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Released December 14, 2023 | GALWAY, IRELAND
en
Written by Martin Lynch, European News
Editor for Industrial Info (Galway, Ireland)--The world's first Generation IV nuclear power reactor has entered commercial operation in China.
According to state-owned developer China National Nuclear Corporation (CNCC) (Beijing, China), the demonstration High Temperature Gas-Cooled Reactor - Pebble-bed Module (HTR-PM) at the Shidaowan nuclear plant in Shidao Bay, in the Shandong Province, has begun operation, following a 168-hour demonstration run. The plant has been under construction since 2012 and is described as the first "inherently safe" nuclear power facility. "It signifies that China has completed the world's first commercially operational modular nuclear power plant with fourth-generation nuclear technology, marking the transition of fourth-generation nuclear technology from experiments to the commercial market," CNCC stated. "The high-temperature gas-cooled reactor, with advantages of high safety, power generation efficiency, and environmental adaptability, has broad applications in various fields such as power generation and combined heat and power. It is an important pathway for optimizing China's energy structure, ensuring reliable energy supply, and contributing to the 'dual carbon' goal."
The plant comprises two small reactors rated at 250 megawatts thermal (MWt) that drive a single 210-MW steam turbine. It uses helium as coolant and graphite as the moderator. Each reactor is loaded with more than 400,000 spherical fuel elements ('pebbles'), each 60 millimeters (mm) in diameter and containing 7 grams (g) of fuel enriched to 8.5%, according to global nuclear body World Nuclear Association, which states: "The inherent safety features of the HTR-PM guarantees that under all conceivable accident scenarios the maximum fuel element temperature could never surpass the design limit temperature, even without the dedicated emergency systems. In the hypothetical case of an accident characterized by a total loss of coolant and active cooling, the core of the HTR-PM would not melt due to its low power density and geometry. The fuel temperature can never exceed 1600˚C in the HTR-PM. This ensures that accidents, such as core melting, or the release of radioactive fission products into the environment, cannot occur."
Speaking to the Wall Street Journal, Francois Morin, China director of the World Nuclear Association, said that the new reactors put China "ahead of other countries in terms of nuclear technology research and development."
Much of the technological lead was taken by Tsinghua University, which helped supply "more than 2,200 sets of first-of-a-kind equipment, and more than 660 sets of innovative equipment." Two safety demonstration tests were conducted on the two reactor modules in August and September where the normal energy transfer driven by power was stopped during the tests. The measured nuclear power and temperatures within the different reactor structures, described how the reactors were naturally cooled down, without human intervention or emergency core cooling systems. Tsinghua said that the tests confirmed that commercial-scale reactors could be cooled down naturally without emergency core cooling systems for the first time in the world.
"The major goal of HTR-PM is to co-generate high temperature steam up to 500℃ and electricity," it said. "It is currently cost-effective in the Chinese market to supply steam and electricity for the petrochemical industry to substitute the burning of natural gas and coal". Speaking to the South China Morning Post, Zhang Zuoyi, dean of the Tsinghua University Institute of Nuclear and New Energy Technology and chief designer of the Shidaowan reactor project, said: "High-temperature reactors can produce heat, power, and hydrogen, and would help China and the world become carbon neutral."
Industrial Info is also tracking China's lead in the development of small nuclear reactor (SMR) technology, where a global race is underway to dominate a potential new age for nuclear power. Its SMR demonstration project, known as Linglong One, is under construction at the Changjiang nuclear power plant in southern China on the island of Hainan. Using the ACP100 SMR design, it has a capacity of 125 MW and was the first SMR to pass a safety review by the International Atomic Energy Agency in 2016. Installation of the SMR is underway, with testing slated for late 2024 and commissioning in 2026. Subscribers to Industrial Info's Power Project Database can click here for the project report.
Industrial Info Resources (IIR) is the leading provider of industrial market intelligence. Since 1983, IIR has provided comprehensive research, news and analysis on the industrial process, manufacturing and energy related industries. IIR's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) helps companies identify and pursue trends across multiple markets with access to real, qualified and validated plant and project opportunities. Across the world, IIR is tracking over 200,000 current and future projects worth $17.8 Trillion (USD).
According to state-owned developer China National Nuclear Corporation (CNCC) (Beijing, China), the demonstration High Temperature Gas-Cooled Reactor - Pebble-bed Module (HTR-PM) at the Shidaowan nuclear plant in Shidao Bay, in the Shandong Province, has begun operation, following a 168-hour demonstration run. The plant has been under construction since 2012 and is described as the first "inherently safe" nuclear power facility. "It signifies that China has completed the world's first commercially operational modular nuclear power plant with fourth-generation nuclear technology, marking the transition of fourth-generation nuclear technology from experiments to the commercial market," CNCC stated. "The high-temperature gas-cooled reactor, with advantages of high safety, power generation efficiency, and environmental adaptability, has broad applications in various fields such as power generation and combined heat and power. It is an important pathway for optimizing China's energy structure, ensuring reliable energy supply, and contributing to the 'dual carbon' goal."
The plant comprises two small reactors rated at 250 megawatts thermal (MWt) that drive a single 210-MW steam turbine. It uses helium as coolant and graphite as the moderator. Each reactor is loaded with more than 400,000 spherical fuel elements ('pebbles'), each 60 millimeters (mm) in diameter and containing 7 grams (g) of fuel enriched to 8.5%, according to global nuclear body World Nuclear Association, which states: "The inherent safety features of the HTR-PM guarantees that under all conceivable accident scenarios the maximum fuel element temperature could never surpass the design limit temperature, even without the dedicated emergency systems. In the hypothetical case of an accident characterized by a total loss of coolant and active cooling, the core of the HTR-PM would not melt due to its low power density and geometry. The fuel temperature can never exceed 1600˚C in the HTR-PM. This ensures that accidents, such as core melting, or the release of radioactive fission products into the environment, cannot occur."
Speaking to the Wall Street Journal, Francois Morin, China director of the World Nuclear Association, said that the new reactors put China "ahead of other countries in terms of nuclear technology research and development."
Much of the technological lead was taken by Tsinghua University, which helped supply "more than 2,200 sets of first-of-a-kind equipment, and more than 660 sets of innovative equipment." Two safety demonstration tests were conducted on the two reactor modules in August and September where the normal energy transfer driven by power was stopped during the tests. The measured nuclear power and temperatures within the different reactor structures, described how the reactors were naturally cooled down, without human intervention or emergency core cooling systems. Tsinghua said that the tests confirmed that commercial-scale reactors could be cooled down naturally without emergency core cooling systems for the first time in the world.
"The major goal of HTR-PM is to co-generate high temperature steam up to 500℃ and electricity," it said. "It is currently cost-effective in the Chinese market to supply steam and electricity for the petrochemical industry to substitute the burning of natural gas and coal". Speaking to the South China Morning Post, Zhang Zuoyi, dean of the Tsinghua University Institute of Nuclear and New Energy Technology and chief designer of the Shidaowan reactor project, said: "High-temperature reactors can produce heat, power, and hydrogen, and would help China and the world become carbon neutral."
Industrial Info is also tracking China's lead in the development of small nuclear reactor (SMR) technology, where a global race is underway to dominate a potential new age for nuclear power. Its SMR demonstration project, known as Linglong One, is under construction at the Changjiang nuclear power plant in southern China on the island of Hainan. Using the ACP100 SMR design, it has a capacity of 125 MW and was the first SMR to pass a safety review by the International Atomic Energy Agency in 2016. Installation of the SMR is underway, with testing slated for late 2024 and commissioning in 2026. Subscribers to Industrial Info's Power Project Database can click here for the project report.
Industrial Info Resources (IIR) is the leading provider of industrial market intelligence. Since 1983, IIR has provided comprehensive research, news and analysis on the industrial process, manufacturing and energy related industries. IIR's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) helps companies identify and pursue trends across multiple markets with access to real, qualified and validated plant and project opportunities. Across the world, IIR is tracking over 200,000 current and future projects worth $17.8 Trillion (USD).
