"First countries that develop fast neutron reactors will gain competitive interests in nuclear energy." In the 1940s, the famous physicist Fermi of the United States made such a statement that the chief expert of experimental nuclear reactor technology for China National Nuclear Corporation was Xu.銤 began 45 years in connection with the fast reactor.
“The energy generated from the fission of 1 kilogram of uranium-235 is equivalent to the energy released from the combustion of 2700 tons of coal. From the perspective of complete production chain energy consumption, nuclear power has the lowest carbon dioxide emission, and new energy sources such as solar energy and wind energy are higher than it. "More", referring to the future of large-scale energy solutions, Xu Wei believes that although nuclear energy can not be said to be the only way out, it can be regarded as one of the best choices. In many ways to achieve nuclear energy, he always has a soft spot for fast reactors. In an exclusive interview with reporters, Xu, who is already 74, talked about the excitement of the fast reactor: “Fast reactors can burn more and more fissile fuel, that is, they produce more than they consume. This is in conventional energy sources. It is impossible."
With China's first self-developed experimental fast reactor successfully connected to the grid for power generation, Xu Wei is full of confidence in the future development of China's fast reactors: “The development of fast reactors is not only of great strategic importance for achieving sustainable large-scale nuclear power development in China, but also It is also very important for China to enter the advanced energy technology field."
Self-innovation Reporter "Taking Me Main": In the first experimental fast reactor in China, what proportion of independent innovation accounted for?
Xu: The China Experimental Fast Reactor is the first fast-neutron reactor built in China. At the beginning of development, it established the principle of "mainly based on me." However, as the country's medium- and long-term science and technology development planning frontier technological key objectives and the "863" plan major projects, its construction is a difficult process of independent innovation.
In 1986, when the "863" plan came into being, the fast reactor project was included in the "863" project reactor project in the energy field. The China Atomic Energy Research Institute has since started the design and construction of China Experimental Fast Reactor's pre-technical research. In December 1995, the State Planning Commission and the State Science and Technology Commission jointly approved the project. In August 1997, it was approved by the State Science and Technology Commission as a major project of the “863†Plan. In 2006, fast reactors were included as frontier technologies in the national long-term science and technology development plan. In December 2007, the Ministry of Science and Technology and the Commission of Science, Technology, and Industry for National Defense applied for joint approval to establish the “Eleventh Five-Year Plan†construction goals, project funding and project investment for the China Experimental Fast Reactor Project. The Ministry of Science and Technology, the National Bureau of Science and Technology for National Defense and China National Nuclear Corporation jointly contributed 3,300 million yuan.
In fact, research work on China's fast reactors began earlier. As early as 1965, part of the predecessor of China’s Atomic Energy Institute, the 194 Institute, proposed to the country that China should develop fast reactor technology. However, due to various reasons, research has remained at the level of scientific research and has not entered substantive engineering work. Insufficient investment, lack of large equipment, large gantry, China's basic scientific research work is not as large as foreign countries, to a large extent.
In 1993, we completed the concept design of the China Experimental Fast Reactor. We felt that the experience of the fast reactor engineering was not enough. We decided to provide technical consultation to the Russian fast reactors, and some of them used Russian fast reactor equipment and system technology programs to reduce domestic research costs and verification. time. Since then, Russian experts have made technical designs for 22 subsystems. During this period, we have adopted a parallel design method. After checking and acceptance, we learned the experience of Russian-related systems. After consulting, we achieved design autonomy. .
Since then, the preliminary design of 218 systems of the whole plant has been completed by us and passed in 1997. In 2004, we independently completed all the construction design. This is a true “mainly based on me†and independent research and development process. Of course, it is also possible to draw on international experience within a reasonable price range.
Therefore, we are very grateful for the guidance of Russian experts and learned a lot of engineering experience. However, this pile is still our own design and construction. It is a product of independent research and development.
Due to the lack of sufficient time for testing, we have introduced some key safety equipment. According to current statistics, the localization rate of experimental fast reactor equipment and materials has exceeded 70%, including very core reactors, nuclear sodium, and non-fuel core assemblies. If we consider the whole process of the project from pre-research to construction, commissioning and operation, the localization rate of experimental fast reactors will be higher. For the 1,000 MW demonstration fast reactors that have already begun concept design, the fast reactor engineering department will also strive to increase the localization rate.
Through the implementation of the project, we have compiled more than 150 new standards and technical standards, applied 162 patents, and obtained 89 patent authorizations. It is expected that more than 200 results will be obtained in the end.
As the first fast reactor, to achieve such a high localization rate, the technical difficulties and funding difficulties faced. However, since experimental fast reactors are independently developed and independently designed, we have mastered our own core technologies so that investment in equipment can be controlled at an optimal level.
Another advantage of the high localization rate is that through the implementation of the experimental fast reactor project, we have formed a basic supporting fast reactor engineering system in China. This lays a good foundation for the construction of large-scale fast reactors with independent intellectual property rights in the next step.
Reporter: Will the high localization rate affect the safety of experimental fast reactors?
Xu: Safety has always been the first requirement for the development of nuclear power. At the beginning of the selection of experimental fast reactors, "safety" requirements were placed at the top of the list. The design of the reactor first emphasized the intrinsic safety, and all reactor feedbacks were designed as negative feedback to ensure that the reactor is stable under normal abnormal conditions.
The experimental fast reactor has designed the passive heat recovery system for passive accidents to ensure that the residual heat in the reactor is exported under any operating conditions. The passive residual heat extraction system scheme has made the China Experimental Fast Reactor the only fast reactor in the world that uses this passive method to derive residual heat from accidents, improving the safety of China Experimental Fast Reactor. The melting probability of the core reaches less than 1×10-6/stack.
In addition, the design of the experimental fast reactor adopts a one-loop tank design, which can effectively mitigate the consequences of the accident. Safety measures such as double-stack containers, double-pipes, and backup systems are also widely used.
The safety analysis results show that even in the most serious accidents that can be imagined, the personnel and environment outside the experimental fast reactors are not affected. With the above two articles, the safety of the China Experimental Fast Reactor has basically reached the safety technology goal of the fourth-generation advanced nuclear energy system.
Nuclear Energy “Three Steps†Takes the Second Step Reporter: China’s nuclear energy development has continued its “heat reactor, fast reactor, and controllable fusion reactor†three-step strategy. Please talk about fast reactors in China’s nuclear energy medium and long-term development strategy. The status and role that will play in the future?
Xu: With the sustained and rapid development of China's economy, China's energy demand will also maintain a growth trend. How to provide stable and powerful energy security for social and economic development is a serious problem that we currently face. From the perspective of China's current energy situation, oil and natural gas resources are increasingly depleted and shortages have become more serious. After taking full account of the current international abatement environment, clean energy has become the first choice for future development.
Among the clean energy that can be used on a large scale, hydropower has developed over the years and there is little room for further development in China. In the coming decades, nuclear power has become one of the best options for large-scale alternative coal.
However, the large-scale development of nuclear power also needs to consider the resource issue, which is the supply of uranium resources. At present, the utilization rate of uranium resources in pressurized water reactors is relatively low, only about 1%, and fast reactors can increase the utilization rate to 60%-70%.
The problem of stable supply of nuclear fuel cannot be considered after the nuclear power plant is built up. Naturally, uranium resources can be used abroad, but as a big country, we cannot hope to put energy security on foreign resources.
In addition, with the large-scale development of nuclear power, spent fuel discharged from nuclear power plants will gradually increase. A million kilowatt-scale nuclear power plant will discharge about 30 tons of spent fuel each year, which contains many radionuclides that last for several million years. Reducing and disposing of these spent fuels is of even greater significance for the scientific development of nuclear energy under the premise of protecting the environment.
It can thus be seen that the long-term stable supply of uranium resources and the reduction of spent fuel are the two key to the large-scale development of nuclear power in China.
The fast reactor can solve these two problems at the same time. The key to the development of nuclear power in China in order to overcome the constraints of uranium resources is the establishment of fast reactors and corresponding nuclear fuel cycle systems.
To put it plainly, the main component of spent fuel discharged from PWR nuclear power plants is uranium-238, which is not susceptible to fission. After the post-treatment process, the thorium-239 and uranium-238 are put forward to make a new fuel, and then burned in the fast reactor. The continuous consumption of thorium-239 and the depletion of uranium-238 will become é’š-239, which is equivalent to generating new ones. Nuclear fuel, and the fact that thorium-239 produces more than it consumes, truly reflects the meaning of breeder reactors.
At the same time, through the implementation of separation and transformation strategies, fast reactors can also transform long-lived radioactive waste generated by PWR nuclear power plants, thereby greatly reducing the volume and toxicity of nuclear waste, and minimizing radioactive waste.
Of course, light fast reactors will not work, and post-processing technologies and manufacturing technologies for helium-based uranium fuel components are also needed. In this way, with the fast reactor as the leader, a closed nuclear fuel cycle system for the purpose of nuclear fuel proliferation and transmutation can be established to achieve the purpose of improving the utilization rate of uranium resources and protecting the environment.
Reporter: In 1999, when France's "Super Phoenix" fast reactor was operational, it had caused a great uproar in the country. How do you view the current situation of international fast reactor development?
Xu: After the 1990s, countries such as the United States and Europe that had developed fast reactors in the early stage, due to slower economic development, hardly any population growth, strong economic foundation, and conditions for importing high-quality conventional energy, slowed down the development of nuclear energy, and used commercial fast reactors. The demand is not urgent, so the related research work has also stagnated.
However, we can find that other economies are still at a stage of rapid development. At the same time, many countries facing large energy gaps, such as Japan, India, South Korea, and Russia, which is trying to occupy the international market of fast reactors, are actively developing fast reactors, especially commercial fast reactors. .
The most prominent of these is Russia, which is the first country to develop fast reactors except the United States. At present, there are still three fast reactors operating; the prototype fast reactor plant of 600,000 kilowatts of electric power has been operating for 30 years and has already reached the commercial reactor operation. Level, its price is cheaper than local coal.
With the increasing number of spent fuel produced in the operation of heat reactors built in the world, more countries hope to treat long-lived radioactive waste through research fast reactors to make nuclear energy a cleaner energy source. In the 21st century, nuclear power in the United States and Europe recovered, and six advanced fourth-generation nuclear power reactor types were selected. Three of these are fast reactors, including the sodium-cooled fast reactors that China is developing. Therefore, although there are many twists and turns in the construction of China's fast reactors, repeated argumentation and exploration help us to firmly select a mature fast reactor.
“The energy generated from the fission of 1 kilogram of uranium-235 is equivalent to the energy released from the combustion of 2700 tons of coal. From the perspective of complete production chain energy consumption, nuclear power has the lowest carbon dioxide emission, and new energy sources such as solar energy and wind energy are higher than it. "More", referring to the future of large-scale energy solutions, Xu Wei believes that although nuclear energy can not be said to be the only way out, it can be regarded as one of the best choices. In many ways to achieve nuclear energy, he always has a soft spot for fast reactors. In an exclusive interview with reporters, Xu, who is already 74, talked about the excitement of the fast reactor: “Fast reactors can burn more and more fissile fuel, that is, they produce more than they consume. This is in conventional energy sources. It is impossible."
With China's first self-developed experimental fast reactor successfully connected to the grid for power generation, Xu Wei is full of confidence in the future development of China's fast reactors: “The development of fast reactors is not only of great strategic importance for achieving sustainable large-scale nuclear power development in China, but also It is also very important for China to enter the advanced energy technology field."
Self-innovation Reporter "Taking Me Main": In the first experimental fast reactor in China, what proportion of independent innovation accounted for?
Xu: The China Experimental Fast Reactor is the first fast-neutron reactor built in China. At the beginning of development, it established the principle of "mainly based on me." However, as the country's medium- and long-term science and technology development planning frontier technological key objectives and the "863" plan major projects, its construction is a difficult process of independent innovation.
In 1986, when the "863" plan came into being, the fast reactor project was included in the "863" project reactor project in the energy field. The China Atomic Energy Research Institute has since started the design and construction of China Experimental Fast Reactor's pre-technical research. In December 1995, the State Planning Commission and the State Science and Technology Commission jointly approved the project. In August 1997, it was approved by the State Science and Technology Commission as a major project of the “863†Plan. In 2006, fast reactors were included as frontier technologies in the national long-term science and technology development plan. In December 2007, the Ministry of Science and Technology and the Commission of Science, Technology, and Industry for National Defense applied for joint approval to establish the “Eleventh Five-Year Plan†construction goals, project funding and project investment for the China Experimental Fast Reactor Project. The Ministry of Science and Technology, the National Bureau of Science and Technology for National Defense and China National Nuclear Corporation jointly contributed 3,300 million yuan.
In fact, research work on China's fast reactors began earlier. As early as 1965, part of the predecessor of China’s Atomic Energy Institute, the 194 Institute, proposed to the country that China should develop fast reactor technology. However, due to various reasons, research has remained at the level of scientific research and has not entered substantive engineering work. Insufficient investment, lack of large equipment, large gantry, China's basic scientific research work is not as large as foreign countries, to a large extent.
In 1993, we completed the concept design of the China Experimental Fast Reactor. We felt that the experience of the fast reactor engineering was not enough. We decided to provide technical consultation to the Russian fast reactors, and some of them used Russian fast reactor equipment and system technology programs to reduce domestic research costs and verification. time. Since then, Russian experts have made technical designs for 22 subsystems. During this period, we have adopted a parallel design method. After checking and acceptance, we learned the experience of Russian-related systems. After consulting, we achieved design autonomy. .
Since then, the preliminary design of 218 systems of the whole plant has been completed by us and passed in 1997. In 2004, we independently completed all the construction design. This is a true “mainly based on me†and independent research and development process. Of course, it is also possible to draw on international experience within a reasonable price range.
Therefore, we are very grateful for the guidance of Russian experts and learned a lot of engineering experience. However, this pile is still our own design and construction. It is a product of independent research and development.
Due to the lack of sufficient time for testing, we have introduced some key safety equipment. According to current statistics, the localization rate of experimental fast reactor equipment and materials has exceeded 70%, including very core reactors, nuclear sodium, and non-fuel core assemblies. If we consider the whole process of the project from pre-research to construction, commissioning and operation, the localization rate of experimental fast reactors will be higher. For the 1,000 MW demonstration fast reactors that have already begun concept design, the fast reactor engineering department will also strive to increase the localization rate.
Through the implementation of the project, we have compiled more than 150 new standards and technical standards, applied 162 patents, and obtained 89 patent authorizations. It is expected that more than 200 results will be obtained in the end.
As the first fast reactor, to achieve such a high localization rate, the technical difficulties and funding difficulties faced. However, since experimental fast reactors are independently developed and independently designed, we have mastered our own core technologies so that investment in equipment can be controlled at an optimal level.
Another advantage of the high localization rate is that through the implementation of the experimental fast reactor project, we have formed a basic supporting fast reactor engineering system in China. This lays a good foundation for the construction of large-scale fast reactors with independent intellectual property rights in the next step.
Reporter: Will the high localization rate affect the safety of experimental fast reactors?
Xu: Safety has always been the first requirement for the development of nuclear power. At the beginning of the selection of experimental fast reactors, "safety" requirements were placed at the top of the list. The design of the reactor first emphasized the intrinsic safety, and all reactor feedbacks were designed as negative feedback to ensure that the reactor is stable under normal abnormal conditions.
The experimental fast reactor has designed the passive heat recovery system for passive accidents to ensure that the residual heat in the reactor is exported under any operating conditions. The passive residual heat extraction system scheme has made the China Experimental Fast Reactor the only fast reactor in the world that uses this passive method to derive residual heat from accidents, improving the safety of China Experimental Fast Reactor. The melting probability of the core reaches less than 1×10-6/stack.
In addition, the design of the experimental fast reactor adopts a one-loop tank design, which can effectively mitigate the consequences of the accident. Safety measures such as double-stack containers, double-pipes, and backup systems are also widely used.
The safety analysis results show that even in the most serious accidents that can be imagined, the personnel and environment outside the experimental fast reactors are not affected. With the above two articles, the safety of the China Experimental Fast Reactor has basically reached the safety technology goal of the fourth-generation advanced nuclear energy system.
Nuclear Energy “Three Steps†Takes the Second Step Reporter: China’s nuclear energy development has continued its “heat reactor, fast reactor, and controllable fusion reactor†three-step strategy. Please talk about fast reactors in China’s nuclear energy medium and long-term development strategy. The status and role that will play in the future?
Xu: With the sustained and rapid development of China's economy, China's energy demand will also maintain a growth trend. How to provide stable and powerful energy security for social and economic development is a serious problem that we currently face. From the perspective of China's current energy situation, oil and natural gas resources are increasingly depleted and shortages have become more serious. After taking full account of the current international abatement environment, clean energy has become the first choice for future development.
Among the clean energy that can be used on a large scale, hydropower has developed over the years and there is little room for further development in China. In the coming decades, nuclear power has become one of the best options for large-scale alternative coal.
However, the large-scale development of nuclear power also needs to consider the resource issue, which is the supply of uranium resources. At present, the utilization rate of uranium resources in pressurized water reactors is relatively low, only about 1%, and fast reactors can increase the utilization rate to 60%-70%.
The problem of stable supply of nuclear fuel cannot be considered after the nuclear power plant is built up. Naturally, uranium resources can be used abroad, but as a big country, we cannot hope to put energy security on foreign resources.
In addition, with the large-scale development of nuclear power, spent fuel discharged from nuclear power plants will gradually increase. A million kilowatt-scale nuclear power plant will discharge about 30 tons of spent fuel each year, which contains many radionuclides that last for several million years. Reducing and disposing of these spent fuels is of even greater significance for the scientific development of nuclear energy under the premise of protecting the environment.
It can thus be seen that the long-term stable supply of uranium resources and the reduction of spent fuel are the two key to the large-scale development of nuclear power in China.
The fast reactor can solve these two problems at the same time. The key to the development of nuclear power in China in order to overcome the constraints of uranium resources is the establishment of fast reactors and corresponding nuclear fuel cycle systems.
To put it plainly, the main component of spent fuel discharged from PWR nuclear power plants is uranium-238, which is not susceptible to fission. After the post-treatment process, the thorium-239 and uranium-238 are put forward to make a new fuel, and then burned in the fast reactor. The continuous consumption of thorium-239 and the depletion of uranium-238 will become é’š-239, which is equivalent to generating new ones. Nuclear fuel, and the fact that thorium-239 produces more than it consumes, truly reflects the meaning of breeder reactors.
At the same time, through the implementation of separation and transformation strategies, fast reactors can also transform long-lived radioactive waste generated by PWR nuclear power plants, thereby greatly reducing the volume and toxicity of nuclear waste, and minimizing radioactive waste.
Of course, light fast reactors will not work, and post-processing technologies and manufacturing technologies for helium-based uranium fuel components are also needed. In this way, with the fast reactor as the leader, a closed nuclear fuel cycle system for the purpose of nuclear fuel proliferation and transmutation can be established to achieve the purpose of improving the utilization rate of uranium resources and protecting the environment.
Reporter: In 1999, when France's "Super Phoenix" fast reactor was operational, it had caused a great uproar in the country. How do you view the current situation of international fast reactor development?
Xu: After the 1990s, countries such as the United States and Europe that had developed fast reactors in the early stage, due to slower economic development, hardly any population growth, strong economic foundation, and conditions for importing high-quality conventional energy, slowed down the development of nuclear energy, and used commercial fast reactors. The demand is not urgent, so the related research work has also stagnated.
However, we can find that other economies are still at a stage of rapid development. At the same time, many countries facing large energy gaps, such as Japan, India, South Korea, and Russia, which is trying to occupy the international market of fast reactors, are actively developing fast reactors, especially commercial fast reactors. .
The most prominent of these is Russia, which is the first country to develop fast reactors except the United States. At present, there are still three fast reactors operating; the prototype fast reactor plant of 600,000 kilowatts of electric power has been operating for 30 years and has already reached the commercial reactor operation. Level, its price is cheaper than local coal.
With the increasing number of spent fuel produced in the operation of heat reactors built in the world, more countries hope to treat long-lived radioactive waste through research fast reactors to make nuclear energy a cleaner energy source. In the 21st century, nuclear power in the United States and Europe recovered, and six advanced fourth-generation nuclear power reactor types were selected. Three of these are fast reactors, including the sodium-cooled fast reactors that China is developing. Therefore, although there are many twists and turns in the construction of China's fast reactors, repeated argumentation and exploration help us to firmly select a mature fast reactor.
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