Nuclear Power In Mainland China

Nuclear Power In Mainland China

Advanced Reactors in China--- What Is The Basis For Their Accelerated Development

and Deployment Process?January 29, 2014

Ted QuinnPast President, American Nuclear Society

Longenecker and Associatestedquinn@cox.net

Unbalanced Energy Supply Structure – 80% fossil, 18% renewables, 2% nuclear

Pressure from GHG Emission

Risks of Oil and Gas Supply

Challenge and Strategy

Sustainable increase of demand on electricity

Rapid Urbanization

China Nuclear Industry OrganizationsChina Nuclear Industry Organizations

The Ohio State UniversityNuclear Engineering Program

Overview of Nuclear R&D in ChinaOverview of Nuclear R&D in China

R&D includes universities and governmental organizations – not the same organizational structure as U.S. National Laboratory model Government R&D institutes (similar to national labs in the US) Universities Nuclear vendor R&D groups

Four major universities that have traditional nuclear engineering programs: Tsinghua University, Shanghai Jiao Tong U, Xi'an Jiao Tong U and Harbin Engineering U

Rapid expansion of NE programs in the past 5-7 years: Approximately 60 universities in China have nuclear engineering education in some manner

Major Non-University R&DMajor Non-University R&D

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Major Nuclear Vendors China General Nuclear Power Corporation

(CGNPC): ACPR1000

China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC):

ACP1000, ACP100, China Fast Reactor

Chinese Academy of Science

State Nuclear Power Technology Corporation

(SNPTC): CAP1000, CAP1400

Nuclear Power Institute of China

Chinese Institute of Atomic Energy: China Experimental Fast Reactor (CEFR)

China Nuclear Power Technology Research Institute

Shanghai Nuclear Engineering Research and Design Institute

State Nuclear Power Science and Technology Institute

Shanghai Institute of Applied Physics: Molten Salt Reactors (MSRs)

Flow Chart for Decision Making of Commercial Nuclear Energy ProjectsFlow Chart for Decision Making of Commercial Nuclear Energy Projects

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Utilities

National Energy Administration (NEA)/National Development and

Reform Commission (NDRC)

Note: Currently, NEA is part of (under) NDRC. Mr. Wu Xinxiong, Secretary of NEA is Vice Chairman of NDRC. NEA is the major driver and organizer of all civil nuclear projects in China. NEA is also in charge of nuclear programs in National Science and Technology Major Project, which is to develop Gen-III (or III+) LWR (CAP1400) and Gas Cooled Reactor (Gen-IV) technologies

State Council

Submit project application

Submit to State Council for final approval

Application Process of Commercial Nuclear Reactor Projects

Tianwan

★Beijing

Daya BayLing’ao I,II

Shanghai

Taohuajiang

Xianning

Pengze

24 units under permission

17 units in operation

Fangjiashan

Changjiang

Ningde

Fuqing

YangjiangTaishan (EPR)

Sanmen

Haiyang

Hongyanhe

Fangchenggang

28 units under construction

Jingyu

Luoyang

Peng’an

Fuling

Changde

Baiyin

XudabaoDonggan

Xuyu

Wenzhou

ZhangzhouLufeng

Wuhu

Jiyang

Sanming

Fengdu

More than 80 units proposed

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OverviewNPPs Distribution in mainland China

Flow Chart for Regulation of Commercial Nuclear Energy Projects

Flow Chart for Regulation of Commercial Nuclear Energy Projects

8Note: Currently, NNSA is part of (under) MEP. Mr. Li Ganjie, Secretary of NNSA is Vice Minister of MEP (MEP is similar to AEP in the U.S., but is at the ministry level)

Licensing Process of Commercial Nuclear Reactor

Utilities/Licensees

National Nuclear Safety Administration (NNSA)/Ministry of Environmental

Protection (MEP)

Construction/Fuel Loading Permit

Project Approval by State Council

Submit PSAR/FSAR

Sanmen site Mar, 2013

Construction and Innovation

AP1000 self-reliance supporting project

浙江三门项目Sanmen AP1000

ProjectZhejiang Province

浙江三门项目Sanmen AP1000

ProjectZhejiang Province

山东海阳项目Haiyang AP1000 Project

Shandong Province

山东海阳项目Haiyang AP1000 Project

Shandong Province

Construction and Innovation

AP1000 CAP1000

Technology licensed by WEC

Standardization: localization construction feedbacksafety enhancement…

Standard design for localized fleet

CAP1400

CAP150

CAP1700

Integrated SMR concept

FCD scheduled in April 2014

Conceptual design

completed

…

Construction and Innovation

CAP1400 Shidaowan site

2010 Conceptual Design

2011 Basic Design

2014 FCP

2018 Connectionto Grid

CAP1400 Demonstration Project Milestone

Construction and Innovation

Gen IV Nuclear Construction in China

Gen IV Nuclear Construction in China

Operation of CEFR 20 MWe Test Reactor• Startup in 2010-2011, power operations start in 2013

• Design of Demonstration Reactor

Construction of demonstration HTGR• 200 MW Pebble Bed design

• Scheduled to start electricity generation by the end of 2017

Design of a small Fluoride Salt Cooled Reactor

First Concrete poured for China’s HTR-PM

CEFR construction

Challenges and Strategy (Cont’d)Challenges and Strategy (Cont’d)

Strategy in Electricity Production In December 2013, China’s National Development and Reform

Commission (NDRC) proposed to speed up the development of hydro, nuclear, wind, solar, and biomass energy

First time proposed by Chinese government to speed up Nuclear Energy installation after the Fukushima NPP Accident

Potential Challenges with Nuclear Rapid increase of Uranium consumption with the rapid nuclear

energy deployment in China Once-thru fuel cycle: Not sustainable

Potential Strategy with Nuclear Fuel Use closed fuel cycle: Reprocessing Breeding: Sodium-fast Breeder Reactors Thorium fuel: Molten Salt Reactors 14

Nuclear R&D Program StructuresNuclear R&D Program Structures

Major Chinese Nuclear Vendors (Govt entities) have their R&D programs China’s National Development and Reform

Commission has a program for developing critical technologies for the next 5 to 10 years in all areas (not just in nuclear): So-called “National Science and Technology Major Projects,” (I think there are 16 currently, including big commercial airplane project). One of which is related to develop next generation (Gen-III+) LWR (CAP1400) and Gas Cooled Reactor (Gen-IV) technologies

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Factors In China’s Acceleration of Gen IV Gas Reactor (HTGR)Factors In China’s Acceleration of Gen IV Gas Reactor (HTGR)

HTGR is one of the Gen-IV reactors and can be used for power generation with high efficiency and for process heat applications;

Tsinghua U successfully demonstrated the technology (HTR-10). This is quite important for the Chinese leaders in making the decision to further develop the technology by constructing the 200-MW demonstration plant since this will put China ahead of anyone else in building the large scale GEN IV SMR;

Govt-Partnership (Like our public-private partnerships in NP2010, NGNP and SMR) with Tsinghua and vendors is critical to the development and licensing experience in deployment of the HTGR.

NNSA (Chinese regulator) licensing of new reactor technology in the former Part 50 two step licensing process --- is allowing the build cycle to move quickly.

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Paper Reactors, Real Reactors

Characteristics of an Academic Plant It is simple It is small It is cheap It is light It can be built very quickly It is very flexible in purpose. Very little development is required. It will use mostly off the shelf components. The reactor is in the study phase – it is not being built now.

Characteristics of a Practical Reactor Plant It is being built now. It is behind schedule. It is requiring an immense amount of development on apparently trivial items. Corrosion, in

particular, is a problem. It is very expensive It takes a long time to build because of the engineering development problems. It is large It is heavy It is complicated(By Admiral Hyman Rickover, 1953)