The diversified utilization of clean power generation has embarked on the path of nuclear energy with Chinese characteristics

Column:Industry trends Time:2020-10-09
China's independent nuclear power technology brand and the world's advanced third-generation nuclear power model "Guohe No.1" in Shanghai.

On September 28, China Power Investment Corporation announced the landmark achievement of China's third-generation nuclear independence -- China's independent nuclear power technology brand and the world's advanced third-generation nuclear power model "Guohe No.1" in Shanghai.

A year ago in September 2019, the State Council Information Office of China's first white paper on nuclear safety - white paper points out that China's nuclear safety, formed a complete system of nuclear industry, China's nuclear cause for energy security, protect the ecological environment, improving people's living standards, promote economic made important contributions to the development of high quality are also out of a nuclear safety road with Chinese characteristics.


Third and fourth generation nuclear power from the drawing to reality

On Sept. 2, Premier Li Keqiang presided over an executive meeting of the State Council.
The meeting approved the Hainan Changjiang Nuclear Power Phase II project and the Zhejiang Sanao nuclear Power Phase I project, which adopted Hualong No. 1 and NO. 3 nuclear power technology, and the private capital invested for the first time.The total effective investment in the two projects will exceed 70 billion yuan, which will create a large number of jobs.

On May 7, 2015, the first concrete pouring of unit No. 5 of Fuqing, the world's first demonstration project of Hualong No. 1 reactor, marked the official start of the project.Over the past five years, Unit 5 of Fuqing Nuclear Power Plant has been progressing smoothly. It is expected to be put into operation before the end of this year.In addition, Hualong One has landed in Ningde, Zhangzhou, Fangcheng Port.

Xing Ji, chief designer of China National Nuclear Corp. 's Hualong One and chief engineer of China Nuclear Power Engineering Co., said that as Hualong One starts to operate, the scale effect and integration effect brought by it will drive domestic equipment manufacturing enterprises to continuously improve their technology and management level and promote the overall transformation and upgrading of high-end equipment manufacturing industry.

In the past five years, China's third-generation nuclear power technology projects, including the AP1000 projects in Sanmen and Haiyang and the EPR project in Taishan, have also achieved power generation.

In Shidaowan, Shandong province, the fourth-generation nuclear power technology -- the world's first modular high-temperature gas-cooled reactor demonstration plant -- has been completed for civil construction, installation and comprehensive commissioning.All parties involved in the project are making all-out efforts to meet the goal of completing the construction and generating electricity by the end of 2021.

By the end of December 2019, China had 47 nuclear power units in operation, with a total installed capacity of 48.75 million kilowatts, ranking third in the world, second only to the United States and France. The total installed nuclear power capacity accounts for 2.42 percent of the country's total installed power capacity.At the same time, a number of nuclear-related laws and regulations, such as the Atomic Energy Law and the Regulations on the Administration of Nuclear Power, are being formulated.


Steady progress will be made in nuclear energy in the future

On July 28, the ITER project was installed and launched at a ceremony held in France.

The international thermonuclear Fusion Experimental Reactor project is the largest and most far-reaching international scientific project in the world. China signed an official contract to join the project in 2006.This is the largest international scientific and technological cooperation project that China has participated in as an equal.

2017, active in fusion research in the field of scientific research personnel together, to the ITER project and global fusion can discuss research and development of the future road, international fusion world more than 30 foreign experts and representatives of more than 10 Chinese expert drafted and signed the "Beijing declaration of fusion, support the development of Chinese fusion energy", the declaration that for ITER on time delivery of high quality parts in China, shows that China has played an important role in ITER, and further promoting the fusion of scientists for fusion energy related technology research and development to strengthen cooperation, to finally solve the problem of the world's energy shortage and environmental pollution.


The trend of nuclear energy utilization from power generation to diversification

Earlier this year, with the development of coVID-19, rapid epidemic prevention or rapid treatment became the top priority.Before, most of China's national standard medical protective clothing USES ethylene oxide sterilization, which takes 7-14 days.However, the consumption of medical equipment, especially disposable protective clothing, is too fast, so how to keep up with the demand in time has become a major problem.

Nuclear technology has been given orders at the critical moment in the prevention and control of the epidemic. From February 9 to 24, 44 units in the nuclear industry have irradiated and sterilized 1.39 million medical disposable protective suits. According to the Emergency Regulations for Irradiation sterilization of Medical Disposable Protective Clothing (Temporary) during the epidemic period, the irradiation (cobalt 60 or electron accelerator) technology can shorten the sterilization time to less than 1 day.

It can not only be used for irradiation production, but also provide heat source for cleaning and heating in winter in northern region.In 2019, the first phase of the 700,000-square-meter nuclear energy heating project in Haiyang, Shandong province, marked the official launch of the country's first commercial nuclear energy heating project.

In the future, nuclear energy will also play an important role in industrial steam supply, seawater desalination, hydrogen production from surplus electricity, isotope production and refrigeration.