺度量子通信技术验证、应用研究和应用示范平台。

　　中国银监会银行业信息科技监管部副主任单继进表示，围绕“京沪干线”，2016年12月，将完成京沪异地量子骨干线路、合肥、济南、上海城域量子线路的建设工作，实现京沪量子骨干网整体贯通，启动山东银监会、安徽银监局、上海银监局向中国银监会的量子保密通信银行业金融数据采集系统远程报送应用，启动工商银行网上银行数据的京沪异地灾备传输应用。

　　本次论坛是在中国科学院的指导下，由中国科学院重大科技任务局和中国信息协会联合举办。为更加完善产业链，推动量子技术的应用推广，中国信息协会量子分会与中国量子通信产业联盟12日在论坛上宣告正式成立。国科量子、科大国盾量子、阿里巴巴、神州信息等企业或研究机构成为联盟或分会首批成员。

　　神州信息、科大国盾量子、国科量子、苏州科达、信威通信等企业同日在论坛发布了量子密钥应用系统以及面向金融、政务、大数据等领域的信息安全解决方案等合作成果。

　　神州信息总裁周一兵表示，在推动量子技术与国家电子政务应用融合的过程中，神州信息业已完成量子系统与安全可靠信息系统一体化解决方案的适配，并取得良好效果，为量子系统和量子产品在安全可靠政务平台的推进提供了通路。神州信息还通过量子+传统加密的方式去帮助银行提升核心业务系统的安全抗攻击能力，开拓量子技术与金融核心业务系统相结合的解决方案。
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Status of our quantum satellite payload is better than planned

 

[JSCh]

Public Release: 13-Oct-2016
The Lancet: China's recent two-child policy unlikely to lead to short-term population boom, according to new predictions
The Lancet

-- The effect of the new policy on the shrinking workforce and rapid population ageing may not be felt for two decades, suggesting changes to retirement age could be beneficial.

China's recently introduced universal two-child policy is predicted to have a relatively small effect on population growth, with a likely peak of 1.45 billion in 2029, compared to 1.4 billion in 2023 if the one-child policy had continued, according to academics writing in The Lancet. By 2050, the population is predicted to be 1.42 billion under the two-child policy, compared to 1.27 billion under the one-child policy.


The Lancet: China's recent two-child policy unlikely to lead to short-term population boom, according to new predictions | EurekAlert! Science News

Journal Reference:

The effects of China's universal two-child policy, Prof Yi Zeng, PhD, Prof Therese Hesketh, PhD, The Lancet (2016), DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(16)31405-2​