China Nuclear Power Engineering Co., Ltd.: “Hualong One” helps to realize the dream of building a powerful nation of nuclear power

Company Profile

 

China Nuclear Power Engineering Co., Ltd.(CNPE), affiliated to China National Nuclear Corporation, is reconstructed and reformed form the main business and backbones of the former Second, Furth and Fifth Research and Design Institute of Nuclear Industry in December 2007. The company is one of the defense divisions of State Administration of Science. Technology and Industry for National Defense, and the only engineering company with research and design ability of nuclear power, nuclear chemistry, nuclear fuel, and the most complete and professional equipment. CNPE integrates the business of nuclear engineering R&D, planning, design, general contracting, nuclear power plant operation and support services, and engineering supervision, etc.

 

Challenges

 

With the economic development, China has shown its problems in the uneven distribution of energy resources (water, coal and other distribution) with increasingly prominent trend, and thus to vigorously develop efficient clean nuclear energy has become the important issue for social development. Especially after the Fukushima nuclear accident in 2011, governments and the public in countries have paid more attention to the safety of nuclear power and put forward higher requirements for nuclear security.

 

However, China’s nuclear power started from the mid - 1980s, later thirty years than the world nuclear power, and the development of nuclear power in China, both in the equipment manufacturing and natural environment, has its own special conditions. Therefore China cannot copy foreign technology. As one of China’s important nuclear power engineering companies, how CNPE , based on the introduction of absorption of advanced nuclear power technology from Russia, France and other countries,  to make independent innovation, and create independent intellectual brand to promote China's nuclear power “Going out” is an important topic and national mission for the enterprise development.

 

Solutions

 

To make China's nuclear power go abroad, the independent intellectual property rights is necessary so that we can to build the real brand of China's nuclear power.

 

Independent R&D：Ten-year endeavor for the new project

 

In July 1999, CNPE started the idea of designing a pressurized water reactor nuclear power plant with a net power output of over one million kilowatts. However, at that time, Qinshan nuclear power station, the only independently designed nuclear power station in our country in operation had a net power output of only 300 trillion watts, and we had little experience in designing and building nuclear power plants with a net power output of 1,000 trillion watts. The design of an independent nuclear power plant is a complicate system engineering, which involves hundreds of systems and tens of thousands of design drawings, let alone others. A slight move in one part may affect the situation as a whole and each change in any figures means a new round of data analyzing and calculating.

 

In 2005, the company finished the initial design and safety report of CNP1000. During 2007 to 2010, the company improved 22 technologies, including 177 reactor core and the double layer containment, based on the previous research and development work, and changed the previous model into CP1000, which was also the core basic technique adopted in Hualong One. In 2010, the company initiated the special research and development of key research project, ACP1000, on the basis of CP1000. After the Fukushima nuclear disaster, the company further improved ACP1000 according to the newest regulation and completed the top floor design plan. At the beginning of 2013, the company finished the initial design of demonstrative projects, Fuqing 5 and 6, and started the work of designing construction drawings and purchasing essential equipment.

 

Technological Integration: Powerful alliance to create new engine for overseas market

 

While CNPE concentrating on the research of generation III nuclear technology, China General Nuclear Power Corporation has also started the journey of independent research and development since 2005 and has researched and developed CPR1000, CPR1PPP, APR1000+ technologies based on the million-kilowatt nuclear reactors introduced from France. In April 2003, led by National Energy Administration, the two companies decided to implement technological integration and worked together. They integrated intellectual property rights and financial resources to build a national nuclear power brand, thus helping to export China’s nuclear power technologies overseas.

 

In order to get rid of the dependence on foreign technologies and to add the label of complete independent intellectual property right to Hualong One, technicians carried out 54 scientific research projects successively, and launched 117 cooperative projects with 64 universities, institutions and related enterprises at home and abroad. Besides, they have made a patent layout in targeted countries for overseas marketing.

 

Achievement

 

Hualong One is the generation III nuclear power model meeting the most advanced international regulations and standards, which is built on more than 30 years of nuclear power research, design, manufacturing, construction and operation, with great input of financial resources, material resources and manpower. It has drawn on the lessons of Fukushima nuclear disaster and the advanced international idea of passive safety system. Several breakthroughs made by Hualong One have all reached the world leading level, with powerful international competitiveness. Using 177 fuel assemblies and adopting the innovative idea of combining active and passive systems and the design of double layer containment to resist aircraft impact, the nuclear power station is safer, more economical, advanced and mature. On 7 May 2015, the first demonstrative project of Hualong One, Fuqing V nuclear power unit started its construction, which is a significant milestone.

 

Hualong One, the generation III nuclear power technology, makes nuclear power engineering companies of China be more competitive. Protections for independent intellectual property rights and brands provide guarantees for the company’s long-term development. At the same time, more than 85% equipment used for Hualong One nuclear reactor is made in China, which is beneficial to consolidate and promote the international competitiveness of China’s equipment manufacturing industry. It is estimated that a Hualong One unit can promote the economic development of around 600 equipment manufacturers and providers, bringing 30 billion yuan worth of exports, and hundred billions, if fuel supplies and technical supports are included. More important, it makes China the forth country possessing the generation III nuclear power technology independently, following America, France and Russia, thus entering the leading camp of world’s advanced nuclear power technology.

 

In April 2015, Chinese President Xi visited Pakistan with the mission of nuclear power export and did export 5 Hualong One nuclear reactors successfully, worth 15 billion US dollars. This is the biggest export project in China’s nuclear power industry and also makes a good start for our national nuclear power brand, Hualong One. At present, 2 export agreements and 5 cooperation framework agreements for Hualong One have been signed. Nuclear power, following high speed rail, has already become the highlight of China’s efforts to enter the foreign market. China’s nuclear industry finally greets the new situation of being shipped abroad exclusively rather than sharing ships with others.

 

Prospect

 

As a sustainable and environmental-friendly clean energy, nuclear power has been accepted by most countries. According to the statistics, more than 60 countries in the world have considered nuclear power generation. As of 2030, the global nuclear power generating capacity will increase by at least 40%.Huge international market will bring opportunities of overseas development for China nuclear power. At present, the company is also actively promote the corporative projects in nuclear power with nearly 20 countries, including the UK, Europe, Argentina, Egypt in Latin America, Europe and South Asia. At the same time, the company will also continue to continuously explore the nuclear technology skills and strive to maintain the world leading position.