Du Xiangyu: Nuclear power will account for about 7% of electricity in 2020

China National Nuclear Corporation officially announced that China’s first fast reactor, the China Experimental Fast Reactor (CEFR), independently developed by China Nuclear Power Research Institute’s China Institute of Atomic Energy Research, has reached its first criticality on July 21st.

"The practical application of fast reactors will take some time, but now it is only an experimental reactor. After a few development stages, demonstration reactors and commercial reactors will be put into practical use." Du Xiangyu, academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, was introduced during an exclusive interview with reporters.

However, the criticality of fast reactors does indicate that China’s fourth-generation advanced nuclear energy system technology has achieved major breakthroughs and has become one of the eighth countries in the world to have fast reactor technology following the United States, Britain, France and other countries.

"The critical mass of fast reactors means that China's nuclear energy has entered the prelude to the 'second song'." As the head of the “China Energy Mid-to-Long-Term (2030, 2050) Development Strategy Study” research team, Du Xiangyin believes that nuclear energy is an important clean energy for the sustainable development of China's energy. With the development of nuclear energy technology, the proportion of nuclear energy in China’s power industry Contribution to China's energy will gradually increase.

Du Xiangyu disclosed that by 2020, China’s installed nuclear power capacity will reach 70 million to 80 million kilowatts. By 2030, nuclear power capacity will increase to 200 million kilowatts, and in 2050 it will increase to 400 million kilowatts.

Nuclear Development Trilogy

Du Xiangxi explained the road map for the development of China's nuclear trilogy.

The first tune is a nuclear power plant with a thermal neutron reactor as its core. In this regard, China has chosen pressurized water reactor technology to support the rapid development of nuclear energy. Since the thermal neutron stack burns *235 one of the isotopes of *, the content of *235 in natural mines is very low, only 0.7%. Therefore, the second song must be further developed.

The second tune is a reactor type represented by fast reactors, characterized by the use of isotopes*238. The content of *238 in natural mines is several dozen times more than that of *235, and the utilization efficiency of fast fuel reactors for nuclear fuel can be increased by about 60 times compared with pressurized water reactors. "The heat reactor can work for decades, fast reactors can be used for hundreds of years or even thousands of years." Du Xiangyu said.

However, both the first song and the second song belong to the nuclear fission reactor, but they use only different isotopes.

The third tune is a fusion reactor, fuel for nuclear fusion is helium and *, seawater contains mainly helium, and * is manufactured from ***. The third song is divided into two steps: the first step is to realize the fusion of 氘 and *, and the second step is to realize the fusion of 氘 and 。. "If we can achieve the fusion of helium and helium, nuclear energy will be sustainable," said Du Xiangxi.

Now all countries in the world are striving for breakthroughs in research on controlled nuclear fusion, and China is no exception. The more optimistic view is that nuclear fusion can become a real energy source after 50 years. These 50 years have to go through experimental reactors, demonstration reactors, and commercial reactors. Even if it is a little more conservative, it is expected that breakthrough control fusion technology should be within 100 years.

Du Xianglu believes that nuclear energy development has an important strategic position in China both in terms of establishing a long-term sustainable energy system and developing clean energy from the perspective of environmental protection.

At present, the development of China's nuclear energy is still in its infancy, and the proportion of nuclear power in China's entire power is only 1%. However, China’s thinking on the development of nuclear energy has been very clear.

By 2020, China’s installed nuclear power capacity will reach 70 million to 80 million kilowatts. At that time, it will account for about 7% of the entire power supply; by 2030, nuclear power capacity will increase to 200 million kilowatts; by 2050, it will increase. To 400 million kilowatts, the installed nuclear power capacity will be 15% of the entire power industry. Since nuclear power can run for 7,000 hours a year, which is far higher than the 2000 hours/year operating speed of wind power, the contribution rate of power generation will reach 22%.

"Before 2030, the actual contribution of nuclear power depends on PWR technology. We hope that by 2030, fast reactors can begin to contribute to actual power generation," said Du Xiangxi.

Independent innovation and international cooperation are not mutually exclusive

In the development of nuclear power, the issue of independent innovation has always been a hot topic of discussion.

"The realization of criticality in fast reactors does not mean that we have fully mastered the fast reactor technology. China finished the experimental fast reactor and is working with Russia to carry out the technical breakthroughs of the demonstration fast reactor." Du Xiangxi revealed.

Du Xianglu believes that in the development of nuclear energy, independent innovation and international cooperation are not mutually exclusive.

Nuclear power began to take off in China in the 1970s. At first, China chose a self-designed, self-built model. It took a completely independent and innovative technological route and built a 300,000 kilowatt Qinshan nuclear power plant. Later, China purchased sets of nuclear power plants in France, Canada, and Russia. China’s Daya Bay nuclear power plant uses imported technology. In 2006, China introduced the third-generation pressurized water reactor technology of the United States and France - AP1000 technology.

"Because it is safer and more efficient, we can absorb, digest, and innovate on the basis of the introduction of foreign advanced technology." Du Xiangxi believes that international cooperation and independent innovation are not contradictory, starting with the introduction of digestion and absorption, Then it goes to independent innovation. This line is more in line with China’s reality.

Not only that, the third piece of nuclear energy development, that is, the development of fusion reactors, requires more international cooperation. Not only China, even developed countries in the United States and Western Europe can hardly build a fusion reactor with the power of a single country.

In 2006, the European Union, the United States, China, Japan, South Korea, Russia, and India decided to build the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) in Cadalas in southern France, also known as the “Artificial Sun” project. Its goal is to heat thermonuclear fuel to 100 million degrees Celsius, which will be the first fusion reactor ever to produce more energy than it consumes.

"It can be said that China's 'trilogy of nuclear energy' includes both international cooperation." Du Xiangxi said that while carrying out international cooperation, China also needs to strengthen its localization ability through continuous technological innovation, so that it will not be subject to human control.

Improve the industrial chain

Although nuclear energy has been developed in China for nearly 40 years, as of now, China does not have a nuclear waste treatment plant.

Du Xiangxi believes that this is mainly because China’s current nuclear power is very limited in scale, and the size of nuclear waste is not enough to support an industry. At present, China mainly treats long-life elements in nuclear wastes as metamorphosed into short-lived elements. After glass solidification and layer shielding, nuclear waste is treated with deep geological burial. This is also the current international practice.

However, by 2050, if China’s nuclear power reaches 400 million kilowatts of installed capacity, it will exceed the total amount of nuclear power in the world today. By then, China’s nuclear power development will extend from the southeast coastal areas to inland areas, and the issue of nuclear waste disposal will also become an important issue.

Du Xiangyin believes that the development of nuclear power is not just a matter of establishing a nuclear waste treatment plant. For the development of nuclear power, safety is always the top priority. Secondly, the development of nuclear power should also pay attention to the coordination of the entire industry chain, and cannot just focus on the manufacturing industry.

"The development of nuclear power should begin with nuclear fuel processing and recycling at the front end, and the disposal of nuclear waste at the back end to establish a complete industrial chain. Otherwise, nuclear power development can hardly be matched," Du Xiangxi pointed out.