Nuclear power, page-5

How theworld's first fourth-generation nuclear power plant works

Technology14:12,06-Jan-2024

By Zheng Yibing

02:47

The world's first fourth-generationnuclear power plant, Huaneng Shandong Shidao Bay Nuclear Power Plant in easternChina's Shandong Province, went into commercial operation on December 6, 2023and has been running well, according to officials at the plant.

The power plant has drawn globalattention as it adopts High Temperature Gas-Cooled Reactor-Pebble-bed Module(HTR-PM), which is claimed to be able to steer away from a meltdown or leak ofradioactive materials even in extreme conditions.

"In the past few weeks of itscommercial use, our two reactors in the power unit have maintained the initialfull power stable operation. They generate electricity every day with the powerof 150 megawatts," said Zhang Yijin, a chief operator at the power plant.

"The state of the unit,including the operation of various parameters are very stable. Then theelectricity we generate is supplied to the Shandong power grid and distributedfor use," he added.

One of the major features of thefourth-generation reactors is the nuclear fuel which is made into a smallsphere shaped like a tennis ball, and each reactor has up to 430,000 of them.

"This sphere is 6 centimeters indiameter, and inside it, are 12,000 one-millimeter coated fuel particles. Andinside the particles, there's a very small fuel core, and four layers ofceramic armor," said Tong Liyun, another chief operator at the plant.

Nuclear fuel is made into a smallsphere which has four layers of ceramic armor, and the temperature of the fuelball will not exceed the temperature that the ceramic armor can tolerate. /CGTN

"The entire ceramic armor canwithstand very high temperatures, and under any working conditions, the temperatureof the fuel ball will not exceed the temperature that the ceramic armor cantolerate," Tong said.

He stressed that in this way, thedesign ensures that radioactive materials will not leak out.

The operator said that each spherehas the energy equal to 1.5 tonnes of coal and there is no need for the usualprocedure of temporarily shutting down reactors for refueling, allowingconstant operation.

The operating reactors are cooled bythe inert gas helium instead of water. And they also use a passive residualheat removal system which is the key assurance for the inherent safety ofhigh-temperature gas-cooled reactors.

Huaneng Shandong Shidao Bay NuclearPower Plant is setting an example for the further development offourth-generation nuclear power plants. /Shidao Bay Nuclear Power Plant

Construction of the power plant beganin 2012. It was connected to the grid in 2021 and went into commercialoperation in 2023.

It is expected to contribute to theregion's electricity supply and set an example for further development offourth-generation nuclear power plants.

In safely using nuclear energy, Chinais utilizing its own third-generation nuclear power technologies like"Hualong-One" and the country is making concrete steps towards moreadvanced technologies like the one used in Shidao Bay.

https://news.cgtn.com/news/2024-01-06/How-the-world-s-first-fourth-generation-nuclear-power-plant-works-1q8JzrGNrj2/p.html