Nuclear News Weekly Roundup - 05/14 - 05/18
Progress on HPR1000 Demonstration Project: All Key Equipment of Fuqing Unit 5’s Primary Coolant System Installed; Other Equipment for Unit 5&6 Shipped
On May 10th, Fuqing Unit 5’s coolant pump was shipped from Harbin Electric. The coolant pump underwent a teardown inspection and was packed up after successfully completing the full-flow test on March 26th, 2018. Six days later, on May 16th, Fuqing Unit 5’s pressurizer, the last piece of its primary equipment in the nuclear island, was also successfully installed following the steam generator and pressure vessel. Meanwhile, 4 high-pressure heaters for both Unit 5 & 6 were also shipped from Harbin Electric.
Primary Piping Welding Started for Hongyanhe Unit 5
On May 11th, Hongyanhe Unit 5’s first seam weld hold-point on primary piping, referred to as 1C4, was released by the NNSA. Welding of the piping began at 3:46 pm. Representatives from CNPEC, Liaoning Nuclear Power Company, and China Nuclear Industry 23 Construction Company were present to witness the milestone, which signifies that Hongyanhe Unit 5 has entered the phase of primary system installation.
Haiyang Unit 2 Finished the Non-Nuclear Start-up Test of the CI Steam Turbine
On May 10th, Haiyang Unit 2’s CI steam turbine was sped up to 1500 rpm during pre-fuel load commissioning testing. All device readings are reported to have passed the qualification threshold. The steam turbine was manufactured by Shandong Electric Power Construction First Engineering Company (SEPCO1).
China Nuclear Power Now Included into the MSCI Emerging Markets Index
Morgan Stanley Capital International (MSCI) just announced the half-year index adjustments on how Chinese A shares will be calculated. China National Nuclear Power Company (CNNP), subsidiary of the CNNC and its public branch listed in Shanghai Stock Exchange, and China Nuclear Engineering Group Corporation (CNEC) will be both included among other 234 Chinese A-share stocks. It is the first time that Chinese nuclear firms are included in MSCI’s Emerging Markets Index. The adjustment will go into effect on May 31st, 2018.
Nuclear Grade Zirconium and Hafnium Sponge Successfully Localized
The CNNC 272 Uranium Industry LLC has recently manufactured nuclear grade zirconium and hafnium sponge successfully, reaching another milestone for localization of nuclear fuel element containment vessel production. Zirconium and Hafnium have similar physical and chemical properties and it is very difficult to separate them from each other. However, their purified alloys are both necessities for nuclear fuel component production. Only a few countries in the world, like France, possesses the technology. China currently relies heavily on the import of these elements for use in fuel production.
Vice GM of Lufeng Nuclear Power Company Visited SEC-KSB for Wet-Wound Pump Development Progress
On May 11th, Bian Shuming, Vice General Manager of Lufeng Nuclear Power Company, accompanied by procurement center staff of the State Nuclear Power Engineering Company (SNPEC), visited Shanghai Electric-KSB. Bian introduced the current status of the Lufeng NPP project and learned about the progress of SEC-KSB’s wet-wound RCP development project. Both parties discussed the details of the testing of the CAP1400 prototype pump and the status of the design of the CAP1000 RCP.
Equipment Passed Pre-shipping Evaluation, Shipped to Tianwan NPP
Tianwan Unit 5’s fuel transfer device and Unit 6’s refueling machine electric control system passed pre-shipping evaluation and were shipped to site. The equipment is produced by CNNC’s China Nuclear Control System Engineering Company. An expert panel consisting of engineers from Xi’an Nuclear Equipment Company (XNE), Jiangsu Nuclear Power Company (JNPC), and China Nuclear Power Engineering Company (CNPE) examined all relevant inspection points and decided that the equipment was qualified for shipping.