Qinhuangdao: World's first high-temperature gas-cooled reactor evaporator shell complete hydraulic pressure test
December 05, 2023
Recently, the high-temperature gas-cooled reactor steam generator shell was successfully completed by the Hydroelectricity Group (Qinhuangdao) Heavy Equipment Co., Ltd. and passed the test once. It will be used in the world’s first Shandong Rongcheng with the safety features of the fourth-generation nuclear energy system. Shidao Bay High Temperature Gas-cooled Reactor Nuclear Power Plant Demonstration Project.
According to reports, the high-temperature gas-cooled reactor nuclear power plant is a nuclear power plant independently developed by China and with independent intellectual property rights. It is one of the safest types of nuclear reactors in the world. It can ensure that the reactor does not undergo core melting and radiation release in any accident. Excluding the possibility of reactor core melting due to residual reactor heat, technically no need to take off-site emergency measures to achieve the fourth generation of nuclear energy system nuclear safety goals. Due to its inherently good safety, coupled with its high efficiency in power generation and its wide range of uses, it was listed as a major national science and technology project in 2006.
The high-temperature gas-cooled reactor evaporator jointly developed by Harbin Electric Reloading Company and Tsinghua University is the core equipment of the nuclear power plant demonstration project. The steam temperature at the outlet of the evaporator can reach 570°C, and the power generation efficiency will be greatly improved. Because high-temperature gas-cooled reactor nuclear power plants use helium as a coolant, helium has the characteristics of strong permeability, sealing is difficult, and the requirements for the manufacture of the steam generator housing are very high. Since the start of manufacture in 2012, Harbin Heavy Equipment has broken through key technologies such as surfacing welding, processing, and assembly of sealing slots and large flanges, and successfully completed the shell hydrostatic test on October 12, 2016. One pass of inspection. The total height of the evaporator shell subjected to the hydrostatic test exceeded 23 meters, the maximum width was about 7.5 meters, and the maximum weight of the equipment during hydrostatic testing was 480 tons or more. The one-pass qualification of the shell water pressure test marks Harbin Power's ability to manufacture nuclear power equipment to a new level.
It is understood that the Shidao Bay nuclear power plant evaporator product manufactured by Harbin Electric Group (Qinhuangdao) Heavy Equipment Co., Ltd. has two sets, and the internal components are currently in the final assembly stage. It is expected that all of them will be completed and put into use in 2017. As of now, Harbin Electric Group (Qinhuangdao) Heavy Equipment Co., Ltd. has produced more than 10 nuclear power products such as “Hualong No.1”, AP1000, steam generators for high-temperature gas-cooled reactors, and so on. Production tasks are full and orders have been placed until 2019.