Nuclear News Weekly Roundup - 05/21 - 05/25
Yangjiang Unit 5 Connected to the Grid
On May 23rd Yangjiang Unit 5, an ACPR1000 design, was connected to the grid, becoming this year’s first under-construction unit to hit this milestone in China. Yangjiang NPP is the largest nuclear power project in China. According to CGN, Unit 5 is also the first domestic reactor design to employ major features of Gen III technology*, using CGN’s self-developed Hemu (harmony) digital control system (DCS). Yangjiang Unit 5 poured its first concrete in September 2013 and it is now CGN’s 21st operational nuclear power unit.
*Nicobar Note: the ACPR1000 is usually regarded as a Gen II + reactor design, and is the basis for CGN’s HPR1000 Gen III design under construction at Fangchenggang Units 3&4.
Fangchenggang Unit 3’s Containment Dome Attached
On May 23rd, CGN’s HPR1000 demonstration project, Fangchenggang Unit 3, had its containment dome attached 8 days ahead of schedule, which now advances the project to its installation phase. The dome has a diameter of 45 meters and a height of 13.6 meters. It consists of 70 wall panels and weighs more than 220 tons. It is a great challenge to hoist the dome as a whole and attach it, 63 meters above ground, to the containment building. “We employed innovative 3-D modelling technology and made a sand-table model to identify potential challenges and work out respective solutions, so we can make sure the attachment would be a success on the first try” said Guo Zonglin, Vice GM of China Nuclear Power Engineering Company (CNPEC) and Chief Director of the Fangchenggang HPR1000 demonstration project.
Fangchenggang Unit 3 uses CGN’s HPR1000 reactor design, a Gen III technology that China has full proprietary intellectual property of. Almost 90% of its equipment is locally manufactured, and the design will be the representative “going out” nuclear technology to be exported. According to CGN and EDF’s cooperation agreement signed in 2015, the Bradwell B Project in the U.K. will employ the HPR1000 reactor design and use Fangchenggang Unit 3 as a reference model. Currently, the HPR1000 reactor design is in Phase II of the Generic Design Assessment conducted by British nuclear regulatory authorities and is projected to enter Phase III by the end of 2018.
Nuclear Power Institute of China Developed the First Reactor Core Measurement System for the HPR1000
On May 20th, Deputy Director of Nuclear Power Institute of China (NPIC), Wu Lin, announced that the Hengxin TM, the self-developed reactor core measurement system for world’s first HPR1000, had its first batch of equipment packed for shipment. It took NPIC ten years to develop a reactor core measurement system with proprietary intellectual property. The equipment will be used at Fuqing Unit 5 to measure its real-time neutron flux rate and coolant temperature at fuel assembly outlet, among other indicators.
Harbin Electric Power Equipment Company (HEPEC) Becomes Westinghouse’s First and Only Qualified Supplier in China
On May 23rd, an issuance ceremony was held at Harbin Electric Power Equipment Company (Qinhuangdao city) where it received its Certificate of Qualified Supplier from Westinghouse Electric. Mr. Joni Falascino and Mr. Jan Dudiak, Westinghouse Electric’s Senior VP and Chief Procurement Officer, respectively, presented the certificate (serial number WEC-00000001) to HEPEC.
SPIC and China Energy Engineering Corporation Signed Framework Agreement on Strategic Cooperation
On May 22nd, State Power Investment Corporation (SPIC) and China Energy Engineering Corporation (CEEC) signed a framework agreement on strategic cooperation. The two corporations will work together in the future on nuclear power, engineering construction and ancillary services, consulting and other services, capital investment, technology and human resources, international projects, information sharing, etc.
Primary Helium Fan of Huaneng’s HTGR at Shidaowan Passed Pre-Shipment Inspection
On May 17th, the primary helium fan of the world’s first High Temperature Gas-Cooled Reactor passed the pre-shipment inspection at Jiamusi Electric Machine Company, a subsidiary of Harbin Electric Corporation. The inspection procedure contained many items, including an aerodynamics test, a 100-hour stable state test, an electric motor performance test, etc. All test results satisfy passing standards and the product is ready to be shipped to the Shidaowan site in Shandong Province.