HTR Development progress in China

Prof. Dr. Yujie Dong

Deputy Director, INET/Tsinghua University Beijing, China

25 February 2015

IAEA Meeting of the Technical Working Group on Gas Cooled Reactors (TWG-GCR)

25-27 February 2015, VIC, Vienna, Austria

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Contents

HTR-PM: High Temperature gas-cooled Reactor Pebble-bed Module

Design and Licensing

Test of components and systems

Construction of demonstration plant

Fuel

Future of HTR Development

Design - technical goals

HTR-PM project objectives

Completing 200 MWe HTR-PM demonstration plant, and providing sound foundation for the further development of Generation IV nuclear system.

HTR-PM technical objectives

Demonstration of inherent safety features

Demonstration of cost competitiveness

Standardization and modularization

Confirmation of proven technologies3

Design - philosophy

Mature technology

Steam cycle, based on HTR-10

Pebble bed, single zone

Full scale test of key components/systems

Safety features

Inherent safety, modular design

Passive cavity cooling system

Commercial scale

2 NSSS modules with 1 steam turbine

Worldwide procurement

Mostly domestic manufacturing, because of first of a kind

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Reactor building

HTR-PM plant buildingCross section 3D-view

Control building

Auxiliary building

Spent fuel storage building

Steam turbine building

Reactor & SG 2 X 250 MW Fuel enrich. 8.5％

Primary helium 250/750ºC, 7 MPa

Avg. burn- up

90 MWd/tU

Plant life-time 40 a Main steam 567 ºC/13.25 MPa

Final technical solution in 2006

Overview of HTR-PM Design

Reactivity control

Licensing - safety criteria

Quantitative Safety Goal

Possibility with accident consequence at site boundary exceeding 50mSv less than 10-6 per reactor year

Achievable

Practically exclude the need for off-site emergency plan

Meet the newest safety requirement

Safety re-assessment after Fukushima accident

All requirements were met for HTR-PM, safety advantages of HTR-PM are obvious

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Licensing - process

Early involvement

Design criteria, review guideline

Review of PSAR

1.5 years, more than 100 reviewers,

Dialogue, question sheet, answer sheet

3 dialogue meetings, 8 topics reports and review meetings, more than 2000 worksheets

Supporting reports

Safety expert committee, for PSER

Test - facilities

Engineering Laboratory

Started construction in 2009 and finished in 2010

The laboratory overview The facility is ready for test

Large-scale helium loop power：10 MW tempt.：750 ℃ pressure：7 MPa coolant：helium

Full scale, under HTR-PM helium conditionssteam generator, one of the 19 unitshelium circulator fuel handling systemcontrol rods driving systemsmall absorber balls reserve shutdown systemhelium purification systemreactor protection system and control room

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Circulator design

Vertical layout

Driven by high speed, frequency control electrical motor

Single stage, centrifugal impeller

Active magnetic bearing (AMB),

no shaft penetration of vessel, no lubrication

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Parameter Unit ValuePressure rise kPa 200Temp. of helium ℃ 250Rotation speed rpm 4,000Electrical power kW 4,500

Circulator

Proto 1: full scale motor with oil lubrication bearing,

Proto 2: motor with domestic magnetic bearing,

Proto 3: full scale helium circulator with domestic bearing, hot state 500 hours in nitrogen, and is being tested in hot helium condition

Proto 4: full scale motor with the magnetic bearing of the final product, to test the catch-down capability.

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Steam Generator

Vertical, counter flow, once- through type, helical tubes for efficient and compact heat transfer

Middle size, multi-layer helical tube assemblies

In-service inspection (ISI) feasible

Flow distribution, testable

Mass production

Manufactured in China

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Parameter Unit ValuePower MW 253

No. of Units 19No. of tubes per unit 35Total No. of Tubes 665

Design

Helical tubeassemblies

Outlet tubes

Inlet tubes

Prototype

Test of SG

The Helium Technology facility provides heat source for testing a full-scale unit constructed

Electrical heating

10MWth,

7.0MPa, 750℃, helium

The dedicated secondary loop and tertiary loop constructed

Reactivity control systems

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Barrel

Rods

SAS

Graphite

Carbon

Two independent systems: rods plus small absorber spheres (SAS), located in side reflector

Primary: rods, 24, motor driven

Play a dominant role as the actuators of reactor control and protection system

startup, power operation, power regulation, normal shutdown and scram can be accomplished

Secondary: SAS, 6 , falling by gravity, pneumatic conveyance

backup shutdown system

A full scale engineering CRDM prototype has been tested in a step-by-step method

In 2012, cold tests

In 2014, hot tests

Recently, seismic tests

All tests have been witnessed by NNSA

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CRDM

DM

Rod

Channel

Chain

Rod

SAS

Individual tests:

Conceptual prototype of drive mechanism verified, including solid lubrication, bearings, level indicator.

Samples of small absorber sphere produced

Feeder of sphere and pneumatic conveyance system verified

A full scale engineering prototype is being tested in hot conditions.

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MM

Feeder

DM

Tank

Channel

SAS

Fuel Handling System

Functions:

Charge and discharge fuel elements on line

Separating out the broken fuel elements

Measure burn-up of fuel element and screening out spent fuel

Transfer spent fuel elements to storage tank

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Test facilities

TF-FHS

Tests of individual components, parts: finished

TF-FHS: verification of the fuel movement, finished

ETF-FHS: Full scale verification of fuel handling system, in progress

HTR-PM project locationShidao Bay, Rongcheng City, Shandong

Province, China.

Progress of HTR-PM project

HTR 2014

EngineeringCompleting the primary design and PSAR evaluation. Working drawings is nearly finished. FSAR will be submitted this year.

Progress of HTR-PM project

Procurement

Pressure vessel, metal internals, carbon and graphite internals, control rod drive mechanism, second small absorber ball system, fuel handling system, etc.

Nuclear fuel, primary helium circulator and steam generator are the main challenges.

Progress of HTR-PM project

Reactor Pressure Vessels, will be delivered this year.

The key difficulty which was overcome is the 460 tons forge。

（Top head）（Bottom vessel I）

(Bottom head & bottom vessel II)

Pressure vessel

Progress of HTR-PM project

(Steam Generator Tube)

(Hot Gas Duct Nozzle Flange)

(SG Vessel Magnetic Particle Testing)

Steam generator vessel

Progress of HTR-PM project

-15~-11m wall Aug. , 2013，-11m floor Nov. , 2013，-5m floor

Mar. , 2014，0m floor Aug. , 2014，+7.5 wall

ConstructionCivil Engineering: December 9, 2012 first concrete poured

Progress of HTR-PM project

Loop Loop embededembeded partpart Waste Waste

storage tankstorage tanknegative negative pressure pressure

ventilation ventilation shieldshield

Steam generator Steam generator accident dischargeaccident discharge

tanktank

manholemanhole（（--8m 8m belowbelow））

Main Main feedwaterfeedwater

Penetration Penetration assemblyassembly

Construction-Installation

Progress of HTR-PM project

Fuel fabrication

In 2010, INET demo production facility, 100k/a, finished the first production

In the end of 2014, irradiation test of fuels, Petten, Netherlands, finished, results are good

Commercial fuel plant, 300k/a, finished equipments installation, to start production in 2015

Multi-module plant: HTR-PM600 as commercial plants for next deployment

6 reactor modules (250MWt, 250/750℃, 7.0MPa each) connecting to 1 steam turbine (13.25Mpa, 566 ℃), provide a 650 MWe nuclear plant.

Co-generation of electricity and steam.

Nearly the same site footprint of PWR plants.

Rough estimation of capital costs shows that such plant has promising economic competition for sites with special requirements.

Hydrogen production

Iodine-Sulfur cycle

Full technological process, closed, continuous test, finished: 86h（60h for hydrogen production）, 60L/h

High temperature electrolysis

More than 100h (60h for continuous steady hydrogen production, 105L/h

Concluding Remarks

Key components and technologies have been/are being tested and verified. The remain full scale demonstration tests will be finished in this year.

The key components will be shipped to the site in succession from this year.

Fuel irradiation test and the equipment installation of the fuel fabrication plant has been finished.

The target to connect grid is 2017.

The conceptual design of the commercial 600 MWe unit has been finished.

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